in Pitt Football 982 Words

New WRs Coach for Pitt Football

Pitt was going to hold a press conference but when handed the microphone Marion dropped and broke it…

Brennan Marion Named Wide Receivers Coach at Pitt 

PITTSBURGH—Brennan Marion, considered one of college football’s top young assistants, has been named Pitt’s new wide receivers coach by Pat Narduzzi.

A graduate of nearby Greensburg Salem High School, Marion returns to his native Western Pennsylvania after spending the 2020 season as wide receivers coach at Hawaii. The 33-year-old Marion has coached three different positions on the offensive side of the ball and owns three years of coordinator experience.

“We went on a national search to find our new wide receivers coach and, boy, did we ever go national by finding him in Hawaii,” Narduzzi said. “We had a ton of interest in this position but Brennan Marion clearly rose to the top.

“It was important that we find a tremendous teacher and coach. Recruiting is very important, but your top priority is always having a coach who can develop his positional room. Brennan is a great hire because he truly checked every box—he’s a great teacher of wide receiver play and has outstanding recruiting ties in key geographical areas for us. He is a high-energy person who builds relationships and connects people. Brennan will be a great coach and mentor for our receivers.”

“Dreams really do come true,” Marion said. “I am extremely honored and thankful for the opportunity to return home and serve the football program at the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Narduzzi and his staff have been building something very special. I can’t wait to get back to Pittsburgh and work in our wide receivers room.”

At Hawaii, Marion oversaw the development of All-Mountain West Conference (MWC) receiver Calvin Turner, who was named the 2020 New Mexico Bowl’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player after compiling 252 all-purpose yards and scoring two touchdowns in the Rainbow Warriors’ 28-14 win over Houston.

In 2019, Marion was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at William & Mary, where he dramatically improved the Tribe’s production in every major statistical category. W&M nearly doubled its scoring average while its total offensive output improved by almost 100 yards per contest.

The Tribe’s improvement was even more impressive considering Marion’s starting quarterback, leading receiver and three of his top four rushers were true freshmen. QB Hollis Mathis, a product of Penn Hills, shattered W&M’s true freshman school records for total offense (1,522), passing yards (976) and rushing touchdowns (eight). Wide receiver Kane Everson drew national attention as a Phil Steele Freshman All-American.

Marion’s first Division I coaching appointment came at Howard University, where he enjoyed two exceptional seasons (2017-18) as the Bison’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Howard boasted a highly potent offense in 2018, ranking fourth nationally in yards per completion (17.27 avg.), 15th in total yards (470.8 avg.), 16th in passing offense (278.0 avg.) and 21st in scoring offense (33.6 avg.). The Bison led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in each of those categories as well as rushing yards per game (192.8).

The Bison had seven first-team All-MEAC performers on offense, including the league’s 2018 Offensive Player of the Year (quarterback Caylin Newton) and Rookie of the Year (running back Dedrick Parson). Wide receiver Jequez Ezzard was a BOXTOROW All-American after leading the country in yards per catch (26.3). Newton additionally was named to the HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America Team.

In 2017, Newton was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year after becoming the first freshman in the conference’s history to surpass 3,000 yards of total offense (3,185). Offensive lineman Gerald Wright earned All-America accolades, paving the way for a unit that ranked first in the MEAC and 13th nationally with an average of 446.0 yards per game.

Marion’s “Go-Go” offense sparked Howard to a 7-4 record in 2017, including a shocking 43-40 win at heavily favored UNLV in the opener (labeled by one observer as “the biggest upset in modern college football history”). The Bison had won just three games over the prior two years.

In 2016, Marion coached the running backs at Oklahoma Baptist University. Under his guidance, Isaiah Mallory rushed for a school-record 1,083 yards en route to first team All-National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) honors. During the 2015 season, Marion was an offensive quality control assistant at Arizona State.

During his college coaching career, he has earned prestigious invitations to the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit and American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Leadership Institute.

Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, Marion orchestrated two impressive turnarounds as a high school head coach. In 2014, he led Pennsylvania’s Waynesboro Area—which went 0-10 the year before—to the Mid-Penn Colonial Division title and its first winning season in 22 years. In 2013, Marion guided St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Calif.) to the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs following a 1-9 season prior to his arrival.

Marion was a record-setting receiver at Tulsa. In two seasons with the Golden Hurricane (2007-08), he compiled 2,356 yards on 82 receptions with 19 touchdowns. He was a two-time All-Conference USA selection and the 2007 C-USA Newcomer of the Year. Marion set NCAA records for yards per catch in a season (31.9 in 2007) and career (28.7).

