Jeff Capel, other ACC coaches defend conference from detractors
Via the RPI or the NET, the ACC’s ranking among conferences is sixth. Only four of its teams are projected to earn NCAA Tournament berths. By most measures, it is a down year for the ACC, but several conference coaches are coming to the league’s defense in emphatic fashion. “It’s...
Former Pitt tight ends Grant Carrigan, Jason Collier improve depth on offensive line
Pitt bolstered its numbers on the offensive line on the first day of spring drills Monday when two growing men, Grant Carrigan and Jason Collier, shifted from tight end. “Grant came to me (about making the shift),” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It was like, `Hey, I’m a blocking tight end....
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett approaches senior season with confidence
His eyes never dropped. His chin remained elevated. His words were direct and confident. If Kenny Pickett is feeling pressure as he approaches the last of his three seasons as Pitt’s starting quarterback, he wasn’t showing it Monday after the first day of spring drills. With seven starters returning on...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt safeties Paris Ford, Damar Hamlin return to finish businessVideo
Paris Ford and Damar Hamlin left their television on the NFL Network all week, watching the scouting combine without wondering whether they should have been in Indianapolis. It’s no coincidence Pitt’s starting safeties bypassed the opportunity to turn pro, so Ford and Hamlin were all smiles Monday that they are...
Pitt finds ‘winning is hard’ as it heads into regular-season finale on 6-game skid
Before he fielded a question Monday during the final weekly ACC men’s basketball coaches teleconference of the season, Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner praised Pitt’s effort and energy level. “I’m a big fan of Pitt’s team,” said Pastner, whose Yellow Jackets host the Panthers on Wednesday for Pitt’s regular-season finale....
It’s still winter, but Pat Narduzzi opens spring drills at PittVideo
Three weeks before the end of winter, Pat Narduzzi opened spring drills Monday morning at Pitt, only 67 days after the last game of 2019. With the outdoor fields on the South Side still wet from winter, drills were held at the indoor facility at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex....
Pitt drops 6th straight in loss to N.C. State
RALEIGH, N.C. — Facing the prospect of a loss that would severely damage its NCAA Tournament hopes, N.C. State tightened up its defense late and got a big scoring boost from reserve forward Jericole Hellems to bounce back for a 77-73 win over Pitt on Saturday. Coach Kevin Keatts admitted...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi tries to put puzzle together as spring practice opensVideo
When Pat Narduzzi stands in front of his team Monday for the first of 15 spring practice sessions, he won’t let anyone see it, nor will he readily acknowledge what everyone is thinking. Yet, the heavy weight of expectations will be on his shoulders. He has won 36 games, a...
Pitt seeks reversal of fortune after another 2-8 slump
Pitt’s current stretch of two victories in its past 10 games is all too familiar to players, fans, even coach Jeff Capel. The Panthers have had 2-8 stretches in four consecutive seasons — every year since former coach Jamie Dixon left for TCU in 2016. In the 2016-2017 season, Pitt...
Blueberry pancakes, dedication keys to success for No. 8 Pitt wrestling
Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi have followed a strict regimen while helping Pitt ascend to No. 8 in the national wrestling rankings: • Focus at practice for the entire two hours; • Get to bed by 9 p.m., asleep by 10. • And don’t forget Phillippi’s blueberry pancakes for breakfast....
Tim Benz: Championship coaches encourage Pitt’s Jeff Capel to stay the course
Can you blame him for being frustrated? Five straight losses. By blowouts. By nail biters. Down to 6-12 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Pitt basketball coach Jeff Capel was decidedly frustrated after his team’s 72-49 loss to Syracuse at home Wednesday night. “We have guys who are taking playing here...
U mad, bro? Readers vent about Penguins trades, Pitt coverage, potential Antonio Brown return
This week’s “U mad, bro?” is really rough on Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. It’s also unkind to former Steeler Antonio Brown. And I didn’t come off very well either. John emailed me about the Penguins trades in recent weeks. He’s not thrilled with general manager Jim Rutherford dealing Dominik...
