Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 130
Duquesne aims for improved shooting against No. 7 DaytonVideo
When Duquesne plays No. 7 Dayton on Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena, the Dukes’ most challenging opponent won’t be the Flyers or their future NBA first-round draft choice, Obi Toppin. Actually, the Dukes (15-4, 5-2 Atlantic 10) have been fighting a more stubborn foe the past few weeks: the...
Pitt adds a walk-on quarterback to its 2020 roster
Pitt continued to stockpile quarterbacks Monday when Logan Clouse, a two-star prospect from Princeton, N.J., announced his commitment to the Panthers on his Twitter account. Clouse, who played at the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State. He will join the Panthers as a...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel, players carry heavy hearts into game against DukeVideo
Jeff Capel had many thoughts, plans and concerns running through his mind while preparing Pitt to meet the challenge of No. 9 Duke on Tuesday night. Sadly, he had to do it with a heavy heart matching those of his players after the tragic death Sunday of Kobe Bryant in...
Baseball took Pirates shortstop Cole Tucker to school in 2019Video
Shortstop Cole Tucker’s chat with reporters at PiratesFest included references to his hair, knee, athleticism and hitting stroke, second base, Bryan Reynolds, Mike Trout, Adrian Beltre, Cody Bellinger, his European vacation, younger brother Carson and the man everyone calls Shelty. And, yes, it only took 17 minutes. The main theme,...
Jameson Taillon concerned by Astros’ cheating scandal, optimistic about Tommy John recovery
Jameson Taillon speaks carefully and thoughtfully on the two issues confronting the sport he loves and the right arm that helps him pursue it. The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, who will spend the 2020 season recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, is the team’s union representative. In that role and...
Pirates’ Derek Shelton gushes about pitcher Chris Archer
In his 59-day reign as Pittsburgh Pirates manager, Derek Shelton ate a Primanti’s sandwich with Joe Musgrove. (Musgrove bought.) Shelton spent some time discussing Broadway songs with pitcher Steven Brault. (“I don’t really know any,” Shelton said.) At the end of a 21-minute chat with reporters Friday, Shelton said he...
Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi in midst of hectic offseason
If you think the life of a college football coach slows down when the shoulder pads are packed away, you haven’t had to keep up with Pat Narduzzi this month. Pitt’s coach has been busy since a 34-30 victory against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 26 in the Quick Lane Bowl....
Pitt, WVU baseball will bring the Backyard Brawl back to PNC Park
The Backyard Brawl is returning to PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pitt and West Virginia athletic departments announced Thursday that the schools’ baseball teams will meet April 29 at the home of the Pirates. It’s the second consecutive season the two rivals will meet at PNC Park. West...
Pirates name Dave Turgeon manager of the Altoona Curve
The Pittsburgh Pirates named Dave Turgeon, who is entering his 10th season as a coach in the team’s system, to manage the Double-A Altoona Curve. He replaces Michael Ryan, who was fired last season. Turgeon spent last season as manager of the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League, where...
Pitt beats Boston College in closing seconds on Ryan Murphy jumper
Pitt’s lead had vanished. The momentum was long gone. You might think Ryan Murphy’s heart was pumping like a hammer behind his jersey and his knees were turning to rubber when he stood 18 feet from the basket in a tie game, staring at the rim. You would be wrong....
Pirates’ Josh Bell says he’s looking forward to new cultureVideo
When Josh Bell turned his head and looked out a window of the Clelian Heights School, the sun was shining over Greensburg. Snow was melting. If you didn’t know better, you would think it was baseball season. The Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star first baseman, the bat in his hand looking the...
Pitt gets 7 home games in 2020, including a Friday night vs. Virginia Tech
Friday night college football comes to Heinz Field this season as part of Pitt’s schedule that was released Wednesday morning by the ACC. Pitt will host Virginia Tech in a nationally televised game Friday, Nov. 6 — one of seven home games. It will be played on the same night...
Jeff Capel looks for Pitt to put 2 good games back-to-back vs. ACC foe
The following information is factual but drawn from a small sample size: two games. So, please, no overreaction. Pitt is 3-4 in the ACC and coming off a victory Saturday against North Carolina. After the first two victories, Pitt didn’t play as well in its next games and lost to...
