Capel: 'They just want to win'

Jeff Capel, Jamarius Burton and Blake Hinson met the media after Pitt's win over No. 20 Miami on Saturday. Here's the full rundown of what they said.

Capel: Wow. What an unbelievable college basketball game. Two good teams fighting and competing. I’m really - first and foremost, I want to give a big-time shoutout to our student section and our crowd. Everyone. For this to be the first sellout since 2019 and we felt them, they gave us energy, they were with us, even when we didn’t play well. And our team felt it. So we’re incredibly, incredibly grateful for that.

I’m really proud of my team. We fought. We fought for 40 minutes. That’s something we talk about all the time. It’s not always going to be pretty, but as long as we’re together and we’re fighting for each other, the result at the end was beautiful, just because there’s so many teachable moments in this game, and the fact that, at the end, we won with our defense. I think we finished on an 11-0 run. We were able to get some stops. These guys stepped up and made big-time plays on both ends. One of the things we talked about was that we can’t get deflated if they hit tough shots, because they have tough-shot-makers. And Wong did that. But we kept fighting, we kept challenging them, and at the end, JB came up with a big-time steal and even the last play, you know, it’s 7.1 seconds, we have the ball, we turn it over and again, we didn’t get deflated. The guy that turned it over got the steal, got fouled, made two free throws to make it a three-point game.

That’s who we’ve been all year. My hope is that that’s who we continue to be and I’m really proud of this team.

JB, describe what’s being said amongst the team on the court after that final media timeout, right before you guys go on that run. What was discussed and how did you guys come together and finish so strong?
Burton: Yeah, for us, we just knew we had one more round. We play our game with 10 rounds every four minutes, and for us, we just try to win as many rounds as possible. So for us, we knew this was our last round and if we were going to win, we had to play our game and continue to play great defense down the stretch. And we were able to do that.

You guys held them without a bucket for the last two minutes and 20 seconds. This is the best shooting team in the ACC. What goes into an effort like that to limit such a team?
Burton: It just starts with our connectivity on the defensive end. We were communicating and all of us have a competitive drive. For us, we wanted this win bad and down the stretch, we just made enough plays.

At the end there, that steal you had on Wong, what was the plan defensively - just break down that play.
Burton: First and foremost, he’s a tough player. He’s a competitor. He hit me with two good shots down the stretch, and for me, I just wanted to be competitive on that last play. With the help of Federiko, he helped me big-time and I just wanted to make a play and I did that.

Blake, take me through the emotion you’re experiencing there when you put the ball back up and in and they called timeout and you guys have the lead and you hear the crowd going crazy. What are you feeling there in that last 30 seconds?
Hinson: A lot of momentum, you know what I mean? Oakland Zoo, man, you’re all part of the team, for real. That was great, and I know how it feels to be on the opposite side of that. It was rocking, I knew we had the momentum and that’s what it felt like, so we played with confidence.

Jamarius, what’s it like for you to hear this building so loud? You did not hear that type of noise last season. What’s it like for you as someone who saw the growth?
Burton: For me, I just have so much appreciation for this team and what we’re doing. Last year, like you said, there wasn’t that many fans in the building and that was in large part because we didn’t do our job. So for us, it’s just great to see that many people out here supporting us and continuing to show up for us, even after tough losses and stuff like that.

Blake, you’ve been one to push Fede all year long. What did you see from him today - for blocks, seven rebounds, eight points; it seemed like he was a consistent effort for you guys?
Hinson: He’s been consistent for a long time now, and really kudos to him. He’s been playing good, but like I said earlier when someone asked me about Nelly’s play, we’re going to push him and expect that every game. So nothing abnormal. We want to push him hard and see if we can get better out of him.

Jeff, you talked about it in your opening, but you’ve been in a lot of quiet games in this building. What’s it like for you to see everyone buying in and there’s a team that was honored here when the Pete was at its peak, really. You kind of had that back to the old days today.
Capel: Well, it’s - we’re grateful. I think people feel a connection with this group of guys, with this team, and we’re just grateful. We’re grateful to them for being here, for the people that work in the athletic department that help make it happen. But really for our guys. I’m happy for our guys, that they get to experience that and to feel that and to feel that type of energy.

This is the second game in a row where you guys had to make a stop on the final possession that quite literally decided the game. What does that say about the resilience level and the confidence level on the defensive end? You talked in your opening statement about not faltering and not quitting and kind of erasing the mistakes. What does that say about the resilience level of those players?
Capel: Well, again, they’ve shown it all year. I’ve told them, I think we have room to continue to grow, but when you have a group of guys, man, that are really - they’re competitive and you just can’t - I can’t say it enough, man, how much they care about each other and they push each other. Like you heard Blake say, they demand a lot of each other. So when you have that, you have a chance to have some great moments, and we’ve had some really good moments. One of the things we’ve preached all year - and it really started after we lost those three games earlier in the year - is just stay present. Not worry about the past, not think ahead to the future; just concentrate on right now and control what you can control. We’ve shown that in games. To finish on an 11-0 run, we made an adjustment with ball screen coverage with Wong, our guys executed the heck out of that. But we were just able to move on to the next play, because that’s what we’ve done all year.

You talked about how your team needs to be resilient even when they’re hitting tough shots. What did you say in the final minutes and what did you see from especially your vets, how they were able to step up and cause so many turnovers?
Capel: The thing we talked about coming into this game was, we had to have individual pride defensively. Knowing that you’re not alone, but there has to be some individual pride, because these guys are really, really good offensively and they usually have four or five guys that can break you down off the bounce. Miller was one; he was terrific. Obviously Wong. You know, they have other guys. I mean, Pack can do it; he hit some bombs against us. But again, you just have to keep fighting. You have to keep - if they hit a tough shot, don’t drop your head or whatever; just come back. There’s another fight that will probably happen within the next 30 seconds, and we have to win that one. If you carry the previous one over, then it’s going to affect you. We need to be present all the time, every play.