Prior to Tulsa, he was a standout at De Anza College. In 2006, he led California’s junior colleges with 1,196 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 60 receptions.

Following his accomplished collegiate playing career, Marion signed free agent contracts with the Miami Dolphins as well as the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes.

Marion was a four-year letterman in three different sports (football, basketball and track) at Greensburg Salem. He played receiver and defensive back under Golden Lions head coach George Kermer and was an All-Keystone Conference honoree.

Marion is a 2009 graduate of Tulsa with a bachelor’s degree in organizational studies. He has two children, Mariah and Brennan.

182 thoughts on “New WRs Coach for Pitt Football”

  1. In today’s Did you know category.

    Did you know…the New Mexico Bowl this past year wasn’t held in New Mexico.

    Only Brennan Marion knows where…..since he was there. And maybe one of the enlightened POV’erts.

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  2. Bowl games for $200 Alex. I’m pretty sure it was somewhere in Texas—probably due to COViD issues? Oops, I mean “what is somewhere in Texas, Alex!”

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    1. Please be more specific pittdad2….as Texas is a very large state with many cities.

      City & State please !

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  3. Our best BB player up for honors:

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2021/2/25/mens-basketball-champagnie-named-finalist-for-2021-karl-malone-award.aspx

    CHAMPAGNIE NAMED FINALIST FOR 2021 KARL MALONE AWARD
    2/25/2021 1:07:00 PM
    PITTSBURGH — Sophomore Justin Champagnie was named one five finalists for the 2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award as announced Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.

    Champagnie, one of just six players in the NCAA averaging at least 18 points and 10 rebounds per game, leads the ACC in scoring (18.8 ppg.), rebounding (11.4 rpg.) and double-doubles (11). He has scored in double figures in all 16 games played and has seven contests with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

    A three-time ACC Player of the Week selection, Champagnie ranks in top 25 in the NCAA in rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and double-doubles. The Brooklyn, native joined Blake Griffin (2008-09) and Caleb Swanigan (2016-17) as the only players in the past 25 seasons to record consecutive 20-20 games. He finished with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a road win over Northwestern (Dec. 9) before adding a 24-point, 21-rebound effort in a home win over Gardner-Webb (Dec. 12).

    Champagnie suffered a knee injury in December and missed two games before bursting onto the national scene with terrific outings against Syracuse and Duke. He had 24 points and 16 rebounds against the Orange on Jan. 16 after missing the previous four weeks. Champagnie topped that performance with 31 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in a home win over the Blue Devils. He went 12-of-15 from the field with four three-point field goals and became the first Pitt player to post 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in a game.

    Joining Champagnie on the finalist list for the 2021 Karl Malone Award are Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Seton Hall) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova).

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Ike, saw your posts on the previous thread. If you are up to it, keep them coming. This other stuff is just background noise. Your posts put things into perspective for me and, I’m guessing, many others. Hope you are getting better!

    Liked by 6 people

  11. So two highly recruited players leave the program and there are no recruits yet for next year….I understand players leaving when a new coach comes in or after the first year, but in year three you expect to achieve stability and avoid extended losing streaks.

    Would Brandin Knight have been a better choice? And with Lyke giving away extensions to mediocre and losing coaches, are we stuck with Capel until 2026? After three years is there a good reason to believe he will turn it around??

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  12. Actually X was just a 3 star. Not considered a great get. Toney and McGowan were 4s. The following year Drumgoole was a 4. Considered a top 150 player. The kid never plays.

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    1. X-man was actually committed to Nebraska (don’t know what this Pitt-Nebraska connection is about)
      and de-committed to come to Pitt.

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    2. With so much promise at the beginning, what happened with these two players and team? Concussion is one thing but he was not on the radar to leave the program. Dissension in a program goes back to coaching and leadership.

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  13. Capel said tonight that Toney has a concussion and would miss NCST Saturday and maybe the last two games. This mess along with the Hugley car theft reflects very badly on Pitt and especially on the coaches. That Heather quietly extended Capel to years is a firing offense. Go back to hiding under your desk Heather! So tired of the Pitt Soap opera!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You do realize that the secret extension was 14 months ago in January of 2020. I read about it then in the Trib, PSN & Cardiac Hill. At that time, things were looking up for the BB program. Now it looks like a bad move but hindsight is hindsight.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The bigger question is why does she extend coaches after seeing them for less than two years

        For Narduzzi, she owed him. Narduzzi helped get her hired. Pitt was wrong for having him on the search committee.

