North Carolina

Pitt’s Zack Austin ready to confront the ‘cool people’ of North Carolina A&T

Published

9 months ago

November 5, 2023

Press Room

Pitt’s Zack Austin ready to confront the ‘cool people’ of North Carolina A&T

Zack Austin tried not to sound cocky when he was asked about his history with North Carolina A&T. But he couldn’t lie.

I’m undefeated. I’m 2-0,” he said. “I know a couple people on their team. They’re cool people.”

Austin will get a chance to boost his personal winning streak against the Aggies, a mid-major team based in Greensboro, N.C., when they provide the opposition for Pitt in its season opener Monday night at Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Austin, who spent the past two seasons at High Point (N.C.), was correct about his former team’s record against the Aggies. He didn’t recite his statistics in those games from the 2021-2022 season, but they were easy to find. He hit a total of 12 of 21 shots (2 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc), grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked a shot.

North Carolina A&T is rebuilding after losing three starters to the transfer portal from a 13-19 team and welcoming new coach Monte Ross, a former Temple assistant. The Aggies will play in the Coastal (formerly Colonial) Athletic Association this season.

“You can’t take anybody lightly,” Austin said. “Everybody’s going to be a challenge. It’s basketball. You still have to put the thing in the hoop, regardless of how much they think you’re going to win by.

“You can lose to anybody on any given day. The NCAA Tournament is (proof) of that. Sixteen seeds are winning against 1 seeds now.”

The perception of ACC vs. CAA gives an edge to Pitt, but the Panthers, like many teams in November, are a work in progress. By all accounts, Austin, Rhode Island transfer Ishmael Leggett and freshmen guards Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe are mixing well with their new teammates.

Austin and 7-foot sophomore Guillermo Diaz Graham spoke with reporters last week when it was mentioned to Diaz Graham that there’s word he might expand his game and try more than the 27 3-point shots he attempted in 2022-2023. He laughed, knowing he still has work to do in that area. He was 7 for 27 last season and 0 for 3 last week against Pitt-Johnstown.

Meanwhile, Austin smiled and nodded his head knowingly, indicating he has confidence in his new teammate’s ability to improve in that area.

Actually, both big men will be expected to stretch their efforts beyond the paint.

Austin, a 6-foot-7 junior, has developed an inside and outside game on both ends of the court against mid-major competition. In two seasons at High Point, he averaged 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.05 3-point field goals and 2.1 blocks per game. He needs 103 points and 76 rebounds to reach 1,000 and 500 for his career that includes 129 3-pointers and 135 blocks.

Eventually, Austin wanted to test his talents in the ACC, and he was pleased when Pitt coach Jeff Capel showed an interest.

”They showed what they can do last year when they come together,” Austin said. “When I saw that, I jumped to it. I wanted to be a part of it.”

If he has any personal goals this season, he’s reluctant to talk about them.

“Just being the best player I can be,” he said. “I don’t want to put any things out there. I’m going to keep that with me.”

But he isn’t shy about how far he believes the team can go.

”Everybody in this program knows we can win it all (in the ACC) and that’s what we’re going to try and do.”

Improvements in defense and rebounding will be a focus for Capel on Monday and through the nonconference season. The big bodies are on board to facilitate that growth, including Diaz Graham and his 6-11 brother Jorge, 6-11 Federiko Federiko, Austin, 6-8 Blake Hinson and even the 6-5 Carrington.

”The first games allow us to see where we are on defense, what we have to correct,” Guillermo Diaz Graham said. “When we play the bigger teams, we’re ready for them.

“We have real athletic guys and we have a lot of length. If we do the right things, it’s going to be hard to score against us.”

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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North Carolina

North Carolina Zoo celebrates its 50 anniversary

Published

7 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

North Carolina Zoo celebrates its 50 anniversary

ASHEBORO, N.C. (WTVD) — The North Carolina Zoo is celebrating 50 years.

Located in Asheboro, the zoo houses about 1,700 animals and over 250 species primarily from Africa and North America.

