Pitt coach Mike Bell seeks to prove climate doesn’t matter in college baseball
Mike Bell has heard the annual commentary on college baseball teams in the north — you know, they can’t win because of the climate — and he’ll argue the point if you care to engage him. “Some guys like to use it as a crutch,” he said. But Pitt’s baseball...
Incorrect call in Virginia-Duke game forces Pitt to share ACC lead with Cavaliers
Given the evolution of Pitt’s basketball season, it makes sense that the only negative development of the weekend happened hundreds of miles away and was one coaches and players could not prevent. And, by the way, it was wrong. Six games from the regular-season finish line, Pitt (18-7, 11-3) is...
Pitt beats Florida State for its 18th overall victory, 11th in the ACC
Before the start of the season, a suggestion that Pitt might win 18 games — 11 of them in the ACC — would have been met with ridicule. The Panthers hadn’t won 18 overall since 2016 when they finished 21-12, perhaps the most recent time anyone took the program seriously....
Eventful recruitments by Pitt brought true freshmen Israel Polk, Ty Dieffenbach from California
For any high school athlete preparing to make the jump to college, December of their senior year can be a stressful period, as many turn a non-binding verbal commitment into a concrete national letter of intent. Some prospects have a straightforward recruiting experience, while others’ can be subject to change(s)....
Pitt Take 5: Rematch with Florida State no easy pickings for the Panthers
You’ve heard the axiom about the difficulty of defeating a team twice in the same season. Let’s try another one in a related sense: The team that won the first game must know something about its victim, which could make reversing the outcome in the rematch difficult. That’s the situation...
How Jeff Capel made Pitt a winner again
Pitt’s run toward the top of the ACC started on the Monday after the 2022 conference tournament. Jeff Capel and his staff started preparing for 2022-23 only days after a 66-46 loss to Boston College, Pitt’s fifth in a row, the second losing streak of at least four games in...
Central Catholic junior defensive end Ty Yuhas verbally commits to Pitt
Pitt is in the early stages of building its 2024 recruiting class, but so far three of the four verbal commitments, including Central Catholic junior defensive end Ty Yuhas, reside in Pennsylvania. Yuhas confirmed his verbal commitment Thursday through his Twitter account. Locked in…H2P????????@CoachPartridge @CoachDuzzPittFB @Pitt_FB @PCC_FOOTBALL @CoachLehmeier @JasonPinkstonOL pic.twitter.com/5ZAo6XmpgF—...
Leaving Leechburg early wasn’t easy, but Braylan Lovelace didn’t want to wait to wear the Pitt jersey
Braylan Lovelace has been a Pitt freshman football player for a little more than a month, but he said he already is “bought in” to the expectations. Lovelace, a former Leechburg linebacker, knows the buy-in requires hard work and learning the many designs and coverages crafted by coach Pat Narduzzi...
Former Pitt star, Steelers player, sports exec Paul Martha dies at 80
One of the most multi-faceted athletes in Pittsburgh sports history — on and off the field — died this month. John “Paul” Martha, a former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft pick and executive with several pro sports franchises, died Feb. 4 at 80, his family announced. Martha had been residing at...
Calijah Kancey, Joey Porter Jr. among 15 Pitt, PSU, WVU players invited to NFL Combine
The spoils of the 2022 college football season showed up for 15 Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia players in the form of invitations to the NFL Combine. The one-stop scouting mission, one of the biggest events on the NFL calendar, will be held Feb. 28 through March 6 at...
Unafraid of the fight, Diaz Graham twins part of reserve squad helping fuel Pitt’s run to 1st place
Jorge Diaz Graham lifted a lock of hair off his forehead to reveal a prize from Pitt’s victory against Louisville. A red welt the size of a quarter, earned while fighting for a rebound in a game Pitt won by 34 points Tuesday night. Diaz Graham and his twin brother,...
Pitt pounds Louisville, 91-57, moves into a tie for 1st in ACC
Pitt’s 91-57 victory against Louisville on Tuesday night was a milestone moment for the Panthers, who moved into a three-way tie for first place in the ACC. It was Pitt’s largest margin of victory in 10 years playing against ACC competition, but coach Jeff Capel knows the real score. Pitt...
First Call: Former Steelers coach goes to Patriots; Tom Brady’s future open-ended; big hits, fights between Rangers-Flames
Tuesday’s “First Call” sees a former Pittsburgh Steelers coach return to the NFL after a short stint in college. Tom Brady seems to want to keep all of us guessing. There was madness at the Garden as hockey resumed after the All-Star break. Pitt should be in a good position...
Pitt prepares for improved Louisville while trying to extend 3-game winning streak
There is no denying Jeff Capel’s claim that Louisville, Pitt’s opponent at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Petersen Events Center, has improved since a 75-54 home loss to the Panthers on Jan. 18. The Cardinals are shooting better, hitting 47.8% of their shots in the past four games, compared to 33.9%...
NIL questions emerge after Jim Boeheim’s comments, but Pitt’s Jeff Capel focuses on his team
Predictably, Jeff Capel didn’t want to talk Monday about Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s charge that Pitt, Miami and Wake Forest “bought” their teams. With Pitt’s next game Tuesday night against Louisville at Petersen Events Center, Capel’s mind is far from the name, image and likeness question and what an opposing...
Pitt makes news with help from Jim Boeheim and others
Perhaps the true indication of how far the Pitt basketball team’s notoriety has carried this season is that its name is in the news even on an off day. The first story Saturday was how Pitt was on the cusp of moving into a tie for first place in the...
Pitt’s Nelly Cummings thrives on basketball’s most intense moments
Not only does Nelly Cummings embrace the most challenging moments on a basketball floor, but he’s been known to create them in his mind — even when they don’t exist. For proof, turn back the pages of the calendar to March 21, 2014, and the PIAA Class A championship game...
Pitt Take 5: Everybody gets in the act to help winning streak reach 3 in a row
The assignment for Saturday while Pitt enjoys a weekend off is to identify the most impressive stat on the Panthers’ resume. But let’s not make it too easy. The 9-3 record in the ACC and 16 overall victories with eight regular-season games remaining give fans a chance to gloat. But...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel focused on now, not the future
The first words that came from Jeff Capel’s mouth were about the game, not the victory. “What a great, hard-fought college basketball game,” he said after Pitt’s impressive 65-64 victory Wednesday night at North Carolina’s Dean Dome. “Guys stepped up and made some big-time plays on both sides.” The man...
First Call: Titans player seeks forgiveness for ‘spitting’ at T.J. Watt; Pitt-UNC got tense during and after the gameVideo
If Taylor Lewan really wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, he better start making good with one of the franchise’s star players. Tom Brady’s retirement brought some fond memories to mind for a former Steeler. Kurt Warner has fun with a tough anniversary in his career. The Penguins got an...
Pitt squeaks by North Carolina on 2 free throws in final seconds
Pitt won a big game Wednesday night in front of a loud, hostile crowd of 20,421 in North Carolina’s Dean Dome. The winning points came off the sure hands of senior guard Jamarius Burton, who hit two foul shots with 3.6 seconds left, lifting the Panthers from a one-point deficit...
After adding new faces this offseason, Pitt looks for improvement in its passing game
Perhaps the biggest difference between the Pitt team that won the ACC championship in 2021 and the 2022 version that failed to repeat was the regression in the passing game. Kenny Pickett threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns in ’21, but those numbers fell precipitously to 2,898 and 13...
First Call: Return of a Heinz Field ketchup bottle; Twitter doubts Tom Brady’s retirement; Calvin Austin III runs againVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a return of an Acrisure Stadium favorite and a potential return to the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. Pitt and Penn State both have big games Wednesday night. Tuesday was an exciting evening in the Metropolitan Division. And some fans are a bit dubious of Tom Brady’s latest...
Pitt’s Capel gets another chance to coach against Carolina’s Davis, whom he used to emulate
The relationship between Pitt coach Jeff Capel and North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, whose teams meet Wednesday night at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, N.C., stretches back to the 1990s in Capel’s backyard in Fayetteville, N.C. Only Davis might not be aware of the origin. In those days, Davis was...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel talks about love of wine, fine art, friendship with Mike Tomlin
When Jeff Capel sits down for one of his regular chats with reporters, the subject is always basketball. Eventually, however, the conversation Monday flowed toward Capel’s love of wine and fine artwork and his friendship with Mike Tomlin. Right, no kidding. All three topics are parts of Capel’s life away...
