University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Orlando Antigua Named Men's Basketball Director of Operations
4/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Orlando Antigua Named Men's Basketball Director of Operations
4/15/2003
PITTSBURGH ? Former University of Pittsburgh basketball standout Orlando Antigua was named the new director of basketball operations for the defending Big East-champion Panthers Tuesday afternoon. Jamie Dixon was announced as the new Pittsburgh men?s basketball coach on the same day.
Antigua will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the men?s basketball program and will serve as a liaison to the athletic administration and other school officials. He will also assist in the Panthers? recruiting efforts and coordinate the players? practice, game and daily schedules.
?I am extremely excited to be a part of this staff,? Antigua said. ?I am looking forward to continuing the great tradition that has been established over the past few years at the University of Pittsburgh. This is a great opportunity for me to be involved in coaching at my alma mater.?
A four-year men?s basketball letterwinner and two-year team captain at Pittsburgh from 1991-95, Antigua ranks 10th all-time in career 3-pointers made (112) and ranks seventh in career 3-point field goal percentage (.378). He is also among the career leaders in blocked shots with 75, the 10th most in Panthers history.
Antigua was a member of the Big East Conference?s All-Rookie Team in 1991-92, when he helped lead the Panthers to an 18-16 record and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. The following year, Antigua helped Pittsburgh to a 13-2 start and an NCAA tournament berth. He was named the United States Basketball Writers? Association (USBWA) Most Courageous Athlete in 1994 and graduated from Pittsburgh with a degree in social sciences in December 1995.
Upon his graduation from the University of Pittsburgh. Antigua was selected to play for the world-renowned Harlem Globetrotters, becoming the first non-African American on the team in over 50 years and the first player of Latin American descent. Nicknamed ?Hurricane? for his dazzling moves and quickness, Antigua played with the Globetrotters until 2002. This past season, Antigua served as an assistant under another former Panther player, Joey David, at nearby Mt. Lebanon High School, and worked as a sales representative for Cavanaugh Promotions in the North Hills.
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