3 Brooklyn-born players set to tangle when Pitt visits Georgia Tech

At last look, the floor inside Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion isn’t made of concrete.

Yet, it might feel that way for three intense competitors from Brooklyn, N.Y., who will play pivotal roles Sunday in the Pitt/Georgia Tech game in Atlanta.

Pitt’s Justin Champagnie and Femi Odukale and Georgia Tech’s Jose Alvarado were raised on the tough, gritty style of basketball contested on the concrete courts of Brooklyn.

Champagnie went to Bishop Loughlin High School, and Alvarado is from Christ The King. Presently, they are No. 1 (Champagnie) and No. 3 (Alvarado) in scoring in the ACC.

Odukale played at Brooklyn’s South Shore before spending his senior season at Springfield (Mass.) Commonwealth Academy.

Odukale, a freshman, described the games on Brooklyn’s courts as “no blood, no foul. You just keep going.”

At Pitt, Odukale is settling into a comfort zone as the team’s most utilized freshman (16.1 minutes per game), partially because he believes he must prove himself everytime he steps on a court. He is averaging 4.8 points and is third on the team in assists (1.8).

“When everybody doubted me, I learned I’m meant to be here,” he said Friday in a Zoom conference call with reporters. “I’m just looking to prove people wrong.”

He said guys from Brooklyn are made to feel like “underdogs.”

“Everybody always says something about Brooklyn, like. ‘Brooklyn guards can only dribble. They can’t shoot. Some Brooklyn guards can just be tough. They have no skill.’

“You’re always going to hear something negative in the crowd. I’m from New York. I’m used to it. It really doesn’t mean nothing to me.”

Pitt junior Xavier Johnson grew up in Virginia, but he has been around enough New York-raised players to know how to treat them.

“He talks a lot of trash,” he said of Alvarado.

But Johnson just shrugs it off. There’s a game to play, and score is kept with points, not talk.

“I’m not going to get into it with him,” Johnson said. “I have to stay composed against him. I know a lot of New York guys who talk a lot. That’s what they do.”

Controlling Alvarado’s basketball skills, which are many, won’t be easy.

While averaging more than 37 minutes per game, he leads the ACC in steals (three per game) and is second in free-throw percentage (87.8, 43 of 49), third in scoring (17.6) and field-goal percentage (53.1, 102 of 192) and fifth in assists (4.2).

Johnson, who leads the conference with 6.2 assists per game while averaging 14.2 points, will keep an eye on Alvarado for much of the game. He has the physical edge (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) over Alvarado’s 6-foot, 179-pound frame.

“I have to use my length against him and my speed because I think I’m faster than him as well,” Johnson said.

He said he doesn’t believe Champagnie, who leads the ACC in scoring (19.2) and rebounding (12), will treat the Georgia Tech game differently just because there’s a guy from Brooklyn on the opposing team.

“Every game Justin has a chip on his shoulder,” Johnson said. “He’s trying to prove he’s the best guy, and he’s proven it so far, I believe. He’s the best guy in the ACC and the best guy, probably, in the country right now.”

Odukale (6-5, 185) said he will try to prove his worth with his arms and legs, shooting eye and mental toughness — not his mouth.

“I might not be, physically, the strongest on the court,” Odukale said. “But I’m going to make them feel like I’m the strongest on the court. Just being tough, showing the New York in me.

“Later in the game, hopefully, showing him with the score.”

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