Pitt's Justin Champagnie returns early from injury, scores 24 to help defeat Syracuse

At one point, Justin Champagnie just laughed at Jeff Capel’s question.

“I kept asking him, ‘Are you OK?’ ” Pitt’s coach said. ” ‘Are you tired? Are you tired?’

Champagnie’s answer: A definite “No!”

Who could blame Capel for being concerned? Was his star forward putting too much trauma on his injured left knee too soon?

It sure didn’t look that way Saturday during Pitt’s 96-76 victory against Syracuse at Petersen Events Center.

After back-to-back 20-point, 20-rebound efforts last month, followed by four weeks of rehab, Champagnie decided it was time to kick it up several notches.

In an amazing display of recuperative power, Champagnie returned from his knee injury two weeks sooner than the most optimistic expectation. He finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist in 34 minutes.

The only indication something might be wrong was the wrap on Champagnie’s knee. He was as active around the basket as he was before the injury he suffered Dec. 20 in practice.

He scored on three putbacks and two dunks, hitting 9 of 18 attempts, while sprinting up and down the court. Somehow, his knee allowed him to keep up with point guard Xavier Johnson, who had seven assists to complement his 23 points in 35 minutes.

“(Champagnie) surpassed the guy I thought he was going to be coming back,” said Ithiel Horton, who scored 20 on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. “He definitely blew my expectations away.”

Said Capel: “He’s a unique kid. He has great genes and is able to heal quickly.”

Capel said two situations must arise for a player to return successfully from an injury.

“A really, really good training staff,” he said. “A really, really good patient, a patient who’s hungry.

“He’s done a heckuva job of working, doing everything he can to get back. I knew the past few days (he would play Saturday). He’s been champing at the bit.”

Champagnie said there were no nerves to contend with before the game.

“I’m never nervous,” he said.

He was excited, though.

“Pregame, I couldn’t stop jumping around.”

He said he knew the day after the injury occurred he would return before the initial six-to-eight week prognosis. The knee injury was his second in two seasons, and he returned quickly from the first one, too. There was talk of him missing the entire 2019-2020 season, but he played in all 33 games.

This time, he can thank covid-19 protocols for limiting the number of games he missed to two (four were postponed while he rehabilitated the knee).

“The whole thing with my knee now is just mental,” Champagnie said. “I can’t be afraid. I have to go out there and go do it.”

With three players scoring 20 or more points and Pitt outrebounding Syracuse, 47-35, the victory came easier than expected.

After Pitt trailed at halftime, 37-32, Capel made some defensive adjustments at intermission, and those fixes affected the outcome as much as anything Champagnie did.

Au’Diese Toney, who scored 18 points, shadowed Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim, who was 0 for 8 from 3-point range. Overall, Syracuse (7-4, 1-3) missed 19 of 22 from beyond the arc.

“We were able to rebound, force tough shots,” Capel said, “which enabled us to get out in transition and get some easy baskets.”

Pitt was especially proficient in moving the ball to preferred spots on the floor, with point guards Johnson and Femi Odukale contributing a total of 15 assists with only two turnovers. As a result, Pitt shot 46.3% from the field (31 for 67) and scored 64 points in the second half (third-most for a half in school history).

Pitt improved to 7-2 overall, with a 3-1 ACC record. Pitt hasn’t been 3-1 in the ACC since Jamie Dixon’s final season (2015-16).

“Really, really proud of my team,” Capel said. “Big-time effort for us.”

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