Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 161

The Burgh Defenders, who will open their first season in the American Arena League on March 23, signed McKeesport native and former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Russell Stuvaints, majority owner and coach Tjuan Benafactor announced Thursday. Stuvaints, 38, played three seasons for the Steelers, including four games in 2005 when...

Chris Blewitt, who is Pitt’s all-time leader in kicking points with 363, signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday. He will compete for the job vacated when the Bears released Cody Parkey, who missed eight attempts last season, including a 43-yarder that bounced off the left upright...

At another time, in another venue, perhaps when the weather’s warmer, Pat Narduzzi will worry about Paris Ford’s interception total, pass breakups and sacks off a safety blitz. But on the first day of spring drills Wednesday on the South Side, Pitt’s coach was more interested in the two extra...

With four women poised to sign professional contracts and another entering the real world after the season, Duquesne coach Dan Burt came up with a nickname for his five most experienced players: #4prosandanMBA. Burt said Chassidy Omogrosso (Blackhawk), Kadri-Ann Lass, Julijana Vojinovic and Eniko Kuttor will continue their careers professionally...

From the day he stood up at his first news conference, rocking back and forth with nervous energy while laying out his plan for Pitt football, Pat Narduzzi has left his imprint on the program. Players, assistant coaches and staff members from the equipment room to the recruiting office have...

Pitt redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi (Derry) will be the No. 1 seed at 133 pounds at the ACC Wrestling Championship on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Phillippi follows former Pitt wrestler Dom Forys, who also held the top seed at 133 in 2017 and 2018. Ranked No. 5 in the nation...

Dan Burt knew it was time to act. His players concurred. The Duquesne women’s basketball team, which was named the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic 10 with a veteran, tournament-tested group, reached January with an unremarkable 6-7 nonconference record. “November and December were tough on us,” said Burt, who...

When Pitt visits the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night in Coral Gables, Fla., it will meet a team just as desperate for a victory. Miami (12-16, 4-12) has lost nine of its past 12, including a 30-point loss to Zion-less Duke on Saturday. “We were like a deer in the...

With only two regular-season games left, plenty still is missing from the Pitt basketball program. Atop that list are victories. The Panthers (12-17, 2-14) are last in the 15-team ACC for the second consecutive season and will try to end its 12-game losing streak Tuesday at Miami (12-16, 4-12). Points...

The Duquesne women’s basketball team will be the first in the district to open the tournament season when it meets Rhode Island in a first-round game at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Palumbo Center. After winning six of its last seven regular-seasons games, Duquesne (17-12, 11-5) is the No. 3 seed...

Virginia had such an easy time with Pitt on Saturday that coach Tony Bennett found time to rest his starters for their quick turnaround game Monday at Syracuse. Even Jeff Capel used nonscholarship players Anthony Starzynski and Onyebuchi Ezeakudo in Pitt’s second-worst loss of the season, 73-49 to the nation’s...

With only 19 days before the NCAA wrestling tournament opens at PPG Paints Arena, seven Pitt wrestlers are ranked among the top 33 by the Division I coaches panel. Leading the way is Micky Phillippi of Derry, who is No. 5 (4 in the RPI) and 17-2 at 133 pounds....

The words “last place” never slipped through Jeff Capel’s lips after Pitt’s loss to Clemson. Capel doesn’t concern himself with won/loss records or standings in the conference — numbers that tend to fascinate the public and media. He has a team to coach. His thoughts over the last three games...

Keith Dambrot almost never stopped moving Friday morning at practice. Duquesne’s coach was continually pushing his players to “play hard,” and “pay attention to details.” “We just have to focus more, do more little things,” he said. “Our margin of error is small, so we have to be perfect.” The...

Less than a year after he was named most improved defensive player in the 2018 spring drills, linebacker Anthony McKee Jr. has decided to leave the Pitt program after he graduates this spring. Coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday that McKee chose not to use his fifth year of eligibility. “Which...

Duquesne freshman point guard Sincere Carry, who is leading the team in scoring in Atlantic 10 games, had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his left knee, a source told the Tribune-Review. He won’t play Wednesday night at St. Bonaventure, and his availability will be day-to-day through the rest of the season....

When he was an assistant at Duke during the 2017-18 academic year, Jeff Capel helped recruit freshmen Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. All three will be first-round picks in this year’s NBA Draft after spending one season in college and helping the Blue Devils to – at minimum...

Pitt freshman guard Trey McGowens likes to attack the rim, even when bigger, stronger men are guarding it. He did that the first time he scrimmaged with the Panthers before the season, dunking over forward Samson George, who is 4 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than the 6-foot-3, 185-pound...