Jeff Capel met the media on Wednesday and talked about Will Jeffress, role players, Friday's game against Jacksonville and more. Here's video and a full rundown of what he said.
Looking at your next opponent, it looks like they rebound the basketball well. Is that a big point of emphasis this week?
Capel: Huge point of emphasis. I think they’re second in the country and fourth in offensive rebounds, so it’s one of the best offenses to get it up there. They’re rotating in four or five bigs that are physical and that are relentless on the glass. That was a point of emphasis for us today and it will be tomorrow, it will be Friday, it will be shoot around, and hopeful by the time we get to the game, we can do a good job of being physical and blocking out.
Are you happy with where your team is in rebounding?
Capel: I am, for the most part. I still think we can get better. As a coach, you’re constantly trying to be perfect. But I do think we’ve done a pretty good job of it.
How did the players take to the teachable moments from the FGCU game?
Capel: Yeah, today was the first day getting back and I think they saw it. They saw some of the mistakes that we made and some of the things that we have to correct. You know, creating the habit of consistently sitting down in a stance; of consistently having active help side where you see your man and the ball; being able to rotate; the consistency of talk; playing post defense before the guy gets the ball. Those are the big areas where we have to really become consistent. We’ve been good at them, but we haven’t been consistently good, and that team was able to expose it maybe a little bit more. So that was a point of emphasis again today, and we’re just trying to create those habits.
What were the points of emphasis of Guillermo defensively?
Capel: Post defense before his guy gets the basketball. Knowing what ball screen coverage that we’re in and being able to be consistently good at it. And playing with more force.
On Will Jeffress:
Capel: I think last year, as much as it hurt him on a personal level, I thought it was good for him to have a chance to sit and to watch. I would have preferred to have him out there, but I do think there was a silver lining with it. He got a chance to really take a year and work on his body. I think you can see that, how much stronger he is, both physically and mentally, because he had to fight for something. He had to fight to get back. And I think that shows out there on the court. He’s a guy that doesn’t take being out there for granted. There’s a different maturity level to him, to his approach, and a different type of physicality that he’s able to play with and play through.
On what he has observed from other players going through a similar experience as Jeffress:
Capel: I think it shows the perseverance, I think it shows the love that they have for what they do. Sometimes we all are guilty of this: you take some things for granted, and sometimes it takes it being taken away from you for you to understand and realize how much you really love it, how much you care about it, and when you get that opportunity again, you know you’re going to make the most of it and you’re not going to take it for granted. So certainly Nike did that at a very high level and we hope Will can continue to do that.
On what goes into playing good defense:
Capel: I think it’s a lot of things. I think effort’s a big part of it. I think talking’s a big part of it. I think it’s being able to be smart and understand what we’re doing, what our game plan is. And from game to game, it could be different. And being able to focus and concentrate in the practice and preparation, whether it’s film study, whether it’s walk-through, whether it’s a breakdown, and understand why we’re doing it and then understanding how to execute it and being able to do it in real time, being able to do it when you’re tired, being able to push through tired, being able to defeat tired and being able to concentrate and focus when you’re tired.
Defense this season:
Capel: The first two games, I thought we defended pretty well. I didn’t think we did it consistently in our last game. Now, I thought we did a good job defending the three. I think they were nine and a half per game last year and through their first two games this season, and we held them to seven and below 30%, so that was a point of emphasis. But we gave up 48% from the field; we don’t want to do that. We have to do a better job of guarding the basketball consistently. And in that game, we faced something different. We faced some post guys where they were going to throw the ball inside and look to attack from there. We have to be better in those situations.
On placing more emphasis on free throws:
Capel: Yep, there has been. There will be. There has been leading into it. We have to be able to make teams pay. Teams are averaging, in three games against Jacksonville, 25 free throw attempts a game. So they foul. A lot. We have to be able to make them pay.
Getting up for Jacksonville with bigger opponents scheduled for next week:
Capel: Well, we better be excited to play Jacksonville, because they’ll be excited to play us. The thing that we constantly talk about is being where we are, not looking behind, not looking ahead, being where our feet are and focusing on this moment and just trying to be 1-0. At times, I know that’s easier said than done. I understand that. Sometimes the opponent is human nature. For us, those first couple of games, even the exhibition game, it went really well, we played well, it was exciting, people around here are excited. We have to stay even. We can’t overreact either way - good or bad. We have to stay focused on the task at hand. That’s what we did today. I thought we did a good job of that today. We have to do it tomorrow and we have to be ready to play on Friday. Next Wednesday will take care of itself, and Friday after that and I don’t know when the next one is after that, but I know it’s someone big and we’ll be ready for it.
More on free throw shooting:
Capel: We really have three guys that have struggled in the games that have to do a better job. We as a team, collectively, can all do a better job. We’ve done a good job of it in practice, but there’s a different type of pressure in games with people there. We have to be able to step up and knock them down.
