3-14-17

March Madness

Swan song: Pitt seniors reflect on college careers

SHELDON JETER

Steve Rotstein Sports Editor

When the visitors’ locker room inside the Barclays Center opened to reporters moments after Pitt’s season-ending 75-63 loss to Virginia in the second round of the ACC Tournament, the room was silent.

The post-game spread of food and drinks went mostly untouched. As the players sat side by side at their cramped lockers, some took off their sneakers and put away their Pitt script gear for the last time of the season, while others did so for the last time in their career.

Some stared straight ahead, reflecting on a bitter end to a lost season.

Four players in particular seemed more distraught than others — the team’s four seniors who knew for sure they had played their final game in a Panthers uniform. There would not even ba postseason run in the National Invitation Tournament or College Basketball Invitational for Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones and Michael Young. Just like that, a few minutes past the stroke of midnight on a Thursday in Brooklyn, New York, it was over.

After taking some time to reflect, the four seniors opened up about future plans, their Pitt careers and how it feels

pittnews.com

CHRIS JONES JAMEL ARTIS knowing they’ve played their final game as Panthers.

Sheldon Jeter Of all the players in Pitt’s locker room, Sheldon Jeter seemed to be taking the defeat the worst. He was still wearing his game uniform, staring idly at the ground.

He took long pauses to gather his thoughts before answering questions.

“It’s a lot of reflection, looking back on things,” said Jeter, an administration of justice major. “I wish it would have ended differently, but it didn’t. I’m just trying to come to grips with it, that’s all.”

After rebounding from a slow start to his senior season, Jeter played the best basketball of his career down the stretch, including a 29-point performance in Pitt’s 80-66 win over then-No. 17 Florida State.

He tied his personal-best mark of 8.1 points per game this season while leading the team with a career-high 7.3 rebounds per game.

Still, he wasn’t satisfied with his performance in his final game — in which he finished with five points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes — or his season performance as a whole.

“I feel like I let a lot of people down, all-around with that performance today,” Jeter said. “Really wasn’t happy with my

performance this season. I just felt like I let a lot of people down.”

The 6-foot-7 senior forward from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, attempted to return home to play for the Panthers after spending one year playing at Vanderbilt under Pitt’s current head coach, Kevin Stallings.

Stallings blocked Jeter’s transfer, forcing him to sit out a year at Polk State Community College in Florida before spending the last three seasons at Pitt — the last of which he played under his former coach.

“No matter what the circumstances were, I just always played the cards that I was dealt,” Jeter said. “When things got hard, I didn’t try to run away. I feel like I tried to meet every single challenge, and it just didn’t end how I wanted it to.”

Chris Jones Senior guard Chris Jones maintained his typical calm demeanor, but was still noticeably less upbeat than normal.

“It’s tough,” Jones said. “That’s all I can really say. It’s not something that’s easy to deal with, obviously. When you’re a senior you want to go out with a bang. It’s hard.”

Jones, standing at 6-foot-6, averaged 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in his final season, while scor-

March 14, 2017

MICHAEL YOUNG ing 6.1 points per contest in 129 games over his four-year career. He said he’ll look back fondly on his time at Pitt despite the disappointing finish.

“Every second of it I cherish,” Jones said. “I loved it, and that’s all I can say.”

Jones hasn’t yet decided where he’ll go from here. The communication major has only one thing on his mind now: graduation.

An avid TV and movie fan known to offer his opinions — and sometimes even ratings — on popular releases on Twitter, Jones didn’t rule out a future as a TV or movie critic.

“All I know is, after spring break I’m going to go to class, ” Jones said. “Stay posted. We’ll see,” he added with a smile.

Jamel Artis Senior point guard Jamel Artis will go down as a bit of an enigma. He was one of the most dynamic, versatile and talented players in program history, but always seemed like he could have reached a higher, untapped level of play.

The 6-foot-7 senior flashed that potential earlier in the season with a 43-point game against Louisville, including a program-record 32 points in the second half.

Still, going out without one final chance See Seniors on page 18

2

column

PANTHERS MAINTAIN STATUS QUO IN 2016-17 Mackenzie Rodrigues Staff Writer

Around the time North Carolina guard Jamie Cherry buried her fifth 3-pointer of the game in the first round of the 2017 ACC Tournament, the Pitt women’s basketball team was starting to realize its season was over.

The Panthers ended the regular season with a 13-16 overall record and a 4-12 record in ACC play, giving them the No. 11 seed in the ACC Tournament. But they failed to make it out of the first round, losing to Cherry’s No. 14 Tar Heels — the same team they defeated in the first round of last year’s tournament and the same team they beat by 20 earlier this year.

Cherry’s 32-point barrage would have been tough for any team to overcome, but this Pitt team had multiples holes it needed to address in order to return to its winning ways.

The loss ended the Panthers’ season at 13-17 overall — nearly identical to the team’s 13-18 record in 2015-16 — only two years removed from a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament run in Suzie (Top) Pitt women’s basketball beat McConnell-Serio’s second year as head writer Mackenzie Rodrigues. Pitt coach.

