The Pitt women's basketball team is coming off a very successful season that saw the Panthers land in the NCAA Tournament and star player Brianna Kiesel land in the WNBA. That was enough for the Panthers to hand head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio a lengthy contract extension on Friday. Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes announced that McConnell-Serio has been extended through the 2020-21 season. McConnell-Serio came to Pitt from Duquesne in 2013 and quickly turned around the Pitt ... Read More
Pitt’s Michael Young named to NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee
Pitt forward Michael Young had a pretty solid season on the court last year and will be one of the Panthers top performers this coming season as well. Young was an honorable mention on the All-ACC team last season and more importantly was on the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Academic Basketball Team. Young has parlayed all of that into a bigger responsibility off the court. The junior forward and Duquesne native has been selected by the NCAA to serve as a student-athlete ... Read More
Pitt schedules home and home with Cincinnati; other notes
After adding future non-conference games against the likes of Penn State, Oklahoma State and others the past few years, Pitt added another future opponent by committing to a home-and-home series against a familiar foe. Pitt has officially added former Big East rival Cincinnati to their football schedule for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The Panthers and Bearcats will tee it up on September 9, 2023 in Pittsburgh, while Pitt will play at Cincinnati on September 7, 2024. Pitt has played ... Read More
Brown F Rafeal Maia transfers to Pitt
Jamie Dixon landed his second graduate transfer in a week’s time on Sunday when it was reported that Brown power forward Rafael Maia would be transferring to Pitt. Maia, like Coppin State guard Sterling Smith, who transferred to Pitt last week, will be eligible to play right away. He stands 6-foot-9 and last season averaged 9.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, shooting 53.8 percent from the field. He should be able to help the Panthers on the glass, which was a weak spot of the team last ... Read More
Durand Johnson transfers to St. Johns
It didn’t take very long for former Pitt swingman Durand Johnson to find himself a new home. Johnson officially transferred to St. Johns on Wednesday, following former Pitt assistant coach Barry Rohrssen to the Red Storm, where he will suit up for new St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin. The Baltimore native announced his decision to leave the Panthers on April 14. Johnson was expected to be a big piece of the Panthers offense the past couple seasons, but it never came to fruition. He ... Read More
Pitt lands Coppin State G Sterling Smith
It not only was a tough season for the Pitt basketball program, but it has been a tough offseason to this point. Things got a little bit better for Jamie Dixon on Friday when he landed some help for next year's team. Pitt landed 6-foot-4 shooting guard Sterling Smith, a transfer from Coppin State. Because Smith has already graduated, he will be eligible to play for the Panthers next season. The signing of Smith should help lighten the blow of losing Durand Johnson, who elected to ... Read More
Jamel Artis, Michael Young named honorable mention ACC
To say it has been a disappointing season for the Pitt Panthers would be an understatement and that disappointment has been reflected in the ACC postseason honors. The Panthers went without a member on the 2014-15 All-ACC Basketball Team, although both Jamel Artis and Michael Young were named honorable mentions. Thanks to a very strong close to the conference season, Artis nearly cracked the third team, but finished seven points behind North Carolina's Brice Johnson for a spot on that ... Read More
Pitt’s Brianna Kiesel named All-ACC First Team
It has been a surprisingly good season for the Pitt Panthers women’s basketball team this season. After being picked to finish last in the ACC, the Pitt women finished the regular season 19-11 (9-7 ACC) and could be on the cusp of making the NCAA Tournament. A big part of Pitt’s success this season was due to the performance of senior guard Brianna Kiesel. Monday, Kiesel was named First Team All-ACC and to the All-ACC Defensive Team. Kiesel finished the season averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 ... Read More
Chris Jones shoots Pitt past Syracuse
Needing a big win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the Pitt Panthers needed to go into a building they are very familiar with and defeat a former Big East Conference rival they defeated just two weeks prior. Thanks to a 16 point, six assist and six rebound effort from Jamel Artis and some hot shooting from Chris Jones, Pitt went into the Carrier Dome and knocked off Syracuse 65-61, keeping those slim tournament hopes alive. Things didn’t come easy for Pitt (18-10, 7-7 ACC) as ... Read More
2015 NCAA Tournament: Breaking down the ACC’s bubble teams
With the 2015 NCAA Tournament only weeks away, Pitt Panthers fans are left wondering if the Panthers will be dancing when the tournament field is announced in March. With the likes of Virginia, Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame and North Carolina all locks to be in the field of 68, there are a couple questions that will need to be answered the final few weeks of the regular season. Those questions being: Who will be the ACC’s sixth team in the tournament, and does the ACC even deserve six ... Read More