Jeff Capel, Bub Carrington and Ishmael Leggett spoke to the media after Pitt's 96-60 win over UPJ on Wednesday night. Here's a video and a full transcript of what they had to say.
Capel: Before I discuss this game, I want to send my thoughts and prayers to Coach Knight’s family. Coach Knight has meant so much to the game of basketball. He was one of the greatest coaches ever, in any sport. He was a brilliant basketball mind and really touched so many of the players that had a chance to play for him. He touched their lives and helped them become better men. So I’m really thinking about and praying for his family, the Indiana basketball family, the Texas Tech basketball family and where he started at West Point. We lost a giant of the game of basketball today, so my heart’s a little bit heavy. I coached in the league with Coach Knight when I was at Oklahoma and he was at Texas Tech for a couple of years and enjoyed my time with him. So I’m thinking about him and his family.
I want to thank Pitt-Johnstown for this game today. Really impressed with how hard they play, how hard they cut offensively, how they move the basketball, their movement. It’s different from anything that we’ve seen, as far as what we do in practice and from the one scrimmage that we had. I thought we adjusted and did a little bit better job - a much better job, I should say, in the second half, especially the first 12 to 15 minutes of guarding their action. But I really like their team and I wish them luck on the season.
Obviously pleased with the outcome of this game. It was good to play with the lights on, with people here, and to see how we would be in this type of environment. I thought we did some really good things and we see some things that we need to work on. We’re excited about that process of working on them and gettin better. We’ll have tomorrow off and then we’ll have three days, three and a half days, to prepare for our opener on Monday. We’re excited about it and look forward to getting better on Friday.
Bub, you led the team with six assists. How have you felt you’re developing that rhythm with the team?
Carrington: It’s really just repping it out in practice. You get to know your teammates when you play with them every day. I know where they like the ball, the plays when we run, when to get off of it, when to stay on the ball. So it’s just really repping it out with them every day. I trust them. I know we’re all elite shooters. So it’s like, really, they’re making my job easier. I just get it to them.
For both of you guys, how was it to play a game at the Petersen Events Center against a different opponent?
Carrington: It was nice. It’s bright. It’s definitely bright in there. They told us, it wasn’t packed because it was just an exhibition game, but I could just tell I like the energy, and I feel like it’s going to be a good season.
Leggett: Yeah, it was a great feeling, just out there with the crowd, our home crowd, and I can’t wait to stack wins there. I’m super excited.
Ish, you played with both Bub and Jaland tonight running the point. What are the differences between the two when you’re on the wing?
Leggett: Two great PG’s, first and foremost. I’ve gotten to witness their growth this summer, and it’s been amazing, just having them right next to me in the backcourt. But honestly, they make my job easy. They put the ball in the pocket where I need it, and vice-versa. I think we gel off each other well and I’m super excited to be backcourt partners with both of them.
Bub, do you consider yourself to be a pass-first player?
Carrington: I consider myself a great decision-maker, so if I have to pass first or I have to look to score, I feel like Coach trusts me enough to make that decision and I trust myself enough to make that decision. So I wouldn’t really put a label on it.
Is that something you had to learn how to do? Did someone teach you?
Carrington: Yeah, definitely. I definitely learned that first from my dad, being a coach. He coached a lot of good guards and he just kind of always instilled that in me. If you’re going to have the ball in your hands, you have to know when to go and when not to go. He’s been telling me that for a long time.
I have a question for Coach, a two-parter. Where did you find the twins and what did you like about their play? And how do you tell them apart?
Capel: Well, the twins came over to the states two years ago and went to IMG Academy down in Florida, and that’s where we found out about them. We went down there several times. One of my associate head coaches, Tim O’Toole, really led that recruitment and got to know them, got to know the family, brought them up after the season for an official visit and just kind of hit it off.
