Pitt Basketball to Open with Courtside at the Cathedral Oct. 5

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh men's and women's basketball teams open the 2018-19 season with Courtside at the Cathedral, Friday, Oct. 5 on Bigelow Boulevard.

"We are looking forward to bringing some basketball down to Bigelow," said Pitt men's basketball head coach Jeff Capel. "The Cathedral of Learning is an iconic building on our campus and it is special any time you have the opportunity to be around it. We are excited to get out in front of our terrific fans and introduce our 2018-19 Pitt Basketball team."

Courtside at the Cathedral festivities begin at 8 p.m. and feature player introductions for the men's and women's basketball teams, a shooting stars competition, a student halfcourt shootout for $1,000 to the Pitt University Store and a slam dunk contest on an outdoor court on Bigelow Boulevard. Four students will also be selected to participate in the shooting stars competition along with a player from the men's and women's teams.

Additional details, as well as guest hosts and dunk contest judges, will be announced at a later date.

The event will take place in front of the Cathedral of Learning, one of the marquee landmarks at the University of Pittsburgh and in the city and will be a part of Pitt's Homecoming celebration. Festivities begin at 8 p.m. on Bigelow Boulevard and culminate with the annual Fireworks and Laser Show presented by the Pitt Program Council scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

Capel enters his first year at Pitt after spending the previous seven seasons at Duke, where he helped guide the Blue Devils to a 200-55 (.784) record, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, the 2017 ACC Tournament championship and the 2015 National Championship. In that time, Capel also helped secure commitments from 19 McDonald's All-Americans as Duke signed a top-two class in each of the past five years, including the top class in 2014, 2015 and 2018. The Panthers return two regular starters from a year ago, including leading scorer Jared Wilson-Frame (13.0 ppg., 74 3FG), while also receiving a boost of experience from transfers Malik Ellison and Sidy N'Dir.

First-year head coach Lance White arrived at Pitt in April 2018. The Spur, Texas, native spent the past 15 years on the sidelines at Florida State, where he helped the Seminoles to a 350-145 (.707) record, including 12 seasons with 20 or more wins. The Panthers return 73.3 percent of its offensive production from 2017-18, including senior center Kalista Walters (9.4 ppg) and junior guards Alayna Gribble and Jasmine Whitney (both 7.7 ppg). Walters led the ACC in field goal percentage last season with 66.7 percent efficiency. Gribble was the team's top performer from 3-point range, averaging 1.9 treys made per game. Whitney led the Panthers with 4.5 assists per contest.

"Visiting the Cathedral of Learning was one of the most memorable parts of my first day on campus," White said. "The Cathedral makes Pitt so unique. Getting the opportunity for our team to play down on Bigelow Boulevard is a special privilege. We're looking forward to introducing our 2018-19 women's basketball team to our fans and playing at this iconic location."

Season tickets for the 2017-18 season are on sale now. Great lower level locations are available and can be reserved by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488 or by clicking HERE.

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Pitt Basketball to Open with Courtside at the Cathedral Oct. 5

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Players Mentioned

Malik Ellison

Alayna Gribble

Sidy N'Dir

Kalista Walters

Jasmine Whitney

Jared Wilson-Frame