Pitt walk-on Anthony Starzynski enjoys his spotlight moment
Anthony Starzynski won four letters at Baldwin, scoring an average of 10, 15 and 21 points during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. But in three seasons as a walk-on at Pitt, he’s played 41 minutes in bits of 17 games, scoring five baskets (all 3-pointers). And he’s OK with...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel questions team’s effort after lopsided loss to SyracuseVideo
No one should be surprised when the basketball doesn’t go through the net after a Pitt player attempts a shot. Many of them are not natural scorers. And, sometimes, their instincts backfire, and the ball deflects out of bounds or into the hands of an opponent. It happens to the...
First Call: Steelers talk with WR; Le’Veon Bell staying with Jets?; Zamboni goalie honoredVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” is packed. The Steelers talked with a high-profile wide receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine. A radio host in Cleveland got suspended for ripping Baker Mayfield. “Zamboni Goalie” David Ayers was honored in Carolina. Le’Veon Bell may be staying in New York after all. And all of...
How lunch with Jim Boeheim helped Pitt’s Jeff Capel understand Syracuse’s zone
Jeff Capel didn’t get where he is today by wasting a rare opportunity. Perhaps that valuable character trait will help Pitt’s coach and his players Wednesday night when he matches wits with Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim at Petersen Events Center. Capel has had a long relationship with Boeheim, who’s won 961...
Pitt’s Ithiel Horton sits for games, goes ‘overboard’ at practiceVideo
When his Pitt teammates leave campus for a road game, Ithiel Horton must find ways to entertain himself. “It’s just me here,” said Horton, the new guy after transferring from Delaware last year. “I have to find what to do, find distractions.” Because of its one-year restriction on transfers, the...
Jeff Capel, Jim Boeheim support allowing transfers to play immediately
Jeff Capel said allowing student-athletes to transfer without having to sit out a season is the right thing to do, but he cautioned Monday that the proposal is “something that we (college coaches) are going to have to figure out how to navigate.” The NCAA said recently that a rule...
Pitt volleyball team plans trip to Europe in May
The Pitt volleyball team will take its game international in May when the women embark on an 11-day tour of Europe, with trips to Spain, France and Italy. Starting May 2, the three-time defending ACC champions will spend three nights in Barcelona, Spain, two each in Toulouse, France, and Nice,...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden tackle Penguins’ recent losses, Pitt violations, Steelers’ needs, Pirates spring training
Last Monday, it was tough to come up with a negative thing to say about the Pittsburgh Penguins. This Monday, it’s tough to find something good. The Pens have lost three games in a row. They’ve given up 14 goals in the defeats, and the Philadelphia Flyers are closing in...
Tim Benz: The NCAA rule book is dumb. And so were Pitt’s violations of it.Video
The NCAA rule book is far too dense. The application of those rules is woefully random. And its allocation of discipline when those rules are broken is horribly inconsistent. Technically, those are just my opinions. But I dare you to find me a fan of college athletics who doesn’t presume...
Even in losses, Pitt showing signs of progress
Give Pitt this much credit as it sinks toward the bottom of the ACC standings: The Panthers do the tough stuff as well as any team in the conference. Yes, Pitt has lost seven of nine and no longer is a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, but in the areas of defense,...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel said NCAA sanctions won’t affect his program
Jeff Capel said Saturday after his team’s 59-56 loss to Virginia that the three years’ probation and sanctions imposed by the NCAA on Pitt athletics will have no impact on his basketball program. “None. Absolutely none. No impact at all,” he said. All of the violations, which involve illegal use...
Virginia puts clamp on Pitt, holds off Panthers comebackVideo
If anyone outside the Pitt basketball program is qualified to comment on the state of the Panthers, it’s Virginia coach Tony Bennett. And — get this — the coach with a national championship on his resume liked what he saw from his defeated opponent Saturday after the Cavaliers survived Pitt’s...
From NCAA Sweet 16 to ‘dumpster fire,’ Pitt basketball coaches inherited vastly different programs
The day Ben Howland left Pitt for UCLA, Julius Page figured he had two choices: The NBA or transfer. He chose neither. Why did the 17th-most prolific scorer in Pitt history decide to stay for his senior year when the coach who recruited and developed him was now on the...
