Xplosion place Pittsnogle on inactive reserve
March 12, 2007 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Pittsburgh Xplosion News Release
PITTSBURGH, March 12, 2007 - The Pittsburgh Xplosion professional basketball team announced today that it has placed Continental Basketball Association All-Star and former West Virginia University All-American Kevin Pittsnogle on its inactive reserve list.
Among the leading candidates for CBA Rookie of the Year honors, Pittsnogle has been slowed by tendonitis in his non-shooting elbow. He first aggravated the injury on February 3 at Great Falls. With the Xplosion out of playoff contention and only six games remaining in the regular season, the team, club physicians and representatives for the 6-11 forward felt it was in his best interest to place him on the inactive list at this time. Freeing him up from his club obligations will afford the Martinsburg, W.V. native the opportunity to rest and receive treatment for his elbow at home in West Virginia, in order to provide him with the best opportunity to be at 100 percent entering the NBA Summer Pro League season.
"I've had a great time in Pittsburgh," related Pittsnogle. "It's been a great learning experience and allowed me to work on some of the other facets of my game. I wish that we could have won a few more games and made a run at a championship, but I think that after a slow start we made significant improvement as the season progressed. I am going to miss my teammates and I'd like to thank the fans that came out to support us. I think there is a niche for basketball in Pittsburgh and I hope that people will continue to come out and support the team. My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA and we feel that taking some time right now to get myself healthy will give me the best opportunity to catch on with an NBA team."
"We'd like to thank Kevin for his contributions," added CEO Richard Hersperger. "We were excited when we drafted him and were even more excited when we were able to sign him and put him in a Black and Gold uniform this season. He's helped to open a lot of doors for us as a franchise and broadened our exposure and credibility here in Pittsburgh. We wish him the best."
Pittsnogle appeared in 34 games for the Xplosion, including 28 starts. He ranks seventh in the CBA in both scoring, with an average of 19.4 points per game, and free throw percentage (.868). He stands second on the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg.). In addition to his All-Star accolades, he was named CBA Player of the Week for the week ending on January 1. His 44 points against Minot on January 10 rank as the second highest single game total in the league this season, while his 42 points against Albany on New Year's Day stand fourth.
The Xplosion selected Pittsnogle in the first round, sixth overall, in the 2006 Continental Basketball Association College Draft. He captured Honorable Mention All-America and First Team All-Big East accolades as a senior at WVU after averaging 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and shooting 41 percent from three-point range. The sixth all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,708 points, he guided the Mountaineers to three-straight postseason appearances, including trips to the NCAA Tournament's Elite 8 as a junior and the Sweet 16 as a senior.
After spending time with both the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks Summer League teams, Pittsnogle signed a free agent contract and attended training camp with the Boston Celtics, but was released prior to the start of the 2006-07 NBA season.
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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 12, 2007
- Xplosion place Pittsnogle on inactive reserve - Pittsburgh Xplosion
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