Inside The Panthers

Zoo Crew Helps Pitt Basketball Build Program Culture

The Zoo Crew played the TBT at the Petersen Events Center and built moment between former and current players.

Dominic Campbell

Jan 28, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Nelly Cummings (0) reacts after making a three point basket against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Nelly Cummings (0) reacts after making a three point basket against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Zoo Crew, the Pitt Panthers alumni basketball team, played in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) at the Petersen Events Center this past weekend, bringing back fans and former players to the same place for the first time in many years.

The team won their first two games, 98-95 against Million Dollaz Worth of Game in Round 1 last Saturday and 91-79 against Best Virginia, West Virginia Mountaineers alumni team, in Round 2 on Monday.

They played a close game against Happy Valley Hoopers, Penn State Nittany Lions alumni team, but fell at the last bucket, 85-82, Wednesday night.

TBT served as a great time for the former players to come together and put a show on for the fans. This included more recent graduates in guards Nike Sibande (2020-23) and both Nelly Cummings/Greg Elliott (2022-23), as well as older alumni in guard/forward Jamel Artis/forward Mike Young (2013-17), forward Ryan Luther (2014-18) and guard/forward Lamar Patterson (2009-14).

The players put on a great show for the fans, but some of their most fervent supporters came in the current Pitt team, who stood behind the basket in support of the alumni.

Guards in senior Ishmael Leggett, sophomore Jaland Lowe and freshman Brandin Cummings, plus forward Zack Austin led the cheerleading, which also included a little taunting and trash talking, especially with the WVU and Penn State alumni teams.

Security even had to separate the Pitt players from Happy Valley Hoopers at halftime, as the two parties got into a shouting match, which eventually led to the security putting up a rope against them heading into the second half.

Outside of the bickering with rivals, the event lended itself in many ways to the program going forward, especially in terms of building team culture from past and present.

Not only was the current team on the sideline, but so too were Bub Carrington and Justin Champagnie, both now with the Washington Wizards, and Blake Hinson, now with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The trio just got finished playing in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but took the time to come back and show love to Zoo Crew.

Gilbert Brown, general manager and head coach of Zoo Crew, praised the camaraderie between the alumni and current team, especially since he also serves as an assistant coach and director of player and alumni development.

"It’s amazing," Brown said on the passion between former and current Pitt players. "I just think the program is moving forward and it’s moving forward fast. These past two years have been great for us. Establishing ourselves as a top team in the ACC two years in a row and making the NCAA Tournament and just with the guys coming back and just showing the love and support to our former players and other former players coming back like Bub and Justin and Blake to show love to it. It’s amazing and it shows you just what direction this program is moving."

Cummings played a large role, along with Sibande, Elliott and Hinson, as they made the 2023 NCAA Tournament, ending a seven-year drought from the last time they did so.

Coming to Pitt in his sixth and final year, Cummings made previous stops at Bowling Green and Colgate before coming back to his hometown and excelling on the biggest stage helped bring the program back from some of its worst seasons ever.

“I think it was one of the better decisions I made in my life, for sure," Cummings said on transferring to Pitt. "When I transferred from Bowling Green, I had to sit out a year. Had I not sat out that year, I wouldn’t have even been able to do the last year at Pitt. So, everything happened for a reason and I think, now, it just shows, that you know, I came here with a plan to help rebuild this culture here and help get back to winning ways and I think it’s pretty obvious that I wasn’t lying when I told you guys I was going to do that. I feel good about it for sure."

That culture that Cummings built will continue with his brother, Brandin Cummings, who also played at Lincoln Park in neraby Midland, Pa. in Beaver County.

"It was real cool for me, man," Nelly Cummings said on seeing his brother cheering him on. "Speaking to the team part, we built the culture here for sure and it shows now. It’s pretty obvious I think and all the things happening recently, especially this, and having my brother there is like, I don’t know how to describe it, it’s real surreal to be honest. He’s here and I’m just hoping all the Pitt fans are ready for what my brother’s going to do. That’s more important than what’s happening right now. I hope everybody’s ready. Get your popcorn ready because my brother’s here."

Cummings will go overseas for his next contract and even with the time difference, he will make the time to watch this current team heading into next season, along with the other players on Zoo Crew who also play in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.

“It’s definitely hard because the time difference is something that I experienced last year overseas and it’s hard to watch games, keep up and stuff like that," Cummings said. "But I think that’s the important part of when it’s real. It’s genuine love and it’s actually not just to say, “We have a culture.” I actually care, so Imma stay up late. That’s just what it’s gon’ be and a lot of us are going to do the same thing. If you actually care about it, you’re actually going to make the sacrifice to do it. So that’s what you’re going to do, that’s what you got to do."

With his brother Brandin, plus Lowe and Leggett, incoming transfers in forward Cam Corhen from Florida State and Damian Dunn from Houston, plus head coach Jeff Capel in charge, Cummings is confident the program is rapidly improving and will continue to do so in the coming years.

"The program’s on the rise," Cummings said. "Wherever we were at initially, I don’t know, but I know right now, we’re going [gestures up] and we’re going to continue to do that in the hands of coach Capel and staff. The players that we have now and the camaraderie of the alumni as well."

Brown hopes that this event will propel the Pitt players to use when the regular season starts in November and then going through the rest of the season to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

"Definitely, use this even as a learning lesson for the guys because we anticipate on being an NCAA Tournament team," Brown said. "Just the importance on how every game matters, every play matters, all the little things and sticking together. All these things matter if you want to make a deep run or just be a really good team. So, you can use this and there’s tons of examples for them to actually learn from."

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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