Pitt category, Page 156

Jeff Capel let out a chuckle late Wednesday night upon reminder that, at this time last year, he was coaching NBA lottery picks at Duke in forwards Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter. The Pitt coach wasn’t laughing against Louisville when center Kene Chukwuka drew his fifth personal foul in...

Before the start of overtime Wednesday night, Jeff Capel looked into his players’ eyes, and he didn’t like what he saw. “The guys were dejected. You could see that,” Pitt’s coach said. “I jumped on them (telling them), ‘We’re going to win. We have to fight for five more minutes.’...

The Pitt Panthers weren’t just seeking their first regular-season ACC victory in 22 games but their first conference win at Petersen Events Center since beating Florida State, 80-66, on Feb. 18, 2017. If you’re counting, that’s a span of 690 days between ACC victories. That made Louisville the last opponent...

When Louisville opened its ACC season Sunday with a 90-73 victory against Miami, six of the nine players who were in the game at least 10 minutes were juniors or seniors. Someday, Pitt coach Jeff Capel might have the same luxury. But, for now, he will meet Louisville (10-4, 1-0)...

There might be times Terrell Brown appears to be looking in one direction while the basketball is headed somewhere else when Pitt is playing defense. Be assured, Pitt’s 6-foot-10 sophomore center is not day-dreaming, although he doesn’t mind if the other team thinks that’s the case. He knows exactly what...

Cameron Johnson was struck by the fact that no one on Pitt’s roster was on the team when he played there. And the North Carolina graduate student has been gone for only 1 ½ seasons. “It is a little weird. Every single player (wasn’t on the team for his final...

Jeff Capel’s concern — the Pitt first-year coach quickly corrected himself to change the word of choice from fear — was that his Panthers would be overwhelmed by the environment. After all, this was Capel’s first ACC game as Pitt’s coach and the first conference game for four Pitt players,...

Still four months shy of his 19th birthday, Pitt freshman Trey McGowens heard the noise in Petersen Events Center, felt the vibrations of a sellout crowd of 12,508 and never forgot what team he and his teammates were playing. “I was a little jittery going out,” he said. “Coach had...

Cameron Johnson enjoyed his return engagement at Petersen Events Center so much he didn’t even mind a smattering of boos when he was introduced to the crowd before the game. “It was nice to be back,” said Johnson, a graduate student who transferred from Pitt to North Carolina after the...

After Pitt’s 14-13 loss to Stanford in the Sun Bowl, coach Pat Narduzzi was unclear about his belief in offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. His thoughts finally came into focus Friday. Four days after he said his confidence in Watson was “high,” Narduzzi fired Watson after two seasons at Pitt. Also...

He played and coached at Duke in prominent, highly competitive roles, but Pitt coach Jeff Capel said with certainty and without shame: “I never hated Carolina.” Capel begins the second phase of his Pitt career Saturday when his Panthers (10-3) meet No. 15 North Carolina (10-3) in the ACC opener...

Jeff Capel has respect and plenty of praise for former Pitt player Cameron Johnson, who’s coming back to Petersen Events Center on Saturday as a graduate student for the North Carolina Tar Heels. “He’s a really good player, a really good kid, a really good family,” Pitt’s coach said of...

Pitt sits at the doorway of what players, coaches and fans hope is a brighter future for the basketball program. But before walking through it, the Panthers need to pay the price of admission: Better rebounding. Pitt (10-3) will play the first ACC game of coach Jeff Capel’s tenure at...

Four Pitt seniors have been chosen to participate in two post-season all-star games aimed at exposing them to NFL scouts. Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall, who became the first pair of Pitt running backs to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season, will be joined by offensive lineman Alex...

After Pitt lost to Clemson in the ACC championship game, coach Pat Narduzzi was asked if the team made progress from 2017. He appeared irritated and offended by the question. “I think we won five games last year,” he said. “Five is not as good as seven. We’re still Coastal...