Jeff Capel wonders why defense disappeared as Pitt loses for 6th time in 7 games
After playing, coaching and closely observing college basketball at the highest level for nearly three decades, Jeff Capel believes he knows what it takes to win. When he conducts practice, watches video with his players and gathers them around him during a timeout, he preaches his tenets of solid play....
Freshman Andersen says relationship with God landed him with Pitt football team
A man named Myles stood on the side of the road in Yosemite National Park. A car approached, and he waved for it to stop. Trey Andersen and his companions decided to pull the car to the side of the road. “(Myles) said, ‘I need help,’ ” Andersen recalled. “...
Pitt finally gets a shot at No. 16 Florida State; Clemson game postponed
After two previous postponements, Pitt’s game with Florida State has been rescheduled perhaps for the final time. The Panthers will play the No. 16 Seminoles at 4 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center, according to a revised schedule announced Wednesday by the ACC. The game had been scheduled for Jan....
Pitt, N.C. State looking to get well after streaks of misfortune
While losing to a mediocre Duke team on Saturday by 16 points, N.C. State committed 18 turnovers. The next day, Pitt matched the Wolfpack for ball insecurity, turning it over another 18 times in a six-point loss at Georgia Tech. When the teams get together at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at...
Source: Greensburg Salem graduate Brennan Marion hired to coach WRs at Pitt
Brennan Marion’s passion for football — whether it was catching passes, teaching others to throw and catch or writing about it — has brought him back home. Marion, who grew up in Pittsburgh and played wide receiver at Greensburg Salem before embarking on a far-reaching college career as a player...
Pitt, NCAA knew about dangers of football concussions, lawsuits claim
Two former University of Pittsburgh football players filed separate federal lawsuits against the university and the NCAA, as well as the Big East and Atlantic Coast conferences, alleging the organizations were aware of the potential health ramifications caused by concussions and repeated blows to the head but never took action...
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...
Gateway grad Olivia Miller building impressive resume with Pitt gymnastics
Olivia Miller takes nothing for granted as she trains and competes for the Pitt women’s gymnastics team. The Gateway graduate remembers how quickly a season can be taken away as the Panthers’ 2020 campaign ended prematurely when the coronavirus pandemic started to take hold last March. The 2021 season has...
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...
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...
Franklin Regional grads Lee, Kemerer No. 1 in NCAA wrestling rankings
Two Franklin Regional grads – Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer – are ranked No. 1 according to the latest NCAA coaches rankings. Both wrestle for No. 1 Iowa. Lee, a two-time NCAA champion, is ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds. Kemerer, a two-time NCAA placewinner and three-time All-American, is ranked...
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...
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,...
First Call: Bruce Arians describes dismissal from Pittsburgh; Steelers linked to Bengals free agent
Wednesday’s “First Call” features an interesting free agency theory for the Steelers. Also, Bill Cowher’s goodbye to Marty Schottenheimer. And admission from Bruce Arians about his dismissal from the Steelers. And a new job for Antwaan Randle El. Plus, a former Pitt star earns a Super Bowl ring. And a...
Pitt graduate Marty Schottenheimer, coach of 4 NFL teams and winner of 200 games, dies at 77
Marty Schottenheimer, who won 200 regular-season games with four NFL teams thanks to his “Martyball” brand of smash-mouth football but regularly fell short in the playoffs, died. He was 77. Schottenheimer, a Fort Cherry and Pitt graduate, died Monday night in Charlotte, N.C., his family said through former Kansas City...
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 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...
Powerhouse Clemson leads way again in ACC recruiting rankingsVideo
Clemson’s most recent berth in the College Football Playoff arguably was its least successful, but a 49-28 semifinal loss to Ohio State didn’t appear to damage the Tigers’ appeal to recruits. Six consecutive appearances in the game’s final four, with national championships in 2016 and ‘18, are difficult to overlook....
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...
