Former Pitt guard Xavier Johnson chooses Indiana as transfer destination
Xavier Johnson, who started 81 games in nearly three seasons at Pitt before leaving this year with two weeks left in the regular season, announced Wednesday on Instagram that he will transfer to Indiana and play for new Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson. He chose Indiana over national champion Baylor, Final...
Nate Santos’ prep school coach believes Pitt recruit can handle himself on and off the court
Russell Battistoni likes everything about Nate Santos’ ability on the basketball court. “He’s always been able to shoot the ball. He’s always been able to handle the ball and be really skilled and defend and has a lot of toughness,” said Battistoni, the coach at Loomis Chaffee School, a boarding...
Pitt beats West Virginia in the baseball version of the Backyard Brawl
Pitt’s Chris Gomez and two relief pitchers kept West Virginia bats in check, and No. 17 Pitt unleashed a 12-hit attack Tuesday in a 5-1 victory in the baseball version of the Backyard Brawl at Charles L. Cost Field. West Virginia (11-12) managed only seven hits while Gomez and Pitt...
In lieu of intrasquad spring game, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi would support playing nearby school
Pitt vs. Temple? Pitt vs. Duquesne? Do we dare? Pitt vs. Penn State? Those are matchups you’re not soon to see in the fall, but Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi would have no problem with practice games against nearby schools in lieu of instrasquad games in the spring. It’s a notion...
Competition arises midway through Pitt’s spring drills
The seemingly basic procedure of conducting spring football drills has turned out to be more difficult than usual this year. Not that Pat Narduzzi is surprised. “It’s still around,” Pitt’s coach said of the coronavirus that forced him to postpone a week’s worth of drills last month. But everyone is...
Pitt reschedules Blue-Gold Spring Game to April 24
After postponing a week of practice sessions last month for covid-related protocols, Pitt officials decided to move the date of the Blue-Gold Spring Game to April 24. The game had been scheduled for April 17. Start time (1 p.m.) and admission cost (free) at Heinz Field remain the same. Coach...
Pitt volleyball team nets at-large berth in NCAA tournament
Pitt’s volleyball team, ranked No. 18 in the nation, earned its fifth consecutive NCAA postseason appearance — and 16th overall — garnering an at-large selection Sunday. The tournament will be April 14-24 in Omaha, Neb. The Panthers (16-4, 14-4 ACC) will confront LIU (8-5, 8-4 Northeast Conference) in the first...
Former Pitt forward Karim Coulibaly decides to transfer to St. Bonaventure
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, one of five Pitt players who entered the NCAA transfer portal since the latter days of the season, said Friday he has decided to transfer to St. Bonaventure. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (@abdoul_k12) Coulibaly, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward, started...
Pitt’s Jordan Addison, Wendell Davis eager to write new chapters in 2021
Pitt’s Jordan Addison and Wendell Davis will enter the 2021 football season thinking they can do better after significantly different outcomes a year ago. Addison was Pitt’s most impactful first-year wide receiver since Tyler Boyd in 2013. Davis won the starting middle linebacker job in training camp and played in...
After leaving Pitt, Au’Diese Toney plans to transfer to Arkansas
Au’Diese Toney, who was one of Pitt’s most prolific rebounders over the past three seasons, will transfer to Arkansas. Toney announced the commitment on his Twitter account, with the words, “Last Stop.” Last stop? 256✈️479 #committed #WPS pic.twitter.com/5dFuCVaoeL— A.M.T (@thefuturetoney) April 1, 2021 After appearing in 79 games and starting...
Pitt will restrict on-campus attendance at spring sporting events
The University of Pittsburgh, already under shelter in place and elevated risk mandates, will restrict attendance at on-campus spring athletic events for the remainder of the season. An update on spring athletic event capacity. #H2P pic.twitter.com/VHM7yE7xk1— Pitt Athletics (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) April 1, 2021 Only families of student-athletes and staff members and...
U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans snarl about Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt hoops, the Pirates and our coverage of it allVideo
This is stunning. I went a whole week with no negative feedback from Steelers or Penguins fans. Nary a complaint from a reader about the Pirates. Not one angry tweet about Pitt. Not a single Facebook post lashing back at one of my columns. It was amazing. Ha! Gotcha! Happy...
