Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 63

Pitt made it official Friday, confirming what had been widely reported for the past week that Frank Cignetti Jr. will be the Panthers’ next offensive coordinator. Here are few facts about Cignetti and the hire: • Cignetti will be coach Pat Narduzzi’s fifth offensive coordinator since 2015. Jim Chaney and...

The most memorable conversation Bill Stull had with Frank Cignetti Jr. during their season together at Pitt was the time the coach barely spoke a word. Oct. 10, 2009: A season that became Pitt’s best this century until 2021. The Panthers were playing UConn at Heinz Field. In the second...

Keith Dambrot understands the gravity of the situation at Duquesne, but he vows to keep fighting. “This dog ain’t going to quit,” he said. The Dukes are 6-9 (1-2 in the Atlantic 10) and losers of two in a row. Most recently, they lost to Fordham by one point in...

In games that matter most (those against ACC opponents), only four people have been on the floor as long as Pitt senior guard Jamarius Burton: Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim, who played 40 minutes against Pitt on Jan. 11, and the three officials in each game. In seven conference games, Burton has...

Pitt keeps getting hit in the face with lessons on how to build a championship basketball program. The one that evolved Wednesday night – in the midst of a 66-61 loss to Virginia (11-7, 5-3 ACC) at Petersen Events Center — hurt like they all do. But this one prevented...

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds signed defender Robby Dambrot to a one-year contract Wednesday, securing a player who logged more than 2,000 minutes last year for divisional opponent Loudoun United FC. Dambrot, the son of Duquesne men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot, spent the past three seasons with Loudoun. Dambrot (6-foot-2) began his...

Atlantic 10 schedule changes will create a busy week for the Duquesne men’s basketball team next month. Two of the three games postponed by covid complications earlier this season will be played over three days, giving the Dukes four games in eight days. After a regularly scheduled matchup against Fordham...

Get ready for basketball almost every other day. In a span of seven days, starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday against Virginia at Petersen Events Center (ACC Network), Pitt will play three games. After Virginia leaves town, the Panthers travel deep into the ACC footprint to confront Clemson on Saturday, followed...

Tony Bennett couldn’t help himself. He’s proud of his father, proud of his father’s Pittsburgh roots and he doesn’t mind letting people know it. The Virginia coach’s connection to Pittsburgh largely is limited to an 11-1 record against Pitt since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2014. But after answering...

Jamarius Burton’s mom, Kimberly, and two aunts played college basketball. Sisters Kimera and Destani went to college on full athletic scholarships. Uncle Todd Peat had a six-year career in the NFL. Cousin Austin Peat played on Stanford’s offensive line and was drafted 13th overall by the New Orleans Saints in...

The range of John Hugley’s confidence is as broad as his shoulders. At a listed weight of 280 pounds (he could have dropped a few since the beginning of the season), that’s a lot of shoulders. And — the way he’s been playing — that’s a lot of confidence. Hugley...

The NCAA transfer portal swung in Pitt’s direction Saturday when former Notre Dame outside linebacker Shayne Simon committed to the Panthers and coach Pat Narduzzi. All Praise to the Most High ???????? #H2P pic.twitter.com/dRLIohlD53— Shayne Simon (@SimonShayne) January 15, 2022 Simon, 6-foot-3, 233 pounds, joins the program two days after...

Anyone with children knows it’s not easy to walk the line between work and family. Imagine walking it as Jeff Capel — husband, father of three and Pitt basketball coach. In the midst of a difficult season, Capel talked extensively about that tricky maneuver earlier this week on 93.7 FM....

Consider the misfortune that has struck Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot in the past three months: • The day Dambrot turned 63 — two weeks before the Dukes’ first game — his father, Sidney, died at the age of 90. Sidney Dambrot played on Duquesne’s great teams of the 1950s, and...

Onyebuchi Ezeakudo can omit the adjective walk-on from in front of his name. Ezeakudo, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard, was rewarded Thursday by Pitt coach Jeff Capel with a scholarship for the winter semester. A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Ezeakudo has been with the Panthers for four seasons as...

Frank Cignetti Jr. is Pat Narduzzi’s choice as Pitt’s next offensive coordinator. Cignetti, 56, has been offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boston College the past two seasons. He will replace Mark Whipple, who left for Nebraska after the season. Cignetti will be Narduzzi’s fifth offensive coordinator in eight seasons....

If you’ve watched Jeff Capel this season, you might notice the passion he puts into his job. He vigorously defends his players against officials’ calls he perceives as wrong, unfair or both. He speaks animatedly during timeouts, trying to ensure instructions to his players stick. In times of trouble during...

Pitt’s 77-61 loss inside Syracuse’s Carrier Dome on Tuesday night didn’t end hopes of the Panthers eventually climbing toward respectability. But the loss sent signals that can be used against Pitt the rest of this season that already includes 10 losses in the first 16 games. Against a lineup with...

Pitt’s 31-21 loss to Michigan State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl didn’t significantly affect the Panthers’ standing in the final Associated Press and USA Today/AFCA Top 25 polls. Pitt (11-3) finished 13th in both, earning its highest standing in 39 years. The Panthers were ranked 13th by AP and 12th...

Unhappy with an offense that was next-to-last in touchdowns (39) and eighth in total offense (371 yards per game) in the 10-team Big 12 in 2021, West Virginia coach Neal Brown did something about it Monday. Brown, who is 17-18 in three seasons at WVU while also serving as offensive...

The NCAA transfer portal can be a scary place for coaches, but it also can be a useful tool. Pitt coach Jeff Capel has been a victim of the portal, but he also knows how to use it to his benefit. After five players entered last year, Capel realized Pitt’s...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel has no commitments in the recruiting class of 2022, but he started building his 2023 class Sunday when four-star small forward Marlon Barnes Jr. announced his plans to enroll. ZOO WHATS GOOD! ???????? #committed #H2P pic.twitter.com/42QeQWO1AO— marlonbarnesjr (@marlonbarnesjr) January 9, 2022 Barnes (6-foot-6, 180 pounds) has...

You need to scroll back to Nov. 27 — two days after Thanksgiving when the Christmas lights you put away last week weren’t even up yet — to find a Pitt game decided by a double-digit margin. That was an 87-77 loss to Maryland Baltimore County at the Petersen Events...

Late in the second half of Pitt’s 69-67 victory against Boston College, all 280 pounds of John Hugley crashed to the floor. Of course, he was fouled under the basket. That happened a lot Saturday. Often sending defenders two at a time toward Pitt’s sophomore center, Boston College (6-7, 1-2...

Four criminal charges against Pitt junior guard Ithiel Horton, who was arrested Nov. 6 and charged with allegedly punching a city police officer on the South Side, were re-filed after the case was dismissed Dec. 30. Pitt coach Jeff Capel responded, saying Horton is not permitted to be around the...