Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 75
Pitt hires Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator
Frank Cignetti Jr. is Pat Narduzzi’s choice as Pitt’s next offensive coordinator. Cignetti, 56, has been offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boston College the past two seasons. He will replace Mark Whipple, who left for Nebraska after the season. Cignetti will be Narduzzi’s fifth offensive coordinator in eight seasons....
Jeff Capel remains hopeful in midst of Pitt’s ‘rebuild of a rebuild’
If you’ve watched Jeff Capel this season, you might notice the passion he puts into his job. He vigorously defends his players against officials’ calls he perceives as wrong, unfair or both. He speaks animatedly during timeouts, trying to ensure instructions to his players stick. In times of trouble during...
Pitt shooting goes cold in 2nd half in loss at Syracuse
Pitt’s 77-61 loss inside Syracuse’s Carrier Dome on Tuesday night didn’t end hopes of the Panthers eventually climbing toward respectability. But the loss sent signals that can be used against Pitt the rest of this season that already includes 10 losses in the first 16 games. Against a lineup with...
Pitt remains No. 13 in final AP poll, highest standing since 1982
Pitt’s 31-21 loss to Michigan State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl didn’t significantly affect the Panthers’ standing in the final Associated Press and USA Today/AFCA Top 25 polls. Pitt (11-3) finished 13th in both, earning its highest standing in 39 years. The Panthers were ranked 13th by AP and 12th...
West Virginia hires ex-USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to run Mountaineers’ offense
Unhappy with an offense that was next-to-last in touchdowns (39) and eighth in total offense (371 yards per game) in the 10-team Big 12 in 2021, West Virginia coach Neal Brown did something about it Monday. Brown, who is 17-18 in three seasons at WVU while also serving as offensive...
Senior transfers Jamarius Burton, Mouhamadou Gueye set examples for Pitt’s young roster
The NCAA transfer portal can be a scary place for coaches, but it also can be a useful tool. Pitt coach Jeff Capel has been a victim of the portal, but he also knows how to use it to his benefit. After five players entered last year, Capel realized Pitt’s...
Pitt basketball gets commitment from Ohio high school junior Marlon Barnes
Pitt coach Jeff Capel has no commitments in the recruiting class of 2022, but he started building his 2023 class Sunday when four-star small forward Marlon Barnes Jr. announced his plans to enroll. ZOO WHATS GOOD! ???????? #committed #H2P pic.twitter.com/42QeQWO1AO— marlonbarnesjr (@marlonbarnesjr) January 9, 2022 Barnes (6-foot-6, 180 pounds) has...
Short bench, close calls make interesting mix on Pitt’s road toward improvement
You need to scroll back to Nov. 27 — two days after Thanksgiving when the Christmas lights you put away last week weren’t even up yet — to find a Pitt game decided by a double-digit margin. That was an 87-77 loss to Maryland Baltimore County at the Petersen Events...
Pitt survives Boston College rally to secure first ACC victory
Late in the second half of Pitt’s 69-67 victory against Boston College, all 280 pounds of John Hugley crashed to the floor. Of course, he was fouled under the basket. That happened a lot Saturday. Often sending defenders two at a time toward Pitt’s sophomore center, Boston College (6-7, 1-2...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel expresses `1,000 percent’ support for Ithiel Horton after city police officer re-files criminal charges
Four criminal charges against Pitt junior guard Ithiel Horton, who was arrested Nov. 6 and charged with allegedly punching a city police officer on the South Side, were re-filed after the case was dismissed Dec. 30. Pitt coach Jeff Capel responded, saying Horton is not permitted to be around the...
Pitt signs volleyball coach Dan Fisher to contract extension through 2027
After leading Pitt to its first NCAA Final Four appearance in volleyball, coach Dan Fisher was rewarded with a contract extension that will run through the 2027 season. Athletic director Heather Lyke made the announcement Friday afternoon. It is Fisher’s second extension in two years. After the 2019 season, he...
Defensive end Deslin Alexandre puts NFL plans on hold, returns to Pitt for ’22 season
Deslin Alexandre, whose long journey as a Pitt defensive end began in 2017, is extending his stay by one more season. Alexandre, 23, announced on his Twitter account Friday that he will return for 2022. Taking the route favored last year by quarterback Kenny Pickett, Alexandre decided to develop his...