        For Capel, she should have waited but was probably impressed since his bar was so low given Stallings.

        It just shows her lack of experience in running a big time P5 program.

        Directors can saddle university’s with bad contracts. She should never have the final say on financials.

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  14. Remember when the Iowa basketball announcer was caught on an open microphone ripping Iowa’s head coach for never being able to bring in exciting players like the two Pitt freshmen- McGowens and Johnson? He got suspended for that.

    Pretty laughable now. Don’t think he would want to trade for those two. I believe -last I checked- Iowa is ranked 9th in the country.

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    1. What was Grahams favorite saying, pedal to the metal or something? Lol

      Well, Marion wrote a book called Go Go Offense. He picked up some Todd traits.

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      1. The Todd Father’s saying was, “High Octane!” Brings back memories of blowing a 24 to 3 lead against Iowa in the 3rd quarter on the road because we were too dumb to run the ball.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Thanks for the heads up, Fran. I thought Coach Marion got better as the interview went on and I like the variety of experiences he has had prior to coming here. Here’s hoping for continued success as our WR coach, leading to his next promotion staying in the Pitt organization!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Capel’s strength is suppose to be in recruiting. He has landed top 150 players. He will need his strength to pull himself out of this hole. Let’s see what he does from now until next season.

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    1. He didn’t say crap. He’s just some guy in his Hopewell basement reading message boards, LOL. I could be on PSN and release a video on the rumor I heard, LOL.

      Complete rumor. Again, a rumor.
      This all involves the assistant coaches. Maybe why Lyke was involved. I’ve sat behind the Pitt bench at games and O’Toole is a complete tool. I’ve seen him be over the top aggressive toward players during time outs. Reminded me of the Mike Rice videos, LOL. I have heard players had issues with Jason Capel also.

      I’ve stated before that I have no problem with coaches getting emotional toward players. If you played any kind of sports you have been on the wrong side of it but it can go over the top.

      Again, just internet BS flying around and if you read it on the internet, it must be true. LOL.

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      2. NRS… I thought the same thing. He told us nothing. And then to boot, he says, “I know more, but can’t tell you”. Putz.

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  24. I just finished reading this, Tex. Thanks for linking for everyone. Unfortunately, though Vuk appears to have insider scoop, he doesn’t share anything of real value. The somewhat interesting take-away, which I suspected anyway, was that he believes it was ‘regular’ kind of stuff that happens in every program. But I think more than the suspect character issues involved here, what I really wonder about is what the locker room impact was, because in the end that’s what really affects team chemistry and performance.

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    1. Totally agree. I personally think these departures will breathe fresh air into the program. And I’m sure Capel will actually sleep better at night.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Well the only thing newsworthy is they weren’t asked to leave so if true no big scandal.

    Still a major mess that needs to be reviewed with some action taken by administration

    Is Heather up to the task? We know what Tex thinks, but any way you look at it a major black eye for the University. Pitt needs upper class men who are leaders and that pay off the investment in them.

    Does Capel really think there is no long term damage to the program? I guess it depends on your definition of long term.

    The fact as Vuk states is that next year will contain a team of vagabonds through the portal is troublesome and no way to build a “program”. The fact that Capel has no one let alone of note coming in his fourth recruiting class is a five alarm fire.

    The man has some major work to do. This is a vote of no confidence coming from two of his only three ACC worthy players, with the last one most likely leaving at the end of the year. No reason to not stay till the end of the year other than to stick a knife in the coaches back.

    Don’t blow smoke up our butts saying this was a mutual decision.

    Next year’s season ticket sales just went into the crapper.

    Liked by 2 people

  26. Gordon, good points. I still come back to the fact that they not only left, but left with 3 games remaining in the season, and there’s no way to sugarcoat that. So your comment about them sticking it to Capel is a valid viewpoint, though I still wonder if it was something more behind the scenes that happened. Who knows, maybe everything came to a head during this losing skid and they didn’t respond to Capel’s demands, so JC finds out that they weren’t planning to stick around beyond this year and just cuts the cord; that’s a scenario that is plausible to me, and would make sense in terms of a mutual parting and only want to ‘keep players that want to be here’. Well, that’s just a wild guess…

    That said, today’s environment is evolving so quickly with all the transfers and players reclassifying, etc. so, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we wound up with a few quality players that could make us competitive next year, biding time until the (hopeful) 22 class. If that all doesn’t play out, then Capel’s tenure here may be limited.

