How lunch with Jim Boeheim helped Pitt’s Jeff Capel understand Syracuse’s zone
Jeff Capel didn’t get where he is today by wasting a rare opportunity. Perhaps that valuable character trait will help Pitt’s coach and his players Wednesday night when he matches wits with Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim at Petersen Events Center. Capel has had a long relationship with Boeheim, who’s won 961...
Pitt’s Ithiel Horton sits for games, goes ‘overboard’ at practiceVideo
When his Pitt teammates leave campus for a road game, Ithiel Horton must find ways to entertain himself. “It’s just me here,” said Horton, the new guy after transferring from Delaware last year. “I have to find what to do, find distractions.” Because of its one-year restriction on transfers, the...
Jeff Capel, Jim Boeheim support allowing transfers to play immediately
Jeff Capel said allowing student-athletes to transfer without having to sit out a season is the right thing to do, but he cautioned Monday that the proposal is “something that we (college coaches) are going to have to figure out how to navigate.” The NCAA said recently that a rule...
Pitt volleyball team plans trip to Europe in May
The Pitt volleyball team will take its game international in May when the women embark on an 11-day tour of Europe, with trips to Spain, France and Italy. Starting May 2, the three-time defending ACC champions will spend three nights in Barcelona, Spain, two each in Toulouse, France, and Nice,...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden tackle Penguins’ recent losses, Pitt violations, Steelers’ needs, Pirates spring training
Last Monday, it was tough to come up with a negative thing to say about the Pittsburgh Penguins. This Monday, it’s tough to find something good. The Pens have lost three games in a row. They’ve given up 14 goals in the defeats, and the Philadelphia Flyers are closing in...
Tim Benz: The NCAA rule book is dumb. And so were Pitt’s violations of it.Video
The NCAA rule book is far too dense. The application of those rules is woefully random. And its allocation of discipline when those rules are broken is horribly inconsistent. Technically, those are just my opinions. But I dare you to find me a fan of college athletics who doesn’t presume...
Even in losses, Pitt showing signs of progress
Give Pitt this much credit as it sinks toward the bottom of the ACC standings: The Panthers do the tough stuff as well as any team in the conference. Yes, Pitt has lost seven of nine and no longer is a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, but in the areas of defense,...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel said NCAA sanctions won’t affect his program
Jeff Capel said Saturday after his team’s 59-56 loss to Virginia that the three years’ probation and sanctions imposed by the NCAA on Pitt athletics will have no impact on his basketball program. “None. Absolutely none. No impact at all,” he said. All of the violations, which involve illegal use...
Virginia puts clamp on Pitt, holds off Panthers comebackVideo
If anyone outside the Pitt basketball program is qualified to comment on the state of the Panthers, it’s Virginia coach Tony Bennett. And — get this — the coach with a national championship on his resume liked what he saw from his defeated opponent Saturday after the Cavaliers survived Pitt’s...
From NCAA Sweet 16 to ‘dumpster fire,’ Pitt basketball coaches inherited vastly different programs
The day Ben Howland left Pitt for UCLA, Julius Page figured he had two choices: The NBA or transfer. He chose neither. Why did the 17th-most prolific scorer in Pitt history decide to stay for his senior year when the coach who recruited and developed him was now on the...
Tim Benz, Jerry DiPaola take deep look into Pitt athletics violations
Pitt’s athletic program has been placed on three years’ probation, and both the football and men’s basketball teams were given penalties for rules violations and cover-ups between August 2015 and March 2018. Oh no! Does that mean the legendary 7-7 football team that went to the ACC Championship Game has...
NCAA announces violations against Pitt football, basketball
The NCAA placed Pitt’s athletic program on three years probation Thursday and issued penalties against the men’s basketball and football programs as a result of rules violations — and cover-ups — between August 2015 and March 2018. The violations occurred while Kevin Stallings was basketball coach — before Jeff Capel...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel still trying to fix ‘dumpster fire’ he inheritedVideo
If Pitt’s sixth loss in the past eight games didn’t offer a clue, Jeff Capel gave a clear look Tuesday night at what he inherited two years ago and what needs to be done to fix it. “It was a dumpster fire that I took over,” he said after Pitt’s...
