WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2017

Written by Bryan Messerly

Kevin Pittsnogle played basketball at WVU from 2003-06 and became WVU’s first basketball All-American since 1972.

A 6-foot-11 center from Martinsburg, West Virginia, Pittsnogle averaged 19.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 2006 to help the Mountaineers to a 22-11 record and the school’s second straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. Pittsnogle became WVU’s first basketball All-American since Wil Robinson in 1972 when he was named to the 10-member John Wooden All-America Team and was a third-team selection by the NABC and honorable-mention selection by the Associated Press.

In 2005, Pittsnogle helped the Mountaineers to a 24-11 record, a Big East Tournament runner-up finish and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. At the time, it was WVU’s best finish in the NCAA Tournament since a runner-up finish in 1959.

As a senior in 2006, Pittsnogle shot 47.6 percent from the floor and finished his career with 1,708 points to rank sixth at the time among all scorers. He shot 41.1 percent from 3-point range for his career, ranking second all-time in school history. At the time, Pittsnogle was WVU’s all-timer leader in 3-point field goals made with 253 and now ranks second.

Pittsnogle was selected to the All-Big East First Team in 2006. He scored a career-high 34 points against Canisius and tallied 20 or more points 18 times in 2006. He averaged 17.0 points in three NCAA Tournament games as senior. Pittsnogle made 91 3-point field goals as a senior, then the second most in a season in school history.

He started 105 career games, which ranked as the ninth most at the time. At the end of his career, he was sixth in career free throw percentage (81.6 percent), was sixth all-time with 84 10-point games, was ninth all-time with 28 20-point games and ranked first in career games played with 128.

Pittsnogle graduated in three and a half years with a bachelor’s degree in athletic coaching education. He signed a free agent contract with the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2006. Pittsnogle earned a master of arts degree in education and human services of multicategorical special education from WVU in May 2017.

Pittsnogle is a special education teacher at Martinsburg High in the Berkeley County School District. He has six children: Michael, Kwynsie, Treye, Amyyah, Kamdyn and Nehemiah.