Pitt linebackers coach looks for leaders
Please, don’t ask Rob Harley to name the three linebackers he plans to insert in Pitt’s starting defense this season. Even if he knows – and he probably has a preliminary idea he prefers not to share at this time — the opener against Virginia is five months away, and...
Pitt’s Jared Wilson-Frame will shoot for $100,000 in national 3-man championship
Jared Wilson-Frame, one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in Pitt history, will be in Minneapolis, site of the Final Four, starting Friday while representing the ACC at the second annual Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship. Teams are comprised of four seniors from the same conference who have exhausted their...
Pitt forward Kene Chukwuka undergoes hip surgery
After playing in pain for much of the season, senior Pitt junior forward Kene Chukwuka had hip surgery Thursday at UPMC. “Kene dealt with back and hip ailments throughout the season,” coach Jeff Capel said. “We are hopeful the surgery will correct the issues and enable him to return to...
Robert Morris Andy Toole handicaps Sweet 16, talks 2019 matchup vs. Pitt
Robert Morris basketball coach Andy Toole joins us once again for our “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. He is our unofficial bracketologist for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Both of our Final Fours are still intact after the first weekend. But this is where it gets dicey. RMU coach Andy Toole handicaps...
New faces in Pitt’s backfield present challenges
Nowhere in Pitt’s lineup are the holes left behind by departing seniors larger than at running back. The Panthers lost two 1,000-yard rushers, Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall, who totaled 2,357 yards. Fullback George Aston, who bulldozed hopeful tacklers and scored touchdowns, is gone. Coach Pat Narduzzi put every NFL...
Pitt wrestler Taleb Rahmani: ‘I don’t want to be done’
When Pitt wrestler Taleb Rahmani was talking to former Panthers coach Matt Kocher last week, he was looking for one final piece of advice before the NCAA Wrestling Tournament. Kocher found just the right words. “He told me, ‘Compete like it’s your last time,’ “ said Rahmani, who is the...
5 quarterfinal bouts to watch on Day 2 of the NCAA Wrestling Championships
With Day 1 in the books at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, it’s time to look for the best matchups in Friday’s quarterfinals at PPG Paints Arena. There are going to be some good ones, especially at 133 pounds. 5-Jack Mueller, Virginia (19-0) vs. 4-Ronnie Bresser, Oregon State (25-1)...
Latrobe grad Pletcher off to good start at NCAA Wrestling Championships
When Latrobe graduate Luke Pletcher walked out on the mat for his first-round match at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday, he heard a young fan yelling his name. Pletcher said he usually would nod, but when he saw the kid wearing a Latrobe wrestling sweatshirt, he gave...
Penn Hills grad Campbell, North Allegheny’s Woodley pull off upsets in NCAA 1st round
For Ohio State senior Te’Shan Campbell and Oklahoma freshman Jake Woodley a trip home turned out better than ever after both claimed wins in Round 1 of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena. Campbell snapped a scoreless tie with a takedown in the third...
Pitt, Duquesne jointly pledge return of the City Game in 2020 and 2021
The City Game is going away, but only for one basketball season. Athletic directors Heather Lyke of Pitt and Dave Harper of Duquesne said Thursday that their teams won’t play each other next season for the first time since 1969, but the series will resume with games in 2020 and...
Pitt wrestlers Phillippi, Bonaccorsi, Thomas win NCAA first-round matches
Pitt’s Micky Phillippi felt the butterflies all too briefly as he walked out to wrestle the first NCAA tournament match of his career. Then it was time to get down to business. Phillippi, a Derry graduate, was one of three Pitt wrestlers to win their first-round bouts at the NCAA...
Pitt will be Robert Morris basketball’s first opponent at new arena
Pitt’s men’s basketball team will be Robert Morris’ first opponent next season when the Colonials open 4,000-seat Peoples Court, their new on-campus home at the UPMC Events Center, officials from both schools announced Thursday. The game will be Nov. 12. “We’re extremely thrilled to open the UPMC Events Center against...
