Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 57

Anyone with a TV or access to the internet knows the state of Pitt basketball. Over the past six seasons, the Panthers lacked scoring, quality depth, proper locker room chemistry and, in the end, enough victories to uphold the tradition of winning created at the turn of the century by...

Now in his fifth season as Pitt’s women’s basketball coach, Lance White said Tuesday that he sees more than hope building among his players. He sees confidence, which is an encouraging sign for a team that has lost 28 of its past 33 ACC games. “They’re understanding the confidence that...

With no game until Oct. 22 in Louisville, Pitt’s players and coaches are spending the week on the South Side working on fixing those “little things” — their words — that have dropped them from the Associated Press Top 25. • Bad angles by defensive players toward ball carriers. •...

Pat Narduzzi has built his coaching career — a pretty good one in its 33rd overall season — on a desire to make the opposing offense one-dimensional. Actually, it’s more of a demand than a desire. As such, it’s no secret where Narduzzi will direct plenty of attention before Pitt’s...

Legendary broadcaster Bill Hillgrove’s weekend was busy just like they all are during football season. Pitt on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium for the play-by-play call of the Virginia Tech game, and a car trip to Buffalo on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. Of course, it was nothing...

Izzy Abanikanda might have been the least surprised person inside Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night. Almost as if rushing for a school-record 320 yards and six touchdowns and leading Pitt to a 45-29 victory against Virginia Tech was little more than a stroll along the Ohio River. “I was just...

By definition, Pitt’s game Saturday against Virginia Tech does not represent a must-win. Pitt (3-2, 0-1 ACC) can lose to the Hokies and still rally to win the ACC Coastal. Remember: Pitt lost two within the conference and still went to the championship game in 2018. But a loss to...

All Pat Narduzzi needed was a remote microphone, and his final words Thursday at his weekly media briefing would have qualified as a classic mic drop. While he rose from the long, wooden table in a room where many of the Pitt coaching staff’s most important meetings are held, he...

The moments before a game are when Gavin Bartholomew wants to be alone. “I try to keep to myself a little bit, tune in to what I have to do to get the job done,” Pitt’s sophomore tight end said. But he should know — actually, he likely is well...

Habakkuk Baldonado recorded nine sacks for Pitt last season, and he was poised to become an even better defensive end this season. Among his 43 tackles were a career-high seven that he made when they mattered most: in the ACC championship victory against Wake Forest. At the end of the...

Charlie Partridge was busy Sunday afternoon, preparing for another week of practice, trying to help figure out how to beat Virginia Tech. The Pittsburgh Steelers game was on the TV, but it was little more than elevator music to Pitt’s defensive line coach. He was fixated on the Hokies. Later,...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel landed the second four-star recruit for his class of 2023 when Jaland Lowe, a shooting guard from Missouri City, Texas, pledged to enroll next year. Lowe, 6-foot, 160 pounds, joins four-star Carlton Carrington, a 6-3 guard from Baltimore. The third member of Capel’s projected ’23 freshman...

Before launching into a discussion about why Pitt’s passing game has fallen into mediocrity, let’s get one issue out of the way. Kedon Slovis remains the unquestioned starter at quarterback. Nothing in Slovis’ 3 ½ games has indicated it’s time for a change. That’s more fact than opinion, and coach...

Jim Sweeney, who left his mark on Western Pennsylvania football as a teenager and later became a durable and reliable offensive lineman for Pitt, the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, died Saturday. He was 60. Sweeney helped Seton LaSalle win its first WPIAL title in 1979 while compiling a...

The doors were locked to outsiders Sunday afternoon when Pat Narduzzi met with his Pitt coaches and players, but you can bet he was asking serious questions. Such as: • What’s up with the passing game? Kedon Slovis finished strong, but he missed 10 of his first 16 attempts when...

Shortly before midnight Saturday — after a defeat that may rank as the worst of the Pat Narduzzi era because of expectations his team has created for itself — Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis glanced at the stat sheet and the hard, numerical facts of the 26-21 loss to Georgia Tech....

Rain kept many people out of the Acrisure Stadium seats Saturday night for Pitt’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech, but the return of a few important players was a bigger story. Defensive end Deslin Alexandre, a captain, made his first start since the opener Sept. 1, and end Habakkuk Baldonado,...

The games that really matter — the eight that will determine if Pitt has what it takes to return to the ACC championship game for the third time in five seasons — begin Saturday night when Georgia Tech visits Acrisure Stadium. How difficult is Pitt’s road to Charlotte, N.C.? There...

If you told Randy Bates his Pitt defense is fourth in the 14-team ACC in yards allowed, his answer would be predictable. Something like: “Why aren’t we No. 1?” Pitt’s defensive coordinator demands perfection from his players, no matter the circumstances they must overcome. But perhaps the defense is quietly...

Tiquan Underwood was a star wide receiver at Rutgers, where he caught 132 passes for 1,931 yards and 16 touchdowns. Over five NFL seasons, he caught another 63 balls for 1,006 yards and six scores. Nice playing career, for sure. Yet Underwood — now coaching wide receivers at Pitt —...

Duquesne men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot wants to expose the Dukes to the best possible competition he can find, and he found a tough one for their second game of the season. The Dukes will travel to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 11 to play the Kentucky Wildcats,...

The questions on the minds of Pitt fans thirsty for another championship are these: • Just how good is Pitt? • Are trips to Charlotte, N.C., and the ACC Championship game part of the Panthers’ destiny for the second consecutive season? • Without Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison, how can...

Finally, Pitt coach Jeff Capel can put down his phone and start doing what he loves and does best: coach basketball. Capel opened basketball practice Monday at Petersen Events Center with seven players who weren’t on the team last season, and he’s eager to see the tangible results of a...

After Dave Wannstedt was fired in 2010 and in the four years before Pat Narduzzi arrived on the day after Christmas, 2014, Pitt football players called six men coach: Three interims with one-game tenures, Michael Haywood, whose two weeks ended badly, and two others — Todd Graham and Paul Chryst...

Three hours after its victory against Rhode Island, Pitt received more good news Saturday night when wide receiver Daidren Zipperer made a verbal commitment to the Panthers. 100% Commited ???????? #h2p pic.twitter.com/Y886xSjVLM— Daidren Zipperer ???? (@daidrenz) September 25, 2022 Zipperer (6-foot, 165 pounds) is the 19th prospect from the class...