Apparently the NBDL Canton Charge likes guys with ties to Pitt. Tyrell Biggs is on the squad. As is one-time Pitt player who transferred to UMass, Dante Milligan. (Sidenote, Luke Harangody has also been sent down to Canton.) In addition, this year’s squad features Antonio Graves.
Graves had actually carved out a nice career in Europe, until suffering a wrist injury and a botched rehab following surgery in Turkey. Another surgery later, he is back to trying to earn a living in basketball.
“They were really patient with me. I was in a cast for four or five months. I was in a cast for a month while I was on the roster.”
Graves sat out the first 10 games of the Charge’s 50-game season. League rules prohibit teams from carrying more than 10 players on the roster and there is no injury list. The organization thought highly enough of Graves to essentially play a man down for the season’s first month.
“We were confident in the type of player he was and what he could add to our team,” said 35-year-old Charge head coach Alex Jensen, a former Utah standout who served on Rick Majerus’ Saint Louis University coaching staff before joining the Charge in October. “When I first started here, I wanted to look down the road rather than just in the immediate future. We’re glad we kept him.”
Graves was a solid player for Pitt. Complete glue guy who played great defense by the end of his four years at Pitt.
In other alum news, Dana Oneil says Carl Krauser is on the list of “biggest villains” in college hoops — a list including Laettner, Calipieri, Kelvin Sampson, Huggins, Bobby Knight and the lile. Weird to think of Krauser that way.
Miss how much fun those teams were with Chevy, but not surprised. Also, personal favorite sign on a road game “Carl Krauser can’t read this”.
He was unspectacular but a solid support player who played under control
In the past 15 years, Krauser has the 11th most assists in the Big East…yea, quite the ball hog!
Other guards, as freshman, who had the deer in the headlights look the last few years…Wanamaker and Ronald Ramone.
Krauser is one of my favorite players of the last decade. Underrated, tough SOB. Not afraid to take the big shot or drive to the basket.
My memories are questioning him his first couple years, turnovers, project, to suddenly saying his senior year, and after he was gone, “that dude was a good basketball player”!!!
His 3 was sporadic, but, I know he hit some big ones, and when he was hot, he could fill it up.
Seems like he’s doing well, good for him.
Hail to Pitt!!
I remember it taking a long time for him to contribute, then he had a great senior year like many of Jamies guys.
Off topic, but I have been thinking that this has been the year of the injury for all Pittsburgh sports. The Steelers might have been playing today if not for injuries to Ben, the D-line, the linebackers, Pouncy, Mendenhall.
Pitt Football lost its O-line, Mason, then Ray Graham.
The Pens lost Crosby, Malkin, Stall, Letang, although it looks like they may recover, stay tuned.
Pitt BBall looses Woodall, has a dinged Robinson and Taylor has knee, back, and Migraine problems.
Over the last ten years this team has been exceptionally healthy.
There have been some blips. Fields missed some games, Sam Young’s knees, Pages ankles, Coach Knight had an issue, I forget what it was. I am sure there were others, but for the most part pretty healthy or at least not insurmountable.
Anyway, Let’s play them one at a time and not get ahead of ourselves. It is great to look forward to each game again. Way to hang in there. To me Dixon has passed another test. Overcoming adversity.
Hail to Pitt!
some others:
Jerry McCullough
Ricardo Greer
Brandin Knight
Sam Young, also because the kid waxed poetic and banged on the keys…
