Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 99
Diminishing shot totals for Justin Champagnie area of concern for Pitt
When Justin Champagnie attempted only eight shots against Virginia Tech, no one noticed. Or, if anyone did, the meager total was obscured by Pitt’s 83-72 victory. But the issue was raised Sunday night and Monday morning after Pitt’s 71-65 loss to Georgia Tech. Champagnie, whose lead over Duke’s Mathew Hurt...
Georgia Tech sends Pitt to 5th loss in past 6 games
Pitt hadn’t played in eight days and had trouble finding its offensive rhythm. Georgia Tech was playing its third game in five days and looked more refreshed than fatigued. The result was Pitt’s fifth loss in the past six games, 71-65, to the Yellow Jackets on Sunday in Atlanta. Coach...
Duquesne set to play George Mason on Wednesday in A-10 makeup game
Cleared of its covid-19 complications, Duquesne will travel to Fairfax, Va., on Wednesday to play George Mason. The game will begin at 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena. It’s a makeup of a game that would have been played Saturday. The game Wednesday replaces the Dukes’ trip to Davidson. After a...
Rested and (hopefully) refreshed, Pitt visits Georgia Tech as grind begins
College basketball enters the final month of the regular season, staggered by covid-19, but somehow still standing. Most scheduled games were played Saturday, but 22 were postponed or canceled, with six more called off Sunday. Pitt-Georgia Tech isn’t one of them. The game will tip at 4 p.m. Sunday at...
Robert Morris loses A.J. Bramah to transfer portal, beats Oakland in double OT
A dizzying series of events unfolded Friday night at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center, leading the Colonials to their first victory since New Year’s Day, an 88-82 double-overtime thriller against Oakland. In the end, it was difficult to determine what mattered most. Was it Kahliel Spear’s double-double that included 16...
3 Brooklyn-born players set to tangle when Pitt visits Georgia Tech
At last look, the floor inside Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion isn’t made of concrete. Yet, it might feel that way for three intense competitors from Brooklyn, N.Y., who will play pivotal roles Sunday in the Pitt/Georgia Tech game in Atlanta. Pitt’s Justin Champagnie and Femi Odukale and Georgia Tech’s Jose...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel unafraid to prepare Justin Champagnie for NBA Draft possibilities
In a season when no one is sure whether the next game will be played, postponed or canceled, Pitt’s Jeff Capel is ready for anything. With the Louisville game postponed Wednesday, he scheduled two days off for his players this week, knowing Pitt (9-6, 5-5 ACC) is supposed to play...
Robert Morris picked to finish tied for 4th in Big South’s spring football season
If you thought the Super Bowl signaled the end of football until September, think again. Robert Morris, a first-year associate member of the Big South Conference, will open its spring season Feb. 27 in a nonconference game at James Madison. Traditional Big South football was postponed in the fall of...
Leaving high school early gives Pitt freshmen head start on college
Gavin Bartholomew graduated early from high school to jump-start his career as a Pitt tight end. He is excited about the opportunity — even the 6:30 a.m. workouts — but he understands reality is staring him in the face. “Your parents aren’t here to help you,” he said. Jake Renda,...
Atlantic 10 postpones 2nd Duquesne basketball game this week
Duquesne’s men’s basketball game at George Mason, scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday in Fairfax, Va., was postponed by the Atlantic 10 because of continued covid-19 concerns within the Dukes’ program. It is the second Duquesne game postponed or canceled this week, and the fifth this season. The Dukes also were...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel said ‘joy’ is tough to find in disjointed basketball season
Jeff Capel has been deeply embedded in the game he loves from the day his hands were big enough to hold a basketball. He’s chased the sport from Fayetteville, N.C., where he was the state high school player of the year in 1993 to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.,...
Pitt’s game at Louisville, scheduled for Wednesday, postponed
Pitt’s men’s basketball game at Louisville, scheduled for Wednesday night at the KFC Yum! Center, has been postponed after coach Chris Mack was among those within the Cardinals’ program who tested positive for covid-19, the ACC and Louisville announced Sunday night. The Panthers (9-6, 5-5 ACC) have had seven games...
