Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 121

When school was in session, Michal Menet’s days were structured almost like he was back on Penn State’s campus. “You can roll out of bed, make some breakfast, sit down and do your class,” the Nittany Lions’ fifth-year senior center said Wednesday. But the semester has ended, exams are finished,...

Jeff Capel has kept busy in recent months rebuilding his team with a five-man freshman class. But when Pitt’s basketball coach is off the clock, he makes sure not to miss “The Last Dance,” the ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan. It brought to his mind the night in the summer...

A total of 16 collegiate athletic teams from four local universities earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their Academic Progress Rates (APR). The awards are presented annually by the NCAA to teams finishing among the top 10 percent in their sport over four academic years (2015/16-2018/19). APR is determined by...

Like many coaches, Pat Narduzzi makes a habit of regularly checking the NCAA transfer portal. When Pitt’s coach saw graduate transfer Keldrick Wilson’s name appear, he acted promptly. Pitt immediately began recruiting Wilson, an offensive tackle from Hampton (Va.) University, and he signed a letter of intent Tuesday. He’ll compete...

Six undrafted Penn State players have signed with NFL teams, giving the Nittany Lions a total of 11 preparing for professional football camps this summer. The undrafted players include: • Tight end Nick Bowers, a Kittanning graduate (Las Vegas Raiders), a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. • Wide receiver Dan...

Robert Morris University has canceled all camps and clinics scheduled for this summer because of concerns over the covid-19 pandemic. That includes day and residential camps. Meanwhile, school officials will continue to monitor guidelines regarding events and gatherings implemented by Robert Morris University, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Center for Disease...

While Pat Narduzzi continues building his 2021 recruiting class, expectations for Pitt’s 2020 season continue to increase. Taking into serious consideration that it’s nearly a full year before the real thing, two Pitt players are projected to be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, according to...

Pat Narduzzi made arrangements for Pitt’s present and future over a busy Mother’s Day weekend that raised the program’s national profile — at least on paper. Pitt’s coach received three verbal commitments from three-star prospects Sunday, pushing its 12-man class of 2021 to No. 21 in the nation, according to...

When he can’t find everything he needs on his roster, Pat Narduzzi is never afraid to look elsewhere to improve his team. Pitt’s coach continued what has become an annual event when he nailed down an experienced graduate transfer for his offensive line, getting a verbal commitment Saturday night from...

Duquesne received a verbal commitment Friday from 6-foot-11 center Mounir Hima of St. Benedict’s Prepatory School in Newark, N.J. After he signs a letter of intent, Hima will be the only center in Duquesne’s 2020 recruiting class. The Dukes have signed six players — all guards and forwards. Hima, a...

The trip consumed five days and more than 2,000 highway miles between Indianapolis and California. It could have been interminably boring, but only if you fail to consider the conversations inside the car. Christian Hartford, a former Kiski Area quarterback (Class of 2008), had just accepted what he describes as...

Keith Dambrot is serious when he says people need to practice social distancing as one of the best ways to fight covid-19. “Our daughter (Alysse) works in a physical therapy facility,” Duquesne’s men’s basketball coach said, “and we told her, ‘Don’t come (to visit).’ “We love our daughter, but we...

Three Pitt coaches, athletic director Heather Lyke and their families are leading an effort to pledge $800,000 in support of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research, which is attempting to create a vaccine for the virus that causes covid-19. Coaches Pat Narduzzi (football), Jeff Capel (men’s basketball) and...

After previously canceling all organized team activities, including spring sports, through the end of the academic year, the Big Ten Conference on Monday extended the suspension through June 1. The conference said in a statement it will re-evaluate at that time. “The Big Ten Conference will continue to use this...

Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class was ranked 12th in the nation — fifth in the Big Ten — on Sunday after defensive end Rodney McGraw promised to enroll next year. McGraw’s commitment gives the Nittany Lions 11 verbals, with more than seven months remaining before national signing day. Thank you...

Clint Hurdle never went to college, but he was offered an academic scholarship to Harvard. “I was deeply intrigued about what it would be like to go to an Ivy League school and be a student,” Hurdle said. Hurdle, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for nine years, was a coveted...

He rises every morning around 6:30, just in time to watch the sun rise over Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. “Sunrises are pretty magnificent here,” Clint Hurdle said. Life isn’t bad, either, for the only manager in 27 years to bring playoff baseball back to Pittsburgh....

Although legend says there are 800 home runs to back him up, Josh Gibson Jr. never claimed his father and namesake was the greatest baseball player of all-time. “He thought there was no need for him to do that,” Sean Gibson said. Sean Gibson is the great-grandson of Negro League...