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  28. What’s the pay difference between first and second round in the nba

    Firsters get guaranteed contracts and bonus money?

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  29. Just speculation here. Tre, X, and Au’diese were all March 2018 recruits by Capel, long after most schools concluded their recruiting for the 2019 season. These three had not been recruited. Why not? For a good reason? That reason may just have shown up last year with Tre and this year with the other two.

    Who quits with just a few games left? A bona fide mature player or a bona fide childish one? At its worst, it is an act by someone vengeful enough to humiliate his coach or at its best a peevish immature act by a kid with some growing up to do. Witness Paris Ford in FB.

    JC took a chance on those three kids, and now he is paying the price for not checking those kids out more before recruiting them. Just my take.

    One last thing. PSN’s Vuk hints at something that may involve Nebraska where Tre transferred to. Some tampering maybe?

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    1. Good try….but doesn’t fly, X-man was recruited and signed by Nebraska. When they lost their asst coach
      who recruited him, he de-committed and signed with Pitt.

      The other 2 were highly rated recruits. Both 4 stars and 4 stars get tons of offers.
      As Trey and Toney did. McGowens had like 30 offers and Toney had similar offers, what
      with them BOTH being rated Rivals Top 150 players.

      Where in the heck did you get the idea, none of them were being recruited ?

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  30. I hope that Whipple involves our new WR coach in some play development. Might see some new wrinkles this fall…ahhh, who am I kidding?!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If I were PN that would be the guy I’d give some serious exposure to to see how he performs, not only with the WR’s, but with the offense as a whole. They could test the waters with him a bit and ultimately groom him to be the next OC.

      Liked by 2 people

  31. Here is my take: A staff with all assistants who were previously head coaches could produce an atmosphere of “over coaching” so to speak (no assistants to be buddies with the players). It may be a case of players’ complaints to Capel about this problem going unresolved, which may have initially muddied the waters. Then Capel gets fed up with X Man and threatens to bench him, so the immature X then quits on the spot (see Justin’s comment above).

    Toney may have had previous grievances but his (undisclosed) injury due to a car accident suggests that maybe he was out after curfew, and had been threatened with a benching (injuries like this are hard to hide from coaches). So the day after X Man bolts, Capel sits down with the entire team and says he is tired of the constant whining, and if anyone isn’t totally committed to the program they should leave now. So Toney also bolts (again, see Justin’s comment on immaturity).

    Hence, Capel’s remark that there should be no long term damage to the program (the cancer has been removed). This is my plausible explanation.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Have you even considered that a part of the problem may have been the Capel brothers to begin with? If that’s even partially the case then there may be no good answer for turning the program around until you remove Capel as head coach.

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  33. I eventually found the Craig Meyer twitter feed. I got the impression that the presser was organized by Lyke/Pitt in order to publicly address things and calm the waters, because really Coach Capel didn’t saying anything. So why hold a presser to not say anything unless you were kind of forced into it. Then again, I suspect the exchanges between coaches and players were already promised to be confidential in the first place. Realistically? I’d try upgrading his assistant staff.

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    1. Heather should have never allowed his brother to tag along. Boy did she get played.

      What did Pitt see in her again? I’ll reserve comment. And yes I always have one.

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      1. Pitt received good publicity and praise for hiring a female athletic director. She is like one of five female ADs in major college sports.

        And Pitt got good reviews for hiring Capel. Of course, as time goes on, both hires begin to look less shiny.

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        2. So pitt hires the current AD to score PR points and get praise.

          Instead of hiring someone experienced and competent.

          We pitt fans now rue the day.

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    2. Agree with making a change or two among the assistant coaches to help change the atmosphere.

      When Suzie M. had her sister on her staff on the Women’s team, that combo didn’t work out so well either, despite their credentials (except for the pockets of the sisters)…

      Go Pitt.

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  34. Does heather have a brother or sister on the BoT? I don’t see how she’s still employed.

    Tex who owns blue suits.

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    1. I could reply to that….but I’m sure the comment would be….disappeared.

      Texarkana Tex who owns no skinny fit suits or pants.

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  35. Little late to the dance today. Did I miss any more transfers, quits, resignations, firings, extensions, sightings,
    or other odd things that seem to be a regular occurrence in the zany and ludicrous world of Pitt sports.

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  36. I’m the usual optimist, but imo this is terrible. I get that X was extremely inconsistent and could have been a cancer in the locker room, but not being able to get him under control is an indictment of the coaches. Why did it take so long for this to happen? Shouldn’t they have identified this or were they playing for the short term.