Pitt Take 5: Free throws can make difference but don’t tell the whole story
Pitt’s recent defeats have been, oddly, encouraging. But the goal is to win, and the Panthers have been deficient in that area for most of this season. (The record is 69-98 since Jamie Dixon left, but that’s not the point here.) There’s hope for the Panthers (5-9, 0-3 ACC) in...
Wide receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis moves from Pitt to Akron
Former Pitt wide receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis needed less than a week to find a new school. Jacques-Louis, who entered the NCAA transfer portal Dec. 31, announced Thursday that he plans to enroll at Akron this year. Very grateful for the opportunity!!! Looking forward to the next chapter in my football...
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, staff, players recovering from covid
When he pushes his team through practice, Keith Dambrot likes to get close to the players while they run up and down the court. He wants them to know when he is irritated and when he is pleased, and that can’t happen from a chair on the sideline. It’s the...
First-place Louisville hands Pitt another close loss in ACC play
Pitt fought through a series of misfortunes Wednesday night before and during its 75-72 loss at Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. • After nearly a week without practice while sitting in covid protocol, Jamarius Burton showed up the morning of the game and scored 21 points. • Center John...
Pitt, Louisville rosters sport new looks for Wednesday’s ACC encounter
When Pitt visits Louisville on Wednesday in its third ACC game, both teams will present a different look from their most recent meeting early in the 2020-21 season. Pitt’s starting lineup will include five new starters, unless Ithiel Horton somehow slips into the lineup. The game will be Pitt’s first...
Pitt’s Keyshon Camp declares for NFL Draft
Keyshon Camp, who spent six seasons at Pitt helping to anchor the defensive line from the tackle position while enduring a series of injuries, has declared for the NFL Draft. Camp (6-foot-4, 290 pounds) made the announcement on his Twitter account. Lake Gibson alum is heading to the NFL ????...
Duquesne’s 4th consecutive game called off over covid concerns
Covid interruptions continue to plague Duquesne’s men’s basketball program after its fourth consecutive game — Wednesday against George Washington at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse — was called off Monday by Atlantic 10 officials. The game was postponed due to covid protocols within the George Washington program. Duquesne’s nonconference game against...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel pleased about Ithiel Horton’s return, but he must work off ‘some rust’
There’s plenty of speculation, but no one will know for sure how the first 13 games of Pitt’s season might have turned out if Ithiel Horton was a part of the team. “We felt like coming into the season, he was our best shooter,” said coach Jeff Capel, whose team...
Linebacker, co-captain Cam Bright becomes 3rd Pitt player to enter transfer portal since season’s end
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi must oversee a complete overhaul of his linebacker position this offseason now that Cam Bright, a starter on the outside and a co-captain, announced Monday that he has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will use his final season of eligibility elsewhere. I am Officially in...
Pitt signs Akron transfer Konata Mumpfield to bolster wide receiver position
A look at Pitt’s 2021 roster reveals a troubling fact that didn’t escape coach Pat Narduzzi’s eye: Pitt loses wide receivers Taysir Mack, Shocky Jacques-Louis, Melquise Stovall and Tre Tipton for the 2022 season. Mack, Stovall and Tipton exhausted their eligibility; Jacques-Louis announced Friday his intention to transfer. In response,...
Pitt’s Todd Sibley, Shocky Jacques-Louis decide to transfer
The normal attrition that occurs every year in college football started at Pitt only hours after the loss to Michigan State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Pittsburgh RB Todd Sibley Jr has entered the transfer portal. Sidelines - Transfer Portal (@SSN_Portal) December 31, 2021 Running back Todd Sibley and...
After championship season, Pitt needs to keep evolving, improving
The loss to Michigan State in the Peach Bowl stung more than most, but Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi should be ready to turn the page, put 2021 to bed and prepare for one of the most challenging periods in his seven-year tenure. The Panthers will attempt to defend a conference...
With QB Nick Patti injured, Pitt stung by Michigan State comeback in Peach Bowl
ATLANTA — Senior linebackers John Petrishen and Phil Campbell III put aside the tears that were shed in the Pitt locker room. They tried to make sense of a season that was full of joy and triumph most of the time, but ended Thursday night with a painful gut punch....
