Dave Mackall stories, Page 28
Rested Duquesne won’t take struggling Fordham lightly
The Atlantic 10, in a virtual tie with the American Athletic and within arm’s length of the SEC and ACC, ranks eighth among 32 Division I basketball leagues in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Indeed, the A-10 is a quality conference this season. It might...
Ligonier Valley boys seeded first for District 6 playoffs
Ligonier Valley was awarded the top seed in the District 6-3A boys basketball playoffs, according to pairings released Thursday by the District 6 committee. The three-time Heritage Conference champion Rams (21-2), who will move to the WPIAL next season, will open with a quarterfinal game Feb. 21 at home against...
St. Bonaventure continues mastery of Duquesne
In the 14-team Atlantic 10, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure have shown they can play some pretty tight defense, the Dukes ranking third in scoring defense at 63.7 points per game; St. Bonaventure fourth at 64.1. So, what was up with that high-scoring affair between the two on Saturday at UPMC...
Marinchak leads Ligonier Valley to 3rd straight Heritage Conference title
Michael Marinchak’s high school basketball days are numbered, but they won’t soon be forgotten. The Ligonier Valley standout has scored more than 1,500 career points and enjoyed some memorable victories in the past four seasons at the District 6 school. With the Rams set to join the WPIAL next season...
Duquesne’s Michael Hughes backs up his talk
Some basketball players let their play do the talking. Some resort to chatter in getting their point across. Duquesne’s Michael Hughes blends both into a unique style: He’s an aggressive performer and a seasoned trash-talker. “It’s just a narrative that seems to work for me,” Hughes said Friday as Duquesne...
Penn-Trafford boys basketball eliminates Norwin from playoff contention
Visiting Penn-Trafford needed a victory to get back on track after losing two games in a row. Norwin needed one to stay in the hunt for a postseason spot. Unfortunately for the homestanding Knights on Tuesday night, there could be only one winner. Zach Rocco scored 17 points to lead...
Duquesne holds off late rally by La Salle to get crucial A-10 win
If Duquesne was to keep pace with the Atlantic 10 leaders Sunday, a victory was a must. Mission accomplished. Marcus Weathers scored 18 points, and Duquesne held off a furious La Salle rally to come away with a 71-69 victory at PPG Paints Arena. It ended a three-game losing streak...
Duquesne looks to end 3-game skid as it prepares to face LaSalle
After a down year in which the Atlantic 10 was hard-pressed to place more than one team in the NCAA Tournament, some pundits have predicted as many as four NCAA bids for the conference. Entering Saturday’s games, the A-10 was tied with the West Coast Conference for the second-most teams...
Robert Morris men’s basketball grinds out win vs. Central Conn. St.
It wasn’t the cakewalk Saturday that Robert Morris might have anticipated. Facing an opponent with an NCAA Net Ranking of 349 out of 353 Division I schools, Robert Morris survived its second meeting with Central Connecticut State for a 64-57 victory at UPMC Events Center, the Colonials’ third in a...
Duquesne hopes improved 3-point shooting can prove differenceVideo
He once shot 49% from 3-point range in a season at Pitt, where he is the school record-holder with 297 long-range makes. So, when Duquesne assistant Ashton Gibbs talks about life behind the arc, it’s a good bet players are listening. With a high seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament...
Robert Morris holds off Bryant to keep pace in NEC
Winning ugly doesn’t have to be bad. Robert Morris, in fact, is getting used to it. The Colonials came out on top for the seventh time in nine games since embarking on their Northeast Conference schedule with another not-so-pretty offensive performance Thursday night. Josh Williams scored 21 points and AJ...
Shippensburg men lean on W.Pa. contingent to overpower Seton Hill
Remnants of the WPIAL and vicinity were on display Sunday at Seton Hill, where as many as eight former basketball players from the area were on the floor at once. Carlos Carter, a former Indiana star and a sophomore forward at Shippensburg, played 11 minutes before taking a seat on...
Merrimack sinks Robert Morris’ 4-game winning streak
Robert Morris coach Andy Toole couldn’t be happier for Joe Gallo, one of his former assistants with the Colonials, who is in his fourth year at Northeast Conference-newcomer Merrimack. Toole just wasn’t thrilled with Robert Morris’ performance against Gallo’s Warriors on Saturday at UPMC Events Center, despite their longstanding relationship....
