Categories: Archives

Men’s Basketball: Former Panther Khem Birch declares for NBA Draft

Former Pitt men’s basketball player Khem Birch announced Thursday on Twitter that he will forego his senior season at University of Nevada-Las Vegas to enter the NBA Draft.

Birch, a McDonald’s All-American and a five-star recruit in the 2011 Rivals.com high school class, transferred with abruptness from Pitt to UNLV after one semester. Birch suited up for 10 games — starting six — as a Panther, and averaged 4.4 points and five rebounds per contest. After his departure, he drew the ire of Pitt fans by bashing the team in a radio interview.  

At his new school, Birch became the player Pitt fans had anticipated when he arrived in Oakland in fall 2011.

Birch was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year last month for the second consecutive season. He also earned Second-Team All-Mountain West honors, averaging a doble-double in points (11.5) and rebounds (10.2) per game, while finishing this past season second in the country in blocked shots per game (3.76).

“I loved playing here at UNLV for Coach Rice and with my teammates,” Birch said in a statement on the school’s website.

The decision to go pro came as a shock to many. The Pitt News reported in March that Birch would likely return for his fourth and final season of college basketball, citing Danny Webster, sports editor at the school’s student newspaper, The Rebel Yell.

Birch told reporters around the same time that he was “leaning toward coming back,” according to runrebs.com, a UNLV fan site.  On Monday, RunRebs.com reported that Birch’s decision had become “a coin flip.”  

Where the Canadian will go in the draft is not up for debate. The question is if a team will even pick him. According to zagsblog.com, an NBA scout labeled the center as “a second-round possibility at best,” who “needs D-League experience,” so it is highly unlikely that he will match what Anthony Bennett, his countryman and former teammate at UNLV and in AAU basketball, did in the 2013 NBA Draft by getting selected no. 1 overall.

“It was a tough decision, one that I thought about for a very long time,” Birch said of turning pro.  “I will finish my classes this semester and I will be a Runnin’ Rebel for life.”

 

Pitt News Staff

Share
Published by
Pitt News Staff

Recent Posts

A look into Trump’s policies as the 47th president of the United States

In the early hours of Wednesday, Nov. 6, former president Donald Trump was elected the…

1 day ago

College Democrats and Republicans at Pitt reflect on 2024 presidential election efforts

As the results trickle in from the 2024 presidential election, College Democrats at Pitt and…

2 days ago

Students, professors prepare for tense election night

Pitt students and professor discuss their plans for watching the 2024 presidential election Tuesday night,…

2 days ago

Guests at Dave McCormick watch party feeling “cautiously optimistic”

Roughly 250 invited guests attended a Dave McCormick watch party event on Nov. 5 at…

2 days ago

Summer Lee re-elected for U.S. Representative in PA’s 12th Congressional District

At 8:12 p.m. on Tuesday evening, incumbent Summer Lee was declared winner against James Hayes…

2 days ago

Photos: Election Day around Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh voters took to polling locations around the city on Election Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.…

2 days ago