Pitt hoops welcomes back legends

Charles Smith dribbled to the top of the key, took a quick look around and then hit a jump shot… Charles Smith dribbled to the top of the key, took a quick look around and then hit a jump shot to clinch a victory for Pitt and bring most of the fans at the Petersen Events Center out of their seats. It wasn’t a highlight on a big screen, though. It was Sunday afternoon during the Pitt Men’s Basketball Alumni Game. More than 40 Pitt basketball alumni returned for the weekend. They attended the Pitt-Louisville football game on Saturday, a brunch Sunday morning and a scrimmage later that day before the Pitt-La Roche preseason game, where the alumni were introduced and honored at halftime. While it might not have had the athleticism or fast pace of the Pitt-La Roche scrimmage, the alumni game was much more closely contested, ending with the gold team defeating the blue team, 47-43. With the game tied at 43, Smith hit a jumper with about 25 seconds to go to give the Gold team the victory. ‘I didn’t expect to play as much as I did,’ said Smith after the game, who added that he plans to take part in future alumni games. ‘As long as I can play and walk up and down the floor, I’ll [play].’ Smith, along with Pitt, organized the game in honor of Bill Baierl, a 1951 honors graduate at Pitt and member of the basketball team. He died on April 14, 2007 at the age of 78. ‘I definitely can’t take credit for putting the whole event on,’ said Smith. ‘The University has been great in supporting this and trying to make this happen. It’s all for the memory of Bill Baierl.’ After graduating, Baierl founded Baierl Automotive and throughout the years generously donated to Pitt and other establishments in Pittsburgh. He provided the lead gift for the Baierl Student Recreation Center, the exercise and recreation area in the Pete, and Baierl Basketball Center, which includes locker rooms, meeting rooms and practice facilities for Pitt’s basketball teams. In 2004, Baierl was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni Fellow and the next year was welcomed into the Cathedral of Learning Society ‘mdash; a group for donors of more than $1 million to Pitt. ‘Mr. Baierl was a good guy,’ said Jerome Lane, who played for Pitt from 1985-88. ‘It’s good for us to come back and support him, as much as he gave back to the University. That’s one of the reasons I came back.’ Lane also said it’s the first time he’s returned to Pitt in about 19 years. But no one has forgotten about him. Even with the delay, Lane will forever hold a place in Pitt basketball history for his mammoth dunk on Jan. 25, 1988, against Providence. On a fast break, Sean Miller passed to Lane, who jumped from the baseline for a one-handed slam that shattered the backboard. During the alumni game, a fan in the second row held up a sign that read, ‘Send it in Jerome,’ which was the now-famous call made by Bill Raftery on the play. Lane, who didn’t play in the game as he walked around with a crutch, said he laughed when he saw the sign. ‘Most people don’t even know that I was a rebounder,’ said Lane, who led the nation in rebounding during the 1986-87 season. ‘The only thing they remember me by is the dunk. Everybody wants to be known for something. I feel good about it.’ Lane watched from the Gold team’s bench, as Smith and Keith Benjamin led the team to victory. Benjamin, who graduated last year, was easily one of the more nimble players on the floor. Benjamin was an offensive force during the game, hitting long 3-pointers and answering the question of who can still dunk in an alumni game. Early on, Benjamin threw one down as he was on the receiving end of an alley-oop from Griffin Abel, who helped seal the Gold victory by nailing numerous free throws down the stretch. But the Blue team didn’t go down quietly. Part of that was because of Chris McNeal, who played for the Panthers from 1990-93. Trailing, 40-34, McNeal hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit in half. And after Smith made a jumper, McNeal drained another to make it 42-40 in favor of Gold. Smith missed a layup attempt, but was fouled and made one of two free throw attempts, bringing the Gold lead up to three with about a minute to go in the game.’ McNeal tied the game by hitting yet another 3-pointer with a little less than 45 seconds to go. A Smith jumper won the game for Gold, and two Abel free throws widened the lead. Regardless of the outcome, it was a fun afternoon of basketball for the both the fans and players. At one point, ex-Pitt player Marcus Bowman missed everything on a shot attempt and few fans started up an ‘air ball’ chant as Bowman chuckled on his way back on defense. For fans, it was a chance to see some of the favorite Panthers of the past, dating as far back as the ’50s. And for the players, it was an opportunity to meet up with old teammates and relive their time as Pitt athletes.’ ‘It’s always fun to come back and play with the guys,’ said Smith.