On three-point shooting:
Capel: It was something last year that we tried to be conscious of when we recruited - you know, going out and getting guys that can shoot. The first four years, we couldn’t. We just couldn’t. That was the reality. So we tried to be mindful of that in recruiting. We’ve tried to be mindful of that with this year’s team. I don’t think we’ve shot it as well as we’re capable of. We haven’t had a game yet where it’s clicking like we’ve seen in practice. Some of that’s a testament to defense. Some of it, we just missed shots. I thought we got some really good looks, some clean looks in the last game. We just missed some. But those are the shots I want our guys taking.
Who else can make more three’s?
Capel: Jorge. We saw it in the first game. Guillermo can shoot the basketball. Ish can shoot it. His volume’s not as high. Jaland made two the other day. He can shoot it. Mike can get in and shoot it. Will can make it; he’s got to do that a little more consistently. But I feel confident with everyone we put out. Fede’s not. That’s not who he is. But everyone else, we feel confident in them being able to shoot the basketball. As long as they’re good shots and come within the flow of what we’re doing.
With Will, his role is not a glamorous one, playing defense and rebounding. Did it take him some time to accept that as the way he can best help the team?
Capel: Well, that’s interesting. Like, who is it glamorous to? You know what I mean? That’s one of the things that a young player has to understand. All players. Not just young. All players have to understand, like, how do you get on the court? Like, what’s your role? What are you good at? I think so many young people try to be good as so many things, and the way the game is judged - I remember when I was younger playing, and it was different for me because my dad was a coach, so I was never asked after a game, ‘How did you play?’ Then the next question was, ‘How many points did you score?’ I was never asked that. Because that’s what most people look at as glamorous. As sexy. The scoring: ‘Oh, he can really shoot’ or ‘Man, this guy can really handle; did you see that crossover?’ And things like that. To me, man, being gritty and being able to really defend and being able to guard multiple positions, like, that’s so good.
Will had a play toward the end of the game. We showed it today. He guarded four people on a possession. Like, that’s big-time stuff, because it was two guards, it was two big guys, and to be able to sit down and to do that, like, that’s big-time. To me. Now, I’m a basketball guy. I’m not just a regular fan that just looks at SportsCenter and that’s all that they show. So one of the things we try to do is to get our guys to understand that every role is glamorous, because every role is important. To the managers. We can’t do what we do at a high level if our managers aren’t good, if they don’t do their job at a high level. So everyone should take pride in whatever their role is, whatever their strengths are and do it at a high level.
Now, to answer the second part, it does take time for guys to understand that. Because when they leave us, they’re going back and people are asking them, ‘How many points did you score? How many shots did you get?’ Or, ‘Man, you should be shooting.’ ‘Oh man, they’re looking you off.’ And you have to be strong. You have to be strong in who you are as a player and be like, ‘Hey, don’t talk to me about that. This is what I do for my team. This is how I can get on the court.’ It doesn’t mean that Will won’t ever shoot. It doesn’t mean that he won’t make plays for us offensively. I think he can be a good offensive player. But he can be a heck of a defender and he’s shown that. He really showed that in the last game.
The play where Jeffress defended four players:
Capel: This one was toward the end. I think we had maybe a little bit over two minutes, maybe a little bit under two minutes. He guarded every position. They had a side out of bounds; he switched on that to take the slice cut away. Then he switched on a ball screen, switched on another ball screen. I mean, it was a really cool thing to see.
The rest of the team seeing that play:
Capel: We try to highlight that because it’s really important to winning, being able to do that. Fede had a play - not the last game but against Binghamton - where he did something similar. He guarded three guys on the possession, and being able to sit down and to do that. So we have guys - we have multiple guys, I think, that can do that. I think Jorge can do it. Zack should be able to do it at a really high level, but the concentration and focus has to be there to be able to do that. Ish can do it.
I thought one of the biggest possessions of the game last game, Blake switched on their point guard and sat down and stayed in front of him and forced a turnover. So he’s shown that he can do it. You have to be consistently. It has to be who you are all the time, not just, ‘Well, we need a stop now.’ We need a stop all the time, so have the focus and the concentration to do that.
On Brandin Cummings and Amdy Ndiaye:
Capel: Yeah, we’ve known Beebah for awhile, obviously, with Nelly. Even before we started recruiting Nelly, we started recruiting Brandin. And it’s been really cool to watch him improve, to watch how much better he’s gotten, the time that he’s put in, you know, in the weight room and working on his game. He’s quiet, but he has this competitive fire that I love. And he really, really played well in the last spring and summer on the EYBL Circuit. He’s wired to score. I think he has a chance to be a heck of a defender and I think he’s going to continue get better and better. And he’s an unbelievable kid, which we know a lot about he and his family. So we were really excited when he committed; couldn’t talk about it, but when he signed, to have him and his family - not just him but his whole family to continue to be a part of our program.
