Julius Pegues, first Black basketball player at Pitt, dies of cancer
Julius Pegues, the first Black varsity basketball player at Pitt who went to serve the U.S. Air Force as a weather forecaster and later was an advisor to the Federal Aviation Administration, died Tuesday at the age of 85 after a long battle with cancer, the university announced. Pegues died...
Pitt loses 2 more to transfer portal, including starting point guard Femi Odukale
Pitt lost a starting point, gained his replacement and said goodbye to a little-used big man Friday when Femi Odukale and Max Amadasun entered their names in the transfer portal. The news came hours after Pitt received a verbal commitment from point guard Nelly Cummings, formerly of Colgate, who led...
Former Lincoln Park star Nelly Cummings transferring to Pitt
Pitt basketball added a local product to its roster with the transfer of former Lincoln Park High School star Nelly Cummings to Jeff Capel’s program. A 6-foot point guard with one season of eligibility remaining for 2022-23 with the Panthers, Cummings started 78 of the 79 games he played for...
From Memphis to Oklahoma City to the Final Four and back, Cam Johnson ready for a busy weekend
Cam Johnson is contractually obligated to be in Memphis on Friday night and Oklahoma City on Sunday as a member of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. He plans to add a third destination Saturday. Thanks in part to a contact his father, Gil, made while playing basketball at Pitt in the...
First Call: Ravens lose out on free-agent target; ex-Pitt star may grab St. Peter’s job; RMU coach tired of ‘Coach K’ coverage
In Friday’s “First Call,” the Baltimore Ravens miss out on a star free agent signing. A Pitt basketball legend may be getting his first head coaching gig. Robert Morris’ head coach is no fan of the hype surrounding Mike Krzyzewski’s last trip to the Final Four. And we recap another...
Veteran coaches tasked with assembling Pitt’s offensive ‘smorgasbord’
To steal tight ends coach Tim Salem’s word describing Pitt’s offense, spring football has offered a “smorgasbord” of experiences for players and staff on that side of the ball. What else would you expect from a unit that includes four veteran assistants who total 146 years of blowing a whistle,...
U mad, bro?: Football fans attack overtime changes, ‘MNF’ booth; defend Steelers QB strategy; Kenny Pickett’s hands
We have quite the cornucopia of Pittsburgh sports fan complaints this week in “U mad, bro?” Folks are angry about NFL overtime and the new “Monday Night Football” booth. Pitt fans are getting defensive about Kenny Pickett. Steelers fans want to defend the wall when it comes to second guessing...
Without a doubt, former OLSH, Moon star Puff Johnson ready to confront Duke, Final Four
When he was a freshman at Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Puff Johnson made 11 consecutive 3-point shots. A year later, he was named second-team all-state six months before his 18th birthday. Then, as a junior, he averaged 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while leading Moon to a...
Back to work with a new contract, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi demands consistent effort
The ink was barely dry on Pat Narduzzi’s new nine-year contract Tuesday when he decided to blame himself for his players’ subpar effort at Pitt’s 10th practice of the spring. “I wasn’t as excited about it, compared to what we did Saturday (in a scrimmage, won by the defense),” he...
Pitt adds former FCS linebacker Tylar Wiltz from transfer portal
Pat Narduzzi understood the significance of losing three productive linebackers, so he went to the NCAA transfer portal that is becoming a handy tool for Pitt’s coach and added some depth. New Look, Same Mission????‼️‼️???????????????? #H2P #Committed pic.twitter.com/RvQJqixc7z— DeddyKane???????? (@tylarwiltz) March 28, 2022 Missouri State linebacker Tylar Wiltz announced Monday...
Pitt’s 9-year commitment to Pat Narduzzi offers him the opportunity to leave historic legacy
If we’ve read Pat Narduzzi correctly over the past seven years, three months and two days, he is not looking beyond Monday’s coaches meetings in advance of Tuesday’s practice. But all of a sudden, the year 2030 has become a talking point around Pitt football. That’s because Pitt on Monday...
Pitt signs Pat Narduzzi to new contract through 2030
Rewarding him for the stability, success and respect he has brought to the football program, Pitt gave Pat Narduzzi the ultimate vote of confidence Monday, finalizing a new contract for its ACC championship-winning coach that is scheduled to run through the 2030 season. Financial details were not available, but USA...