Surging Duquesne faces Fordham next in bid for 5-0 start in Atlantic 10
Duquesne’s basketball practice Tuesday morning was winding down in typical fashion at Power Center, the Dukes’ temporary on-campus workout facility until their new arena is completed. It was the eve of their next game against Fordham at PPG Paints Arena, where Duquesne (14-2, 4-0 Atlantic 10) will look to continue...
Pitt hopes to reverse trend against Miami
The record for Pitt is not good when it comes to playing Jim Larranaga’s Miami Hurricanes. Never mind the Panthers trail in the overall series, they are 1-6 when facing Miami under Larranaga, the veteran coach in his ninth season with the Hurricanes after long, successful runs at Bowling Green...
Robert Morris men dominate Wagner for 4th win in row
The Northeast Conference preseason basketball poll tabbed Robert Morris fifth among the league’s 11 men’s teams. The Colonials are beginning to look like one of the best in the NEC as the schedule unfolds into the second half of the season. Josh Williams scored 21 points, and Robert Morris bulled...
Pitt basketball looks to carry momentum to Miami
For all the cranky comments about the progress of the Pitt basketball team, or the perceived lack of it, the fledgling Panthers find themselves with a golden opportunity Sunday to win over some of those “Doubting Thomases.” Or “Debbie Downers,” as coach Jeff Capel referred to his team’s detractors Friday...
Duquesne men lose 2nd consecutive after early-season run
CLEVELAND — All this traveling appears to be taking its toll on the Duquesne men’s basketball team. The Dukes seemed lifeless Sunday in an 83-61 loss to Marshall in the second game of a doubleheader in the Cleveland Classic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Duquesne dropped its second consecutive decision to...
Belle Vernon girls top Greensburg Salem in Mt. Pleasant tournament
Belle Vernon’s stable of young girls basketball players keep performing at a high level this winter, providing some hope for another successful season. A trio of freshmen, led by Viva Kreis’ 16 points, scored in double figures Saturday to lead the Leopards to a 50-31 victory over Greensburg Salem at...
Connection between Keith Dambrot, Ron Everhart runs deeper than success at Duquesne
For a brief time this month, Duquesne basketball enjoyed a moment of national attention by receiving a vote to the Associated Press Top 25. It brought back shades of former coach Ron Everhart’s teams that flirted with relevance early in this now-expiring decade. But, really, there has been little to...
Pitt gets defensive, breezes past Binghamton
With the Christmas break on the horizon, Pitt enjoyed a bit of a breather Friday night while taking advantage of another opportunity to sharpen its skills ahead of an ACC schedule that doesn’t offer many breaks. Pitt coach Jeff Capel saw some things to like in a 79-53 rout of...
Hempfield wrestlers hold off upset-minded Latrobe
Top-ranked Hempfield came out on top again in a WPIAL Class AAA dual meet, beating Latrobe on Wednesday night, but Spartans coach Tom Dolde wasn’t in a much of a mood to talk about the success. Meanwhile, Latrobe coach Mike Ciotti was on a bit of a high, despite the...
Duquesne transfer Baylee Steele finds perfect landing spot
When Baylee Steele was contemplating the destination of his third Division I school and fourth college overall, plenty of big-time options were available. There was interest from Arizona, Boise State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech … and Duquesne. That’s right. Steele, a 6-foot-11, 245-pounder with the ability to make...
Josh Williams leads Robert Morris past Central Michigan
Josh Williams is a graduate of Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary, the same high school that produced LeBron James. Williams played Tuesday night like he wanted to impress the NBA superstar, scoring 24 points and leading Robert Morris to a marquee victory at UPMC Events Center, an 83-79 decision against...
Duquesne men’s basketball team stays unbeaten, trounces Radford
AKRON, Ohio — There are no stars, though these guys are proving to be really good. They play alongside each other and for each other, this collection of no-names, and it’s paying off in the early going. The Duquesne Dukes still are undefeated. Marcus Weathers scored 19 points with 13...
