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Jerry DiPaola stories | TribLIVE.com

Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 128

Jerry DiPaola
Jerry DiPaola
Duquesne's Keith Dambrot has history of dealing with adversity 
Keith Dambrot was 25 years old when he first tasted adversity as a coach. He is finding out it is less fun at 61. Duquesne has played 21 of its first 26 games on the road while the former Palumbo Center is undergoing a $45 million makeover. Five were at...
Pitt's Ithiel Horton sits for games, goes 'overboard' at practice 
When his Pitt teammates leave campus for a road game, Ithiel Horton must find ways to entertain himself. “It’s just me here,” said Horton, the new guy after transferring from Delaware last year. “I have to find what to do, find distractions.” Because of its one-year restriction on transfers, the...
Jeff Capel, Jim Boeheim support allowing transfers to play immediately
Jeff Capel said allowing student-athletes to transfer without having to sit out a season is the right thing to do, but he cautioned Monday that the proposal is “something that we (college coaches) are going to have to figure out how to navigate.” The NCAA said recently that a rule...
Pitt volleyball team plans trip to Europe in May
The Pitt volleyball team will take its game international in May when the women embark on an 11-day tour of Europe, with trips to Spain, France and Italy. Starting May 2, the three-time defending ACC champions will spend three nights in Barcelona, Spain, two each in Toulouse, France, and Nice,...
Even in losses, Pitt showing signs of progress
Give Pitt this much credit as it sinks toward the bottom of the ACC standings: The Panthers do the tough stuff as well as any team in the conference. Yes, Pitt has lost seven of nine and no longer is a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, but in the areas of defense,...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel said NCAA sanctions won't affect his program
Jeff Capel said Saturday after his team’s 59-56 loss to Virginia that the three years’ probation and sanctions imposed by the NCAA on Pitt athletics will have no impact on his basketball program. “None. Absolutely none. No impact at all,” he said. All of the violations, which involve illegal use...
Virginia puts clamp on Pitt, holds off Panthers comeback 
If anyone outside the Pitt basketball program is qualified to comment on the state of the Panthers, it’s Virginia coach Tony Bennett. And — get this — the coach with a national championship on his resume liked what he saw from his defeated opponent Saturday after the Cavaliers survived Pitt’s...
Duquesne's Keith Dambrot coaches his players' minds, too, as No. 5 Dayton looms
Maybe it’s merely a function of the time of year. Or, perhaps Duquesne’s four-, three- and three-point deficits in its most recent defeats make the whistles sound shriller and the voices especially urgent. Coach Keith Dambrot admitted he was feistier than normal at practice Friday while preparing his team for...
From NCAA Sweet 16 to 'dumpster fire,' Pitt basketball coaches inherited vastly different programs
The day Ben Howland left Pitt for UCLA, Julius Page figured he had two choices: The NBA or transfer. He chose neither. Why did the 17th-most prolific scorer in Pitt history decide to stay for his senior year when the coach who recruited and developed him was now on the...
NCAA announces violations against Pitt football, basketball
The NCAA placed Pitt’s athletic program on three years probation Thursday and issued penalties against the men’s basketball and football programs as a result of rules violations — and cover-ups — between August 2015 and March 2018. The violations occurred while Kevin Stallings was basketball coach — before Jeff Capel...
Duquesne rally falls short in loss to George Washington 
Keith Dambrot walked into the interview room, sat down and issued himself a warning. “I have to watch what I say because I’m really frustrated right now,” Duquesne’s coach said. Frustration was the theme of Duquesne’s 70-67 loss to a sub-.500 George Washington team Wednesday night before a sparse crowd...
Duquesne women rally to defeat Rhode Island; Dan Burt gets 150th win 
When Dan Burt told his players they would play the entire season away from Duquesne’s campus during renovations to Cooper Fieldhouse, he instituted a rule. “There would be no complaints, only solutions,” the Dukes’ women’s coach said. He found a couple through a difficult season. So, he was pleased while...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel still trying to fix 'dumpster fire' he inherited 