It’s gotten easier to tell them apart after being with them for a year. There are a couple of things - you know, their haircuts are a little bit different, they move different. Jorge’s kind of the bouncier one, usually moving a little bit faster, where G is the little bit slower one. And if you talk to them, it’s really easy to tell them apart, because Guillermo’s the more serious one and G is the one that’s just kind of a little bit of a clown. I mean, Jorge. I’m sorry. Jorge’s a little bit of a clown. But they’re unbelievable kids.
Bub and Ish, did it take you guys a long time to figure out who was who?
Carrington: It took me a week. It took him like four months.
Leggett: It took me a good little minute. So when I first got down here, I just said ‘Twins’ to both of them and it just wasn’t working for me, so one of them has an earring, and when you really pay attention, their faces are different, so I’ll really be locked in on their facial features.
Jorge was very active tonight, was’t he, Jeff?
Capel: Yeah, he was terrific. Again, he missed the majority of the summer from July on with his injury, so getting back and being able to play, getting his wind back, getting game speed, getting - you know, defending and the physicality of it, but I thought he was very active, cut very well without the basketball, made his free throws. I thought he really did some nice things out there.
Coach, Will had five offensive rebounds. What did you see from him out there?
Capel: It was great, and it was really cool to see how excited he was. Sometimes, you don’t realize how much something means to you until you don’t have it, and he didn’t have it last year. He was a part of it, but he wasn’t a part of the action. When we came to shoot-around today, he was incredibly excited and I thought he did some really good things defensively, rebounding the basketball, making some good decisions after the rebounds, kicking it out to shooters, giving us extra possessions. We’re going to need him to be really good defensively for us and to be a really good rebounder for us.
Ish, it looked like Fede was feeding you a little bit when he was in the post and you were kind of working around. What kind of chemistry have you developed with him?
Leggett: Great connection. I know whenever Fede gets the ball, if I’m open, he’s going to pass it, so I take advantage of the defense’s positioning and we just find each other, just give and give, and it goes both ways.
Jeff, you spoke in the open scrimmage about how you’re looking for guards to score off the bounce a little bit here. What did you think about the two guys’ ability to do that today?
Capel: Yeah, I thought all three of our guards, they have the ability to do that. Now, we know as we go forward and the competition level increases, we’re going to have to be sharper with what we do with that. My big thing with these three guys is just being really good decision-makers. I want them to have the freedom to be creative when they see something and feel something, to do it. There was one time I know in the second half, Jaland passed up a shot. I think Bub was there and I’m yelling, like, ‘Shoot the basketball.’ I’ll tell you when it’s a bad shot. I want them to have that freedom, but I want them to be really good decision-makers. And knowing when to pass it - I thought Bub had a time in the second half where he had an opportunity, which we do every day in practice and have done it at a really high level, where he took a shot, it wasn’t a bad shot, but we had a better shot. That’s what I want from them and all of our guys all the time.
On the note of decision-making, when you’re playing against a Division II opponent, there are going to be defensive mismatches where guys just might be tempted to go iso and kind of take over. How nice is it to see you assisted on 19 of 32 baskets, seven turnovers and you guys played a really clean game?
Capel: Yeah, we did. But I thought it could have been cleaner. I know it could have been cleaner. And I’m really excited to watch the tape and to be able to have some things when we get back together on Friday to show these guys individually and then to show our team collectively ways that we can be better, especially defensively.
To both players, there were a lot of times Zack was going right to the rim. What kind of energy was he bringing, also defensively?
Carrington: He brought explosive energy. With Zack, you never know when he’s going to be on ESPN top ten, and it’s definitely exciting to play with him. It’s definitely an advantage. It’s always an advantage to have a super athlete on the court.
Bub, this is your last warmup before the first game of the season. What’s the feeling right now - excited, nervous?
Carrington: Everyone is going to be a little nervous, but I feel like I’m ready. I definitely feel like I’m ready for it.
What do you think is the difference for you at the point with G being out there at the five and Fede being out there at the five?