Franklin Regional grad Jonov has ‘surreal’ experience at Pitt Pro Day
As a graduate transfer walk-on from a Patriot League school, Colin Jonov did not envision getting a chance to someday work out in front of dozens of NFL scouts. When the opportunity arose, the Franklin Regional three-sport standout and academic overachiever prepared as hard for the Pitt Pro Day on...
Ryan Shazier appearance provides thrill for former Pitt players at pro day
Pitt’s football players train in the same facility as the Pittsburgh Steelers, so it’s not uncommon for players from both sides of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to cross paths on a regular basis. That doesn’t mean Pitt players still don’t get a bit star struck when they see Steelers players...
It’s real now for Pitt wrestler Nino BonaccorsiVideo
When he was 5-years old and his brother, Nick, was going to wrestling tournaments, Nino Bonaccorsi tagged along. He became such a fixture that tournament officials started weighing him before the start of the matches – as if he was one of the wrestlers. That was for fun, but now...
Darrin Hall gets chance to make his mark at Pitt Pro DayVideo
Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall are trying to follow in the footsteps of LeSean McCoy, Dion Lewis and James Conner as Pitt running backs of recent vintage who have achieved success in the NFL. Ollison got an early start on the pre-draft process three weeks ago in Indianapolis when he...
Coaches open to renewing Pitt/Penn State wrestling rivalryVideo
If Penn State calls about renewing its wrestling rivalry with Pitt, Keith Gavin will be happy to answer the phone. “Yeah, I’m good with that,” Pitt’s coach said Wednesday when asked if he would like to schedule Penn State in the future. But Gavin also knows it’s easier from his...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel will be guest analyst during NCAA Tournament
Pitt coach Jeff Capel, who has been a part of three teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, will be a guest studio analyst for CBS Sports and Turner Sports during their coverage of the tournament’s first-round games Thursday and Friday. He will join the Atlanta studio team of host...
Pitt line coach Dave Borbely starts working on his ‘jigsaw puzzle’
Dave Borbely has coached offensive linemen at 14 schools for 40 seasons. It’s safe to assume he’s had more than a few challenges in his career and even some more difficult to solve than what he’s dealing with at Pitt. When he was asked about replacing four starters on Pitt’s...
George Aston vs. the bench press may be highlight of Pitt’s pro day
When 13 former Pitt players work out for NFL coaches and scouts Wednesday on the South Side, one of the more intriguing storylines will involve fullback George Aston and the bench press. Long considered one of the strongest players on the team, Aston has done 30 bench-press reps of 225...
Pitt will unveil new branding marks April 7 with Bigelow Bash outdoor party
The cover will come off Pitt’s new branding marks April 7 as part of Bigelow Bash, an outdoor party entitled Nike Reveal and sponsored by the university’s athletic department. The marks will serve as what Pitt officials hope will be the enduring punctuation marks to a two-year collaboration with Nike...
Pitt’s search for next 1,000-yard rusher starts with A.J. Davis and Todd SibleyVideo
When it comes to Pitt football building a brand, Pat Narduzzi isn’t as worried about becoming RBU — Running Back University — as the Panthers coach is about becoming ACC champions. Where Walt Harris embraced the Wide Receiver U reputation with Biletnikoff Award winners in Antonio Bryant in 2000 and...
Mt. Lebanon grad, former Pitt wrestler Hnath set to officiate his 10th NCAA D-I wrestling championships
When the NCAA Division I wrestling championships begin Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, there will be one official from Pittsburgh among the 20 picked to work the event. John Hnath, a former Pitt wrestler and Mt. Lebanon graduate and resident, will be working for the 10th consecutive season. Hnath, 51,...
NCAA Wrestling Championships by the numbers
By The Numbers The 2019 NCAA Division I wrestling championships will be held Thursday-Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. Here are some interesting numbers: 3: Franklin Regional graduates who are entered in the event: Iowa sophomore Spencer Lee (125 pounds), Arizona State junior Josh Maruca (149) and Arizona State junior Josh...
Latrobe’s Ron Schirf set to return to NCAA Wrestling Championships — 62 years later
No matter how hard he tried, dutifully attending practice every day for four years at Latrobe, Ron Schirf never could master the game of football. But Schirf had another talent that got him into college and onto a national platform. He was that school’s best wrestler in the 1950s (the...
