Bailey Pittman attended Jim Boeheim’s summer camps as a kid and cheered on Syracuse basketball inside the Carrier Dome. Now he’s sharing the screen with the Hall of Fame coach on that same hardwood.
Pittman, a 2016 Hilton graduate, is featured in a USA Today video with Boeheim ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
It was the second modeling gig for the North Greece resident. His fledgling career is already witnessing March madness.
“It’s just unbelievable and all came together super quick,” Pittman, 23, said. “It’s a euphoric feeling and was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
The video is promoting the USA Today college basketball coaches poll and its title sponsor, Ferris Mowers. The weekly poll ranks the top 25 NCAA Division I men’s teams.
In the spot, Boeheim talks about the values of perseverance, hard work and leadership in basketball and in life. Pittman provides the dramatic visuals of a resolute hoops player practicing in an empty Carrier Dome. He misses shot after shot — it was all part of the script — until he regroups and swishes a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Jim Boeheim:Being the best you can be is an ongoing process
Pittman attended SUNY Brockport for a year before moving to Los Angeles to study real estate. He got by working at a pizza shop and coffee shop but the cost of living sent him back to Rochester, where he took a full-time 9-to-5 job. He credits his family with an assist for encouraging him to pursue modeling.
“I never wanted to seem cocky or…