So what went wrong? Why has the point guard Jasmine Whitney. Anna Bongardino STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER team struggled through back-to-back

as a sophomore, as she again led the team in scoring and rebounding with 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Wise tallied a career-high 26 points in Pitt’s 62-54 win over Virginia Jan. 22, then surpassed that effort with 31 points while setting a new school record of 13for-13 shooting from the free throw line in the Panthers’ 72-64 win over Virginia Tech Feb. 16.

But Wise couldn’t do it all. She received help from some new teammates this year but will need even more of it in the future.

McConnell-Serio brought on three new players in 2016-17: True freshmen guards Alayna Gribble and Jasmine Whitney and graduate transfer center Brandi Harvey-Carr from DePaul. All three newcomers made key contributions.

Gribble quickly established herself as a shooting threat from beyond the arc. Opposing benches shouted out, “Shooter!” every time she touched the ball. She battled through an early-season injury to come on late — draining a careerthird-highest-scoring player on the team. high seven 3-pointers in a 93-65 loss As a sophomore, Diop raised her average vs. Syracuse Feb. 2 — and finished her to 10.4 points per game, putting her just first year with 6.7 points per game and a behind sophomore forward Brenna Wise team-high 46 3-pointers.

McConnell-Serio turned to Whitas the team’s second-leading scorer.

Without Diop’s services, Wise had to ney — a 5-foot-9 point guard — to run assume full responsibility as Pitt’s go-to the team’s offense in her first year. She earned her coach’s trust before the seaplaymaker on offense.

A local product of Vincentian Acad- son, prompting McConnell-Serio to give emy, Wise continued to be a powerhouse See Pitt Women on page 19 losing seasons without much improvement?

The absence of one of the team’s best players — junior forward Yacine Diop — is a good place to start. Diop missed the entire 2016-17 season with a stress fracture in her foot.

In her first two years with the Panthers, Diop started every game. The Senegal native contributed 9.4 points per game in her first year, making her the

“Without Diop’s services, Wise had to assume full responsibility as Pitt’s go-to playmaker on offense.”

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

3

column

NEXT YEAR WILL BE TURNING POINT FOR PANTHERS’ PROGRAM Steve Rotstein Sports Editor

Now that we know the season is over for Pitt Men’s Basketball players — with no postseason appearance and no winning record for the first time in 17 years — one question remains.

Where do the Panthers go from here?

Some have called for the axing of head coach Kevin Stallings after just one year on the job, but that’s not the proper course of action.

Yes, Stallings inherited a team with several talented, experienced players and finished nextto-last in the ACC while overseeing some of the worst losses in program history.

But former head coach Jamie Dixon left him with virtually no depth off the bench, no true point guard and no true center or post presence. If not for two costly injuries to senior forward Michael Young and junior forward Ryan Luther, the season’s solid start may have continued into conference play and led the team back to the postseason.

pittnews.com

I’m not defending or sticking up for Stallings. No matter how you slice it, his first season was a failure. Hell, it was a borderline disaster. But he deserves a chance to coach his players for at least a year before the program looks elsewhere for a new head coach.

In case anyone forgot, Pitt’s last losing season came in the 1999-00 season, when the Panthers finished 13-15 in Ben Howland’s first year as head coach. Pitt improved to 19-14 in his second season, then went 29-6 and 28-5 in Howland’s next two years before he left for UCLA and passed the program off to Dixon.

No one is expecting Stallings to be the second coming of Howland, but at least Pitt has a precedent for a turnaround after a dismal debut.

With seniors Young, Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter and Chris Jones graduating, Pitt is losing nearly three-fourths of its scoring from this season. Replacing Young and Artis will be especially hard, as the two All-ACC performers led the conference with a combined 38.3 points per game — more than half of the

team’s offensive output.

But those aren’t the only departures the team will face. Stallings dismissed first-year point guard Justice Kithcart prior to this year’s regular season finale, and sophomore guard Crisshawn Clark revealed his intention on Monday to transfer after the season.

And judging by the size of next year’s crop of players, more than six players will be leaving after the season.

As of now, the Panthers have four recruits already signed to the 2017 class, with three more unofficial verbal commits. 6-foot-2 guards Marcus Carr and Aaron Thompson, 6-foot-9 power forward Terrell Brown and 6-foot-5 guard Jared Wilson-Frame have all signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at Pitt in 2017.

Meanwhile, 6-foot-5 forward Shamiel Stevenson and 6-foot-10 center Peace Ilegomah have announced their intentions to join the Panthers in the fall. 6-foot-1 guard Troy Simons of Polk State Community College in Florida also plans to transfer to Pitt, and Stall-

March 14, 2017

ings and his staff are still looking to add to the class.

With the exception of Ilegomah and Simons, who aren’t rated by Rivals, the Panthers’ 2017 class is comprised entirely of three- and four-star recruits. Carr is the sole four-star prospect of the group according to Rivals, but both he and Thompson have the potential to earn starting spots in Pitt’s backcourt in 2017.

Sophomore Cameron Johnson will undoubtedly start at shooting guard, but the rest of the Panthers’ rotation is a mystery. Luther will be the team’s only senior next year, and although Stallings may have no choice to make him a starter, he’s better suited as the team’s sixth man.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the 2017 class to contribute immediately.