Pitt struggles at No. 8 Florida State, loses for 6th time in 8 games
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Patrick Williams scored 16 points, Anthony Polite had 10 points and six rebounds and No. 8 Florida State pulled away in the second half, beating Pitt, 82-67, on Tuesday night. Williams, a freshman forward, scored in double figures for the 10th time this season as the Seminoles...
Pitt spring game will played April 11, televised by ACC Network
Pitt’s Blue-Gold spring game will be April 11 at Heinz Field and televised by the ACC Network. Pitt has played the spring game at Heinz Field every year since 2016 after former coach Paul Chryst canceled it in 2014. Previously, Pitt played its spring games under Chryst at the North...
Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton, 71, ready to face Pitt with no hint of retirement
The reporter couldn’t bring himself to use the word retire when speaking to the coach with 555 career victories. So, he asked the question in the most respectful way possible. “Did the ‘R’ word ever cross your mind?” he said, addressing Leonard Hamilton on Monday on the ACC basketball coaches...
Pitt will see a different Florida State team in Tallahassee rematch
When Pitt opened the basketball season Nov. 6 with a 63-61 victory against Florida State, there were still four games left in the football season. As far as Pitt coach Jeff Capel is concerned, that was another time. Literally, it was another place. After opening the season at Pitt’s Petersen...
Panthers’ road woes continue with loss at Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. — During Virginia Tech’s recent skid, its fans and players had been searching for answers to help the Hokies solve some of their recent end-of-game issues, particularly after two close losses to Boston College and one to Florida State. Pitt had been searching for answers to its road...
Pitt starts run to the finish line in road test against Virginia Tech
Pitt’s last six games prior to the ACC Tournament will go a long way in determining whether Jeff Capel’s second team will be labeled a success or failure. If the Panthers (15-10, 6-8) win four, that puts them on the threshold of 20 victories, a milestone they have reached twice...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel laments distractions of social media for players
The issue is one that clearly weighs on Jeff Capel’s mind. It’s not as bad as the problems of ball movement and identifying the opponent’s best shooters that surfaced Wednesday in Pitt’s 72-52 loss to Clemson at Petersen Events Center. But it matters to Capel. “Young people today, they are...
Oakland Zoo serenades Jeff Capel, 45, with chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’
Jeff Capel didn’t smile much during Pitt’s 72-52 loss to Clemson on Wednesday night. But Pitt’s coach couldn’t help but feel good — and, especially, grateful — when members of the Oakland Zoo serenaded him with a chorus of “Happy Birthday” before the game. Capel turned 45 on Wednesday. “It...
Pitt sleepwalks through home loss to ClemsonVideo
Jeff Capel left no doubt Wednesday night how he felt after his Pitt players stumbled through their worst loss of the season, 72-52 to Clemson. “This kills me,” he said. “I won’t sleep tonight.” Now, the trick for Pitt’s second-year coach is to get his players to feel the same...
Pitt needs to start stacking victories leading up to the postseason
Since Pitt’s victory against Georgia Tech on Saturday, there has been talk about what the Panthers needs to do to reach the NCAA Tournament. That’s a sign of progress for what Jeff Capel is building or excessively optimistic thinking. Pitt hasn’t been to the tournament since the 2015-16 season, Jamie...
Pitt’s Justin Champagnie, teammates tackle long season by staying hungryVideo
Pitt sophomore guard Trey McGowens recognized the look on Justin Champagnie’s face as the 18-year-old freshman left the court Saturday at Petersen Events Center. “Kind of like the same I had in the Louisville game (last season),” McGowens said, “when I hugged coach walking off the court (after scoring a...
Pitt coach Jeff Capel has learned, taught more than basketball in his 45 years
Jeff Capel makes all the tough calls during a Pitt game. Zone or man-to-man? Don’t forget to box out. Shoot the 3. Pull it back and run the weave. Those are basketball-related matters he has employed as a player and designed and taught as a coach for most of his...
