News and Notes - June 6th

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm thinking about switching up the format of the blog a bit, such that recruiting news is its own section apart from general Pitt basketball news. Leave a comment below or message us on Twitter @PittLead to let us know what you think!

And now, for some evening news bits:

• Members of the Pitt coaching staff, including Jeff Capel and assistants Jason Capel and Milan Brown, are in attendance for tonight's NBA Finals game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors:

@Pitt_MBB here for #NBAFinals . Game 3 @warriors vs. @cavs . I’m sure the building will be jumping‼️ @jeffcapel spending pregame with the @NBATV crew & teammate @realgranthill33 . #ZooEra #H2P pic.twitter.com/W3T0inbFf7

— Milan Brown (@coachmbrown) June 7, 2018

• I tend to think that something like this is just fun and doesn't have any serious recruiting implications. But for some recruits, maybe there is a slight positive effect of seeing the coaching staff mingling with NBA personalities on professional basketball's biggest stage. At the very least, it's fun to see the new coaching staff doing this kind of thing and publicizing it because the fans are into it.

• Here's a good hype video interview with Capel courtesy of the ACC Digital Network, wherein Capel discusses building a foundation now, and restoring pride in Pitt basketball:

New @Pitt_MBB head coach Jeff Capel has one mission: Restore Pitt pride. #ZooEra pic.twitter.com/aa15vH0krX

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) June 4, 2018

•  Pittsburgh Sports Now has two articles up on 2019 Pitt recruiting targets Oscar Tshiebwe and Greg Gantt Jr., and you should check them both out if you have the time. 

• Among the highlights, it sounds like Tshiebwe enjoyed his Monday visit to Pitt, and Capel is working hard to continue to foster a relationship with him. Gantt Jr. had positive things to say about incoming freshmen Trey McGowens and Au'Diese Toney, both of whom he has played with in the past.

• Again, if you get the chance, you should read Pittsburgh Sports Now's interviews with each of those players, which are linked to their names in the above bullet point.
• Here's a cool bit of news to follow, as a team of Pitt basketball alums, including Gary McGhee, Levance Fields, and Tyrell Biggs will be playing in The Basketball Tournament this summer, on ESPN. See the team tweets below, including their side of the bracket:

We are going dancing! For a third straight year the Zoo Crew will compete in @thetournament ! Our first game will be July 20 in Columbus! Come support! pic.twitter.com/1x6CSdl6WZ

— The Zoo Crew (@ZooCrewTBT) June 6, 2018

• The Zoo Crew is a seven seed in the tournament, and will face off against Jackson TN Underdawgs in Columbus on the weekend of July 20.  

That's it for now! Look out for us to have more news tomorrow, as well as our first Throwback Thursday feature.