Whether or not they can take advantage of those chances will make or break the Panthers’ 2017 season.

The future of the program — and the stability of Stallings’ job status — will depend on it.

4

tourney’s most impactful players With several top-notch players set to guide big-time programs into the Big Dance for a shot at the national championship, these five players will play the biggest roles in deciding which team gets to cut down the nets in Phoenix. | by Ted Zhang No. 1 seed North Carolina, Allen made several timely 3-pointers and consistently found the open man to eliminate the Blue Devils’ most heated rival.

Thanks to his well-documented habit of tripping players in games and inciting minor scuffles, Allen gets showered with thunderous boos most everywhere he plays. But he is beloved inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

He’s the villain on one of the most hated teams in college basketball, led by arguably the greatest coach, Krzyzewski. There is no TNS storyline bigger in this year’s tournament than Allen’s quest to lead Duke to its second title in Grayson Allen He’s no Christian Laettner — the polar- three seasons.

Lonzo Ball izing college basketball superstar from the early 1990s and subject of the ESPN “30 for 30” documentary “I Hate Christian Laettner” — but Grayson Allen might be the Duke Blue Devils’ most controversial player of the last 20 years.

Allen’s game against Pitt Feb. 4, encapsulates why people both love and hate him, as his brilliant performance led the Blue Devils to a 72-64 win over the Panthers. He led the team with 21 points — nine of which came from back-breaking 3-pointers in the last five minutes of the game.

But he tried to trip Pitt’s Jamel Artis during the game — barely a month after Duke head TNS coach Mike Krzyzewski suspended him for his third tripping incident on Dec. 22 — and Standing at 6-foot-6, Lonzo Ball is the his lack of sportsmanship often overshadows most dynamic and versatile first-year point his play. guard to hit the college game in years. Despite Many adjectives have been used to debeing only 19 years old, Sports Illustrated and scribe the Blue Devils guard, ranging from CBS Sports project him to be among the top talented to hot-headed to downright dirty. fi ve picks in the NBA Draft this June.

But none truly capture the impact Allen has Ball has drawn comparisons to Steph on Duke’s success — or failure — as a team.

Curry for his knack of pulling up 28 feet from Allen is averaging a solid 14.2 points and the rim and burying 3-pointers. Thanks to his 3.5 assists per game, but it’s been a dropoff highlight-reel shots and a controversial father, from last year when he averaged 21.6 points whose aggressive promotion of his sons has and 3.5 assists as a sophomore. Still, if he quits led to feuds with Michael Jordan and Charles trippin’, the 6-foot-5 junior is the difference Barkley, Ball is oft en the subject of media atbetween Duke winning and losing. tention.

The Blue Devils won four games in four But Ball deserves all the hype he’s received, days last week to take home their 21st ACC as he’s been the driving force behind UCLA’s Tournament crown — an unprecedented return to national prominence and has provachievement — and Allen came off the bench en himself as one of the best players in the to provide key contributions in each of the ficountry. nal three games. In Duke’s semifinal win over

pittnews.com

TNS

Ball took home the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Award after averaging 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 7.7 assists per game. Although his long-distance shooting thrust him into the limelight, Ball’s ability as a floor general and ball handler will keep the Bruins dancing deep into March and April.

Frank Mason III Kansas finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the Jayhawks have Frank Mason III to thank for much of their success.

Mason, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Petersburg, Virginia, recently won the Big 12 Player of the Year Award and is a leading candidate for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy as the most outstanding player in college basketball. The senior had a prolific season, averaging 20.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while hitting nearly 50 percent of his 3-point shots.

Although Kansas took an early exit from the Big 12 tournament — falling in the first

March 14, 2017

TNS

round to a rejuvenated TCU team led by new head coach Jamie Dixon — Mason still put up big numbers for the Jayhawks.

With star first-year guard Josh Jackson out serving a one-game suspension, Mason did all he could to carry Kansas to victory, finishing with 29 points and six assists in the 85-82 defeat. With or without Jackson, Mason’s unrivaled tenacity could be enough to spur the Jayhawks to Phoenix for the Final Four.

Lauri Markkanen Lauri Markkanen isn’t a household name outside of Tucson, Arizona. But during the Wildcats’ run to the Pac-12 Tournament championship, the first-year forward proved he is one of the best big men in college basTNS

ketball.

Markkanen put up 20 points in a quarterfinal win against Colorado March 9, followed by 29 points in a semifinal win over Ball and UCLA the next day. He only scored 11 points in the championship game against Oregon, but he dominated the Ducks on defense in Arizona’s 83-80 win.

The Finnish 7-footer is versatile enough to rebound and post up down low, while also taking and making the occasional 20-foot shot.

Just like Ball, Markkanen is another young player drawing comparisons to an NBA AllStar. His abilities to shoot the ball at his height resembles that of Dallas Mavericks forward and future Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki.

In addition to his shooting prowess from See Impactful Players on page 20

5

TOP 5 SLEEPERS IN THE 2017 TOURNAMENT Kevin Bertha Staff Writer

Every year, shocking upsets in the NCAA Tournament force college basketball fans to throw their office pool brackets into the trash on the opening days of the tournament.