On social media, NC Zoo wrote Friday:

“Throughout our history, we’ve been home to a diverse array of remarkable animals, dedicated keepers, and passionate employees who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Join us in honoring this milestone by visiting the Zoo in 2024!”

The Zoo also mentioned the Zoo’s first animals, which were two Galapagos tortoises named Tort and Retort.

The post said in part: “These two tortoises symbolize the early days of the North Carolina Zoo and are cherished deeply in our hearts.”

The North Carolina Zoo is one of two state-supported zoos in the country. The other is the Minnesota Zoo.

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North Carolina

NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank

Published

14 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank

With a recent study revealing North Carolina as one of the states with the riskiest roads to travel, some may wonder how safe the roads are here in the Cape Fear region.

MarketWatch Guides, a site that provides “reviews of consumer products and services to help readers make educated purchasing decisions,” focuses in part on car insurance comparisons, vehicle safety and more.

A recent study by the site analyzed factors including annual miles driven per 100,000 system miles, percentage of rough roads and fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers. States were given a rating out of 10 points, with 10 being the most dangerous.

More: Distracted driving in Wilmington: How big of a problem is it?

North Carolina’s ranking among the most dangerous

According to the study, the states with the most dangerous drivers based on the factors studied are:

Louisiana – 7.55/10

California – 7.21/10

New Mexico – 6.74/10

Hawaii – 6.73/10

Delaware – 6.67/10

New Jersey – 6.53/10

Mississippi – 6.47/10

North Carolina – 6.39/10

Massachusetts – 6.33/10

Maryland and Texas – 6.26/10

According to the study, North Carolina had 32.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers, but only 2.1% of rough roads, which was the lowest percentage out of the other ranked states.

For a more localized perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation releases annual traffic crash facts data. The most recent 2022 report includes a ranking of counties based on several factors, including reported crashes, crash severity, crash rates based on population, registered vehicles and estimated vehicle miles traveled.

The most dangerous county for drivers, ranked at No. 1 for the past five years, was Robeson County. The county had 60 fatal crashes in 2022 with 1,136 non-fatal injury crashes. The rest of the total 4,056 crashes were property-damage-only. The county with the best ranking was Hyde County, coming in at No. 100. The county had one fatal crash in 2022 and 10 non-fatal injury crashes. The county had a total of 45 crashes, the rest of which were property damage only.

More: MyReporter: Which intersections see the most red-light camera violations in Wilmington?

Here’s where the Cape Fear region counties ranked.

Brunswick County

Ranked No. 76 in 2022, Brunswick County had 25 fatal crashes and 715 non-fatal injury crashes. The total crashes for that year were 3,146. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.

New Hanover County

Ranked No. 58, New Hanover had 19 fatal crashes and 1,313 non-fatal injury crashes, both of which went down from 2021. The total crashes in New Hanover were 5,617. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.

Pender County

Ranked No. 47, Pender County had the worst ranking despite having the lowest number of crashes. The county had 12 fatal crashes and 374 non-fatal injury crashes, and a total of 1,156 crashes. The rest of the crashes were property damage only.

Iris Seaton, USA Today Network, contributed to this report.

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North Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring rainfall to Virginia & North Carolina

Published

22 hours ago

August 3, 2024

Press Room

Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring rainfall to Virginia & North Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby already has parts of Florida under tropical storm warnings. The Florida Big Bend is currently under a Hurricane Warning. Debby is forecast to briefly strengthen into a category 1 hurricane as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico where water temperatures are near 90 degrees.

As it continues its path over land it is expected to dial back to tropical storm strength as it reaches the Carolinas mid to late next week. Moderate rainfall is possible for northeast North Carolina and southern Virginia by the end of the week.

Higher amounts of rain are possible for southernmost portions of the Outer Banks but generally models show 2-4 inches for northeast North Carolina and 1-2 inches for southern Virginia through Thursday.

Stay with News 3’s First Warning Weather Team for the latest updates as the storm develops.

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