And then Amdy is a guy that kind of has burst on our radar a little bit this summer but more so in the fall. He’s someone that we followed but we just saw how much better and better that he’s gotten. One of the things that we try to look at when we recruit, obviously talent but we really try to look at upside. How much better can they get? Because I think as long as a kid is willing to work, I think we’ve shown that we can help you get better. When we looked at him, he’s this 6’10” guy that can defend multiple positions, he has a high motor. If I remember right, I think two years or maybe three, two or three years ago, he was a 6’1” guard. And then he hit this growth spurt. So he’s ball-friendly, he can shoot and he’s a good athlete and he’s got a high motor. And he’s a really, really good kid. That’s one of the things we were able to see when we brought him in for an official visit.
It’s important for me, especially now, to have recruits around our team. I want to get what they think, what they feel. And all of them to a T said he fits us, he fits who we are. So we were really, really fortunate to get him and I think he’s a guy, like Brandin, that both of those guys have high upsides.
More on Ndiaye:
Capel: We heard about word of mouth and people up north told us about him and how much better he’s gotten. We started going up there this fall to see him, just as we were out. One of my assistants kind of makes the trek up there and goes and sees a bunch of schools and saw him, really was impressed by him, went back and watched and really was impressed even more. So I got a chance to go see him and watch some film and just the upside and started developing a relationship with him and got him.
Is Ndiaye’s upside similar to the Diaz Graham twins:
Capel: Definitely like that, like Mo, Mo Gueye a couple years ago. I wish we had him for more than one year, because you saw how much better he got. So it’s those three that he kind of reminds us of. In his own way. He’s different from all three, but he has some similarities.
On Pitt volleyball and Dan Fisher:
Capel: Yeah, Dan and I have had a good relationship since I’ve been here. Obviously, they’ve been the winningest program here at Pitt, in Pitt athletics. What he’s done has been amazing, so having a chance to talk to him and pick his brain about how he did it when he got here. And it’s important for the teams to be good. I love coming to other sporting events here and seeing our guys here. It’s not something we make them do. It’s something they want to do - to support. They have relationships with them. They have a common bond with them. So I love seeing other teams be successful. I think it helps all of us be successful.
On convincing players to serve as role players and “glue guys”:
Capel: One of the things that’s fascinating to me is, we’ve had guys - I’ve coached guys before, where you try to tell them that and they’re offended. You know what I mean? I had a kid before and I talked to him and I tried to use an example of an NBA guy. Just like, ‘If you can do this, this is what they’re paying these guys.’ And he was offended.
We had a scout at a practice a couple weeks ago and he’s talking about one of our guys. And he says to me, ‘He should really study P.J. Tucker.’ He was like, ‘P.J. Tucker is a guy that all 30 teams want.’ He said, ‘We tried to get him two years ago; we tried everything we could’ - and this is one of the better teams in the league - ‘We tried everything we could to get him.’ But you want a guy like that because he’s so tough, defensively he knows who he is, he can guard multiple positions and he can make an open three. Like, come on, man, what are we talking about? It’s hard for guys to figure that out and to accept that.
I told a kid years ago, I was talking to him - one of my best friends is the general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans. We talk all the time, especially as you get close to the Draft. He’ll call me to ask me about guys, guys we played against, guys we coached against. I see a lot of these kids in high school - ‘What do you know?’ Whatever. And then every year, I always ask, ‘Who do you like? Tell me who you like.’ Because I’m always fascinated by that stuff. And he says to me - this was before they made a couple of trades - but he’s like, ‘Look, we’ve got scoring, we have rebounding, we have all of this; what we really need is somebody that can defend these guys.’ And he said, ‘If they can defend at a high level, they’ll score in this league because they’ll be on the court, they’ll get a couple of layups, they may make a three, they’ll sprint, they’ll cut, they’ll get fouled.’ And he said, ‘You know, I’ll pay somebody 15, 17 million dollars a year for that.’ Like, come on. Then you say that to a guy and they get offended and their families get offended.
I have no idea. P.J. Tucker was Big 12 Player of the Year. And was a scorer. But how do you accept your role? He was a non-drafted guy. He went overseas. There’s a great clip that he talks about, like, people want to play this role. This is what you do: You may play 40 minutes and not touch the ball, but are you affecting winning? And the guys that get that, man, you have to understand who you are, what your strengths are, and it doesn’t mean you have weaknesses. It just means, like, ‘I’m really, really good at this. I can really defend. I can really pass. I can really defend a ball screen.’
There are guys in that league that make it that, like, they can’t make a post move. They can’t make a post move. ‘But I can defend a ball screen, I can rebound, I can be in the dunker’s spot, I can catch lobs. I’m really important.’ You may not throw the ball to me in the post.
When I did USA Basketball, we had some guys that were like first-team All-NBA that couldn’t make post moves. But they could defend a ball screen, you could throw it anywhere to them, they talked, they understood who they were. And that’s what this whole thing is about. And the really good teams - that’s one of the reasons I thought we were good last year - the parts fit and we understood who we were. Everyone understood, like, J.B., he’s the voice. Blake is the emotional guy. Nelly is the steady guy. Greg’s the shooter. Nike’s the wild card. Like, he can get going. Fede’s the guy that’s going to defend and defend everyone. G is going to come in and give us some minutes and he’s different from Fede. So all of that, and that’s what we’re trying to establish right now.
