Justin Champagnie became the first player in Pitt history to be named First Team All-ACC on Monday.
His dominant sophomore season finished with him being the second-leading scorer averaging 18.4 points per game behind Duke's Matthew Hurt who averaged 18.8. Champagnie did finish with the ACC rebounding crown, averaging 11.1 per game while no other ACC player averaged more than nine per game.
“It is an honor to receive all-conference honors,” said Champagnie. “I appreciate coach (Jeff) Capel and the rest of the staff for pushing me and helping me throughout this season. I also wouldn’t be in this position without great teammates who give me the confidence to go out and be myself on the court. We want to continue to compete together and finish our season strong.”
Champagnie received the second-most votes to make First Team All-ACC behind the ACC's Player of the Year, Georgia Tech's Moses Wright. Other players who made the team were Louisville's Carlik Jones, Duke's Matthew Hurt, and Virginia's Sam Hauser.
Champagnie also finished second in voting ACC Player of the Year and third in ACC Most Improved Player behind Hurt and Miami's Isaiah Wong.
“Justin has had a terrific season and is well deserving of All-ACC honors,” said Capel. “The best part of his game is that he remains focused on helping this team finish the season strong. We have a great opportunity ahead of us at the ACC Tournament and I know Justin is eager to compete with his teammates.”
The closest Pitt had to having a player named First Team All-ACC was Lamar Patterson who made Second Team All-ACC in 2014. The last Pitt player to make first team all-league honors was Ashton Gibbs when he made First Team All-Big East in 2011.
For Champagnie to earn these honors as a sophomore reflects just how good he's been this season. Even when Pitt struggled, losing 9 of its last 11 games to finish the regular season, Champagnie recorded 8 of his 13 double-doubles this season during that stretch.
Now he gets ready with Pitt to face No. 13 seed Miami in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday, 2 p.m. at Greensboro Coliseum.