20 Years After WVU Basketball Star Kevin Pittsnogle Owned March

March Madness is the time of year when college basketball players can become legends for their respective schools. For West Virginia, the term “you got Pittsnogled” was a common phrase heard during March in the early 2000s. 

West Virginia native Kevin Pittsnogle became a star while leading WVU basketball in the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Tournaments. And now 20 years later, he’s excelling in a completely different way and in an entirely new profession. 

Born in Martinsburg, Pittsnogle played high school basketball at Martinsburg High School, where he led Martinsburg to two straight AAA state tournament appearances.  

Pittsnogle played for the Mountaineers from 2002 to 2006, where he was named to the Big East All-Rookie team in 2003 and First-Team All-Big East in 2006.  His 1,706 career points currently rank as the sixth most all-time for WVU. 

Pittsnogle created March madness by creating unforgettable moments for West Virginia fans of the era. In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Pittsnogle scored 22 points in a victory against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.  

The term “Pittsnogled” became common language for Mountaineer Nation. 

“My perception of getting Pittsnogled was when somebody was darting close and I shot over them with a guy in my face,” Pittsnogle said in an interview with CBS Sports.

Pittsnogle’s final collegiate game took place in the Sweet 16 against Texas in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, where he scored 19 points, including a game-tying three-point shot. The Mountaineers would lose the game after Texas guard Kenton Paulino scored at the buzzer.

Now 20 years later after his time at WVU, Pittsnogle is back in Martinsburg, serving as the principal of Martinsburg North Middle School. While most of the parents know of Pittsnogle’s basketball career, the students are not fully aware of his success.

“Most of the kids don’t know… so they look stuff up now,” Pittsnogle said. “I get kids randomly come up to me and tell me they’ve looked up my YouTube and Googled my name and found my highlights, so that’s pretty cool.”

While Pittsnogle has a history of shooting baskets over opponents, he takes a more civilized approach as a school principle.

“I don’t know that if kids get sent to the principal’s office they get Pittsnogled, but we have conversations and we try to build relationships to make sure they are being successful,” Pittsnogle said.

Find more coverage of WVU Basketball and alumni like Kevin Pittsnogle at WV Sports Now.