Pitt category, Page 83

Questions over the size of Kenny Pickett’s hands have long been part of his pre-draft conversation. According to the ProFootballNetwork, the former Pitt Panthers quarterback is reported to have hands that measure only 8¼ inches. The standard by which most quarterbacks are measured is 9 inches. The concern is ball...

If Pitt needed a favorable launching point for next season, the schedule maker may provide it. The football team will play five of its first six games at Heinz Field, starting with the nationally televised (ESPN) 105th Backyard Brawl between the Panthers and West Virginia. It’s the first of four...

Jeff Capel began his 10-minute session on the ACC coaches’ conference call Monday with the words, “I’m OK.” Give Capel credit for not complaining about his current situation. It would be so easy to do. He and his brother and assistant coach, Jason, are in covid protocol while players and...

The message directed toward Pitt’s team Sunday afternoon was clear: No excuses. Play for each other. There’s no time to feel sorry for yourself. But when a storm that dumped 2 feet of snow on Boston mixes with the relentless effects of the covid-19 pandemic, the situation can be difficult...

Pitt has hired Tiquan Underwood to be its next wide receivers coach, according to ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel. Underwood, 34, brings to the team eight seasons of experience playing the position in the NFL and CFL and four years coaching. He spent the past two seasons as the...

Olivia Miller knew Pitt was it during her sophomore year at Gateway High School. The standout gymnast made her mark at the club level for Gymkhana in Plum before joining the Panthers program for her freshman season in 2019. Now in her fourth and final year of competition with Pitt,...

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald is firmly in conversations about the top pass rushers in NFL history. The Los Angeles Rams’ superstar defensive tackle knows that he is on another list that he would like to remove himself from — great players who haven’t won a championship. As the Rams...

Pitt’s men’s basketball game scheduled for Boston College’s Silvio O. Conte Forum on Saturday has been postponed due to the snowstorm expected to hit the New England area this weekend. The game will tentatively be played at 4 p.m. Sunday at the same venue. This is the second time this...

If you were paying attention this season, you’ve heard about how far the ACC has fallen. ACC coaches disagree, of course, but the league has had trouble gaining respect across the nation. Only No. 9/7 Duke is mentioned in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls. The Blue...

For the second consecutive year, Pitt senior guard Nike Sibande has been faced with a major decision — stay or go. A year’s time and a season-ending knee injury didn’t change his mind. Sibande, who was expected to be a starter, said Thursday night on the “Jeff Capel Show” on...

Jeff Capel spends as much time talking with his players off the court as he does chasing them at practice with a whistle around his neck. Pitt’s fourth-year coach lived in similar sneakers when he was a four-year starter at Duke, and he knows what it’s like to confront the...

A University of Pittsburgh basketball player accused of punching a city police officer last year pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of public intoxication. More serious charges against Ithiel Horton, including aggravated assault and resisting arrest, were withdrawn by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s...

It was midnight Sunday morning when Pitt arrived home from, perhaps, its worst performance of the season. Coach Jeff Capel wasn’t happy about the 27-point loss at Clemson on Saturday night, but he decided the best tact was to give his players an opportunity to get a good night’s sleep,...

Two weeks ago, Pitt’s John Hugley received his first taste of Syracuse’s distasteful (to opponents, at least) 2-3 zone defense. In a 77-61 loss inside Syracuse’s Carrier Dome on Jan. 11, Hugley scored eight points, more than seven off his team-leading average of 15.8 per game. It was one of...

No need to sift through long lists of seasons and scores to find a game in which Pitt suffered a worse loss than the 75-48 outcome Saturday night at Clemson. It was near the end of the forgettable (though no one does forget) 2017-2018 season, the last of Kevin Stallings’...

Jeff Capel spoke with reporters and answered their questions for five minutes Saturday after Pitt’s embarrassing 75-48 loss to Clemson. But he didn’t have much to say. “They were terrific and we were really bad,” he said in a recurring theme of the conference call. He sounded like a coach...

It’s not every day you see a 6-foot-10 forward shooting 3-pointers at a success rate better than one in every three. Mouhamadou Gueye fits that profile — he leads Pitt with 19 3s and is second in percentage at 34.5% — but he knows of another 6-10 guy who is...

Pitt made it official Friday, confirming what had been widely reported for the past week that Frank Cignetti Jr. will be the Panthers’ next offensive coordinator. Here are few facts about Cignetti and the hire: • Cignetti will be coach Pat Narduzzi’s fifth offensive coordinator since 2015. Jim Chaney and...

The most memorable conversation Bill Stull had with Frank Cignetti Jr. during their season together at Pitt was the time the coach barely spoke a word. Oct. 10, 2009: A season that became Pitt’s best this century until 2021. The Panthers were playing UConn at Heinz Field. In the second...

In games that matter most (those against ACC opponents), only four people have been on the floor as long as Pitt senior guard Jamarius Burton: Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim, who played 40 minutes against Pitt on Jan. 11, and the three officials in each game. In seven conference games, Burton has...

Pitt keeps getting hit in the face with lessons on how to build a championship basketball program. The one that evolved Wednesday night – in the midst of a 66-61 loss to Virginia (11-7, 5-3 ACC) at Petersen Events Center — hurt like they all do. But this one prevented...

Get ready for basketball almost every other day. In a span of seven days, starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday against Virginia at Petersen Events Center (ACC Network), Pitt will play three games. After Virginia leaves town, the Panthers travel deep into the ACC footprint to confront Clemson on Saturday, followed...

Tuesday’s “First Call” features another shot at the Pittsburgh Steelers from ex-Cleveland Browns star Joe Thomas. Some honors for Marc-Andre Fleury. Another highlight for James Conner. And gambling advice for Round 2 of the NFL playoffs. Not done yet Apparently, ex-Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas had more to say about...

Tony Bennett couldn’t help himself. He’s proud of his father, proud of his father’s Pittsburgh roots and he doesn’t mind letting people know it. The Virginia coach’s connection to Pittsburgh largely is limited to an 11-1 record against Pitt since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2014. But after answering...