Pitt's Justin Champagnie sets aside All-ACC talk to focus on Miami

Mar. 9—Join the conversation

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Pitt sophomore Justin Champagnie said he called no one Monday when word reached him that he was named to the All-ACC first team.

"I was happy," Champagnie said.

But ...

"I didn't look at it as, 'I did it. I did it. I did it,' " he said. "I feel like I had this in me since last year. To me, it means nothing if we don't try and win."

His first concession to the honor: He took a call of congratulations from his mom, Christina.

"My mom was the first person to call me," he said.

Then, it was back to work preparing for Pitt's first-round game against Miami in the ACC Tournament at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Greensboro Coliseum.

This is no time for Champagnie or any Pitt player to be giddy after the Panthers ended the regular season losing nine of 11 games, two starters to the NCAA transfer portal and all the momentum generated by a 4-1 start.

For Pitt (10-11, 6-10) to advance, Champagnie might need to put the team on his back. He did it this season in a 31-point effort against Duke and in last year's tournament, also in Greensboro, when he scored 31 in a victory against Wake Forest.

"I love a big stage," he said. "I'm from New York. That's all we have are big stages. I'm always excited for a challenge."

Champagnie, who is the first Pitt player named first-team all-league since Ashton Gibbs in the Big East (2011), is listed in ACC's top 10 in eight categories. He's No. 1 in rebounds (11.1 per game) and No. 2 in scoring (18.37, a mere .31 point behind Duke's Matthew Hurt).

But his two years at Pitt have taught him lessons that will serve him well when he's playing professionally — either next season or later — and living life after his skills are gone.

"I learned that what you did yesterday does not matter anymore," he said. "I learned that you have to move on from every play. The past is the past. You can't change it. I learned that."

He also learned to rely on teammates.

"You have to fight together. You can't do it by yourself," he said.

But circumstances have thrust Champagnie to the front of the line at Pitt.

Pitt played Miami with 13 scholarship players Dec. 16 in a 70-55 victory. With Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney gone and John Hugley suspended, there will be only 10 in Greensboro.

Much of Champagnie's support in the areas of scoring and rebounding left with Johnson and Toney.

Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, the team's second-leading rebounder, is averaging 4.1, seven per game behind Champagnie.

Ithiel Horton is Pitt's second-leading scorer (8.9), but he recorded one and no points in back-to-back games against Wake Forest and N.C. State before scoring 11 in the loss at Clemson on Saturday. He is Pitt's most reliable 3-point threat, hitting 41 of 111 attempts (36.7%). Pitt is 5-1 when he makes at least four 3-pointers, including four of six against Miami.

The Hurricanes (8-16, 4-15) have personnel problems of a different nature that led to a 2-10 stretch to end the regular season. Injuries forced Miami to play Boston College on Friday with six scholarship players, but they nonetheless stopped a six-game losing streak with an 80-76 victory.

Kameron McGusty, who didn't play against Pitt, scored 27 points while 7-foot center Nysier Brooks added a career-high 21. Miami's Isaiah Wong, named to the All-ACC third team, is fourth in the conference in scoring (17.1).

"(Wong) creates a lot of stuff for himself and can create things for others," Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. "They are a very talented team, especially on the offensive end."

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .