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...
Trip to Yankee Stadium highlights Pitt’s tough 2023 schedule
Seven months from kickoff, Pitt’s 2023 schedule already is shaping up as a challenge from start to finish — with 11 Power 5 opponents. After playing four Power 5 opponents in September, Pitt will visit foreign soil for four of its final six games. Overall, Pitt will play eight of...
Jerry DiPaola: Why I slipped Pitt into my AP college basketball poll ballot
At the top, the voting was easy. All 62 voters in the Associated Press poll made Purdue (21-1) the No. 1 team in college basketball this week. At the bottom, not so much. What team would slip just under the wire and claim that 25th and final spot? Some of...
Pitt football will return to the Bronx this season to play Syracuse at Yankee Stadium
Pitt is going back to the Bronx, N.Y., to meet Syracuse at Yankee Stadium and commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the first college football game played at the original “House That Ruth Built.” The game will be played between the long-time rivals Nov. 11. “We look forward to celebrating this...
Nostalgia mixes with big Pitt victory to get The Pete rocking again
Pitt went to great lengths last week to celebrate the legacy of its basketball program. First, the school honored Jerome Lane and his remarkable, backboard-shattering dunk from 35 years ago. Then, coaches and players from the 2002-03 team — the first at Pitt to win a Big East Tournament championship...
Pitt rallies from 11-point deficit for 71-68 victory against No. 20 Miami
If you didn’t know better, you might too quickly call Pitt’s improbable 71-68 victory Saturday against No. 20 Miami a defining moment in a season of rebirth. The truth: Sure, Pitt was down 11 points in the second half and eight with under 2½ minutes to play. But this wasn’t...
Pitt wrestling moves into 1st place in ACC after upset of No. 7 Virginia Tech
Pitt wrestling holds first place in the ACC dual standings after a decisive upset of nationally ranked Virginia Tech, 26-12. The Panthers won 7 of 10 bouts from the Hokies (7-3, 1-1) on Friday night in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. It was Pitt’s first victory in Blacksburg since 2004....
Pitt Take 5: Miami game starts 10-game stretch that will define Panthers’ season
Pitt embarks on a crucial 10-game stretch Saturday when it attempts to rise above third place in the ACC with a game against No. 20 Miami at Petersen Events Center. Both teams are 7-3 in the conference. A victory probably adds another brick to Pitt’s status as an NCAA Tournament...
If there’s McDonald’s in that bag, Miami coach Jim Larranaga might be ‘lovin’ it’Video
If the celebrated prankster, who appeared to carry a bag of food onto the court at Duquesne on Wednesday, wants to move his act a couple miles up to the road to Petersen Events Center, Miami coach Jim Larranaga probably won’t have him removed. “I love McDonald’s,” Larranaga said Thursday...
2 Penn State athletes, 1 from Pitt land NIL deal with WWE
Two Penn State University athletes have landed Name-Image-Likeness deals with WWE through its “Next In Line” program. WWE said this is its third class of 15 college athletes to join the program. This class includes Penn State athletes, two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet and Nick Dawkins, a lineman for...
There’s no explaining some of the plays that led Pitt to victory against Wake Forest
There were a few funny elements to Pitt’s 81-79 victory against Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Not funny, “ha-ha,” but funny strange. Set aside for a moment that Pitt won its seventh of 10 ACC games, a victory total that’s been unreachable by a Panthers team for the previous six...
Pitt rides hot hand beyond the arc to 81-79 victory against Wake Forest
For the past 30 years, Jeff Capel has been true to the basics of good basketball. Play solid defense, share the basketball, take appropriate shots inside and outside the 3-point line, step up and take a charge once in while and, for goodness sakes, rebound. But at the age of...
Former WPIAL football stars return home to accept new challenges at Pitt
Donovan McMillon remembers the first time he was on the same football field with Phil Jurkovec. From McMillon’s perspective, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Jurkovec’s Pine-Richland team beat McMillon and Peters Township, 56-7, on the way to the Rams winning WPIAL and PIAA 6A championships in 2017. “I was a...
Pitt’s bubble status at stake this week vs. Wake Forest, Miami
Jeff Capel wouldn’t take the bubble bait. Of course, Pitt’s coach understands the significance of the last 11 regular-season games. After all, Capel and his players created this NCAA Tournament talk — as premature as it might be — by winning their 13th game Jan. 18 (faster than any of...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel makes connecting with his players a priority
There was a moment Saturday in the heat of Pitt’s loss to Florida State that players gathered around Jeff Capel during a timeout. With passion showing in his face, he was teaching, encouraging and making his players aware of all that was awaiting them on the court. At one point,...
Jerome Lane’s rim-rattling, glass-breaking dunk still a grand slam 35 years laterVideo
Jerome Lane, a player who dominated Big East backboards for two seasons, said his legendary slam was “just another dunk.” The only difference? “Just the glass coming down,” he said. Oh, is that all? The dunk occurred Jan. 25, 1988, in Pitt’s Big East game against Providence at Fitzgerald Field...
Matriculating from the Canary Islands, Diaz Graham twins make Pitt their 2nd home
He attacks from behind, always with a weapon in his hands. Every day. And gets away with it. “When he has that blocking pad in his hand, you better be ready for anything,” Pitt freshman Guillermo Diaz Graham said of associate head coach Tim O’Toole. It’s all part of how...
Jennifer Bruce Scott honored to have jersey retired at Pitt
Jennifer Bruce Scott has worn several hats in the game of basketball over the years, from a high school and collegiate competitor to high school coach at Winchester Thurston, Penn Hills, Gateway and Plum and now as a high school referee. Her standout four years on the hard court at...
Pitt gets commitment from 2024 running back Juelz Goff
Pitt has all but finalized its 2023 recruiting class, but coach Pat Narduzzi was working Saturday on the 2024 group. 1000%???????? pic.twitter.com/oDyN6AG8Yd— Juelz Goff (@JuelzGoff) January 21, 2023 Running back Juelz Goff of Central York High School made a verbal commitment to Pitt while attending the Florida State/Pitt basketball game...
Pitt shooting, defense go cold in loss to Florida State
The voices coming from the seats at Petersen Events Center were loud and expressive. Not quite like the old days at the Pete, but encouraging for a program trying to return to relevance. A crowd of 10,390 — more than 3,000 above the average attendance this season for Pitt basketball...
Pitt gets commitment from Florida transfer wide receiver Daejon Reynolds
Pitt made a move Friday to bolster a position that needed help. After losing three players over the past four months, Pitt secured a verbal commitment from transfer wide receiver Daejon Reynolds. #H2P what’s good! pic.twitter.com/w9FBnIO7zk— DR (@DaejonReynolds) January 20, 2023 Reynolds (6-foot-2, 204 pounds) was rated a four-star prospect...
Pitt Take 5: Too early to talk about the NCAA Tournament, but we’re doing it anyway
The talk is way, way premature, and Jeff Capel and his players don’t want to hear it. But in recent days, there have been more than an occasional reference or question about Pitt’s worthiness for a berth in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Did you see the prediction of a Pitt/Penn...
Pitt reaches 13 victories at earliest point in 7 seasons
In six seasons between Jamie Dixon’s departure and Jeff Capel finally injecting renewed energy into the program, Pitt has won at least 13 games three times. The Panthers (13-6, 6-2) reached that milestone — admittedly low-hanging fruit — Wednesday night at Louisville with a 75-54 victory, their most decisive against...
Pitt pounds Louisville, improves to 6-2 in ACC games
If the numbers on Greg Elliott’s stat line looked bad, he either didn’t notice or merely believed a reversal of misfortune was in order. He trusted his ability to make shots, kept firing and ended up Wednesday night with a Pitt career-high 23 points in a 75-54 victory against Louisville...