No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State eliminated No. 2 seed Michigan State in the first round last year, while No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast University beat No. 2 seed Georgetown on its way to the Sweet 16 in 2013. The year

before that, a pair of No. 2 seeds fell in the opening round.

We’re still waiting on a No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed, but that’s bound to happen at some point.

The NCAA Tournament has taught us that no matter how long the odds, anything can happen in March. Here are the top-five “sleeper teams” with the potential to exceed expectations and bust some brackets this year.

1. WICHITA STATE

Since leading the Shockers to the Final Four in 2013, head coach Gregg Marshall has transformed Wichita State into a Missouri Valley Conference powerhouse and perennial tournament contender.

The Shockers boast a very deep and productive team this season, with 10 players on their roster averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Marshall’s use of bench players can help his starters stay fresh late in March.

Wichita State is led by redshirt freshman guard Landry Shamet and sophomore

forward Markis McDuffie. Shamet is a hot-shooting point guard who has been efficient from beyond the arc, making 45 percent of his 3-point shots.

McDuffie is an athletic 6-foot-8 forward whose post presence will help the Shockers compete against bigger Power Five teams. McDuffie leads the Shockers in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Still, Wichita State only received a No. 10 seed in the South Region and will take on No. 7 seed Dayton in a second round matchup Friday, March 17.

2. IOWA STATE

Iowa State is peaking at just the right time.

The Cyclones have won nine out of their last 10 games — including a road win versus No. 1 seed Kansas — en route to defeating West Virginia to win the Big 12 Tournament championship Saturday.

One of Iowa State’s biggest strengths is its 3-point shooting ability. The Cyclones hit 40.2 percent of their shots from downtown, the 14th-best rate in the country.

Most of the team’s scoring comes from its three quick-shooting senior guards.

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

Monte Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long, and Deonte Burton all score at least 15 points per game and hit more than 38 percent of their threes.

Of these three, senior shooting guard Morris is the key for the Cyclones’ Final Four hopes. Averaging 16.3 points and 6.1 assists per game, he excels at scoring both inside and outside but is also adept at finding an open man. If Morris plays well, Iowa State has a great chance of making it past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.

The No. 5 seed Cyclones will face No. 12 seed Nevada in a second-round matchup Thursday, March 16.

6

3. SAINT MARY’S Saint Mary’s may not attract much of a following outside California, but the Gaels have only lost four games all season — and three of those losses came to West Coast Conference rival and No. 1 seed Gonzaga.

With a stifling defense that gives up an average of 56.5 points per game — secondbest in the nation — Saint Mary’s is going to be a tough out for anyone in the tournament.

At 6-foot-11, center Jock Landale’s rim protection is a big reason for the team’s defensive success.

Landale’s value extends to the offensive end as well as on the glass. The towering Australian averages 16.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and he has the ability to propel the Gaels deep into the tournament.

The Gaels’ offense runs smoothly through senior point guard Joe Rahon, who averages 5.7 assists per game. Junior forward Calvin Hermanson is an efficient perimeter player, scoring 13 points per game while making almost half his shots from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range.

No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s takes on No. 10 seed VCU in second round action Thursday, March 16.

4. MICHIGAN Michigan’s path to the Big Ten Tournament, where the Wolverines secured an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, was tumultuous.

Facing heavy winds, the team’s plane aborted an attempted takeoff Wednesday on its flight to Washington, D.C. That resulted in the plane skidding off the runway for about 400 yards before coming to a stop — reportedly less than 300 yards away from a ravine.

The Wolverines arrived at the conference tournament a day later without their equipment — which stayed behind on the halted plane — and played in only their practice jerseys.

They cruised past Illinois in the first game, 75-55, then upset No. 13 Purdue in the second

round, 74-70. They followed that with an 84-77 win over Minnesota and a 71-56 win over Wisconsin to claim the tournament championship just four days after averting a disaster.

The team’s resolve and ability can be attributed to leadership at the top. Michigan boasts a star point guard in senior Derrick Walton Jr. and a well-respected coach in John Beilein. Walton leads the Wolverines with an average of 15.0 points and 4.6 assists per game. He is an expert 3-point shooter, making 41 percent of his shots from behind the arc.

The Wolverines closed the season by winning eight of their past 10 games, including four straight in the Big Ten Tournament. Momentum is a key factor in March Madness success, and Michigan seems to be clicking at the right time.

5. SOUTHERN METHODIST

Southern Methodist doesn’t play a “traditional” brand of basketball.

Instead, SMU has elected to play a “positionless” game, which has been popularized in recent years by the Golden State Warriors. The Pitt Panthers employed a similar lineup this season, without nearly as much success as the Mustangs.

Positionless teams use five relatively tall, lengthy and athletic players on the floor at the same time, instead of the traditional lineup with bigger centers and forwards and smaller guards.

With the team’s top-six minutes leaders all standing between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-9, SMU’s players are perfectly sized for this style of play.

pittnews.com

The unorthodox small-ball style has worked for the Mustangs. SMU’s combination of athleticism and length propelled the team to both the American Athletic Conference’s regular season and tournament championships.