Carrington: It’s just different strengths. G can stretch the floor a little bit more, you know, he’s going to shoot. He can pass a little bit better. G kind of brings it more offensively and Fede brings it more defensively. Fede is going to block shots, he’s going to hit screens hard, he’s also going to catch lobs. They’re both really good at what they do and they do different things.
Ish, you took a lot of shots at your last stop. The fact that you have some diverse threats on the floor who can shoot, does that make your job a little easier?
Leggett: Yeah, for sure. Just playing within myself, honestly. I have a lot of confidence, but I know other guys around me are great basketball players, so it just makes everything easier when you have great basketball players next to you.
It looked like Fede and the twins looked more confident with and without the ball. Would you say they’ve made that progress?
Capel: I think so. I think experience is the best teacher. All three of them got great experience last year. Fede more so all season, G really stepped up when Fede got hurt in the postseason and played really well, as did Jorge. All three of them have had really, really good summers. They’ve really worked and put in a lot of work on their games, on their bodies, and I just think they’re more comfortable right now with the experience that they’ve gotten.
How ready do you feel you are for Monday night?
Capel: We’re not ready yet. We will be by Monday. This game was really good for us to see some things defensively. It’s a completely different style from what we defend every day in practice and from what we defended in the scrimmage, because it was more motion, more movement, and those guys cut really, really hard, they screen, and so you have to have your head on a swivel. We didn’t do as good a job in the first half of that. I thought we got a little bit tired, which is to be expected with a lot of people, nervous energy, but also their movement. So we really have to hone in on that, we have to be able to guard the ball a little bit better. I thought the first 12 to 14 minutes of the second half, we did a much better job of that. I think in the first 12 minutes of the second half, I think they only had nine points. 10 points. They had 39. So we did a much better job once we got up to speed and got comfortable with their movement. So that’s something we’re going to have to work on, but we’re excited about the process of working.
How would you assess Blake’s game today?
Capel: I thought Blake was okay. I mean, he’s a weapon. He didn’t make as many shots. He made his free throws. I thought he did some good things with passing. We’re not worried about him making shots. He will make shots. I thought his leadership was outstanding, so I thought he did some really good things.
You’ve had to remake your backcourt with new guys. With that in mind, what kind of expectations do you have for this group?
Capel: I expect us to keep getting better. Just like we did last year. I expect us to grow. I expect us to have some adversity at times, hopefully not a lot, but to learn from each situation and to get better and to work every day. I really like my team. I like the guys on the team. I enjoy being around them. They want to be good. They want to be coached. They’re gym rats. So it’s great being around them every day and I’m excited about the process of getting better.
What did Bub do to earn the start tonight?
Capel: Look, he’s played well. He’s a really good player. I mean, he’s played well in just about every practice and we just felt like he was the best guy for today.
How do you feel about the chemistry between your new players and the ones returning from last year?
Capel: I think our chemistry has been really, really good. We’ve been together sort of whole - we had a week or so in late June, early July before Federiko had to go back to Finland for the national team, where we had everyone here. And then for most of the summer, we had everyone except for Federiko. And then Mike joined us late. But it’s been really, really good. It’s been really good. I think the chemistry has been really good.
Do you think you’ll rebound better this year?
Capel: I hope so. I mean, I hope we - look, that’s a concern, so we have to rebound the basketball better and hopefully we - I hope we can make a jump defensively like we did offensively last year.
How do you feel about the ball movement tonight?
Capel: I thought, at times, it was good. At times, it was choppy. I thought in the first half, our spacing in transition wasn’t great. But again, I expected that, just with people here. It’s amazing what these lights do. And it’s great to have an exhibition like this where you have this, so hopefully we can get some of that out of us - the nerves, the wanting-to-impress, all these different - and the thoughts that go on - ‘I have to do, I have to do,’ instead of ‘We have to do.’ I thought when we did that, it was really good. But we have to do it all the time.
