Everything Capel and Carrington said about Carrington's NBA decision

Bub Carrington declared for the NBA Draft on Wednesday during a press conference with Jeff Capel. Here's a full rundown of everything Capel and Carrington said about the decision and more.

Capel: First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for being here today. This is a big day, special day, for our program, for the University of Pittsburgh, for the city and especially for Bub. I’ll let him take it from here and then I’ll talk and then we’ll open it up for questions.

Carrington: First off, I’d like to thank everybody for coming out on such short notice. Thanks for gathering on such little preparation. I’d like to start by saying a special thanks, a special shout-out to Coach Brown and Coach Cape’ for believing in me when nobody else really did. They’ve been on me since the tenth grade, always kind of instilling the confidence in me and just telling me what I can be and helping me toward my overall development as a basketball player, on and off the court. I’d like to thank the rest of the coaches: Coach Gil, Coach Kyle, Coach J.C., Coach T.O. Thank you for making this year memorable and just helping me become the best basketball player that I can be. I’d like to thank Heather Lyke, my A.D., for always being that smile, always being supportive, always kind of being that ray of sunshine, just bringing a lot of energy and positivity to this program. I’d like to thank Mr. Mike, my academic advisor, always on me, always telling me to go to class, making sure that I’m not just an athlete but a student-athlete. I’d like to thank Jack, Coach Vince, always making sure my body’s right, keeping me 100%. I would like to thank the Zoo, the fanbase, amazing fanbase, unbelievable atmosphere. I would like to thank the 412 collective for taking care of me this year and the rest of my teammates. I would like to thank the managers, their hard work, everything they did for us; they definitely made my life easier, definitely made the team’s life easier. And lastly, I’d like to thank my family, ultimate supporters, my number-one fans. I feel like they always were here for me. They made every single game, at least one person in my family did, and they were always in my corner. I wouldn’t be here without them, and I always make sure I want to give back, make sure people know that I’m family-oriented and I appreciate them and everything they did for me.

Lastly, none of this would have ever been done without God. I’d like to give all glory to God. Thank you for continuing to bless me, my family and this program.

With that being said, I would like to announce my decision for next year, as to next year, I will be concluding my career here at Pitt and declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Capel: So this is exciting for me. It’s exciting and it’s bittersweet. Like Bub said, we started recruiting him when he was in tenth grade. I remember the first time I saw him, it was in Atlantic City. I remember Coach Brown coming to me maybe a few weeks before and was like, ‘Yo, Bub’s son, I think he’s really good. You should go see him.’ And I went to Atlantic City and I saw him on one of those courts and I texted his dad, big Bub - this is little Bub - I texted his dad, who I’ve known for a really long time and I knew this guy when he was younger. He didn’t know me, but I knew him and I knew his brother Kareem, and I said to Bub, ‘Yo man, he’s got it. I want to offer him.’ And it was very rare, he said right then, ‘Alright, he’s yours. I didn’t say anything to you about him. I never mentioned it. I wanted this to be organic. But you don’t have to worry about anything. You got him.’ That started this unbelievable relationship.

I didn’t think - I don’t think he thought, I don’t think his family thought that this would just be a one-year thing with him playing for us. But when he got here in the summer and we started working and we started doing stuff, I noticed that he was different. I knew he was a really good player when we recruited him and I’ve never been one to pay attention to rankings. But when we started working, I started to see that he was different. And one of the things that makes him really different, I think it’s the best part of his game, is his mind. I think he’s really, really smart. And just the competitiveness and the work ethic, and obviously when we started the season, after the first few games, it was, ‘Okay, this could be quicker than any of us even thought.’ I remember after the fourth game sitting with his parents and talking to them about, ‘How do we want to handle this?’ Because I knew from my past experiences, everything was going to change and this thing would be pretty fast, or had a chance to be pretty fast. Once the season was over with, I spoke to his dad again, we put together a plan and I started reaching out to NBA teams, general managers, scouts, director of personnel, just trying to get them accurate information and feedback, and the feedback that we got was very, very positive. I thought that went into little Bub and his family’s decision to make this move. I think it’s the right move.

Again, we’re incredibly excited about it and excited about his future. I think he has a really, really bright future. I know he will continue to work. I know he’ll continue to be competitive. I know he’ll continue to be humble. And this will always be home for him.

On a personal level, I’m just really proud of him. Really proud of how he’s handled everything this year. We threw a lot on his plate, he showed that he can handle it and I’m really looking forward to watching the player that he becomes.

