First Call: Ex-Steeler, former Pitt Panther in mix for big media gig; lots of local ties to College Football Hall of Fame nominees
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a former Pittsburgh Steeler and an ex-Pitt Panther who may be in line for a big-time media job. Lots of Pittsburgh ties are on the list of College Football Hall of Fame nominees. Some NHL free agent projections seem funky. And the Milwaukee Brewers slipped through...
Pitt announces 12-member, 2023 Hall of Fame class
Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke on Monday announced the university’s 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame class, a 12-member group from seven sports that includes championship coaches and athletes, NFL first-round draft choices and the second-most prolific scorer in Panthers basketball history. Pitt’s sixth Hall of Fame class will be inducted...
Pitt lands verbal commitment from Youngstown’s Davion Pritchard, 2nd cornerback in class of 2024
Pitt continued its attempt to build a cornerback roster for the future when Davion Pritchard, a three-star prospect from Austintown Fitch in Youngstown, Ohio, tweeted his verbal commitment Sunday night. Pritchard (6-foot-1, 165 pounds) is the second senior cornerback to reveal his pledge to enroll after Pitt’s official visit weekend....
Pitt picks up commitment from defensive back prospect Allen Bryant for its class of 2024
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi likes to stockpile defensive backs on his roster and in his recruiting classes, and he picked up a second one Saturday when Allen Bryant of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pledged to enroll next year. H2P!!! pic.twitter.com/Stz4xCO2xD— ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? (@Br6Allen) June 3, 2023 Bryant, a three-star cornerback, verbally...
Mission trip to Bahamas ‘eye-opening’ experience for 17 Pitt student-athletes
The daily heat from the sun baking the Abaco Islands was fierce, relentless. Especially on the roof of the local library, where some of the 17 Pitt student-athletes — men and women from five sports — were nailing down new shingles. There was stubborn devastation all around them on the...
Backyard Brawl back in prime time; Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia football start times, networks announced
The calendar says summer is still three weeks away, but the college football fall schedule is coming into focus. Start times and networks for some Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia games were announced Wednesday by the schools and their respective conferences. ABC will put Pitt’s Sept. 16 game at...
After testing his NBA option, Blake Hinson says he’s returning to Pitt
Blake Hinson, whose productive shooting and rebounding and aggressively courageous style of play were among the most significant factors in Pitt’s turnaround during the 2022-23 season, has decided to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to school for his senior season. B2 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Flvr3VvEHm— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB)...
Pitt eliminated from ACC Tournament in 10-2 loss to No. 1 Wake Forest
The Pitt baseball team won’t repeat its 2022 trip to the ACC Tournament semifinals after its season ended Thursday with a 10-2 loss to No. 1 Wake Forest in the second game of pool play in Durham, N.C. Brock Wilken, Bennett Lee and Danny Corona hit home runs among Wake...
Pitt blasts 5 home runs to defeat Notre Dame in ACC Tournament
Setting the stage the day before confronting the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Pitt hit five home runs Wednesday to defeat No. 8 seed Notre Dame, 9-5, in its first game of pool play in the ACC Baseball Championships in Durham, N.C. The victory improved Pitt’s all-time ACC Tournament...
Pitt-Notre Dame matchup set for afternoon kickoff, will be televised nationally
Pitt’s first game against Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., since 2018 will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 and will be nationally televised by NBC, the schools announced Wednesday. Locally, the game will be televised by WPXI-TV. It also will be shown on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. The...
ACC backs plan to offer increased payouts to schools for postseason success
The Atlantic Coast Conference is moving forward allowing schools to earn more money generated from their own postseason performances, a move coming as the league tries to find ways to close a growing financial gap with two power-conference peers. The ACC announced Wednesday that its board of directors have endorsed...
Former Pitt star Gilbert Brown made sure Jeff Capel knew about Papa Kante
Two years ago, when Gilbert Brown was hired as Pitt’s Director of Alumni and Player Development, Papa Kante started appearing on Jeff Capel’s radar. Capel might have noticed Kante, anyway. A 6-foot-10, 225-pound player with a 7-foot-4 wing span who can hit 3-pointers is hard to miss. Still, Brown —...
Ex-Pitt players bring back Zoo Crew to seek $1M tournament prize
With a $1 million prize at stake, it’s no wonder The Zoo Crew is making a comeback. The Zoo Crew, a group of former Pitt basketball players, will compete this year in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 64-team, single-elimination event. The first game will be July 25 in the West...