    I’m an engineering manager and when I see someone underperforming, I evaluate why. If it’s attitude or personality, well, that’s not going to change at their age. Cut them loose. As far as Toney, idk. Capel calling out X publicly couldn’t have been helpful.

    Where do we go from here? Transfers plug short term holes. We’ll never be competitive in this league until we start getting good players to stay.

    I guess we should add another category: hopeful for better.

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    1. No coach would admit to any long-term or short-term damage. Capel certainly wouldn’t as you tell by his attitude and persona.

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  38. Penn State is playing Purdue on FS1 right now. Purdue has a 7’4” freshman from Canada named Edey. I’d swear he was standing flat footed when he dunked a ball near the end of the first half. If not, he might have been a couple inches off the ground. What an advantage he has.

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  40. Pitt baseball beats #9 FSU by a score of 1-0 in their ACC opener. Amazing pitching performances by Pitt. Mitch Meyers went 6 scoreless and struck out 13. McCrum struck out the side in the ninth around a single and 2 stolen bases…

    Definite nail-biter…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I guess someone, from the Lone Star state(territory) was wrong about Pitt being a MAC or Mo Valley baseball caliber team.

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    2. Great baseball game – throwback to the good old days…

      I guess some will say #9 Florida State is really not as good as their ranking.

      The last batter for the seminoles struck out looking.

      I’m not going to overhype this win – just enjoying it and looking to be 1-0 tomorrow.

      HC Mike Bell with a nice win over his former team.

      H2P!

      Liked by 2 people

  41. back to the hoops stuff… I finally watched the presser film, quite a bit of a different feel vs the Craig Meyer twitter clip garbage. Meyer looked really creepy in that video/press video, but more importantly his questions were so focused on trying to drum up dirt that it was a little embarrassing. Regardless, I realize its a tough situation, but the actual interview was somewhat interesting, there were some tidbits in there that were telling. I’d recommend you watch it if you haven’t already, as opposed to reading twitter garbage.

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    1. Looks folks Capel talks a good game much like Tomlin, but unfortunately he is failing badly at coaching Pitt BB.

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  43. The day of reckoning will come soon enough for heather. The students are already organizing a burning of blouses…yellow that is.

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  44. And yes I’m a 🧛‍♂️
    Hence the morning comments when y’all are nicely tucked into your warm beds.
    And I’m outside flying around in the cold.
    Pitts blood is already drained.
    And it was too sweet for me anyway.

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  45. So this article is about a newly hired assistant FB coach with ties to Pittsburgh, the baseball team shutout #9 FL State last night and two of the men’s BB best three players mutually parted ways this past week.

    Welcome home coach Marion – we need a few more 4 star FB players – here is your bag of coal to get started.

    Tex – you have every right to brag on your son’s longhorn baseball team. History, location, players and coaching give them a 5 run lead without throwing a pitch.

    I missed the BB drama due to the demands of work this week. Thinking the team did not have a game this week, the next loss would wait until Sunday. Little did I know…

    Dan72 – the last NC State game was a one sided dunk-fest. How does Pitt defend that to eek out a victory with two of their three leading scorers stuck in some portal? The only chance I see is if Champ, Nike and HHaH rain 3’s to offset the continuous dunks. I’m not seeing all three players getting hot in the same game.

    Boy there are a lot of rumors – be careful what you read. I’m not sure I’m old enough to understand some of these rumors.

    Liked by 3 people

  46. Don’t know if I can post the link but there is an excellent article in the Tribune Review this morning with comments from both Coach Capel and Duquesne Coach Dambrot on the difficulties of coaching in a Transfer Portal era. I totally agree with their view that making it easier for someone to quit is not a good thing. Not in sports, not in academics, not in the workplace, not in marriage ….

    They talk of the need to keep players happy or now they just walk. We all harken back to days when we coached some sport on some level and how we would be hard-a$$ and never let a player force our hand. Looks like more and more those days are gone. And it’s not just Pitt and Duquesne. 40% of D1 men’s basketball players leave their initial school by the end of their sophomore year.

