Day ‘N’ Knight

by Tzvi Twersky | @TTwersky The University of Pittsburgh’s basketball team began their season last week ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll. The Division I Coaches’ Top 25 Poll had them checking in at No. 4. Neither spot is a surprise. Since 2001, the Pitt Panthers have spent more time in the Top 25 than out of it. A plethora of players and coaches deserve credit for the program’s sustained success. Maybe none more so than Brandin Knight. In 1998, Brandin Knight signed on to play his college ball at the University of Pittsburgh. After four seasons balling in The ’Burgh, then in the D-League and, for the shortest of stints, in the NBA, Knight returned to coach at Pitt in 2006. He’s been there ever since. You could say that Knight impacted the program as a player and continues to as a coach. But people in and around Pitt don’t use those titles—“player,” “coach”—when describing what he’s meant to the Panthers. Instead, they use more meaningful terms. Familial terms. When...