By From the Archives

Published: March 19, 2009

After enduring, ETSU’s Pigram and Tiggs dance

The NCAA Tournament was made for Courtney Pigram and Kevin Tiggs.
It’s what the East Tennessee State University seniors deserve. It’s why they endured. And it’s the pinnacle of two separate but united lives devoted to belief, perseverance and basketball.
Today, Pigram and Tiggs go dancing. And they’re dancing because they lived through death.
Both are inner-city kids. Pigram hails from Memphis, Tenn. Tiggs from Flint, Mich.
Both lost parents at an early age. Pigram, his father. Tiggs, his mother and father.
Both found refuge and redemption in basketball.
And both somehow found their way to ETSU.
Today, Pigram and Tiggs enter history. They lead the No. 16 seed Buccaneers against the No. 1 seed Pittsburgh Panthers in a first-round East Region contest.
National exposure is theirs. A sold-out show on a brightly lit stage is theirs. As big-time players from a little-known mid-major program, Pigram and Tiggs will perform against the best in the country. And they’ll prove that hope overcomes fear; that belief triumphs over doubt.
Pigram and Tiggs admitted Friday they were having a hard time believing they were in the NCAA Tournament. But they knew they belonged. Because what is the point of perseverance if you never see the light?
“I just always told myself that it could be worse,” said Tiggs, following afternoon practice at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Better days have come for the Bucs’ senior survivors.
Tiggs’ bright, warm, illuminating smile is East Tennessee State basketball at its best. It’s a light. A beacon. And it’s a reminder that the greatest stories often go untold.
Buccaneers coach Murry Bartow said Tiggs was the most amazing kid he’s ever been around in his coaching career.
Numbers tell part of Tiggs’ story. He finished the regular season as the No. 16 scorer in Division I basketball, averaging 21.5 points per game.
But the real story is in his smile. After enduring the worst – Bartow said Tiggs had everything in the world to be unhappy about – Tiggs still sees the best.
So does Pigram.
Pigram wore a hard, confident face throughout Friday’s media session and shootaround. He stared straight ahead. He rarely smiled. He swished shots, palmed the ball like he owned it and walked taller than his 6-foot-1 frame. For Pigram, a hard stare is a life-affirming smile. When Pigram’s on, he’s staring. And when he’s full of swagger and filled with self-belief, his dead-eye stare shoots holes through the opposition.
Bartow said that when he recruited Pigram and Tiggs, he told them they would have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Now, they are.
The moment is theirs. Their time has arrived. And they get at least one memorable dance in college basketball’s biggest engagement.
“This says a lot,” Pigram said. “For our parents to put the ball in our hands and for it to take us this far. Getting to the NCAA Tournament – that’s what they wanted us to do and we’re here.”

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