    Really tough situation and a really good read in the Trib. I’ll attempt to post a link here:

    Okay, for some reason I can copy the entire article but can’t copy the link to the article. If anyone else more technically astute than me, which would be all of you, could post the link I would appreciate it. The heading reads, “Pitt’s Jeff Capel, Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot learn to ‘move on’ after confronting reality of transfers”.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Times are always changing, but the concept of sticking it out is definitely gone.
      Back in the day when you had a teacher or coach you didn’t see eye to eye with, too bad, learn to live with it. great athletes have always been spoiled, get the benefit of the doubt etc.
      But they really are missing important life lessons when it is easier to cut and run than to make a bad situation work.

      Someone(s) made what I thought was an astute comment about having four head coaches which sounds good, but without young guys the kids can identify and commiserate with might be a big problem.
      Having someone that can show you what they mean rather than just tell you is important.

      I rarely had good coaches so I learned from my my team mates. Team chemistry and team leadership has to come from the kids. Early in the year it looked like they had turned a corner in those areas, but hard to maintain during a losing streak.

      As a fan you have to wonder how many times can we hit rock bottom?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. GC – regarding the “sticking it out” comment, that really comes down to parenting. Is the son or daughter mature enough to listen to mom and/or dad? The bigger question in some cases, are the parents mature enough to give the correct advise?

        I could continue on with this subject, but I may already be toeing the line of the “rules” committee…

        Liked by 1 person

        1. In many cases good parenting may be a thing of the past as well.

          I my day if you got scolded by a teacher you got worse when you got home.
          Now the parents run to the school to defend little Johnny and threaten law suits.

          Liked by 1 person

        2. Excellent point EE.

          I’m sure none of us here would be a stage parent to our kids 😉 ; sadly, there’s quite a few that aren’t objective when looking at their kid’s potential or the coach’s perspective with respect to how their kid is used or given playing time.

          On the flip side, some coaches play favorites and some that don’t give the kid a chance. Not the case here though. X had plenty of chances.

          A telling point made by DiPaola in a recent article:

          “Toney (14.4 points) and Johnson (14.2) also tried to provide leadership for the younger players, but their attempts — while apparently well-intentioned — were hardly effective, considering they were the ones who left.”

          When asked about mentoring Femi, X is reported to have said he didn’t need mentoring. Wonder where he got that idea?

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    2. I agree about the players somewhat….but did they discus the ease by which coaches under contract can just up and leave?

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    3. The fact that 40% of D1 bball players leave their initial school by the end of their soph. year.

      One of the myriad of reasons the quality of the games is so poor. And hardly watchable.

      Chaos is never good for anything ! Society and sports better Get Smart quick.

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    1. Thanks, GC. I did manage to post that link in a reply to my original comment. But it disappeared in a matter of minutes. I don’t know if it’s a copyright thing with WordPress or what.

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  49. Instant reaction to the Marion hire is meh. Not because I know anything about they guy; more because he does not have the rep that Beatty did before he arrived at Pitt. “On the surface”, it does not clearly look like the hire is above the bar set by Beatty.

    We know Beatty was a good recruiter… perhaps even a “stud recruiter” to use the phraseology of some of the folks here. Would have been good to reload the gun with a guy who could out-recruit VT, UVA, UNC… and now BC – in the MidAtlantic.

    To be blunt, unless HCPN hires a new OC – an “up and coming type guy” to say it in a PC way or an OL coach with a rock solid rep, I’m just not going to get excited about any FB coaching hire. But lets see what this guy can do.

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      1. Too bad most kids don’t read books anymore. Especially most football and basketball players.

        Now if he would have wrote a rap song….that is another matter.

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  52. Pitt men aren’t doing so good. I don’t see many if any that will qualify for nationals based on this performance. Big step up from the big east. And Miami doesn’t have swimming only a diving team hence their last place showing. Puzzling I know. Must be money.

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    1. Did I read the polls correctly – Texas at #19 is 0-3?

      WVCC is in the Pittsburgh area and is ranked #23 with a 2-2 record.

      Regarding Louisville’s baseball stadium vs Pitt’s baseball field, it all depends what the “man” has in his bag (money vs coal in this case).

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      1. But they are south
        I still consider the commonwealth of Virginia south despite the northern part near dc and Maryland.

        They’re tweener states. Just like northern Kentucky.

        Even people from southern Missouri think they’re southerners.

        I think I’m a Texan yet was born and raised in swpa. 🤠

        Tex who could also go by Penn.

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  56. Texas lost to the number 6, 7 and 8 ranked teams

    They just three game swept BYU

    3-3 now

    They must have heather doing their scheduling.

    Like

  57. Couple things:

    Just a short while ago I read many times how Heather hasn’t been heard from much this winter. Which I think is fair, she has kept out of the public oh so critical mindset. But is she really keeping a low profile? Is she ducking all us PITT fans who are sitting on the edge of our seats to see what she says next? Hmm, this brought two questions to my fragile mind.