Bub, what can you say about the effort that your team put in to help you grow this year? Guys like Blake Hinson and guys who have been here but also guys like Jaland who came with you as a freshman? Carrington: I would say their help in my journey, it’s irreplaceable. I feel like those guys taught me a lot, I feel like we helped, we meshed well. Without those guys, I don’t feel like I’m the player that I am today, honestly. It’s forever much love, much thanks to all of those guys, all my teammates. I really appreciate them and that season.

Jeff, what about Bub’s game translates to the next level in this day and age? Capel: I think the main thing that makes him really attractive right now and for the future - positional size. When we were walking in here today, I think he’s grown since the season’s been over. So positional size, feel for the game, his ability to score and facilitate. He’ll continue to get stronger. I actually think he’s going to grow again. But his feel for the game and his mind; that’s the thing. And then the fact that he’s just 18; he won’t turn 19 until the middle of July. I think all of those things are the things that make him really attractive. He’s shown that he’s competitive defensively. He’s got to stop fouling so much, which he got better toward the end of the year. Learning how to harness that competitiveness and not let it get the best of him. But I think what he showed this year and the upside. The thing I know is, I know he’s going to work. That’s the thing and that’s one of the things - you don’t know any of this stuff until you’re with a guy all the time. All of them say they want to work and they want to be really good and things like that, but are you really going to put in the time? He’s shown that he will do that, and that’s something that I think will go to an even different level now.

Bub, Jeff said that they didn’t think this would be a one-year thing for you, so when over the last handful of months did you realize this could be possible for you? What went into that decision and how have you personally seen your game grow to get to this point? Carrington: I feel like I always had that mindset that I wanted to get to the next level. Not really putting a time limit on it. Like, I never had the goal or dream to be a one-and-done or whatever it is, but I always knew I wanted to get to the next level, no matter what I had to do to get there. Seeing the position that the coaches put me in, the position that this team put me in, that’s when I realized I have a chance to do this a lot faster than most people. So during the middle and end of the season, it was really just, ‘What do I have to do to take advantage of the opportunity that I’m given to make this happen?’ I feel like, toward the middle and end of the season, that’s when I realized I could.

Bub, when you came to this decision and knew that it would be final, what were the emotions like? Was it more nerves, excitement, what was it like when you came to that decision? Carrington: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nerves. I feel like that’s natural. But it’s definitely a lot of excitement, because it’s something that you look at, something that you watch, something that you dream for, and the fact that you’re one step away, that’s really where the excitement is because I can go do that.

Bub, when did you actually come to this conclusion? You said you were thinking about it midseason, late season, but when did you say, ‘I’m done’? Carrington: Like three days ago, maybe. Some time ago toward the end of the season, it was just like, if I’m being told by people that I can, I would like to see for myself, basically.

Under the current CBA in the NBA, a player who enters the draft process can withdraw any time 10 days before the Draft. Is that kind of thing potentially on the table or were you going to feel that process out?

Carrington: My intention is to be a pro basketball player in two, three months. That’s my plan and that’s what I’m going to try to do.

Jeff, how do you weigh this for the program? Obviously, you’d love to have him back for another year, but to have him come and be able to have the skills to be able to go into the first round? Capel: Yeah, I think it’s great for our program. Obviously, we would love to have him back. But when you have an opportunity like this - man, all of these kids dream of being a pro. When I was his age, I dreamed of being a pro. And when you have an opportunity to do it and it’s the right opportunity right now, you have to take advantage of it. Throughout the season, we had more pro scouts at our practices this year than we’ve had in my first five years combined, so that’s when I knew that, okay, this has a chance to be - this is real. And not just for him, for other guys on the team. The way I look at it, I’m in the business - we as coaches are in the business of trying to help kids fulfill their dream, how to help them reach their dream. All of these guys have goals, they have things that they want to accomplish, and everyone’s race is different. It’s our job, I feel, to teach them how to accomplish that. One of the main things is work. Now, you have to have talent. Being put in the right positions can help. But if you work and all of those other things are right, then you have a chance for something like this to happen. Like we said, when we recruited him, I thought he would be a pro; honestly, I didn’t think it would be one year. But that was until I got to know him and you start watching him work.

I remember one time, I think it was early October, we were walking back to the film room from the court and he’s normally right around me when we’re walking back there, and I said, ‘Yo, come stand beside me.’ He stood beside me and I was like, ‘You’ve grown.’ He had grown since the summer. Then you just saw it.

So for me, I look at it, it’s a great thing for our program. Certainly we would be better if he were coming back, but I think we’ll be good anyway with the guys that we will have coming back, with the guys that we’ll add. I think him being able to do this hopefully will show other recruits that this is possible here at the University of Pittsburgh.