First Call: Pitt transfer shines in Arkansas’ upset of Gonzaga; high praise for Mitch Trubisky; Deshaun Watson update
Friday’s “First Call” features a Pitt transfer shining in the NCAA Tournament. Deshaun Watson will not face another criminal charge. High praise for new Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky. And the Carolina Hurricanes extend their lead on the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. Hog wild Pitt transfer Au’Diese Toney put his...
Dayon Hayes carves out prime spot on Pitt defensive line
At various times in the recent past, Pitt defensive end Dayon Hayes decided he no longer wanted to be a vegan. Perhaps he made the choice to resume life as a meat eater for healthy, nutritional reasons. “I wasn’t getting enough protein,” he said. Or maybe there was something else...
Pitt backup quarterback Davis Beville decides to transfer
Davis Beville, who stepped under center in an emergency situation as Pitt’s third-string quarterback during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal. After eight spring practice sessions, Beville was approaching his redshirt junior season. He said he will be a graduate transfer with three...
After troubled season, Ithiel Horton decides to transfer from Pitt
Pitt basketball lost a starting guard and its most reliable 3-point shooter Wednesday when Ithiel Horton entered the NCAA transfer portal. Horton is the fifth Pitt player to announce plans to leave the program since the end of the season but the first starter. His departure is more striking than...
How Pitt, Penn State, WVU played a role in the Fox-ESPN trade for Joe Buck
We just spent the better part of two weeks debating Steelers free agent signings and Penguins trades. So why not kick around another big deal that went down recently: sports broadcaster Joe Buck getting traded from Fox to ESPN in exchange for one college football game. Oh, and, yes, Pitt,...
Pitt’s new-look linebacker group tackles big challenge
There’s nothing simple about playing defense at Pitt. Cornerbacks must learn to cover wide receivers without safety help. A safety better watch for running plays while making sure the quarterback doesn’t throw the ball over his head. Defensive linemen need to perfect the details preached by line coach Charlie Partridge....
Pitt AD Heather Lyke explains what’s behind her confidence in Jeff Capel
While Pitt basketball stacks losing seasons at a historic rate and fans continue to slowly wander from Petersen Events Center, athletic director Heather Lyke remains confident and comfortable that coach Jeff Capel can resurrect the once-proud program. After declaring Pitt’s commitment to Capel for the 2022-2023 season earlier this month,...
Forward Dan Oladapo will become 4th player to transfer from Pitt
Cross off another name from the Pitt basketball roster. Reserve forward Dan Oladapo, who played only one season at Pitt and didn’t get into a game past Feb. 5, has entered the NCAA transfer portal. He joins Noah Collier, Chris Payton and Onyebuchi Ezeakudo as players who hope to build...
Pitt’s Pro Day brings Kenny Pickett, Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule together again
Kenny Pickett and Matt Rhule were reunited Monday at Pitt’s Pro Day, but this time they weren’t talking about a scholarship, academics or the Temple football program. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said it best while addressing his team in the morning: “This was business out there.” Before he committed to...
Cal Adomitis ready to perform for NFL scouts at Pitt’s Pro Day
The long hair is long gone, replaced by a full beard that Cal Adomitis said might one day be prime for shearing. For a good cause, of course. Adomitis was one of the stars of Pitt’s run to an ACC championship last year, on and off the field. He concluded...
Big East ‘statesman’ Jay Wright says transfer portal, NIL, covid lead to better basketball
Jay Wright has been Villanova’s basketball coach for 21 years, winning two national championships and averaging more than 29 victories per season since 2014. Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann called Wright the “statesman” of the Big East. His voice carries more weight than most coaches. When Wright was asked about...
Scheduled to graduate in May, ex-Pitt walk-on Onyebuchi Ezeakudo leaves program to explore transfer, job opportunities
Pitt basketball lost another player Friday, but this one was not unexpected. Guard Onyebuchi Ezeakudo, who is on schedule to graduate in May with a degree in bioengineering, has decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal in an attempt to continue his playing career. Ezeakudo, who is also evaluating job...
Pitt notebook: Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge preaches accountability
Charlie Partridge leads a group of 20 Pitt defensive linemen, the largest position group on the team. But it’s not the quantity that most intrigues Partridge, who is in his sixth season on Pat Narduzzi’s staff after five years earlier this century under Walt Harris and Dave Wannstedt. It’s the...