    What are people expecting Heather to say during this very slow pandemic time? Meanwhile, I haven’t heard much out of any AD’s from New Hampshire to Hawaii. << What are they suppose to report? It’s funny that every-time Heather does put two words to the public she is roundly criticized for nothing but her outfit. If there is nothing to say then say…. nothing.

    Then out of the blue she goes public and announces plans for the future. Heather ripped apart again. If some of you can’t wait for Heather to actually do something wrong then it diminishes your opinion in my opinion.

    I’m not so sure exactly how well Beatty was received when hired? I know he was more highly thought of but not all that much. Well that was from the usual suspects, our beloved negative Nancies

    ike, re-known accused koolaid drinker and oh so positive! 😉

    Liked by 10 people

    1. She could be out promoting victory Heights and selling it. Right now it’s being financed via debt in a massive way. Big enough to bk the university.

      And she could be wishing our men’s swimming team luck today in the ACC championships and our wrestlers luck tomorrow in theirs.

      Could be supporting her basketball hire in a public way instead of being timid.

      Tweeting doesn’t cut it. You can’t govern by tweet.

      Like

  58. It seems to me that players now select a school in the early signing period to get their first choice, knowing that they can always hit the transfer portal later if it doesn’t work out. And this trend of players starting college early when they should be in their final semester of high school just makes it easier to graduate in three years and then transfer and play immediately at another college. Commitment doesn’t enter into the picture these days, and now they want to start paying these kids…

    Liked by 1 person

  60. Not to nitpick. But state was 15 and 24 based on the NCAA ranking and rpi. Baseball America had them at nine.

    Heck I could create something called football America and give pitt a top 25 ranking to.

    I liken these sports rags to someone saying a pitt recruit was a four star on some non rivals site but rivals had them as a two star.

    It’s sensationalist journalism with agendas.

    I don’t pick and choose. I’m a rivals and rpi guy. Always.

    Tex who likes algorithms and analytics over subjective bias from jag offs.

    And I’ll always point out heathers major flaws and why she is a mistake. And yes wearing yellow is a bad look and poor fashion sense.

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      1. I am happy. But state is not a top ten team. Fabrication of facts is a pet peeve of mine. I’m as honest as they come. And that’s not the bourbon or Texan talking in me. Lazy sports writing is just lazy.

        Pitt plays them today and tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.

        Tex who works and plays hard.

        And I’ll be truly happy when the AD accepts the Sparty job.

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        1. Tex, I’m a little confused. If Heather is s bad as you say she is, what makes you think that Sparty will want her??? Please enlighten me.

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          1. Compliance. They cheat. They cover up crimes. They are the Wild West up there. She’s a perfect fit with her background. She actually might succeed there. She’s obviously failing at Pitt.

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      1. And Indiana state is a perennial power in baseball. So that was a good series win for pitt. But people need to know baseball to understand that first. This is primarily a football and basketball board. And should be since they are most popular and profitable.

        Tex who knows ⚾️

        Seriously Erie or majors, y’all should do commentary on baseball. You’re very knowledgeable. My forte is soccer.

        And ragging endlessly on the AD. I’m that disease that just won’t go away.

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  62. Just had a thought….it’s almost March. Has anyone heard anything about Spring Football? Is it a go, when will it start, will there be a Spring game, will Reed get an invite to the media scrums, etc?

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    1. With Narduzzi thinking Reed is a 🕵️‍♀️?

      Maybe Narduzzi should be the one checking into Western Psychiatric.

      Like

    2. Probably would be a good idea….to forgo football till next August, when hopefully (as it seems to be tracking) this horrible nightmare will be something in the rear view mirror.

      Like

    1. Shaka will be gone next year. Texas doesn’t mess. That’s why I like their AD. It’s all driven by performance. Unlike Pitts where gpa’s and saving kittens is more important. And picking out the proper yellow blouse for the day.

      Like

  66. Going to be a bizarre tournament potentially. Can’t imagine betting on any these games.

    Once the NCAA tournament begins on Thursday, March 18, there will be no replacement teams. As a result, forfeits could come into play.

    “Once the tournament has begun, no team will replace a team that has a COVID-19 issue and can no longer participate in the championship,” the NCAA’s replacement policy states. “Its opponent would advance to the next round via the no-contest rule.”

    The NCAA tournament field will be announced on Sunday, March 14.