SMU’s star player is junior forward Semi Ojeleye, who transferred from Duke following the 2014-15 season. Ojeleye has turned into the Mustangs’ biggest offensive threat, averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. His ability to drive to the rim and score from outside make him nearly impossible to guard.

The Mustangs have also excelled on the defensive end. SMU allows only 59.9 points per game, one of three teams giving up less than 60 points per game on the season.

March 14, 2017

7

News

The Pitt News

OAKLAND ORGANIZATIONS GET COMMUNITY BEAUTIFICATION GRANTS Amanda Reed

Assistant News Editor Two Oakland groups will use funding from a city grant program to spruce up the neighborhood.

The Love Your [Resilient] Block program, founded in 2011, gives grants to nonprofits in the city that are working on resiliencebuilding projects throughout the city. Resilience, in relation to urban planning, focuses on improving an area for future generations through volunteering and beautification projects.

According to Georgia Petropoulos, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, a Pittsburgh development agency, volunteers will beautify a strip of Forbes Avenue by planting flowers in sidewalk planters and cleaning up trash and litter through the spring and summer. She also said there is potential for OBID to pursue an additional project, but didn’t disclose what that project would be.

At Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, volunteers will use the grant money to clean up, seed and mulch the front lawn. They will

also plant flowers, prune shrubs and hedges and clear out overgrowth from the past year.

Each organization will receive a $1,500 grant to improve a block or area of their choosing. The 31 chosen organizations will use the money to purchase tools and supplies necessary to implement their desired projects. The city will give an additional $3,000 to the organization that carries out the most successful block transformation, which will be announced Sept. 15. Project implementation runs from March 1 to Aug. 31.

At the National Aviary in Allegheny Center, volunteers will design and install educational signage on a fence facing the Condor Court. At Lawrenceville United, a nonprofit dedicated to improving life for Lawrenceville residents, volunteers will educate elementary students on environmental concepts during a one-day event.

The Love Your [Resilient] Block program, the city of Pittsburgh, Peoples Natural Gas Company and Cities of Service — a coalition of mayors that Mayor Michael Bloomberg founded in 2009 — are jointly awarding the grants.

Editor-in-Chief ELIZABETH LEPRO

Managing Editor LAUREN ROSENBLATT

editor@pittnews.com

manager@pittnews.com

News Editor ASHWINI SIVAGANESH

Opinions Editor AMBER MONTGOMERY

newsdesk.tpn@gmail.com

tpnopinions@pittnews.com

Sports Editor STEVE ROTSTEIN

Culture Editor EMILY BRINDLEY

tpnsports@gmail.com

aeeditors@gmail.com

Visual Editor JOHN HAMILTON

Layout Editor JORDAN MONDELL

pittnewsphoto@gmail.com

tpnlayout@gmail.com

Online Editor MATT CHOI

Copy Chief SIERRA SMITH

tpnonline@gmail.com

tpncopydesk@gmail.com

Amanda Reed | Assistant News Editor Alexandria Stryker | Assistant Copy James Evan Bowen-Gaddy | Assistant News Editor Copy Staff Henry Glitz | Assistant Opinions Editor Maria Castello Alexa Marzina Bayard Miller | Assistant Sports Editor Matthew Maelli Amanda Sobczak Meghan Sunners | Assistant Visual Editor Bridget Montgomery Mia DiFelice Michelle Reagle Corey Foreman Emily Hower | Assistant Layout Editor Rachael Crabb Kelsey Hunter Matt Moret | Online Engagement Editor Rielly Galvin Kim Rooney Stephen Caruso | Online Visual Editor Kyleen Pickering

Sydney Mengel

Editorial Policies

Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration.

Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any.

Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com.

The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left.

The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and

student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer.

Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

Business Manager CALVIN REIF

advertising@pittnews.com

Sales Manager SEAN HENNESSY

Inside Sales Manager MARISSA ALTEMUS

Marketing Manager LARA PETORAK

Digital Manager ISAAC PROCH

Graphic Designers Madison McClure

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Museum will be a recipient of a city grant Wenhao Wu SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

Marketing Assistant Katie Bozzo

Production Manager MAYA PUSKARIC Account Executives

Robert Capone Matty Houck David Barone Jill Baldauf

Inside Sales Executive Scott Elias Arianna Taddei Izzy Krempa

Julianne Rohac Antonio Blundo Isabel Scrabis University Account Executive David M. Barone

8

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

9

The Pitt news crossword 3/14/17

Opinions column

STUDENT-ATHLETES DESERVE PAY Matthew Sable

mum.

This situation has been made possible by a misguided NCAA rule and exacerThere is a noticeable divide between bated by colleges’ unwillingness to open the haves and have-nots in collegiate aththeir wallets for college athletes – despite letics. the fact that many of them don’t have Coaches, non-revenue sports and athroom in their schedules for part-time letic directors are profiting most from jobs. the revenue generated by men’s basketCoaches’ salaries have exploded since ball and football. But student-athletes, widespread TV broadcasts of collegiate who play a central role in facilitating games turned college athletics into the sports programs’ success, don’t see their money-maker it is now. In his final year talents rewarded beyond the bare mini-

Columnist

pittnews.com

at UCLA in 1975, when he won his 10th national championship, legendary head coach John Wooden made $40,500 — which equates to about $175,000 today.

