Justin Champagnie named Fort Myers Tipoff MVP

Pitt defeated both Kansas State and Northwestern to take the Fort Myers Tipoff trophy, and after the 72-59 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday in which Pitt wing Justin Champagnie scored 21 points, the native of Brooklyn, New York, was named the MVP of the tournament.

In addition, Champagnie was one of two Pitt players included on the Fort Myers all-tournament team, along with Xavier Johnson. The team was rounded out by Northwestern guard Pat Spencer, Bradley forward Elijah Childs and Bradley guard Nate Kennell. Kansas State, which went winless in Fort Myers, placed no players on the team.

Champagnie was a force for Pitt in the tournament, as he averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the two games his team played in Fort Myers. That included three blocks against Kansas State and three shots made from beyond the arc against Northwestern. The threes ended a drought for Champagnie, as they were his first since Pitt beat Florida State on Nov. 6. As of Thursday, Champagnie is averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds and leads Pitt in both categories.

Johnson, the other Pitt player honored after the tournament, also put on an impressive showing, as he averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the two games in Fort Myers. That included 11 points and eight assists in the matchup with Northwestern, during which Johnson also contributed a three-pointer. However, one player overlooked for tournament honors was Eric Hamilton, who averaged a double-double with 11.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game in Fort Myers.

With its two wins in Fort Myers, Pitt is now 6-2 on the season and will look to improve on its record in the coming days when it hosts Rutgers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 3. Three days later, the team will face Louisville, completing a four-game stretch featuring only Power Five opponents.