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      1. Well they’re going to be tested repeatedly(daily) by Indiana University Health. so the individual teams
        don’t have any input as far as that.

        “Our emphasis is on the safety and well-being of everyone participating in the event,” said NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Hainline. “By working with local health officials to develop protocols and administer COVID-19 testing, we are confident we will provide a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, administrators and officials.”

        All Tier 1 travel party participants will be required to undergo and document seven consecutive negative COVID-19 tests prior to arrival into Indianapolis. The NCAA will work with IU Health to provide health related support including the administration of daily PCR tests for Tier 1 individuals upon arrival and throughout the tournament. Tier 1 participants include student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, medical staff, equipment staff and officials.

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    2. Pitt will be number one seed for the dumpster fire tournament sponsored by Republic garbage and a lighter fluid and match company.

      Like

  67. ACC Tournament will be allowing up to 5000 fans for the annual bball tourney.

    Tex you can get your ticket now…..btw do you play hoops…we’re short a few players.

    Even if you don’t, you can sit next to Heather and do some whispering.

    Like

  68. Several ranked college baseball teams lost to unranked teams today, including our favorite Longhorns to BYU 5-4 and our beloved hoopies to Coastal Carolina 10-5

    Pitt on the ACCN in five minutes.

    OT: Men’s track & field finished 4th in the ACC indoor championships.

    H2P!

    Like

    1. Good showing by pitt indoors. Too bad they don’t have an outdoor track to practice on. Pure malfeasance on Pitts behalf. Dishonor to all of Pitts past olympians.

      Like

  70. Pitt is up 3-0 in the top of the 2. But will it hold. Will they collapse like Pitts women’s did a few years ago against State. Please no SOP.

    Florida state has a top ten ballpark. They take baseball seriously unlike Pitt.

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  71. Case in point. I can point out ten high school parks in the dfw area that are better venues than Pitt and have better fan support. I can list them if needed.

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  73. Baseball field now-a-days is lightyears better than the rock patch we played on when attending the Western University of Pennsylvania.

    That’s right this is a BigB…..APB. Check in please !

    Wup Wup !

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    1. It’s all relative. But sadly Pitts venue can’t compete in the ACC. And frankly, high schools in Texas are better. Seriously. Just shows me how much pitt supports the sport. Like in very little. And Texans don’t know the concept of little.

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  74. A multi purpose stadium would fill the bill for many sports – FB, BB, soccer, baseball, track, lacrosse and hockey.

    Yeah, I said hockey. Sad Pitt is not competing in D1 hockey – the frozen four is in Pittsburgh this year. Pitt could be hosting.

    Baseball team up 5-0 in bottom of the fifth.

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  76. I luv beating up on Florida teams with all their advantages.

    Tex who doesn’t have beachfront. I stare at tumble weed and mesquite.

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  77. Pitt’s starting SP was dealing, and also got himself out of a two on and nobody out. He’s got a high pitch count now, so it looks like we’ll see what kind of Pen we have. 5-0, bottom of 5.

    Wlat, who was enrolled at Pitt-Johnstown to play baseball, but headed to Oakland instead to join the drinking team.

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    1. You could bat third on my beer chugging line. I hold dear my teenage years and fraternity days. My drinking memories are better than football sadly.

      Pitt has states number. Wish the basketball team could say that.

      Like

  78. Gilbertson pitches another strong inning. His catcher doing a nice job framing pitches and blocking balls in the dirt or off the plate.

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    1. Yes, Tex…. the threads are sweet. And our second baseman just made SportsCenter Top 10. Sweet diving play to rob a base hit.

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      1. Beats anthracite. And Pitts play is outstanding today. When was the last time you heard me say that about basketball or football. Is pitt now a baseball school? I’m so confused.

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    1. The same happened with Pitt the night before. Hard not to make the same call in the same series.

      But yeah, in the heart of ACC country that call probably goes against us.

      Need to close this leading 7-2 in the 9th.

      H2P!

      Like

  87. H2P!!! Light up the Cathedral! The Panthers take game two against ranked Florida State, 7-2 and win the series. Looking for the sweep tomorrow.

    Liked by 1 person

  88. Coach Bell is known for his knowledge of pitching. In back-to-back games now the Pitt starter has gone six scoreless innings. Pretty impressive.

    Makes me glad, at least for a couple days, that I donated a couple bucks to my old team! 😊

    Promising, but it will be interesting to see how this Pitt team holds up…

    Go Pitt.

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