Capel on Carrington, defense, the win and more

Jeff Capel talked about defense, lessons for Pitt's young players and more after Friday night's 89-60 win over Binghamton.

Here's the full rundown of what he said.

Capel: Well, first and foremost, I’m really proud of our team. This was a really good game for us, because we played against a team this older, they’re a veteran hard-playing team, and we knew they would come in here with a lot of confidence because of their performance on Monday against Northwestern. And they really came after us to start the game defensively. They were physical and they just played really, really hard. I thought we generated good looks early; we just didn’t make them. But I thought we defended well. Now, they hit six three’s in the first half; I think last year they averaged seven made three’s a game. The kid Walsh came in and made a couple and Torrence made a couple, and that’s on me because that was a little bit of our game plan to kind of back off. But I thought we were able to make some shots to push it to 15, but then we didn’t end the half well. I was really, really proud of how we started the second half. We talked about at halftime to play with more poise, don’t get sped up. I thought we defined, and that led to us being really, really good offensively.

We needed a game like this where we didn’t have as much separation at halftime as we’ve had. I think we learned a lot in this game, so I’m really, really proud my team.

I want to say a special - I’ve already done it, but just, their coach, Levell Sanders and what his wife is dealing with. He’s not here with his team. He’s over in the Czech Republic, so our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Hopefully his wife is able to make a full recovery and get healthy and then Levell’s able to get back with his team.

What did you see that you guys had to do defensively when they were cutting to get open?
Capel: Yeah, one of the big things is that we, at times, get caught watching the ball. We don’t see ball, you and man, and that’s the easiest time to cut. And they’re a smart team and they did that. The other time is when we give up straight-line penetration. When we guard the ball and keep the ball in front, then it’s hard to get - you know, you’re not in rotation as much and you’re not having to help as much. Where we got caught in the first half on some of those cuts is, it’s habit that we have to continue to work on and break consistently, we have to see man, you and ball all the time. And then we have to do a really good job of keeping the ball in front.

I thought we did a much better job in the second half of that, of both things. I think that’s why their percentages were lower. And for us, it enabled us to get out in transition a little bit more.

What I asked Ish about, as far as balancing that mentality and that mindset. How have you worked with him on that and how have you seen him adjust what he was doing before to playing with this team now?
Capel: I don’t want him to adjust it. I want him to be aggressive. I want him to be who he is. I think that he understands he has some really good players around him. But I want Ish to be Ish, and we want to try to help him continue to get better. I thought he played outstanding tonight, not just the points and the rebounds but he did a heck of a job defensively. His assignment to start was Petcash; Petcash had one field goal. So I thought he did a really, really good job there. But I don’t want him to change who he is to try to fit in. We have to understand who he is and we’ll adjust. We’ll fit in around him.

Is it refreshing to see your team weather some storms in this game, like at the start when it looked like Binghamton was going to hang in?
Capel: Yeah, it was really good for us. I mean, it was. We knew it. We told them all week: they’re going to come out and they’re going to play really, really hard. They’re older, physical guys, especially on the perimeter. And they’re going to come after us. And they did: the very first possession, we won the tip and right away, Harried gets right up and presses up on Bub. I thought we were a little bit frantic. I thought it made us play a little bit faster than we wanted to. That was good for us. I thought we adjusted as the game went on, especially in the second half, and we were able to get to spots, get the ball to where we wanted to get it to, and then we were able to make shots. In the first half, I thought we were generating really good shots; we just didn’t make them. I don’t know why. But I want them to continue taking those shots as long as they’re good shots.

But I thought the defense was really good throughout. In the first half, they had 32; if we get that rebound at the end instead of just trying to tip it, maybe it’s just 30, their percentage is a little bit lower. Those are the plays that we have to clean up. Just go grab the ball instead of trying to tip it out.

For Bub, is seeing that kind of pressure something he has to see in a game before he can understand how it really is?
Capel: Yeah, at this level. I mean, I’m pretty sure he saw it in high school at times and people try to do stuff, but they’re better players now. Torrence, he was a good player at Marquette, he was a good player at Syracuse and that’s what he’s known for, is defense. He’s a 24-year old good player that’s a physical guard. Petcash is a 24-year old college graduate that’s getting his masters. Harried is a 23, 24-year old. That’s a big difference between a 23, 24-year old and an 18-year old. And Bub just turned 18. So all of these experiences are good for him. He’s going to continue to learn, as is Jaland, as is Ish at this level, all the time, and I think our team will continue to learn and hopefully we’ll continue to get better.

Speaking about that, is there anything you’ve seen out of Jaland these last two games that will help his development moving forward?
Capel: He’s a good player, and I think he’s played well. He just hasn’t shot well. He hasn’t made shots. But I thought his passing was really good. I thought he made the right play. It was good to see one go down or it got goal-tended. But as long as he’s taking good shots and making good plays - and I think his defense has been tremendous. One of the things I told him after North Carolina A&T, when I went back and I watched film - and we tried to highlight it the next day - he was outstanding defensively. He didn’t get screened, he fought through stuff and I thought he did a really good job defensively today.

How unusual is it for a guy like Bub to be in on-the-job training and get a triple-double and follow it up with 18 points?
Capel: He’s a good player. So I don’t think it’s unusual for a good player to play well, even when you’re young. He has a lot of experience, not necessarily in college, but playing. He grew up in a gym where he was around pros, like NBA guys, a lot. So that’s who he played with. He worked out with those guys. He’s been exposed to a lot of stuff. As has Jaland. So I think maturity-wise, as far as basketball, they’re a little bit more advanced than a normal freshman; you’re just seeing it with Bub more because he’s making shots and we want him to continue to make shots. But he’s a good player. I’m not surprised by it.

Fede had a play on a fast break where they had a 2-on-1 on him but he stuck in the paint and kind of timed it out and eventually got a block; is that a result of him learning how to use his length better or is he just becoming a smarter player?
Capel: I thought he made those plays last year. He’s a really, really outstanding defensive player, and he has great defensive instincts, he protects the basket, I think he’s dynamic in ball screen coverages, and that’s an advantage when you have a big that can really defend the ball screen multiple ways. He can switch and sit down and play a guard. He had a heck of a play in the second half where he switched out on Petcash, then he switched on Torrence and kept both of them in front, used his length and didn’t allow them to get penetration to the basket. So he’s a really good defensive player.

The and-one that Bub had where it looked like he bounced up and might have been getting worked up. The guy I noticed was Guillermo seemed to sprint across the court and grab him and really pull him back. Guillermo’s not an old guy; is that some good leadership to see out of him?
Capel: Yeah. He’s not old but he’s experienced, and he understands. He understands Bub’s importance.

The kid that, I think, was guarding him, they grew up together. Harried’s in Baltimore; his dad was a great coach at Lake Clifton High School, coached some great players. So that’s a friendly rivalry they’ve had for awhile.

I want my guys to show emotion; we’ve just got to be smart about it. We can’t allow what other teams are doing to take us out of what we’re trying to do. So I thought it was great that G and the other guys went right away and grabbed Bub, because they knew that he was playing with a lot of emotion, just to share that emotion with us.

Do you feel like he responded to that well?
Capel: Yeah, he’s a good player and he’s going to continue to get better and better. He’s going to continue to learn from each experience. One of the things I love about he and Jaland - you can coach them hard and they want to learn. They really do. They’re gym rats. Same thing with Ish. So it’s been a good group, a really good group of guys to be around and to work with, because they really, really want to be good and all of these experiences will help us be that.