| Kevin Pittsnogle |
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Until late in the 2004 - 05 season, Pittsnogle primarily came off the bench for the Mountaineers. However, on February 3 , 2005 (coincidentally, the birthday of Mountaineers head coach John Beilein ), starting center D'or Fischer came down with a cold and was unable to play against Pittsburgh . Beilein replaced Fischer in the starting lineup with Pittsnogle, who proceeded to score 27 points in an upset of the Panthers. He remained in the starting lineup for the rest of the season, and came to the forefront quickly in the 2005 NCAA Tournament , when he scored 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a victory against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 round, and then scored 25 points (on 9-for-15 shooting) and grabbed 5 rebounds in a 93-85 overtime loss to Louisville . During the NCAA tournament, Pittsnogle became a fan favorite of many due to his West Virginia upbringing (he was the only Mountaineers basketball player who was from West Virginia), his unusual last name, and his colorful image. At WVU, Pittsnogle is majoring in sports management. He earned his bachelor's degree early and became a graduate student during the 2005-06 academic year. On May 3 , 2005, Pittsnogle declared for the 2005 NBA Draft . He did not hire an Agent , which meant that he still had the option to reverse his decision. On June 10 , he decided to withdraw from the draft and return to WVU for his senior year. Kevin Pittsnogle inspired the verb "Pittsnogled" (past tense) deriving from the observable facts and events that led to Pittsnogle going from reserve center to cult hero in the space of a few frantic weeks leading up to the 2005 NCAA Elite Eight. His former high school basketball team manager, Justin Turner, defines the term as this: "When you're closely guarded and a man is in your face with his hand up and you shoot a 25-footer and you nail it in their face — then they have officially been Pittsnogled." {Link without Title} He learned to shoot his jump shot by playing against his sister, who was taller than he was when they were children. They played on the gravel court of the trailer park where they grew up. His wife, Heather, also a WVU student, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Kwynsie, on February 3 , 2006 . He and his wife and son live in an apartment next door to WVU Coliseum , where the Mountaineers play their games. His collegiate career came to an end following a 74-71 loss to Texas in the Sweet 16 of the 2006 NCAA Tournament . Texas guard Kenton Paulino hit a three pointer at the buzzer after Pittsnogle, having just returned from a bloody nose, tied the game with 5 seconds remaining with a three of his own. Kevin is known around the West Virginia Campus for receiving many tattoos on his body symbolizing things he has endured in his life AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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