North Allegheny guard Curtis Aiken Jr. follows in father’s footsteps, will play at Pitt
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Thursday, May 3, 2018 | 10:45 PM
North Allegheny guard Curtis Aiken Jr., who averaged 17.9 points while playing much of the season on an injured knee, announced Thursday night on Twitter he will enroll at Pitt and join the basketball team. He will enter as a preferred walk-on and take a medical redshirt this season.
Aiken, the son of former Pitt guard and current radio analyst Curtis Aiken, has played on North Allegheny’s varsity for the past four seasons. He averaged 19.1 points as a junior and sophomore and 7.9 as a freshman.
— Curtis Aiken Jr. (@caiken_14) May 4, 2018
“He was never 100 percent (in the 2017-18 season),” North Allegheny coach Keith Noftz said. “He never really was able to get to the point he wanted to get to from a health standpoint.”
Curtis Aiken, who played at Pitt from 1983-1987 and scored 1,200 points, said he’s “ecstatic” with his son’s decision.
“I was holding my emotions in,” he said. “I know how big a decision like that is.
“It came down to him wanting to stay at home and play at home, particularly after talking to (Pitt coach) Jeff Capel.”
Asked what it would be like to call a Pitt game on the radio with his son on the court, Aiken said, “I can’t even imagine. That would be awesome.”
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