UCLA’s current head coach Steve Alford has a salary of $2.6 million — nearly 15 times what Wooden made. Former Pitt head basketball coach Jamie Dixon made more than $2.3 million in 2016 — and while football head coach Pat Narduzzi’s salary hasn’t been made publicly available, we know it’s more than that.

In contrast, student-athletes have seen virtually no benefits from their contributions. NCAA rules stipulate that “all incoming student-athletes must be certified as amateurs” — a prohibition that makes it impossible for schools to directly pay their student-athletes.

Undergraduate student-athletes at Pitt

March 14, 2017

received only $3,296 each in cost of living stipends in 2015 from Pitt’s athletic department and $5,922 for graduate students. In total, all Pitt student-athletes that year received only about $1.1 million in stipends — barely one-fourth of the $3.9 million Pitt coaches made during the 2015 fiscal year, according to University data.

The Power Five conferences have enough revenue to shell out more money for the players who earn it for them.

Schools belonging to these conferences — including the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 — make anywhere from $22.1 million to $34 million per school per season from bowl games, the NCAA Tournament and television deals.

From 2008 to 2015, the budgets of See Sable on page 11

10

Sable, pg. 10 public universities’ athletic department revenues grew by 50 percent for Power Five schools. Even without an NCAA rule complicating schools’ relationship with student-athletes, colleges and athletic departments can and should be looking out for their players’ wellbeing. But the way schools handle athletic scholarships shows this concern is mostly absent.

The NCAA has allowed schools to give out multi-year scholarships — a pledge by a school’s head coach to provide multiple years of scholarships to a student-athlete in advance — since 2012, but most schools continue not to offer them. This is strange because the NCAA’s reasoning for not paying student-athletes is that they are already receiving a free education.

If this is its argument, the NCAA should mandate that scholarships cover all four years so that student-athletes are guaranteed a full education.

When colleges across the country voted on this rule in 2012 to either survive or be overturned, 205 schools voted

pittnews.com

to get rid of the multi-year scholarships and only 125 voted to keep the rule, including Pitt. The action failed to overturn the rule because only 62.12 percent supported the repeal while 62.5 percent support was needed.

Simply put, it’s clear that the reason colleges aren’t providing student-athletes with scholarships isn’t out of concern for their education. Schools give and take away scholarships — whether they be single- or multi-year — on the basis of athletic rather than academic performance. And the student-athletes who rely on those scholarships deserve to be treated fairly by the universities they represent, meaning they should be guaranteed money for the time they dedicate to the programs.

If the NCAA doesn’t want to share the profits it makes with the studentathletes who rake in money for their programs, it should at the very least allow athletes to make profit off their own likeness.

Coaches receive the added benefit of being free to market themselves, meaning they can endorse products for compensation, but athletes cannot. Players

aren’t even allowed to sell signed autographs.

The goal of competing in college athletics is to win, but the goal for university athletic administrators should also be to take care of their athletes.

Matthew primarily writes on politics and social issues in sports for The Pitt News.

Write to him at mas537@pitt.edu.

Liam McFadden STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

March 14, 2017

11

2017 NCAA TOURNAMENT

1 Villanova 16 Mt. St. Mary’s/N. Orleans 8 Wisconsin

EAST

9 Virginia Tech 5 Virginia 12 UNC Wilmington 4 Florida 13 East Tenn. State 6 Southern Methodist (SMU) 11 Providence/USC

Kanses 1

MIDWEST

NC Central/UC Davis 16 Miami 8 Michigan St. 9 Iowa St. 5 Nevada 12 Purdue 4 Vermont 13 Creighton 6 Rhode Island 11 Oregon 3 Iona 14 Michigan 7 Oklahoma St.10 Louisville 2

3 Baylor 14 New Mexico St. 7 South Carolina 10 Marquette 2 Duke

Jacksonville St.15 North Carolina 1 Texas Southern 16 Arkansas 8 Seton Hall 9 Minnesota 5 Middle Tenn. 12

15 Troy 1 Gonzaga 16 S. Dakota State 8 Northwestern 9 Vanderbilt 5 Notre Dame 12 Princeton 4 West Vriginia 13 Bucknell 6 Maryland 11 Xavier 3 Florida St. 14 Florida Gulf Coast 7 Saint Mary’s

WEST

10 Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) 2 Arizona 15 North Dakota

pittnews.com

Butler 4 Winthrop 13 Cincinnati 6 Kansas St./Wake Forest 11 UCLA 3 Kent St. 14 Dayton 7

March 14, 2017

SOUTH

12

pittnews.com

Wichita St. 10 Kentucky 2 Northern Kentucky 15

March 14, 2017

13

Culture

BIG CITY, tiny art

Artist Harish Saluja, who was formerly an engineer, painted his Miniatures series on three-by-five-inch index cards to chart his dreams and consciousness. | by David Robinson In the haziness of morning, before his mind clears for the day, 60-year-old Harish Saluja draws what he can remember of his dreams on a three-byfive-inch index card.

