The Pitt News • July 16, 2021

Pickett, Oaklander announce first NIL partnership for a Pitt athlete

Pitt super-senior quarterback Kenny Pickett became the first Panther to announce an endorsement deal on Thursday afternoon. Pickett tweeted that he is partnering with The Oaklander Hotel on Bigelow Boulevard for his first NIL deal and will treat the offensive line to what he calls weekly “Hog Dinners” at Spirits and Tales, a restaurant on the hotel’s top floor.

The Pitt News • July 14, 2021

Column | Don’t forget who kept NIL off the table for college athletes

The powerful in college athletics are trying to shift the goalposts. As NIL restrictions fall, amateurism itself moves into the crosshairs. The NCAA’s dam — loosely held together by the term “student-athlete” — has sprung a leak. While a recent ruling from the Supreme Court and a myriad of state laws superseding the authority of the NCAA did not automatically bring the idol of amateurism crumbling, it opens the door to such possibilities.

The Pitt News • June 30, 2021

Men’s basketball draws Minnesota in ACC-Big 10 Challenge

The Pitt News • June 30, 2021

Pa. General Assembly passes NIL changes in state budget package

The Pitt News • June 24, 2021

In post-playing days, Akeo bridges two generations of Pitt volleyball excellence

Kamalani Akeo’s tenure at Pitt didn’t end with her playing days. After she finished kickstarting the most successful era in Panthers volleyball history, she returned to Oakland this January as a volunteer assistant coach. Alongside head coach Dan Fisher, Akeo pushed program limits even further — helping the Panthers reach the Elite Eight this spring.

The Pitt News • June 23, 2021

Pitt’s Vartabedian Field to Host 2022 ACC Softball Championship

Pitt’s Vartabedian Field, the home of Panthers softball, will host the 2022 ACC Softball Championship, the program announced last Wednesday. It will be the first time Pitt has ever hosted the annual championship tournament.

The Pitt News • June 9, 2021

Congressional Democrats introduce bill that would give college athletes the right to collectively bargain

Congressional Democrats introduced a bill on May 27 that would formally make college athletes employees of their universities as well as granting them the right to collectively bargain. Cries for labor organization in college sports that began with the Northwestern University football team’s attempt to unionize in 2015 have now reached national legislatures.

The Pitt News • May 19, 2021

After offseason from hell, Capel and men’s basketball begin reloading

A total of 56.2 points, 27.8 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game from last season’s squad left the program as the half-dozen former Panthers departed. But the brutality of the last four months is reaching a merciful, maybe even optimistic conclusion. Because, while the program has suffered major losses, Capel’s latest recruiting has begun the work of rebuilding a depleted roster. Capel started reloading primarily by tapping the same crowded transfer market that took so much talent from last year’s squad.

The Pitt News • March 17, 2021

Column | Was this worth it: Reflections from a season covering COVID basketball

As the season wore on and I experienced, firsthand, more of the pandemic-induced procedures that made putting on a college basketball season possible, I couldn’t help but feel as if the sport had lost some of its purpose.

The Pitt News • March 9, 2021

Pitt falls 79-73 to Miami in ACC Tournament’s opening round

Pitt men’s basketball entered the ACC Tournament desperate to pull itself out of a downward spiral that goes back months. It began with the Panthers (10-12 overall, 6-10 ACC) dropping a one-point contest to Wake Forest on Jan. 23, then snowballing into a streak during which they lost nine of 11 games, reaching its worst when junior stars Xavier Johnson and Au’Diese Toney transferred and ending with a 79-73 loss to under-manned Miami (9-16 overall, 4-15 ACC) on the first day of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Pitt News • March 8, 2021

Pitt comeback falls short in 77-62 loss at Clemson

Pitt men’s basketball (10-11 overall, 6-10 ACC) was unable to overcome sluggishness on both ends of the court early. The Panthers’ comeback effort fell short in a 77-62 loss at Clemson (16-6 overall, 10-6 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.

The Pitt News • March 8, 2021

Miller, Coca star in all-around for Pitt gymnastics despite loss to WVU

Pitt gymnastics (5-9-1) took the floor of the Fitzgerald Field House for the first of three dual meets against rival West Virginia (1-6 overall, 0-6 Big 12) on Friday night. The Panthers were unable to overcome dazzling floor routines from the Mountaineers in a 195.900-194.175 loss, but an event win for junior Olivia Miller and Coca’s first trip through the all-around category softened the sting of defeat.

The Pitt News • February 24, 2021

Contentious offseason fades in memory as Sibande settles in at Pitt

His hair was different — Sibande debuted braids after sporting a fade for much of the season. His role was different — Sibande started the game for just the fourth time as a Panther. But most importantly, his play was different — Sibande, a heralded transfer from Miami (Ohio), finally looked like the steady scorer that he’s proven himself to be in the game against FSU. After the COVID-19 pandemic and a contentious transfer process kept him out of action for 262 days, Sibande spent his first nine games at Pitt shaking off the rust. But he showed flashes of dynamism in his breakout game on Saturday that indicate his game is growing along with the comfort of a still-new home in Pittsburgh.

The Pitt News • February 21, 2021

Sibande’s season-best can’t save Pitt in 79-72 loss to No. 16 FSU

One would be hard-pressed to find a college basketball coach who revels in moral victories or celebrates a loss, no matter how competitive their team was. But in the middle of a worsening four-game losing streak, it can often be helpful to search for the positives. While making sure to add that he was not satisfied with the loss, Pitt men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel praised his team’s effort on Saturday against ACC power Florida State and said the Panthers’ faults could be summed up simp

The Pitt News • February 8, 2021

Panthers doomed by short Cavalier burst, lose to UVA 73-66

No college basketball coach enjoys embracing moral victories. Either you win or you lose and that’s the ultimate statistic you evaluate. But Pitt men’s basketball (9-6 overall, 5-5 ACC) did have some positives to take away from its 73-66 loss to No. 14 Virginia (13-3 overall, 9-1 ACC). The Panthers hung with the ACC-leading Cavaliers — led by head coach Tony Bennett, who won his 300th career game on Saturday — for a while before UVA separated with a quick second-half blitz.

Pittsburgh Sports Now • January 26, 2021

Central Catholic's Joey Pilewski, Austyn Winkleblech Both See Baseball Future at Pitt

Sophomore outfielder and pitcher Austyn Winkleblech — “Wink” for short — and senior catcher Joey Pilewski are the anchors of a powerhouse battery on the Central Catholic High School baseball team who both recently revealed their plans to play college baseball together as well.

Pittsburgh Sports Now • January 18, 2021

Mars Alum David Bednar Traded to Pirates in Joe Musgrove Deal

Former Mars Area High School standout and right-handed pitcher David Bednar was traded on Monday night from the San Diego Padres to the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to a report from Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

The Pitt News • November 10, 2020

ACC announces 2020-21 men’s basketball schedule

Pitt men’s basketball has been practicing for well over a month, but without a full schedule. But on Tuesday morning, the ACC released a full conference schedule with 20 games for each basketball-playing member school.

The Pitt News • September 21, 2020

ACC navigates pandemic-induced schedule changes

The first two weeks of the Atlantic Coast Conference college football season have come to pass with jarring normalcy. ACC title contenders Notre Dame, Clemson and Miami have rolled through their opening week competition and made early statements that their preseason hype was deserved. Meanwhile, Boston College and Syracuse occupy their expected places in the standings’ cellar. None of what happened in between the lines was all that surprising — the play looked like any other early season colle

The Pitt News • September 11, 2020

Panther Pitt left in limbo during pandemic play

Students and fans will not be allowed to attend football games, at least for the month of September.