How can Duquesne gain respect? ‘Shock the world,’ says center Michael HughesVideo
Keith Dambrot will tell anyone who will listen — mainly his players and reporters — Duquesne gets no respect. “I don’t know if the rest of the league thinks we’re good or not,” Duquesne’s coach said Tuesday after practice. “I don’t think they have any fear of Duquesne. “Why should...
Robert Morris topples Sacred Heart behind A.J. Bramah’s record-tying effortVideo
Maybe Andy Toole’s almost unquenchable desire for perfection is rooted in his Ivy League education. Or maybe it’s just as simple as wanting to prepare his Robert Morris team for tougher challenges than the one presented by Sacred Heart on Monday. In any case, Toole was happy to get the...
Martin Luther King Day important to Pitt’s Jeff Capel and his family
Pitt coach Jeff Capel likes talking to his players about the opportunities they have as student-athletes at a major university. But he didn’t need a holiday Monday to underscore what the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. means to him and his family. Capel grew up listening to the...
3-star junior safety Javon McIntyre commits to Pitt
With Pitt’s 2020 recruiting class nearly complete, coach Pat Narduzzi received the third verbal commitment from a member of the class of 2021 when safety Javon McIntyre tweeted his intention to enroll next year. He committed to Pitt over the weekend while visiting campus with several teammates from the Imhotep...
Pitt finally makes an impact in the ACC
Jeff Capel loves to beat North Carolina — he’s a Duke guy, after all — but he was careful not to put too much significance on Pitt’s 66-52 victory Saturday at Petersen Events Center. “It’s a step,” he said. “I don’t know what it speaks to, but it’s a step...
Pitt topples North Carolina to sweep season series with Tar HeelsVideo
If anyone knows where to draw the line between good and great, it’s Jeff Capel, who won a national championship as an assistant at Duke and coached 18 players who turned into first-round draft choices in the NBA. “I’ve been around a lot of greatness,” he said. “I think great...
2 strength assistants leaving Pitt football to join Dave Andrews at Iowa State
Two strength assistants are leaving Pitt’s football program to re-join former head strength and conditioning coach Dave Andrews at Iowa State. Freddie Walker and Trever Ryen have been named assistant strength and conditioning coaches for the Cyclones, an Iowa State spokesman said Friday. Walker was at Pitt for the past...
Pitt’s clash with North Carolina will pull 1 team out of its slump
There is no need to place any additional importance on the men’s basketball game Saturday at Petersen Events Center matching a team stuck in a three-way tie for 11th-place and another that is one slot from the bottom of the 15-team ACC. But Pitt and North Carolina better start winning...
Pitt guard Trey McGowens’ improved play may be tied to something you can’t seeVideo
Trey McGowens said he worked “harder than ever” getting ready for his sophomore season at Pitt. He also watches video with a more experienced eye, looking for an edge that might mean the difference between winning and losing — some things he might have missed last season as a freshman....
Duquesne learns lesson beyond basketball in victory against FordhamVideo
Word reached the Duquesne campus late Tuesday afternoon that freshman basketball player Maceo Austin’s older sister had died. Shock and grief spread throughout the team as the next day’s game against Fordham almost didn’t matter anymore. Coach Keith Dambrot was prepared to play without Austin, who had started all 16...
Pitt safety Damar Hamlin returning for 5th year
The Pitt defense received more good news Tuesday when free safety Damar Hamlin said he is returning for his fifth year of eligibility after getting a waiver from the NCAA. Hamlin’s freshman year in 2016 was limited by injuries to three appearances without a start. He is the fourth Pitt...
Pitt loses lead late, falls to Louisville in overtimeVideo
Pitt coach Jeff Capel couldn’t believe what he saw. There were 21 seconds left in overtime Tuesday night in a game Pitt finally lost 73-68 to No. 11 Louisville. With Pitt down two, 6-foot-10 center Terrell Brown reached over — or so he thought — Louisville’s 6-11 Malik Williams and...