Pitt wrestling’s Keith Gavin named ACC Co-Coach of the Year
Keith Gavin, who led Pitt wrestling to its best team finish at the NCAA championships since 1970, was named ACC Co-Coach of the Year. Gavin shared the honor with N.C. State’s Pat Popolizio after a vote by conference head coaches. Pitt wrestlers Nino Bonaccorsi, Gregg Harvey, Cole Matthews, Micky Phillippi...
Pitt hits ‘play’ after week-long ‘pause,’ but Pat Narduzzi remains cautious
Pat Narduzzi could be talking to his players, coaches, reporters, probably his wife and children, too, and his message would be the same: “Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Get yourself a little distance. Don’t pile up on each other. We’ll be good.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because he...
Pitt football resumes spring drills after covid-related pause
Pitt football resumed spring practice Tuesday morning at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side after postponing drills for the past week because of covid-related protocols. Absolutely a beautiful morning for football!!! #H2P pic.twitter.com/o0pkI3O1iL— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) March 30, 2021 Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi led the team through four...
Pitt secures commitment from Hawaii transfer wide receiver Melquise Stovall
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, who lost one transfer wide receiver when D.J. Turner opted to enter the NFL Draft, picked up a commitment from another Friday when Melquise Stovall announced his plans to enroll this year. Stovall (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) played the past two seasons at Hawaii under wide receivers...
David Yanni drives in 7 runs in Pitt’s 17-9 victory against Bucknell
David Yanni hit and later got hit — both times with the bases loaded — and the result was Pitt’s 17-9 victory against Bucknell in the Panthers’ home opener Wednesday at Charles L. Cost Field. Pitt had opened the season with 16 consecutive road games. “Guys were excited to get...
Pitt sophomore Abdoul Karim Coulibaly will transfer; 4th team member to leave in past month
Pitt coach Jeff Capel’s roster reclamation job became bigger and more important Wednesday when sophomore forward Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, who provided a presence in the paint, entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to university officials. Coulibaly started 20 of 22 games this season. He is the third member of Pitt’s...
Pitt baseball rises to No. 14 in Baseball America poll, highest in program history
On the eve of Pitt baseball’s home opener Wednesday against Bucknell, the Panthers achieved their highest ranking in program history, No. 14 in the nation in the Baseball America poll. With coach Mike Bell in his third season, Pitt is ranked in all five major polls, including DIBaseball.com (No. 15),...
Justin Champagnie will look into NBA Draft process, leave door open for return to Pitt
Justin Champagnie is taking the first step toward the NBA while leaving room for his return to Pitt for the 2021-22 season. Coach Jeff Capel announced Tuesday that Champagnie, who was an honorable-mention All-American and first-team All-ACC as a sophomore this season, will test the NBA Draft process. The process....
Pitt pauses scheduled spring drills because of covid protocols
Pitt football hit a roadblock in its spring drills Tuesday when all in-person activities were paused because of covid-related protocols. Players and coaches will continue to meet virtually, the university announced. The university said last week it has seen an 83% spike in new covid cases. Campuses in Oakland, Greensburg,...
Spencer Lee becomes 3-time NCAA wrestling champion
Iowa senior Spencer Lee is used to beginning a wrestling match. He’d rather set the tone for his Iowa teammates. But the NCAA wrestling championships had other ideas. They decided to put the 125-pound final at the end Saturday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The ESPN broadcast team called...
2 Pitt wrestlers, 2 Franklin Regional grads advance to NCAA finals
A pair of Franklin Regional graduates and a pair of Pitt teammates from WPIAL schools will wrestle for national championships Saturday night. Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer, both top seeds for Iowa, and Panthers wrestlers Jake Wentzel from South Park and Nino Bonaccorsi from Bethel Park won their semifinal matches...
Local wrestlers at NCAAs: Iowa’s Lee, Kemmerer among WPIAL grads in quarters
A handful of Westmoreland County wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships with a pair of wins Thursday in St. Louis. Iowa’s Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional) and Michael Kemmerer (Franklin Regional), Pitt’s Micky Phillippi (Derry), Ohio State’s Ethan Smith (Latrobe) and Bucknell’s Zach Hartman (Belle...
With sound knee, Pitt’s Lucas Krull eager to reconnect with quarterback Kenny Pickett
Lucas Krull didn’t get mad at the question. He is in such a good mood these days, with a sound knee and new hope for his football career, there is little that bothers him. But he did want to make something clear: The knee is fine. Krull, a senior tight...
