News and Notes - Tuesday, June 19th

   Apologies for my absence, as I have had a couple of busy travel weeks. One more coming up, as I head out of town for a friend's wedding this weekend. The coverage will be slow through then, but should pick up with more regularity afterward. Onto the news.

• Congratulations to former Pitt star Brad Wanamaker, who was named the MVP of the Turkish Basketball League's finals, after putting up 16 points per game in the series to lead his team, Fenerbaçhe, to a championship.

  Champions!!! Thanks for the all the love and… https://t.co/kWhjuvmj8u

  — Bradley Wanamaker (@phillybul_22) June 13, 2018

  Former Pitt guard Brad Wanamaker named MVP of Turkish Basketball Super League Finals, writes @xmikewilson https://t.co/BSvKPbCXIi

  — Cardiac Hill (@PittPantherBlog) June 15, 2018

• The big week continued for Wanamaker after the Turkish league finals, as he has begun to pick up attention from some NBA teams. Cardiac Hill writes that Wanamaker is drawing interest from the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Orlando Magic.

  Former Pitt guard Brad Wanamaker reportedly draws interest from NBA teams, writes @xmikewilson https://t.co/7u2ZfUdD2d

  — Cardiac Hill (@PittPantherBlog) June 19, 2018

• Despite having graduated from Pitt in 2011, the 28-year-old Wanamaker may finally get his shot to play in the NBA. Good luck to him. Additionally, it would be fun to watch Wanamaker play with another form Pitt stud, Jamel Artis, who currently plays for the Magic. 


• Artis got an extended look by the Magic coaching staff and front office to end the 2017-18 season, as he averaged 27.5 minutes, 9.3 points, and 3.7 rebounds per game over the final six games of the season. Hopefully this will earn him a shot to make the Magic's roster to start next season, after a campaign that featured frequent shuffling between Orlando and the Magic's G-League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic.


• One of Pitt's all-time leading scorers, Jason Matthews, took a visit to campus this week, catching up with Tony Salesi, the head athletic trainer for the Men's Basketball team. Salesi has served with the Pitt Athletic Department since 1986.

  I CAN'T come on Campus without coming to see THE LEGEND, Tony Salesi! My guy for 30+ years pic.twitter.com/CzXXGYUXNv

  — Jason Matthews (@JMatty22) June 15, 2018

• An interesting read from The Big Lead, on how basketball leagues might consider shortening the end of games, and cutting down on the intentional fouling and free throw shooting. The idea? Known as the Elam Ending, this would end games using a "first team to X number of points" system. Would you support a change like this? Or would you rather keep the end of game situation as it is? Check out The Big Lead's article, and let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

  This Is a Phenomenal Idea to Fix the Interminably Boring End of NBA Games https://t.co/UKtgHkd0fp

  — The Big Lead (@thebiglead) June 18, 2018

   That's all for our news and notes today, but keep checking back for more! I plan on writing a recruiting news post tomorrow, and we'll have another Throwback Thursday in a couple of days. Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow us on Twitter @PittLead