You’ve had games this year when you’ve been hit hard on the offensive glass. You gave up two points there today. What allowed you to improve in that area, and how big was that?
Capel: The thing - we’ve talked about it, we’ve talked about it over and over. It’s hard for us to practice it, just because of the limited bodies and guys playing high minutes. I just think our guys are cognizant of it and we’ve done a better job of blocking out. Now, part of it is that, the last two teams - not today, but the last two teams hadn’t been really good offensive rebounding teams. This team was. They were averaging about 11 offensive rebounds per game, so we did a really good job there. It’s something that’s always going to be a point of emphasis for us and we have to be cognizant throughout the game to do that.

How much of that was Fede and what he was able to do for you guys?
Capel: Fede was terrific. I thought he did a good job. Blake got in there. Jamarius got 10 rebounds; I think seven of them were on the defensive end. We understand we have to do it as a group. We have to gang-rebound, and we’ve done a pretty good job of that the last three.

Jamarius has two double-doubles in the last four games. Can you talk about his ability to impact the game in so many different ways?
Capel: Yeah, he impacts it, even when he’s not scoring. He distributes, his leadership, his toughness, his willingness to get off the basketball, to pass it, his competitive spirit, what he does for us defensively. I’m really, really happy for him, because he’s a guy that wants to be good, wants to be a part of something from the time he’s gotten here, and it’s great to see his leadership being accepted and respected by the guys on this team.

Greg’s obviously known for his three-point shooting, but that defensive play he made at the end, especially after the turnover, what does that say about his ability to erase that and the maturity that you talked about, what does that say about Greg and his development as a player?
Capel: I think Greg is - he is mature, today is his birthday, so he’s a year older, and again, when we came back to the timeout right after that, we just smiled. It was, ‘Okay, let’s get a stop. Let’s move on. It’s over with. Let’s just get a stop. Let’s focus on right now.’ So not only Greg - all of our guys have done a good job of that.

You guys made 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Maybe free throws matter, maybe they don’t, but they definitely do in situations like this. What does that say about the calm level and the situational awareness to regroup and be able to make 10 of those 12?
Capel: Well, they absolutely do matter. Every time. And we’ve been pretty good there all season. So we stepped up and made some big ones down the stretch.

This is not the first time we’ve seen - you know, Greg’s stop or Jamarius’ stop before that and then going back to the Syracuse game when Blake got the steal in that one. What can you say about your guys’ ability to stay focused in those intense moments?
Capel: Again, just staying present. That’s all it is. Just staying present and forgetting the past, not worrying about anything else but the moment. And again, we’ve done a pretty good job of that.

Is there a belief among your guys now, 20-some games into the season, that when it gets late, not that they’re hoping to make a play but that they will? Is that something you’ve seen develop in the last two-and-a-half months?
Capel: Yeah, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. I think the belief is there. It’s strong. They believe in each other, more than anything. They really, really believe in each other. And as a coach, that’s really cool to see.

Jim Larranaga talked about how JB getting into the lane more in the second half really caused things to open up for you guys outside. How much does that penetration, just getting the ball inside in his hands, help you guys?
Capel: It helps us a lot. But I thought we were able to get there more in the second half because we made shots so they extended their defense a little bit to get out to us, because I think we made seven three’s in the second half. In the first half, we had some clean looks; we just didn’t make them. But certainly his ability to get into the paint, Nelly’s ability to get into the paint - those two guys specifically, it really, really helps us. With JB, we can get him there in different ways. We can put him in the post. We can obviously ball screen him. He can drive off the bounce. So there are different ways that we try to maneuver the defense, and that’s one of them.

How improbable is that belief you’re talking about with a bunch of guys who were strangers last March?
Capel: Not to me. It’s not to me when you’ve got a group of guys that care about each other.

How did that develop, though, with guys who didn’t know each other?
Capel: It just developed. It happened organically. The pieces fit, we’ve got guys that are over themselves, for the most part. They’re about the team. They just want to win. Period. That’s all they want to do. They just want to win. They don’t care who gets the glory. They want Pitt to have all the glory, because I think they understand, if that happens, then individually they all get something.

That ability to be over themselves, does that help you not worry - you talk about about staying focused and in the present, you’re building a resume that they’re going to look at in March if you guys keep going, and you should be in good position.
Capel: We don’t talk about it. We just stay present. Again, we’ll get back together on Monday, we’ll give them feedback about this and we’ll start concentrating on North Carolina. That’s it.

You guys have had a lot of games that you’ve been playing and you get a break after this upcoming Wednesday. How have you seen your guys keep taking day to day? You talked about some tough stretches you guys have had this year.
Capel: Yeah. Again, we just try to be mindful of what we do in practice, what we don’t do. A lot of the times right now, they’re more mental days because we are a little bit banged up, just like everyone is. We just try to be mindful of that. I’m grateful that we have guys that aren’t in a hurry to get out of here after practice. Just about every day after practice, we have about eight to 10 guys that are getting extra work on the court, getting extra work in the training room, weight room, all of those things.

Nike was a team-high plus-5 in 14 minutes off the bench. What were your impressions on his efforts today?
Capel: I thought he did fine. I thought we did fine.

What made you go with the suits tonight?
Capel: It’s Coaches vs. Cancer, man. You will not see it again.