Pitt lands 6-10 center, ex-Michigan 4-star recruit Papa Kante for its freshman class
Pitt coach Jeff Capel sent a message — in a big way — that he wasn’t finished recruiting the high school class of 2023 when he received a commitment Monday from 6-foot-10 four-star center Papa Kante of South Kent, Conn. Kante, who signed with Michigan in November, requested and received...
Pitt earns spot in ACC baseball tournament for 3rd straight year
Despite losing its final three games and four of the last five regular-season contests, Pitt baseball built up enough equity to earn a berth in the ACC Tournament — thanks to Florida State’s victory against Louisville last Saturday. Starting Wednesday in Durham (N.C.) Bulls Athletics Park, Pitt (23-30, 10-18) will...
Former Steel Valley, Duquesne linebacker Todd Hill plans to transfer to Pitt
Linebacker Todd Hill, who helped lead Steel Valley to WPIAL championships in 2016 and 2018 and a PIAA title in 2016, announced on his Twitter account that he is transferring from Duquesne to Pitt. ✅ pic.twitter.com/Q8Eb1NdkPW— ☦odd ♓️ill (@Toddhill_9) May 18, 2023 Hill (5-foot-10, 240 pounds) was an elite pass...
Analysis: Hard work, tough choices lie ahead, but ACC, Pitt still have strong legs to stand on
Flipping through the pages of the history of the past 12 years of Pitt football – so long ago that Todd Graham was still relevant and Pat Narduzzi was a mere Big Ten coordinator – you’ll run across how the Big East crumbled and Mark Nordenberg and Steve Pederson, former...
Former Pitt, WPIAL hoops star Cam Johnson using NBA platform, family motivation in Rush to Crush Cancer
While Cameron Johnson was starring in the WPIAL at Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon wanted to make an in-home recruiting visit shortly before Easter. The way Johnson’s aunt — Gina Caliguire — tells the story, her nephew was looking forward to the visit. But it...
It’s official: Pitt will spend Thanksgiving in Brooklyn for the NIT Season Tip-Off
Pitt made its Thanksgiving plans official Thursday with the announcement that the Panthers will be one of four teams participating in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The dates — Nov. 22 and 24 — are the days immediately before and after the holiday. Pitt’s...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger asks Bill Cowher about ’04 draft; over-under odds for local college football teams
Tuesday’s “First Call” has quite a personal conversation about Pittsburgh Steelers history between Ben Roethlisberger and Bill Cowher. We have a positive report about one of the Steelers draft choices. The Brewers keep in line with the Pirates atop the NL Central. Duquesne is in the hunt for a big-conference...
Pitt fires softball coach Jodi Hermanek after 5 seasons
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke continued to weed out the unsuccessful coaches in her department Monday when softball’s Jodi Hermanek was dismissed after five seasons. In the past two months, women’s basketball coach Lance White and gymnastics’ Samantha Snider were fired. Hermanek was hired at the end of the 2018...
Pitt basketball’s nonconference plans include trip to Brooklyn for Preseason NIT
Add Brooklyn to the travel destinations for the Pitt basketball team this year. Pitt will play two games in the 2023 Preseason NIT at the Barclays Center. NEWS: Baylor, Pitt, Florida, and Oregon State will headline the 2023 Preseason NIT at the Barclays Center, according to a source.There was no...
Pitt gets commitment from high school linebacker Davin Brewton
Pitt has been busy collecting verbal commitments for its class of 2024, but coach Pat Narduzzi needed a linebacker or two. That pursuit found Davin Brewton, a rising senior at Red Bank Catholic (N.J.) High School, who gave Narduzzi a verbal commitment Thursday. Time (2) Commit- Through The Grace of...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from transfer offensive lineman Jackson Brown, formerly of California
Three people led freshman offensive lineman Jackson Brown to transfer from California to Pitt — coach Pat Narduzzi, line coach Dave Borbely and Brown’s father, Tony, who was an offensive lineman for the Panthers from 1983-1985. Sadly, Tony Brown’s contribution came from afar. Tony Brown died in 2010, but his...
Pitt basketball plans summer tour of Spain, Diaz Graham twins’ hometown in Canary Islands
The Diaz Graham twins are going home — and taking their Pitt teammates with them. Pitt’s basketball team is crossing the Atlantic Ocean this summer for a 10-day trip to Spain, including Tenerife in the Canary Islands, the home of Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham. The team departs Aug. 5...