Questions surround Pitt midway through ACC schedule
Pitt has reached the halfway point of its ACC season, and it’s difficult to tell if the Panthers are good, mediocre or headed for another slump. All three are reasonable assessments of where the season is headed. A 5-5 record can create so many questions. Here are three: 1. Why...
Virginia turns close game into 73-66 victory against Pitt
Whether the coach is embarrassed or proud — and Jeff Capel has been both in the past week — every loss looks the same in the standings. It’s one more rung you get pushed down the ladder you’re trying to climb. But during the 73-66 loss to No. 14 Virginia...
Up-and-down Pitt gets first-place Virginia next
If coach Jeff Capel was inclined to list all the significant ups and downs that have occurred to his team, it might sound like Pitt (9-5, 5-4 ACC) had played a full season. Of course, he has no time for such nonsense, so here’s a quick look: • An almost...
After positive covid test, Duquesne postpones game Sunday vs. VCU
Keith Dambrot had every reason to feel sorry for himself and his team Friday when Duquesne postponed its game Sunday against VCU after a player tested positive for the coronavirus. It’s the second time this season a game was called off due to covid-19 complications, and more may follow. Five...
After taking it ‘on the chin,’ Pitt showed resilience by beating Virginia Tech
Jeff Capel said his Pitt team was “out of character.” Xavier Johnson remarked, “We know we were a good team at first, and we just let it go.” But Au’Diese Toney put Pitt’s recent troubles in terms everyone can understand: “(Opponents) just busted (us) in our mouth,” said Toney, who...
Pitt knocks off No. 16 Virginia Tech, stops 3-game losing streak
Two years later, Au’Diese Toney still feels the pain. Worse, he sensed more coming after Pitt lost three games in row. So, with the memory of the 13-game losing streak of 2019 too real and still on his mind, the junior forward called together teammates and friends Justin Champagnie and...
Pitt will travel to No. 14 Virginia as replacement for postponed game with Florida State
Pitt no longer has an open date Saturday after the ACC announced several schedule changes Wednesday afternoon. The Panthers will play at No. 14 Virginia for a 4 p.m. tip-off, a replacement for the Florida State game that was postponed because of covid-19 complications. The game will be televised on...
With top 25 class locked up, Pitt introduces transfers on 2nd official signing day
The first Wednesday in February used to be a big day at Pitt and everywhere else across college football. The fax machine whirled, spitting out national letters of intent. Coaches from Walt Harris to Todd Graham to Pat Narduzzi stalked the halls outside their office, seemingly attached to their phones...
Duquesne rolls into Cooper Fieldhouse, defeats Dayton, 69-64
On a historic night when Duquesne christened the new $45 million UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse with a 69-64 victory against Dayton, it wasn’t clear what was most important to coach Keith Dambrot. • The final score, which marked Duquesne’s fourth victory in the past five games and nudged the Dukes (7-6,...
Pitt hopes to end 3-game losing streak, but No. 16 Virginia Tech stands in the way
Pitt is reeling from a three-game losing streak, hoping to prevent it from growing to the lengths it did the past two seasons. From the start of February through the remainder of the regular season, Pitt was 1-9 in 2019, 2-8 in 2020. The Panthers’ first game of the last...
On short notice, Pitt’s Jimmy Morrissey shows off love for football at the Senior Bowl
Jimmy Morrissey had just finished his morning workout in Pensacola Beach, Fla., when his phone rang. Morrissey’s agent, Jason Bernstein, was calling with some good news. Bernstein patched Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy into the call, and, all of a sudden, Morrissey’s weekend plans changed. He was going to...
Pitt’s game Saturday vs. Florida State postponed again
Pitt’s game with Florida State, scheduled for Saturday at Petersen Events Center, has been postponed for a second time because of a positive covid-19 test within the Seminoles’ program. The game originally was to be played Jan. 10. The postponement is the sixth of a Pitt game this season. Games...
Duquesne AD Dave Harper envisioned UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse before he set foot on campusVideo
Dave Harper saw UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse long before anyone else on Duquesne’s campus. In his head, anyway. Finally, he gets to turn on the lights, open the doors and let others inside. Cooper Fieldhouse will be open for business Tuesday night when the Dukes tip off against Dayton at 9...
