Pitt's Cam Corhen Gets Shot Against Former Team

The Pitt Panthers forward will get a shot at beating his former team.
Nov 18, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (2) shoots against Virginia Military Keydets forward TJ Johnson (44) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (2) shoots against Virginia Military Keydets forward TJ Johnson (44) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers junior forward Cameron Corhen has grown in his first season with his new program, but he'll have a chance against his former team this week.

Corhen and Pitt will travel to face his former team in Florida State in Tallahassee on Jan. 15 for a 9:00 p.m. tip-off, where he'll hope to get the team back to winning ways.

He spent the past two seasons with the Seminoles averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.7% from the field and 73.5% from the foul line.

The 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward started 12 of 28 games he played in the 2023-24 season, scoring 9.4 points, grabbing 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game on average, respectively, and shooting 62.9% from the field and 67.2% from the foul line. 

One of his best games of the season came against Pitt at the Petersen Events Center on March 5. He scored a career-high 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field, 75%, and coverted nine of his 10 free throw attempts, while also making eight rebounds, a steal and a block.

Corhen entered the transfer portal and committed to Pitt in mid-April, one of two transfers last offseason for the program, along with Damian Dunn from Houston.

He has played at the center position for the Panthers, starting all 16 games. He leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and 63.2% shooting from the field, ranks second with 14 blocks, third with 29.7 minutes per game and fourth with 10.9 points per game.

Corhen will face off against old head coach Leonard Hamilton, who is in his 23rd season in charge of Florida State.

Hamilton praised Corhen for his growth this season and said that he's done well this season with the Panthers.

"Corhen is an extremely hard worker," Hamilton said. "He’s very focused and you can expect him to give you good effort every time he shows up. He practices the way he plays. He’s a youngster with a high IQ, but he also has a tremendous passion for the game. He seems to be fitting right into what Pittsburgh needs him to do."

Corhen was one of nine players who left Florida State this past offseason, resulting in Hamilton bringing in four transfers and six freshman to his team.

Hamilton, who turned 76 years old before the start of the season, adjusted to the new landscape of college basketball, unlike many of his contemporaries, who have recently retired or left for other positions.

He said that he never tried to convince Corhen, nor any player to not transfer and that he has acclimated to what college basketball is in the modern day.

“I don’t ever really try to talk kids into doing anything that’s best for them," Hamilton said. "I believe that kids have the right to utilize the new rules that govern college basketball and that’s their right and I handle it as such."

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel is less interested in the matchup between Corhen and Florida State and more focused on getting an important ACC win, after losses to No. 4 Duke on the road on Jan. 7 and to Louisville at home on Jan. 11.

"Yeah, I mean, we've lost two games in a row," Capel said. "So our focus should be on whatever we have to do to win. This is not about Cam versus Florida State. This is about Pitt versus Florida State. And they're a good team, they're big, they provide different challenges than some of the teams that we've played. They play a unique style. And so for me, it's about getting us prepared for what we have to do. And not worrying about an individual against a former team."

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Follow Dominic Campbell on Twitter.