Bub, when you look at your teammates and the way Jeff runs things here and your success and the team’s success, especially in the second half of the season, what’s your outlook for this program and how do you think you’re leaving it? Carrington: I would say it’s a great culture here. I feel like it’s a great opportunity to come to get honest feedback, to get better, to have coaches that actually have interest in you getting better and coaches that believe in you. Coach, he’ll preach to us all the time in practice: he’s living and dying by every shot that we take, living and dying by every defensive effort that we put forth. So it’s like, if you want a coach that’s really going to believe in you, you want a culture that’s always welcoming you, I feel like this is the perfect spot for you. Like, why go anywhere else?

Jeff, what would it mean for Bub to be a first-round pick or a lottery pick for this program? This program hasn’t had a guy come out of the program and be a draft pick since Lamar Patterson and a lottery pick since Steven Adams. What would that mean for the legacy here at Pitt? Capel: I think it would mean a lot. Like I said, every kid that plays this sport, they want to be a pro. That’s what they want. That’s their dream. To be able to have someone do that from your program is something that is a huge accomplishment, something that you can talk about in recruiting, something that people see, kids see, like, ‘This is a path, I can do it from here. This is a great opportunity.’

He talked about the culture that we’ve been able to create; it started last year with those guys last year. The returning guys helped continue the culture this year that we had, which was unbelievable. And the guys that we’ll have coming back, they’ll help to continue that. But certainly, when you have a guy that can go - we’ve had two guys since I’ve been here with Mo Gueye and Justin that are in the NBA or spent time in the NBA. I think Blake will be a guy that will be in that league next year. But to have a guy that’s drafted and I think he’ll be a high draft pick - I know it will be first round - it’s something that is a huge thing for our program.

Bub, you’re a coach’s kid, and it’s clear your family gave you your first love of the game. How much does this mean to you that you’ve put in the work to be able to do this for a game that your whole family loves?

Carrington: It means a lot, especially because they kind of get to see the fruits of my labor but their labor as well. Because like I said, I didn’t do this myself. I had my dad, my brothers, my mom every step of the way, and to see that they worked so hard to help me achieve my goals and for me to go out there and have a chance to do it, it’s like I’m not only doing it for me, but I’m doing it for them. To let them know that everything they did wasn’t in vain, and that’s a great feeling. It’s a great feeling to see the smiles I can put on their faces.

Jeff, how does this change and adjust your offseason plans now that you have another scholarship spot to fill? Capel: Well, we’ve got to get a guard.

It doesn’t change. We’re still actively recruiting. We know what we need. One of the great things about this, with Bub and his family making this decision and doing it now, it helps us. It actually helps us, because now we know that we do need another guard. Prior to this - and I found out about it Saturday, so I think that’s when the family made the decision; I spoke to his dad on Saturday and knew then - certainly we hadn’t told anyone, we hadn’t really started recruiting a guard, because I wanted him to have his moment; I wanted this moment to be very special for he and his family. But we’ll pursue a guard. Hopefully we have some really good guards returning that we’re really excited about it, but we’ll need to add another good guard, and hopefully they’ll see the way he was able to play. We know we won’t get anyone like him, but we’ll get someone really good that will be able to come in and blend in with the guys that we have returning and someone that will be good for us.

Bub, what type of feedback have you received from scouts, whether it’s positive or negative? Things that they like, things that they want you to work on throughout this spring process.

Carrington: I would say something that the feedback I’ve got, positive, to kind of piggyback off of what Coach said earlier - scouts are liking my mind, my feel for the game, my ability to score from the midrange and three, and something they want me to work on is getting to the basket more, using my size, playing like I’m 6’5” or 6’4”. I think I’m 6’4”. But playing like I’m 6’5” basically.

Bub, it’s your first time away from home this year; what did you learn off the court from your teammates that you think is going to help you going forward? Carrington: Off the court from my teammates…them guys? I learned that it pays to have a connection with your teammates. I feel like the fact that we were so close and the fact that we got even closer during the season helped us during the season. I feel like, if we weren’t so bonded, so connected, I feel like we wouldn’t have had the success that we did. So one thing that they taught me was, if you’re going to fight with these guys, if you’re going to battle with these guys, be with them. Like them. Actually like your teammates. We did, and I feel like that’s what kind of contributed to the fact that we were able to win 22, 23 games this year.

What’s your top moment? Whether it was yourself with this team or the team overall, what do you feel like was the highest high that you had with this program this past year? Carrington: Highest high? I would say it’s got to be beating Duke at Duke. Coming off a - we had a tough stretch, we weren’t really winning any games, I feel like beating Duke at Duke for only our second game in the ACC and it started a streak, that’s definitely the highest high. Something I’ll definitely never forget.