Saluja has been doodling for decades, using an assortment of about 100 markers to record his abstract musings — circular blobs overlaid with splatters of paint and abstract shapes resembling jellyfish, or layers of roughly rectangular shapes in orange, green and blue. He converts

them into larger canvas pieces, which are variations of the traditional mandalas — intricate geometric patterns that represent the universe in Hindu philosophy.

The three-by-five-inch index cards — called Miniatures — lack the rigidity of repeating geometric patterns seen in his large-scale canvases of mandalas, and detour through his streams of consciousness. The Miniatures are small abstract pieces, and until March 19

Photos courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust are on display in sets along the walls of the Lantern Building, a small and intimate gallery space in the center of downtown Pittsburgh. In the middle of Saluja’s exhibit stand two tables with an assortment of Miniatures under the glass tops. The Miniatures on the tables are free from the strict groupings of the framed Miniatures on the walls.

Aside from charting his consciousness, there isn’t much of a deeper meaning to this series, Saluja said.

“These doodles hold no purpose — they’re just fun colors and shapes,” Saluja said. “Often I give them as gifts.”

Saluja is the founder of the Silk Screen Asian Arts and Cultural Organization located in the Strip District, which shares

Asian culture and art within the city of Pittsburgh. In addition to his art work, Saluja has worked as a filmmaker and co-hosts the weekly “Music from India” show Sunday nights on WESA, a Pittsburgh public radio station.

Jim Knights, a retired FBI agent and long-time friend of Saluja’s, said Saluja is successful in both business and art in part because of his ability to shift modes between the two worlds.

“In his art he improvises, [but] in business he doesn’t shoot from the hip,” Knights said.

After seeing the number of artworks in the Miniatures exhibit, Knights was surprised at how prolific of an artist Saluja is, See Tiny Art on page 16

The Pitt News SuDoku 3/14/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

15

Tiny Art, pg. 15 particularly since Saluja attended the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur — one of India’s most respected engineering schools. This set Saluja up for a lucrative career in engineering, until he retired from that industry in the 1970s.

“He left a highly paid job to be a starving artist,” Knights said. “He’s an artist at heart, that’s how he is.”

Knights has bought Miniatures from Saluja over the years, and although Knights doesn’t have a trained eye for art,

pittnews.com

Saluja’s arrangement of colors is still striking, and he’s drawn to the abstractions.

“I just liked his art and wanted to support Silk Screen,” Knights said. “One piece looked like souls of the departed going up and down — it really struck me.”

Saluja paints his mandalas while he listens to either jazz or raga — a style of Indian classical musical formed around eight notes.

The patterns of Saluja’s art are improvised around this pattern of eight, and each framed set includes eight pieces of art, which share a frame because their patterns are similar. They’re thematically linked, and the open table arrangements are freeform.

Some Miniatures are purely abstract, with patterns in swirls of colors or lines. Others display animals — chiefly birds — or Jap-

March 14, 2017

anese or Indian nobles in great palaces of millennia ago.

Miniature art is a court tradition in the East, according to Saluja. Hundreds of traditional miniature pieces of art are on display at the Taj Mahal and also in Iran, where this tradition abounds.

Murray Horne, curator of visual arts at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and curator of this exhibit, has worked with Saluja for 25 years. Horne said the sheer number of Miniatures that Saluja has created — numbering in the hundreds — is impressive. Of the Miniatures that Saluja has created, 205 are currently on display in the exhibit.

“You don’t see as much [mandala] because they’re harder to produce,” Horne said. “Miniatures let’s you make your own associations — your eye is able to take you for a walk, so to speak.”

Horne said the small size of the Miniatures also allows viewers to connect to the pieces more deeply, which cannot be done with larger pieces. They’re also more affordable than their larger pieces of art — the Miniatures cost $85 for an individual unframed work, and the framed works range from $100 to $800 a piece.

“I want to show small intimate work, especially from those who have a consistent body of work that’s thematically linked,” Horne said. “You would not see these paintings elsewhere in this format — one of the ideas is that someone can just walk in and buy one of these works.”

Saluja conducts his art and his life with respect and kindness, but doesn’t let that limit him. He believes in the concept of “chaos with limitation,” or more simply freedom within boundaries. Improvisation forms the philosophy of his art, and through that he finds his freedom.

“I have a general idea of what a mandala looks like — then I take off,” Saluja said. “Instead of creating beautiful patterns, I’m just going crazy.”

16

Seniors, pg. 2 to experience March Madness left him wanting more.

“I wish this one would have went a little bit better,” Artis said. “I always want to play in the NCAA Tournament, so not making it this year ... kind of hurts not playing a college basketball game again.”

Artis received an All-ACC honorable mention selection after averaging 18.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a senior. As a sophomore, he

pittnews.com

earned a third-team All-ACC spot after averaging 13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

In three years together with his teammate and best friend Michael Young, Artis comprised one half of one of the ACC’s most formidable duos. Their combined scoring average of 38.3 points per game led the conference in the 201617 season.

