Wednesday Where Are They Now?: Kevin Pittsnogle

Ever wonder what happened to those college stars that couldn't catch on in the NBA? The guys that put up the great numbers or the guys that left early, and were never heard from again? Every Wednesday, we at BIAH will take a look at a former college star that never made it in the NBA, and we will update you on where he is playing or what he is doing. We're guessing the results will surprise you. To request a player, hit us up on twitter @ballinisahabit or via email at contactbiah@gmail.com.

Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia

I still remember the first time that I ever noticed Kevin Pittsnogle as more than the goofy, 6'11" white guy on West Virginia that shoots threes and has tattoos. It was February 5th, 2005, and West Virginia looked like they were headed for another disappointing end to a season.

Did you know Cletus the slack-jawed yokel had a jumper?
(photo credit: Draft Express)

In Pittsnogle's first two seasons, West Virginia had finished below .500 in the Big East and missed the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers looked like they were going to buck that trend in 2004-2005 after starting out the year 10-0, but losing seven out of nine -- including a 2-6 start to Big East play -- seemingly wiped out that chance. To make things worse, D'or Fischer, West Virginia's starting center, was sick and unavailable on February 5th, meaning that Pittsnogle, the back up, would be getting the start.

Pittsnogle got winded early in the game, but once he caught his breath, Pitt didn't have an answer for him. He would finished the game with 27 points, including 8 in overtime, as West Virginia won the Backyard Brawl and sparked what turned into a fantastic finish to the season.

The Mounties would go 6-2 over their final eight regular season games, which was enough to get them to 8-8 in the conference. In the Big East Tournament, West Virginia made a run to the title game -- which included upsets of Boston College, the regular season champ, and Villanova -- before losing to Syracuse. And in the NCAA Tournament, the Mounties just missed a trip to the Final Four as a seven seed, playing two of the best games in recent tournament history -- their 111-105 double overtime second round win against Wake Forest, and the 93-85 Elite 8 loss to Louisville, which saw the Cardinals rally from 20 down despite West Virginia's 18-27 performance from three.

Pittsnogle played a huge role in West Virginia's turnaround. He is a two-guard trapped in a 6'11" body, which is perfect for the system that John Beilein likes to run. He could defend in the post on one end, but stand on the perimeter and allow the floor to be spread on offense. He flourished. The 27 points he scored against Pitt were a career high, and he proceeded to drop 20 five more times in the 2005 season. He had scored 20 points four times in his career prior to Feb. 5th, 2005.

Pittsnogle became a sensation. Its not often that you see 6'11" players knocking down 25 footers. He was the only player on that West Virginia team from the state of West Virginia, and the Mountaineer fans adored him. "Pittsnogled" became a part of our lexicon.

That success continued into Pittsnogle's senior season. He averaged 19.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg while leading West Virginia to another 20 win season and a trip to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, the NBA didn't have much of a market for 6'11" jump shooters, and Pittsnogle went undrafted after his senior season in 2006.

Pittsnogle signed with the Celtics in July of 2006, but by October he had been released. He signed with the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the CBA, and became an all-star, averaging 23.5 ppg. He got a shot with the Cavalier's summer league team in 2007, but he did not make the squad, instead entering the D-League. Pittsnogle was also waived by a team in France in the fall of 2007.

During the 2007-2008 season, Pittsnogle started the year with the Austin Toros of the D-Leauge, where he averaged 7.6 ppg during the first 15 games of the year. He was cut in January, but the Albequerque Thunderbirds scooped him up. Pittsnogle flourished in Albequerque, averaging 15.7 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

After the 2008 season finished, however, Pittsnogle left basketball to be with his family back in West Virginia. He volunteered as an assistant basketball coach at the high school where he taught kids with special needs. (Read this fantastic profile of him from the New York Times. Its mandatory.) He tried to make a comeback, rejoining the Thunderbirds in 2009. He averaged 11.8 ppg over the first 28 games of the year, but on February 16th of this year, Pittsnogle left the team for "personal reasons", which was a thinly veiled way of saying he wanted to be with his family.

Pittsnogle may never be a professional basketball star, but the way he tore through college basketball in 2005 is something this writer will always remember.

Kevin Pittsnogle, you will be missed.