Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 161
Former Steelers DB Russell Stuvaints signs with Pittsburgh indoor team
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...
Former Pitt kicker Chris Blewitt joins Bears
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...
Change coming to Pitt offense, but Pat Narduzzi keeps details to himselfVideo
Kenny Pickett calls it an offense with “different wrinkles.” “That’s really all I’ll say. You’ll see,” Pitt’s rising junior quarterback said Wednesday at the end of the first day of spring football drills. Pat Narduzzi was equally secretive. “You’ll see it in the spring game,” the coach said of changes...
Pitt’s Paris Ford growing up, finding comfort level at safety
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...
Frigid temperatures chase Pitt inside for start of spring drillsVideo
Temperatures were in the teens and the last game of 2018 was only about two months ago, but football season began Wednesday morning on the South Side with the first day of Pitt’s spring drills. The 88-man team moved inside, of course, where players went through basic drills, many without...
Duquesne’s Conor Richardson enjoying her final days as a basketball player
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...
Duquesne women breeze to 106-69 victory against Rhode Island in first round of A-10 TournamentVideo
Dan Burt pointed out his team didn’t play defense up to his standards in the first quarter Tuesday night. He wasn’t happy when his Duquesne women’s basketball team came up with — by his count — only about half of the loose balls. Then, there was the rebounding. Rhode Island...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi starts over with his players in 5th spring
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 wrestler Micky Phillippi gets top seed at 133 pounds in ACC Tournament
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...
Duquesne’s Sincere Carry will decide when it’s time to return from knee surgery, coach saysVideo
Keith Dambrot said Tuesday he would be “shocked” if Duquesne point guard Sincere Carry doesn’t recover from Feb. 26 arthroscopic knee surgery in time to play in the Atlantic 10 Tournament next week. But the Dukes coach would rather be shocked than put Carry into a game too soon and...
Airing of grievances uplifting for Duquesne women
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...
Pitt set to meet `deer in headlights’ Miami team
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...
What’s missing from Pitt basketball might not be all bad
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...
Duquesne women will strike first in tournament basketball season
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...
Lesson learned, opportunities remain for Pitt basketball
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...
7 Pitt wrestlers earn national ranking as NCAA tournament approaches
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....
Pitt’s Jeff Capel seeks improvement, will worry about ACC standings, 2020 later
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 pushes Dukes to soldier on without Sincere Carryi
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...
Former Pitt linebacker Anthony McKee chooses to leave team
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...
Center Jimmy Morrissey accepts role as ‘vet’ of Pitt’s offensive lineVideo
Jimmy Morrissey didn’t want to use the word “power” when describing his hold on Pitt’s offensive line. He’s not that kind of leader. But he knows he has plenty of responsibility, given he’s approaching his third season as Pitt’s starting center and the guy who calls out blocking schemes. “Not...
Pat Narduzzi’s tug-of-war teaches Pitt players to finish what they startVideo
Dane Jackson considers the football field his “sanctuary,” a place where he can “leave it all out there.” But Pitt’s rising senior cornerback has yet to reach fulfillment during this year’s winter conditioning sessions that coach Pat Narduzzi likes to call “fourth-quarter drills.” No one has challenged Jackson in the...
Pitt’s slow start vs. Clemson leads to 11th consecutive lossVideo
Shoulders are slumping, troubles on offense are affecting the defense and the result is Pitt can’t find a way out of its losing streak. The Panthers looked disjointed and disinterested early, rallied briefly in the second half but in the end couldn’t avoid the inevitable, a 62-48 loss to unranked...
Duquesne guard Sincere Carry day-to-day after having knee surgery Tuesday
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....
Pitt’s Jeff Capel believes talented high school players have the right to go straight to the NBA
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’s Trey McGowens tries to ease the pressure he puts on himself
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...