“I think me and Mike Young had a successful year. I wouldn’t want to play with any other guy,” Artis said. “He’ll probably go to a different team than me

if we do get drafted. It’s going to be kind of hurtful not playing with him ... hopefully we play in the summer league.”

Like Young, Artis’ basketball career is likely to continue beyond his days as a Panther, either in the NBA or overseas.

The communication majors could have left after their junior season and entered the NBA Draft, but chose to stick around one more year to show off their skills.

Now it’s time for them to prepare to make the jump to the pros.

“I’m going to get ready for the next level,” Artis said. “I’m going to grind

March 14, 2017

this summer and try to make my dream come true.”

Michael Young Senior forward Michael Young remained seated at his locker, answering questions with his trademark stoic expression as other players and reporters began filing out.

“Looking back on the last four years, I’m just thankful,” Young said. “To have met a lot of people, made a lot of great relationships either with players or coaches ... that’s what I’m proud of.”

Young was almost at a loss for words when trying to express what his four years at Pitt playing alongside Artis were like.

“The fact that we might have played our last game together hasn’t really set in at this point,” Young said. “I’m thankful for him. He’s not blood, but he’s more than blood to me ... Jamel is somebody that I’d die for, and no matter where we are, we’re never apart.”

With virtually no chance of the two playing professionally for the same team, Young said that won’t stop him from calling Artis every day to check on how he’s doing. If they do make it to the NBA, Young plans to check his best friend’s stats every day and watch every game he can.

“I’m going to do whatever I can,” Young said. “But I’m going to be there and he’s going to be there.”

A native of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, Young earned third-team All-ACC honors for the second year in a row after averaging a career-best 19.6 points per game in the 2016-17 season, along with 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest.

The 6-foot-9 forward scored 648 points as a senior — the fifth-highestscoring season in Panthers history — and he finished six points shy of becoming one of Pitt’s top-five scorers for his career. But Young values winning, so he doesn’t consider himself one of the very best to play for Pitt — though he does believe he’s part of the conversation.

“I didn’t win a lot so I wouldn’t put myself up there, but I would definitely say I’m one of those guys where when you’re talking about Pitt and Pitt’s history, you should mention me,” Young said. “Ten years from now, once people look back, I think I’ll be remembered as a Pitt legend, as a Pitt great.”

18

Pitt Women, pg. 3 her a starting spot even with an established point guard returning in junior Aysia Bugg.

Although the two shared the role during the season, Whitney was the team’s primary ball handler and played with the poise and confidence of a veteran rather than a first-year guard. She finished her debut season averaging 6.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and a team-best 3.3 assists per game.

Harvey-Carr, a 6-foot-4 center with a soft shooting touch, brought the team the height it so desperately needed following the offseason transfer of 6-foot-2 starting center Stasha Carey.

Carey averaged 9.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a sophomore before transferring to Rutgers, and Harvey-Carr nearly mirrored her production. She finished the 2016-17 season with 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and one block per game.

Gribble and Whitney still have three years to grow and improve, but the Panthers will now have to look for a new center for the third year in a row to replace Harvey-Carr.

With Wise, Gribble, Whitney and Diop — assuming she returns to full health — set to make up the team’s nucleus next season, Pitt only needs a few more pieces to make a push to get back to the NCAA Tournament. One of those role players might already be here in sophomore forward Kauai Bradley.

After a quiet debut season, Bradley was arguably the team’s most improved player as a sophomore, becoming a regular starter, a stingy defender and a solid 3-point threat.

Bradley quadrupled her first-year scoring average in 2016-17, raising it from 1.6 to 6.4 points per game. She recorded a career-high 17 points in the Panthers’ regular season win over UNC, and also led Pitt in scoring with 12 points against the Tar Heels in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

For the Panthers to compete in the loaded ACC next year and beyond, they’ll need Bradley, Gribble and Whitney to continue to develop, Diop to return to form and more of the same from Wise.

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

19

Impactful Players, pg. 5

pittnews.com

March 14, 2017

the field, Markkanen is an 84-percent free throw shooter. Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports project him as a lottery pick come draft time. His performance come tournament time will be the difference between an early-round exit and a deep run for the Wildcats.

Josh Hart The defending national champion Villanova Wildcats only lost three games during the season and enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

While the Wildcats aren’t being viewed as an overwhelming favorite to repeat, one player should give them reason to believe they can go back-to-back: senior Josh Hart. Hart is averaging 18.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season, all while playing lockdown defense every night.

The 6-foot-6 guard capped off a spectacular Big East Tournament run with a 29-point outburst to lead Villanova past Creighton for the Big East title.

Hart is a multi-dimensional player that can impact the game from every angle.

His ability to chase after shots and pull down rebounds as a guard leads to numerous second-chance opportunities for the Wildcats. Before hitting his game-winning shot against Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament semifinals, Hart snatched an errant 3-point attempt off the glass and put it back in to give Villanova a one-point lead and eventual 55-53 victory.

Not only is Hart a great offensive player, but he shows grit and determination as a defender and plays passing lanes to perfection. If Villanova wants a secondstraight national championship, Hart will have to be the catalyst on both ends of the floor.

20