Pitt head coach Jeff Capel met with the media on Monday morning as part of the weekly ACC coaches Zoom meeting. Capel discussed his team’s upset win over Duke from Saturday and also looked ahead to tomorrow’s game with Georgia Tech on a short turnaround. Here is a complete rundown of everything he had to say.
We’ve seen Blake be a leader several times this season, but how have you seen some of your other players step into leading roles?
Capel: Well, Blake is our leader. I think he’s been the leader all year. He’s learning how to find his voice as far as leadership is concerned, but we’ve had other guys who have played well in big moments, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are leaders, but they have played well in big moments. Leadership is something that you are constantly learning, constantly trying to figure out, you have to grow into it. There’s some people that are natural guys with it, but we have had some guys step up in big moments and make some big plays for us.
Zack Austin played 37 minutes with six points, five rebounds, and three blocks. He came off the bench for a few games. How do you think he responded to that and are you getting what you wanted out of him after that benching?
Capel: I don’t look at when we make a change to our lineup as benching somebody. To me, when you bench somebody they don’t play, so we just made a change in our lineup. He’s been terrific. He responded. He played better. He’s played better and done some things as far as defensively. He’s gotten way better at guarding perimeter guys and that’s something that is a little bit new for him, especially at this level. At High Points he was mainly at the four. He’s had some big games for us offensively as far as shooting the basketball. I think he has played with more athleticism. He’s a very good athlete and I think he’s displayed that more with shot blocks and with some of the things that he’s done. But I think he’s played with strength, force, and I think he’s done some really good things for us.
With a couple days removed from that win on Saturday, what have you been able to see from your team as far as confidence added, not just because of the win but how you did it with seeing the ball go through the hoop a few times as well?
Capel: We’ve moved onto the next play. We’re going to play a good team on their home court tomorrow night, a team that’s tough, athletic, and really shoots the ball and has been very efficient offensively, and that’s hungry. I think Coach Stoudamire and his staff have done a really, really good job. We did some good things to put us in a position to win the other night. I was really proud of that, but we’ve got to move on and I think we’ve done that. We traveled here yesterday down to Atlanta and had a little bit of a shorter practice and we’ll head over to practice today and hopefully have a great day of preparation and be prepared to play tomorrow.
I was just wondering what you might have said to Blake about his little outburst at the end of the game.
Capel: That’s private between me and Blake, me and our team. Certainly when you win a road game in a very, very tough environment, it’s emotional. Our game elicits emotion, good and bad, and that’s a tough place to win. Not many people get a chance to win there and our guys were really excited. I’ve been on the other end on that bench when teams have won there and there’s excitement. My stuff with Blake and our team will stay with us, but we were just happy to get a win against a really good team in a very tough environment.
One thing Blake said after the game when we asked him about what was different at practice this past week. He emphasized it wasn’t about being different, but something you said that enough was enough. As a coach how do you balance wanting to change things for the sake of change versus sticking to the things you know this team can win with the style of basketball you guys are working on?
Capel: I believe in what we do. I believe in what we do and how we do it. You’re dealing with 18-24 year olds, so sometimes they don’t completely understand, or it takes a little bit of time to get it. Blake is right, we didn't change anything that we did. I just thought the spirit in which we did things was different. That was the difference. It was like it was a little bit earlier in the year when we first started this journey together. As you go through a season, there are times you can lose confidence. You get knocked back, and when that happens sometimes belief wavers. Not necessarily belief in what you’re doing, but belief in yourself. You lose a little bit of confidence. I think it’s our job to try to stay consistent and try to help these guys believe and more than anything it’s to tell them the truth. This is what is required to win and for them to be able to go out and execute it. We haven’t had a situation, I don’t think, where there’s been a lack of trying. I don't think we've had that. We haven’t had bad attitudes. It’s just understanding what’s right and what’s required. We were able to do that against Duke. My hope is that we are able to do that consistently as we go forward.
Lowe has had at least nine points in his last six games. Do you think his scoring has led to more space and opportunities for other guys on your team?
Capel: I think he’s played well. I think it’s coinciding with him being healthier. He has the burst back that he had in high school and as we first started in July before he got a little bit banged. I think that helps everything. I think that helps our team out in different ways. Obviously he scored, had points, and made big shots against Duke, but he also had six assists and zero turnovers. He is a guy who can create stuff for our guys because of his quickness and ability to penetrate. Certainly the scoring helps because you don’t play off of him as much anymore or perhaps teams are a little bit more concerned with his ability to score as opposed to earlier in the year. I just think he’s healthier and more confident with experience.
When a player such as Blake gets on a run like he did the other night. Do you as a coach let it go organically or do you find yourself drawing up stuff and saying, ‘get him the ball’ ?
Capel: Yea, I think it’s a little of both. It just depends on the player. I’ve had guys who have been on rolls and you just keep running stuff for them and keep calling their number and normally that’s a guy who can create some stuff off the bounce, you give him space, and stuff like that. If you have a guy like Blake that’s a shooter, sometimes it’s a little bit tougher because defenses are drawn to them and he doesn’t really put the ball on the floor. I thought one of the biggest things is that he was able early in the game to get out in transition. He had two early threes in transition where he was open. The rest of the game we ran some things for him where he got some screens and he was able to get some separation. But he also hit a couple of threes where the defense was really good and he was just on a roll like that. It just kind of depends, sometimes it does happen organically. I think, for me, it depends on the player that you have and sometimes you do just keep calling their number.
You have done another great job of bringing in some veterans this year through the portal. You mentioned the quick turnaround with the game tomorrow night. In these scenarios after big road wins, how important is it to have leadership to focus on the next opponent.
Capel: It’s really important. Look, in our league when you have an opportunity to beat a Duke or North Carolina, just because of the traditions of their program, it’s a big deal. As an adult, I understand how to move on, but for an 18-23 year old kid that grew up watching those two programs and understand the history of Cameron Indoor Stadium or the Smith Center. I mean, that’s what those two programs specifically and I think there’s probably one or two others in the country that have that historical significance. That’s why it’s heavy on those guys, the players that play there. Because they have to deal with it all the time. For us, it is important to move on to the next play. It is important to flush that and to understand we have another big game against a team that beat Duke when Duke was whole down here in Atlanta and were up 10 on them in the second half a few games ago. So they are a really good team. They are tough, athletic, and can really, really shoot the ball well. They’re confident and if we’re not ready to play, then we’re going to get our butts kicked. It’s important for not only our veterans, but for all of our guys to understand like this is where we are. It’s the middle of January and now it’s towards the end of January and now is where college basketball is about. You have to move on. You can’t stay in the past. You’ve got to take the rearview mirrors off and be forward thinking and forward moving.
