WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY -

June 12, 2005
 
Pittsnogle Decides to Return to WVU for Senior Year
 
by Grant Traylor
Huntington News Network Sportswriter
 
West Virginia's basketball team got a great surprise on Friday, June 10, 2005, as star shooter Kevin Pittsnogle announced he would return for his senior season.
 
Pittsnogle's move comes only weeks after he revealed his interest in testing the NBA Draft in hopes of becoming a first or second round pick.
 
The 6-foot, 11-inch Pittsnogle, from Martinsburg, became a household name after leading the Mountaineers to the Big East Championship game and the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
 
Pittsnogle averaged nearly 12 points a game while pulling down 4 rebounds in only 19 minutes per contest this season.
 
During the Big East and NCAA tournaments, Pittsnogle averaged almost 18 points and seven rebounds, booming his media attention and improving his draft status.
 
He graced the cover of many magazines and even had fans making signs stating, "You've been Pittsnogled" during the tournament.
 
He was drawing comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki, another 6-foot-11 sharpshooter who plays for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
 
Those comparisons caused Pittsnogle to take the chance and declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft.
 
However, as of Friday, Pittsnogle was leaving the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago to return to Morgantown, according to WVU Head Basketball Coach John Beilein.
 
The return of Pittsnogle will boost a depleted Mountaineer roster that saw two players transfer out of school. West Virginia would have had only one player over 6-foot-8 if Pittsnogle had stayed in the draft.
 
Now, the Mountaineers will look to repeat the feats of the 2004-05 season as the Big East welcomes new members Cincinnati and Louisville. It was Louisville that knocked West Virginia out of the NCAA Tournament in March.
 
Under NCAA rules, Pittsnogle will be able to return to school with full eligibility because he did not hire an agent.