On Campus
Pitt's Yung Gunz
By Anthony Jaskulski

After facing each other dozens of times on the hard courts of New York City, Pitt guards Keith Benjamin and Ronald Ramon never had any desire to connect. Until, that is, the two wound up as teammates in an all-star game and completely changed their opinions of one another.

"We played in the Wendy's All-Star game together and that's where it all started," said Ramon of playing on the same team as Benjamin for the first time. "We came back for the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic and made our decision that we were both going to go to Pitt after that."

Ramon started his career in the Bronx, where he played high school basketball at All Hallows and played for the New York Gauchos AAU team-the same squad that produced Pitt stars such as Jerry McCullough, Eric Mobley and current Pitt assistant coach Orlando Antigua.

Ramon was a decorated high school star, a New York Daily News All-City first team member who averaged 24 points and eight assists per game and had his jersey retired at All Hallows. He led the AAU Gauchos to two national titles and was on nearly every Big East schools' radar, especially Pitt, Rutgers and Providence.

Meanwhile, Benjamin was starring in neighboring Mount Vernon, at the same high school that produced NBA stars such as Scooter McCray, Ray Williams and current Chicago Bulls star Ben Gordon.

At Mount Vernon, Benjamin was rated the No.19 shooting guard in the country by Athlon's, averaging 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds over his career. He led his team to a No. 7 ranking in USA Today and a Class 2A state title his senior year. Benjamin also played AAU basketball for the Riverside Church.

"Initially I committed to Villanova and Ronald's recruiting trail was high, too," said Benjamin. "I came here for a visit and committed here and then they asked me who I would like to come to school with. I went through the names and said I'd go with Ronald Ramon; he's really good. We talked about it and eventually we both ended up coming here."

Ranked as two of the best AAU teams in New York City at the time, Riverside and the Gauchos played each other quite a bit, matching Benjamin and Ramon against each other on a constant basis.

"We officially met either sophomore or junior year in high school and it was during an AAU game when we played each other," Ramon said. "We were the two top teams in the city and there was always a lot of talk going on and in a city game, you always wanted to be the top team of the city and get the bragging rights."

"Whether we played in the city, on the Nike circuit in DC or Indiana, or anywhere, it was always a battle," Benjamin said of playing Ramon and the Gauchos. "We were two of the best, which meant that gyms were always packed and loud and it made it that much more intense."

During the 2004 Wendy's All-Star Shootout where Ramon and Benjamin first shared the same jerseys, Benjamin hit a three with just 5.5 seconds left to win the game. He finished the game with 13 points, while Ramon finished with 23 points, six assists and four steals and was named the tourney's most valuable player.

"We didn't really speak all that much in the city," said Benjamin. "But after the Wendy's All-Star game, when he had 23 points and I hit the game-winning shot, we were both thinking 'man, he's good,' and exchanged numbers and started hanging out, and ever since we came to school we became tight."

After the recruiting process landed both in Panthers uniforms, Benjamin and Ramon became inseparable, becoming roommates, having lockers next to each other, and even coining their own nickname - "Yung Gunz" after the famous 90's rap group.

"We just look at each other like brothers from another mother," said Benjamin. "We know everything about each other, and we know our movements, and we even know when we're lying to each other. We are just the best of friends and I want all good things to happen to him."

The close friendship between the two played a crucial role on the hardwood this season, when both were forced into new roles when injuries sent Mike Cook and Levance Fields to the disabled list. Benjamin was given the nod as the starting two-guard, and Ramon was pushed into the starting point guard position.

In a Feb. 7 game against West Virginia, with the Panthers trailing by two points, the two played dual hero roles. On the final possession, a Benjamin drive to the hole with seconds remaining drew three defenders and he kicked the ball to a wide-open Ramon, who hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer for a 55-54 Pitt win.

"When you know somebody for so long, you know their capabilities and what they're going to do," said Benjamin. "I thought it was the perfect match to have us both on the floor, and that's definitely what led into passing the ball to him and getting the game winner. I had confidence in him and I knew he could hit that shot."

As the two seniors' careers wind to an end, playing hoops at the next level is something they both still dream of; however, keeping their close friendship is something more of a reality.

"We both would like to play professionally somewhere and continue our basketball careers," said Ramon. "But no matter what happens to us, we'll always be the friends that we are now, and we know nothing would change that."