Pitt basketball preview: Time for Capel to set a new tone

Press the reset button.

That's the best thing Jeff Capel could do after how last season finished. Pitt went from being 8-2 with convincing wins over Syracuse, Duke, Miami and Northwestern to going 2-10 the rest of the way and finishing with a losing record. Couple that with seeing five players transfer out of the program, including two of the team's top three scorers in Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney, and you've got the definition of a roller coaster season.

Then, Justin Champagnie, the first ever Pitt Panther to make First Team All-ACC who was the conference's second-leading scorer and its leading rebounder, declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season before he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Toronto Raptors.

That culmination of events left Capel without all of his top three scorers, and only a single recruit, a three-star redshirt junior guard who hasn't scored a field goal in college in Curtis Aiken Jr., as the only remaining player he'd brought to the program with his first two recruiting classes who was still with the program.

That's made life difficult for a Pitt basketball program that's been trying to lift itself out of the crater it was left in from just two seasons under Kevin Stallings that chased away NBA talent like Cameron Johnson, who played for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals this summer, and left Capel as the first Pitt coach to inherit a team without a player that would eventually be on an NBA roster since Ralph Willard took over the program in 1994.

But now, Capel has to reset the program after a tough start that was marred by COVID-19 along with an unfortunate surge in the Transfer Portal that saw 1762 Division I basketball players enter in 2021, 751 more than any other point in NCAA history.

THE RETURNING GUYS

Seeing five players leave as transfers was a big blow, but Pitt did keep players who gained significant experience last season who should be significant contributors in the coming season. The Panthers' backcourt will be its biggest asset this season as the three best scorers left on the team after Champagnie, Johnson and Toney departed are still on the roster.

Senior combo guard Nike Sibande averaged 6.9 points over 14 games and eight starts last season after not being allowed to play for the first several games due to transfer rules. Redshirt junior shooting guard Ithiel Horton averaged 8.9 points over 22 games and 14 starts, freshman point guard Femi Odukale averaged 6.6 points over 22 games and five starts.

Between them, Capel seems the most excited for the return of Horton, who was the Panthers' top scorer from 3-pointers, hitting an average of 2 of every 5.2 attempts per game. But throughout last year, Capel had a hard time getting Horton to settle into his role as a pure shooter on the team. In several games Horton would try to assume the role of a combo guard and bring the ball up the court or try to run point guard, something Capel publicly advised against several times.

Capel sees those struggles being behind him.

"Ithiel should be one of the better shooters in our league," Capel said of Horton last week. "I have so much confidence in him shooting the basketball when he takes good shots. He understands that now. One of his goals was to simplify the game for this season. He's done a really good job of that. There's still some times where he takes some questionable shots, but that's everyone. I believe in him so much and he has a chance to be one of the best shooters in the ACC and college basketball."

Rumors swirled around Horton's supposed departure in the middle of Pitt's swarm of players who left the program through the Transfer Portal, but Horton put that to rest himself with a statement released over the program's Twitter account back in March.

Odukale was the biggest contributor of an impressive 2020 recruiting class that included four-star center John Hugley IV, four-star forward William Jeffress, and two three-star recruits in forward Noah Collier and Max Amadasun.

"They've all gotten stronger," Capel said of his sophomores. "They've all gotten in better shape and better understand how to work at this level. Everything was so disjointed for them last year that all the freshman around the country were playing catchup. They're more mature and have some experience with playing and the pace of college basketball."

Odukale filled in for Johnson after he transferred out of the program in late February last season, but Capel noted how he shouldn't feel like any position is guaranteed to any player based off last year.

"He's got to earn it," Capel said of Odukale. "None of these guys can think because of what happened in four games or if they're the returning leading scorer of a program that lost its top three scorers that they'll just have it. They have to fight and earn their spots. Femi and Nike really stepped up, but if they, Will or IT do that, they won't play a lot this year. Femi should be a really good player for us. He's shown what he's capable of doing, but he has to be consistent."

Odukale was a change of pace at point guard for the Panthers as the more patient passer and floor general than Johnson, who often opted to push the ball and drive instead of play coordinated offensive sets and Capel's half court offense. If he can grow from his role last season as the backup point guard turned starter, he could be the young court general that could help carry Capel's Panthers for the next three seasons.

But despite being the biggest contributor of last year's freshman class, Odukale definitely isn't the biggest story. That would be Hugley, who only played seven games before he was suspended from the team due to felony charges of criminal conspiracy and receiving stolen property. Those charges were dropped in May, but that didn't stop Hugley's efforts to continue to prepare for his return to the program.

"I felt like his last two games last year he was really starting to get it," Capel said of Hugley. "But then he was sidelined with close contact COVID protocols and then he was out for the rest of the year. He's a wide body in much better shape with good hands and is getting his feel as a willing and capable passer. He's someone we haven't had in the three years I've been here."

Hugley averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds during his seven played games, which was the third-highest rebounding average on the team behind Champagnie and Toney. At 6-foot-9, 240 lbs., he was supposed to be Capel's first real big man in the paint to both help on offense and defense. Despite dealing with serious criminal charges, Hugley remained focus on staying in shape and doing well in his studies.

"He was away from us, but he wasn't," Capel said of Hugley. "He was away physically and not with us in practice, but we talked to him and were part of his daily routine every day. One of the things I'm proud of him during all of that was how he kept a 3.0 GPA during that semester. John has an incredible support system from him mom and especially his high school coach. As he dealt with uncertainty, he was surrounded with love. I'd like to think we were part of that, but his mom, grandparents, high school coach and community did that. He was still working to get better and he's mentally a lot stronger."

Along with Hugley, Pitt's sophomore class stands to be the biggest improvement for the 2021-2022 season. After a turbulent first year that was severely impacted by COVID-19, it's that group that Capel sees with potential to take a big leap. No one person is going to fill the production left from all of Pitt's departures last season, and Capel feels that even with the players who finished last season, the Panthers were close to finishing with a winning record last season.

"It'll be a group effort for sure," Capel said of replacing his top three scorers from 2021. "We have guys that are capable of stepping up in different roles and we had a few guys step up last year in those final games. We were a couple possessions from instead of being 1-3 in our last four games to being 3-1."

NEW FACES

Capel brought in five new players for the Panthers in transfers senior transfer point guard Jamarius Burton, senior forward Dan Oladapo, graduate transfer forward Mouhamadou Gueye, along with junior college forward Chris Payton and 6-foot-7 freshman forward Nate Santos.

"We felt like these guys had upside, were competitive and wanted to be part of something," