Pitt on stable ground in Pat Narduzzi’s 5th season, but with work to doVideo
Pat Narduzzi likes to approach every season in the same manner. Coaches, almost invariably, are creatures of habit. Change interrupts their thought process and their players’ focus. To the liking of Pitt’s administration and fans, Pitt’s football program is blessed with rare (at least, for this decade) stability at the...
‘Pawn Stars’ helps former Pitt star Mark May recover his Super Bowl rings
Former Pitt football star Mark May is getting his Super Bowl rings back. The Panthers Hall of Fame offensive lineman won the rings with the Washington Redskins during his NFL playing days. According to ABC 15 in Arizona, May was wearing the rings at a charity event in Scottsdale, Ariz....
Pitt releases first depth chart, but expect it to change
The first point to be made about Pitt’s first training camp depth chart is that it will change. Many times, and often for reasons only a coach could understand. Someone was late for breakfast. Someone else couldn’t answer a question during video study. Someone complained about the heat. But the...
Some Pitt football thoughts as the ACC gathers in Charlotte
Pat Narduzzi will open his fifth training camp as Pitt’s coach Aug. 2 on the South Side. The Panthers will have the place to themselves for a few weeks until the Pittsburgh Steelers return from Saint Vincent, creating that state of seclusion football coaches demand at camp. For three weeks,...
Wanna bet? It’s the season for college football over/unders
Nothing says the end of summer — even if it’s just begun — more than college football over/unders. We’re not halfway through July and baseball’s regular season still has 11 more weeks to run, but football is approaching. The Pittsburgh Steelers report to camp July 25, Pitt a week later....
Podcast: MLB’s weak explanation on baseballs; Pitt’s Kenny Pickett bulks up
A lot happened during Major League Baseball’s All-Star week in Cleveland. Much of it had nothing to do with the game. Our Jerry DiPaola was on hand to cover all the angles. He’s back in Pittsburgh after the American League’s 4-3 win. We discuss commissioner Rob Manfred’s double talk...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett learns ‘between the ears’ QB skills from Mannings
The first thing you notice about Kenny Pickett is his chest. It’s bigger than it was during his first two seasons as a Pitt quarterback. Barrel-chested? Not quite, but Pickett said he’s gained 8 pounds since the end of the last season to 222 and admits he feels “bigger, stronger.”...
Former Delaware guard Ithiel Horton plans to enroll at Pitt, sit out this season
Ithiel Horton, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard who averaged 13.2 points last season as a freshman at Delaware, reported Wednesday on his Instagram account that he plans to transfer to Pitt. There is it pic.twitter.com/3O5ka6qeC6— Jim Hammett (@JimHammett) July 10, 2019 He has previously posted that he was choosing between Pitt...
Pitt hoops will face Big 12 co-champion Kansas State in Fort Myers tournament
Pitt will play Kansas State, the reigning Big 12 regular-season co-champion, in a semifinal of the Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans Fort Myers Tip-Off on Nov. 25 at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. The winner will be face either Northwestern or Bradley in the final Nov....
Pitt wrestler Micky Phillippi to compete at U23 World Championships
After a breakthrough college wrestling season, Pitt’s Micky Phillippi will get his shot at worlds. The reigning ACC champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier at 133 pounds, Phillippi will be a fill-in at the U23 World Championships Oct. 28 through Nov. 3 in Budapest, Hungary. Phillippi, a Derry graduate who won...
Report: Pitt’s Brad Wanamaker returns to Celtics on 1-year deal
Pitt product and free agent Brad Wanamaker agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Boston Celtics, ESPN reported. Wanamaker was the oldest rookie in the NBA last season at age 29 after playing six seasons in Europe. He averaged 3.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36...
Pitt women’s lacrosse coach Emily Boissonneault unafraid of start-up programs
Emily Boissonneault hasn’t even set up an office at Petersen Events Center. Right now, all she has are some lacrosse sticks, balls, helmets and a dream. But the 28-year-old Canadian, introduced Tuesday as Pitt’s first women’s lacrosse coach, already is talking about creating a legacy for her successors. “So, in...
Pitt hires women’s lacrosse coach for new program that starts in 2021-22
Pitt has taken the next — and perhaps most important — step toward starting its women lacrosse program: naming a coach. Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke announced Friday the hiring of Emily Boissonneault, who has been with the James Madison lacrosse program since 2015, serving as associate head coach for...
Pitt freshman Karim Coulibaly takes game back to the international stage
Pitt incoming freshman Karim Coulibaly will prep for the season while representing Mali at the FIBA U19 World Cup beginning Saturday in Greece. Mali will play Latvia on Saturday, Canada on Sunday and Australia on Tuesday. It will be Coulibaly’s second venture into international basketball after helping lead Mali to...
Pitt’s stable of running backs gives Narduzzi hope, options
So much has been said, written and projected of Pitt’s loaded stable of running backs that you wonder if Pat Narduzzi ought to just go to the single wing. That’s a poor attempt at humor, of course, but Pitt’s coach and his staff have shown a remarkable ability to find...
West Mifflin rising junior Nahki Johnson gives Pitt verbal pledge
Pitt still has a little room for recruits in its 2020 class, but Pat Narduzzi already has started on 2021. The first rising junior to commit to Pitt’s coach is outside linebacker Nahki Johnson, a recent transfer from Steel Valley to West Mifflin. Momma I’m staying home???#committed #H2P #2ManyLights0n pic.twitter.com/WPzyYNOsfb—...
Charlie Partridge’s south Florida ties connect Pitt to fertile recruiting territory
When Charlie Partridge puts Pitt’s defensive linemen through their paces in practice, it’s easy to see he’s a coach who does not tolerate nonsense and makes sure his players stay engaged throughout each drill. The results show up on game day. Rising junior Rashad Weaver has a chance to be...
Pitt lands Brooklyn, N.Y., running back Israel Abanikanda
Pitt added a second running back to its class of 2020 on Monday when Israel Abanikanda tweeted his intention to enroll next year. Abanikanda (5-foot-11, 196 pounds) is entering his senior season at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. Officially Committed To... @oc_lincoln pic.twitter.com/BRqrjElwns— Israel Abanikanda (@IAbanikanda) June 24,...
Pitt, Penn Hills product Aaron Donald unfazed by NFL’s bright lightsVideo
Maybe Greg Gattuso stepped out of line on the night 11 years ago when he went to a Penn Hills game on a scouting mission. He was there to watch a linebacker and ended up offering a scholarship — through silent channels — to a junior defensive lineman no one...
Pitt gets verbal commitments from 6 players, including 2 4-stars
Coach Pat Narduzzi sent out his customized Pat Signal tweet for the Class of 2020 six times Saturday, indicating Pitt football received verbal, nonbinding commitments from six prospects, including its first two four-star recruits this year, wide receiver Aydin Hemmingham of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and safety Jahvante Royal of St....
Sam Clancy basks in becoming a Pitt Hall of Famer
Last week, Pitt announced its Athletics Hall of Fame class for 2019. The list was quite esteemed. It included the likes of All-Americans in football and basketball such as Don Hennon, Mark May, Jimbo Covert, Joe Schmidt and football head coach Johnny Majors. Also highlighting the marquee is Sam Clancy,...
WPIAL product Cameron Johnson ready to reward NBA team that takes chance on him
On the eve of the NBA Draft, Cameron Johnson was counting his blessings and crediting everyone who played a role the past five years in his development from borderline Division-I prospect to projected NBA first-round pick. “It’s a long ways from him signing with Pitt and a lot of people...
Pitt unveils Aaron Donald Football Performance Center
What Aaron Donald wanted everyone to know Wednesday night had nothing to do with his muscular arms and quick feet, his two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards or his Super Bowl appearance earlier this year. No, the night was all about how sincerely humbled he was to have...
Pitt football lands 3-star RB recruit Henry Parrish Jr.
The Pitt football team landed its ninth recruit for the Class of 2020 when three-star running back Henry Parrish Jr. made a verbal commitment Wednesday, according to his Twitter account. When Parrish enrolls next year, he will be the fourth Florida running back on the roster, joining current junior A.J....
Pitt, Penn State women’s hoops to meet in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
The Pitt and Penn State women’s basketball teams will play Dec. 5 at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It will be the first time they’ve met in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Penn State leads the all-time series 29-13, including victories in the...
