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DeJuan Blair and D.J. Kennedy went 57-0 against City League teams and led Schenley High School to the state title.
But they still recall a grade-school basketball game nearly a decade ago when Blair starred for Manchester Elementary on the North Side and Kennedy starred for Madison Elementary in the Hill District.
"It was a championship game," Blair recalled Monday. "His team won by two. It was like 38-36, and I had 34 points."
Kennedy and Blair, life-long friends and teammates, will be on the same court in different uniforms again when No. 13 Pitt (15-3, 3-2) travels to play St. John's (7-9, 1-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
"We've always been good friends, probably since second or third grade, when we first played with each other," Kennedy said. "We've always been around each other. It will look funny with both of us out there. But it will be a great experience."
"It's going to be fun, playing against one of your best friends, your brother," Blair said. "I was just watching his games on TV, and now we are meeting up together at the Garden."
Blair and Kennedy both grew up in the Hill District and played at Schenley for four years. They combined for nearly 3,000 career points and brought home the school's first PIAA Class AAAA title in 29 years. They were summer-time teammates on the Pittsburgh JOTS Junior AAU team. They were both named first-team all-state following their senior seasons.
Then, they went their separate ways -- Blair, of course, to Pitt, and Kennedy to its Big East foe, St. John's.
Like Blair, Kennedy is making an immediate impact. The 6-foot-6 swingman has started all 16 games for the Red Storm. He is averaging 8.8 points and is second on the team at 7.0 rebounds per game. He is second in steals (18) and tied for third in assists (29), and shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range. The Red Storm, however, has lost three in a row.
"We are struggling right now. ... but I feel pretty good," Kennedy said. "It's just big to be a freshman out there on the court playing. I felt I worked hard in the off-season. I felt just play how you play the game and the opportunity will take care of itself."
The Panthers recruited Kennedy, but he said the style of play and the chance for playing time were better at St. John's. At Pitt, he would have been at the same position as redshirt freshman Gilbert Brown and incoming freshman Brad Wanamaker.
"Early on, me and DeJuan talked about going to the same school," Kennedy said. "But things happen for a reason. ...I'm definitely happy at St. John's. I love the coaching staff at Pitt. It was just the situation. I felt St. John's gave me a better opportunity."
Blair is happy his good friend is excelling in his first year of college basketball. Kennedy is averaging more minutes per game (28.1) than Blair (24..
"I wish he would have come here, but it's good that he went up there," Blair said. "He's starting. He's doing good, and that's everything I can ask for him."
Kennedy, who said he still talks to Blair by phone once or twice a day, had no doubt what Pitt was getting.
"I knew definitely that he was going to come in and make an impact," Kennedy said. "A lot of people questioned his size, but his whole life he's been playing against bigger than him. He's just a beast. He kills whoever he plays with. I knew what he was capable of doing, the same thing he's been doing since high school."
While the reunion will be heart-warming, Pitt is coming off a 62-59 loss to Cincinnati and trying to accomplish something it hasn't done in 13 years -- win a game at St. John's. The Panthers are 0-3 at Madison Square Garden and 0-3 at Carnesecca Arena against St. John's, dating back to 1995.
"It's all going to be fun, a lot of laughs," Blair said. "But at the same time we're going to try to get this win."
Note: Senior guard Keith Benjamin (hand laceration) didn't practice Monday. He is expected to play Wednesday at St. John's. Junior center Cassin Diggs (hip) returned to practice. ... Pitt moved up two spots in the AP Top 25 poll despite its loss at Cincinnati on Saturday. The Panthers, who beat Georgetown on Jan. 14 are No. 13. The Panthers moved down one spot in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, falling to No. 17.