Sports category, Page 733
Pitt/Wake Forest matchup stands as rich opportunity for winning team
Aware of the reality or not, Pitt and Wake Forest are creeping into national relevance. Which means the prize will be potentially rich for the winner and consequences dire for the loser when those teams meet Tuesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. You don’t score 41 points — even against a...
Penn State basketball’s leading scorer Kanye Clary no longer with team
Penn State men’s basketball will be without its leading scorer moving forward. First-year coach Mike Rhoades announced Monday during a press conference that Kanye Clary is no longer with the program because of a “coach’s decision.” Clary, a sophomore guard, was averaging 16.7 points per game this season. He had...
WPIAL sets conference, section alignment for next 2 fall seasons
The WPIAL wanted more competitive balance in its conferences and sections, so some teams might have a longer drive next season as a result. Updated fall sports alignments for the 2024 and ’25 seasons were approved Monday by the WPIAL board, giving teams a first look at their upcoming opponents....
Struggling Penguins make more changes to lines, defensive pairings
Matthew Phillips experienced a first in his still-brief tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A day without Jaromir Jagr. After being claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Friday, Phillips parachuted into the delirium of the Penguins’ weekend-long celebration of Jagr that included the icon practicing with the active players...
Southern Cal jumps to 7th in women’s AP Top 25; South Carolina still unanimous No. 1
NEW YORK — Southern Cal, which has won six straight games, climbed three spots to No. 7 in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll Monday, and South Carolina remained a unanimous No. 1. USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie...
UConn men unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25 poll; Houston slides into No. 2 spot
UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll this season, while Washington State jumped into the rankings Monday at No. 21 to end a 302-week drought stretching back to the 2007-08 season. The Huskies remained atop the poll for the sixth consecutive week...
Ready to return: A healthy Oneil Cruz confident he can make a positive impact on the Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — Oneil Cruz booted grounders. He couldn’t get a ball out of his glove to make a throw. He missed pickoff throws from the catcher at second base. He even got frozen by a Luis Ortiz changeup for a called third strike during a live batting practice. The...
Pitt names former Western Carolina assistant JJ Laster wide receivers coach
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi filled the most recent vacancy on his coaching staff Monday when he named JJ Laster as the Panthers’ new wide receivers coach. Laster replaces Tiquan Underwood, who left last week after two seasons at Pitt for a position with the New England Patriots. Underwood is the...
Penguins recall goaltender Magnus Hellberg
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Hellberg was initially summoned to the NHL roster Sunday under emergency conditions. On Monday, coach Mike Sullivan explained one of his team’s incumbent goaltenders — he did not identify which one — was not feeling...
Mark Madden: Which Penguins will be next to have their numbers retired?
No. 68 is in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. Sunday’s ceremony to honor Jaromir Jagr was among the best of its kind, as was Jagr’s charismatic speech. Jagr’s return to Pittsburgh was everything that could have been hoped for. His legend was heightened. The question now: Who’s the next...
Apollo-Ridge grad Olivia Stiffy uses gymnastics, cheer background as part of new STUNT team at Mercyhurst
While she was growing up, Olivia Stiffy competed as a gymnast for nearly a decade, including representing Apollo-Ridge at the WPIAL level. But she never considered playing any kind of sports beyond high school. Also a longtime cheerleader, Stiffy joined the football cheer squad at Mercyhurst, which seemed to satisfy...
Saint Vincent women’s bowling raises its profile nationally with steady success
Saint Vincent, to most of the outside world, is known as the long-time training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. When Jeff Zidek started the Bearcats’ women’s bowling program seven years ago, that was one of his big selling points when he contacted potential recruits. Now, potential recruits are contacting...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Saint Vincent captures PAC wrestling title in 1st season back
It was like Saint Vincent had been here before. But if there was a feeling of deja vu, it was probably driven by adrenaline, not history. The Bearcats, who resurrected their wrestling program after nearly five decades away, cleaned up in their first Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships. Three wrestlers won...
Points records fall at the All-Star Game, with the East beating the West 211-186
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before. And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense. All-Star MVP Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 39 points and the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference, 211-186, on Sunday night, with...
Michel Briere’s family remains a part of the PenguinsVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their past in glorious fashion on Sunday as they retired the No. 68 of Jaromir Jagr at PPG Paints Arena. So many of his teammates were included, ranging from luminaries such as Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis to role players like Randy Hillier or Jean-Sebastien Aubin....
Tim Benz: Emotions surrounding Jaromir Jagr’s jersey retirement were as unique as the player himself
In most situations, the jersey retirement process is a pretty easy one. By the very nature of the honor, the presumption is that whoever is getting their jersey retired in whatever city they used to call home is probably so beloved by the fans that the organization and the player...
What they’re saying about Jaromir Jagr’s jersey retirement
Jaromir Jagr watched his No. 68 float up into the rafters in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, a powerful moment in a long and storied career that still has yet to reach its conclusion. One matter Jagr — who both owns and continues to play for a Czech hockey team —...
First Call: Source claims some Steelers don’t want ‘preferred chance’ for Kenny Pickett; Jaromir Jagr’s one-liner wins crowd
In Monday’s “First Call,” we add a little texture to the reports of “internal division” within the Pittsburgh Steelers regarding their quarterback situation. Jaromir Jagr’s sense of humor was on display during his jersey retirement speech. The Penguins’ next opponent let one get away in a high-profile game on Sunday....
Against all odds: Jason Delay embraces underdog role in Pirates’ competition at catcher
BRADENTON, Fla. — Jason Delay knows the odds are stacked against him to make the Pittsburgh Pirates as one of two catchers on the Opening Day roster. One spot is reserved for Yasmani Grandal, a 12-year veteran and two-time All-Star who last week signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with...
Madden Monday: Penguins’ loss ‘signs Jake Guentzel’s exit papers,’ Diontae Johnson’s ‘future is in doubt’ with Steelers
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, their Jaromir Jagr jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday was an unmitigated, fun-filled success. Until roughly the second intermission of the game itself. By then, you could tell that the Penguins were just trying to nurse a 1-0 lead against the Los Angeles Kings. Their putrid power...
LeBron James committed to Paris Olympics; health remains big key
INDIANAPOLIS — LeBron James still wants to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer, sure sounds like extending his NBA career for at least a couple more seasons is an option and said he would like to see his playing days end as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers....
Penguins crumble late in 3rd, fall to Kings
For the majority of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ eventual 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins were in control, leading by a goal and looking good to cap Jaromir Jagr’s jersey retirement night on a high note. If only hockey games were 54...
Artemi Panarin rallies Rangers over Islanders in OT in outdoor game
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Artemi Panarin scored 10 seconds into overtime, and the New York Rangers rallied from three goals down to beat the rival New York Islanders, 6-5, in a Stadium Series game Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Panarin knocked in the puck off Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson and goalie...
NASCAR teams have hired top antitrust lawyer on eve of Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR teams have hired one of the country’s top antitrust and sports lawyers to advise them in their ongoing dispute with the family-owned stock car series over a new revenue-sharing model. The decision to hire Jeffrey Kessler, partner and co-executive chair of Winston & Straw LLP,...
Penguins retire Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68 on ‘a great day for me’
There probably isn’t vocabulary — in any language — to fully explain what took place Sunday at PPG Paints Arena. Honestly, a gently affectionate 78-year-old lady from Czechia who speaks limited English probably did the best to illustrate the emotions that flooded the venue. She cried. Bawled, really. And her...
