For Pitt, there’s a heightened sense of urgency as the team approaches its final game of the 2018-19 regular season.
This game, a Saturday matchup against Notre Dame at home, represents a chance to break a losing streak that has extended to 13 games and a chance to conjure up some pride. Directly, it’s a chance to improve the team’s standing in the upcoming ACC Tournament from the 15th to 14th seed, as the Panthers and Fighting Irish hold the two worst records in the conference.
But perhaps more than anything, Pitt will be playing for its seniors, Jared Wilson-Frame and Sidy N’Dir. That much will be apparent when those two, along with walk-on Joe Mascaro, are honored before the game, but already, that desire to win for the trio has fueled the team.
“Big, big urgency, man," N'Dir said this week. "At the end of the day, that’s my last game. I definitely want to win this game for Jared as well, for the seniors.
“We lost a lot of games, and it’s definitely our last chance to prove that we’re worth way more than that.”
N’Dir and Wilson-Frame have followed similarly circuitous paths to Pitt. N’Dir spent four season at New Mexico State before transferring. Wilson-Frame played two season of JUCO basketball at Northwest Florida State before spending a year under Kevin Stallings prior to his final year year with Jeff Capel.
In collective Pitt careers sparse of ACC wins, Saturday will be an opportunity for N’Dir and Wilson-Frame to make a positive memory, a virtual last impression of winning among the struggles.
“It’s big. It’s really emotional to know that it’s probably the last time we’re gonna wear that jersey,” N’Dir said.
“It’s really heavy in my heart to lose a lot of games this year. I really don’t want to leave as a loser. I want to be part of something big, still.”
Thoughts of finality of his college career have weighed on N’Dir leading up to today's game, even if his time might not be over. Having missed all but nine games due to a foot injury in his sophomore season at New Mexico State, N’Dir could apply to the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, an option he has thought about, should professional opportunities not be presented to him.
For Wilson-Frame, though, this is it. He said he hasn’t thought much about the significance of the game, and has tried not to, as he believes he plays his best when his mind his clear.
“I feel like it’s not gonna really hit me until it’s kind of getting late into the game probably, especially if it’s a close game the last couple minutes, that’s when I’ll take it all in,” Wilson-Frame. “I know it’s senior night. I have that in the back of my head. But it’s not something that’s really in the forefront of my thoughts right now.”
In recent times, Wilson-Frame has thought about the alternative paths his college career could’ve taken, or the alternative path he wishes he took. About a month ago, Wilson-Frame said he told Capel that he wished he could have played for him since he was 18 years old.
In a relatively short period of time, the two have formed a bond, as Wilson-Frame represented the only returning senior from last year’s team. With Wilson-Frame’s leadership, Capel has started to lay the groundwork of the program he wants to build, the standards he desires to set.
For a person who admittedly hasn’t taken joy from his personal success this season, since it’s come with minimal team success, Wilson-Frame will take pride in that on Saturday.
“That’s really something that Coach Capel personally always says to me and has said since the first day. He called me when he got the job, (a told me) that he was going to need me to be a leader on this team and to set an example for everybody,” Wilson-Frame said.
“Not just the younger guys, but everybody on the team, so that everybody can know that there’s a standard that we’re gonna have in this program for now.”
