College sports notes: DeJuan Blair and Pitt's TBT basketball team takes shape (2024)

Jun. 19—Pitt basketball alumni are on the hunt for $1 million again in The Basketball Tournament, and the Zoo Crew added a pair of powerhouses to an already stacked roster.

DeJuan Blair and Ryan Luther will join Lamar Patterson, Jamel Artis, Nike Sibande, and Nelly Cummings on the team. Jamarius Burton was supposed to play but is questionable after suffering a recent injury.

Blair starred at Pitt from 2007-09 and helped the Panthers to a Big East Championship and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. In his final season, he was named Big East co-Player of the Year and First Team All-American. The San Antonio Spurs selected Blair 37th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. He spent seven years in the NBA before embarking on a career in the G League and overseas.

Blair also won a TBT championship in 2017 as a member of Overseas Elite.

Luther attended Pitt from 2014-18 and made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. He played overseas for five years, most recently for Manisa BB in Turkey. He also has experience in the TBT, having previously played for the Marshall alumni squad Herd That.

The Zoo Crew is hosting a TBT regional at the Petersen Events Center from July 20-24. They'll be joined by Stars of Storrs (UConn Alumni), Happy Valley Hoopers (Penn State Alumni), Best Virginia (West Virginia Alumni), and four other teams. TBT's bracket for the Pittsburgh Regional will be unveiled on June 26.

Robert Morris men's basketball adds assistant coach

Andy Toole announced the addition of George Aramide as an assistant coach for the upcoming season. He comes to the Colonials after spending last season at Fresno State. He was named interim head coach for the Bulldogs in March of 2024 while a head coaching search was pursued.

Aramide spent two years on staff at Arizona State as an assistant coach, helping the Sun Devils earn an NCAA tournament bid in the 2022-23 season under Head Coach Bobby Hurley.

Before entering the college ranks, he was a high school coach at George Harris Preparatory High School in Mississauga, Ontario. His teams produced a pair of top-ranked players in Canada. Additionally, Aramide's AAU program, Run N' Dunk, won the Canadian National Invitational Tournament in 2018.

Aramide was born in London, England, attended Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia and played professionally in Spain.

Duquesne men's basketball participating in Cayman Islands Classic

Coming off a historic NCAA Tournament run, the Dukes announced they will participate in the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic from Nov. 24-26. Duquesne is part of an eight-team field that includes Boise State, Boston College, Hampton, High Point, Missouri State, Old Dominion and South Dakota State. Game-by-game matchups will be announced at a later date.

Five of the eight teams in the Cayman Islands Classic appeared in the postseason last year. In addition to the Dukes, Boise State and South Dakota State participated in the 2024 NCAA Championship, Boston College appeared in the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), and High Point finished as the runner-up in the 2024 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).

This is the sixth year of the Cayman Islands Classic, with the previous winners being Cincinnati, Creighton, George Mason, Kansas State and Utah State. South Dakota State (2017), Boise State (2018), Old Dominion (2019) and Utah State (2023) are each making their second appearance in the tournament.

Pittsburgh locals transfer to Pitt baseball and softball

Camryn Murphy, a 2022 Shaler grad, announced on X last week she'll be joining the Panthers' softball team after two seasons at Division II Seton Hill. She earned All-American honors from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.

Murphy was a second-team selection in the outfield, leading the Griffins with 16 homers and 66 RBIs. She hit a .402 during the season and was tied for a team-high three triples.

Pitt softball finished last in the ACC with a 6-18 overall record and 4-8 in conference play.

Derrick Tarpley Jr. entered the transfer portal after a single season at Youngstown State. The Brownsville alum decided to come closer to home and join the Panthers.

Tarpley became the first from Brownsville to be selected in the MLB Draft directly out of high school since 1975. The 6-4 outfielder was taken by the Oakland Athletics in the 18th round following his senior season in 2023. He batted .450 with three home runs, 19 extra-base hits, 18 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

He hit a .328 with two home runs in 16 games as a freshman at Youngstown this past spring but was sidelined in March due to an injury.

The Panthers finished last in the Coastal Division of the ACC with a 10-20 conference record and a 26-28 overall record.

Abby Schnable: aschnable@post-gazette.com and @AbbySchnable on X

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