If Pitt’s sixth loss in the past eight games didn’t offer a clue, Jeff Capel gave a clear look Tuesday night at what he inherited two years ago and what needs to be done to fix it. “It was a dumpster fire that I took over,” he said after Pitt’s...
Pitt spring game will played April 11, televised by ACC Network
Pitt’s Blue-Gold spring game will be April 11 at Heinz Field and televised by the ACC Network. Pitt has played the spring game at Heinz Field every year since 2016 after former coach Paul Chryst canceled it in 2014. Previously, Pitt played its spring games under Chryst at the North...
Duquesne on quest to fulfill Keith Dambrot's vision of 20-victory season 
When Keith Dambrot was convincing Marcus Weathers to transfer from Miami (Ohio) to Duquesne two years ago, his sales pitch did the trick. “The deciding factor was coach Dambrot’s vision,” said Weathers, who turned down College of Charleston to enroll at Duquesne. “He had a real clear-cut vision for what...
Duquesne's Keith Dambrot on his coaching style: 'I can be a pain in the behind' 
The truth often hurts, but Keith Dambrot is unafraid to confront it — even if it involves taking personal responsibility for a situation that affects his team. When Duquesne’s coach was asked what junior forward Marcus Weathers needs to do to regain his scoring touch, Dambrot responded with an immediate...
Florida State's Leonard Hamilton, 71, ready to face Pitt with no hint of retirement
The reporter couldn’t bring himself to use the word retire when speaking to the coach with 555 career victories. So, he asked the question in the most respectful way possible. “Did the ‘R’ word ever cross your mind?” he said, addressing Leonard Hamilton on Monday on the ACC basketball coaches...
Pitt will see a different Florida State team in Tallahassee rematch
When Pitt opened the basketball season Nov. 6 with a 63-61 victory against Florida State, there were still four games left in the football season. As far as Pitt coach Jeff Capel is concerned, that was another time. Literally, it was another place. After opening the season at Pitt’s Petersen...
Sports psychologist helps Duquesne players keep their minds right 
Keith Dambrot doesn’t like long stretches of inactivity during the basketball season, especially when he’s trying to help his team build momentum for the postseason. Like it or not, Duquesne’s coach was either gifted or burdened with seven days between games after an 83-80 loss to St. Bonaventure on Feb....
Pitt starts run to the finish line in road test against Virginia Tech
Pitt’s last six games prior to the ACC Tournament will go a long way in determining whether Jeff Capel’s second team will be labeled a success or failure. If the Panthers (15-10, 6-8) win four, that puts them on the threshold of 20 victories, a milestone they have reached twice...
Penn State's fortunes shifted when Lamar Stevens changed NBA decision 
When Lamar Stevens changed his mind last year and decided to return to Penn State after declaring for the NBA Draft, it was a personal decision. But coach Patrick Chambers noted Thursday how it has affected the rest of the team that has risen to No. 13 in the Associated...
Pitt's Jeff Capel laments distractions of social media for players
The issue is one that clearly weighs on Jeff Capel’s mind. It’s not as bad as the problems of ball movement and identifying the opponent’s best shooters that surfaced Wednesday in Pitt’s 72-52 loss to Clemson at Petersen Events Center. But it matters to Capel. “Young people today, they are...
Oakland Zoo serenades Jeff Capel, 45, with chorus of 'Happy Birthday'
Jeff Capel didn’t smile much during Pitt’s 72-52 loss to Clemson on Wednesday night. But Pitt’s coach couldn’t help but feel good — and, especially, grateful — when members of the Oakland Zoo serenaded him with a chorus of “Happy Birthday” before the game. Capel turned 45 on Wednesday. “It...
Pitt sleepwalks through home loss to Clemson 
Jeff Capel left no doubt Wednesday night how he felt after his Pitt players stumbled through their worst loss of the season, 72-52 to Clemson. “This kills me,” he said. “I won’t sleep tonight.” Now, the trick for Pitt’s second-year coach is to get his players to feel the same...
Pitt needs to start stacking victories leading up to the postseason
Since Pitt’s victory against Georgia Tech on Saturday, there has been talk about what the Panthers needs to do to reach the NCAA Tournament. That’s a sign of progress for what Jeff Capel is building or excessively optimistic thinking. Pitt hasn’t been to the tournament since the 2015-16 season, Jamie...


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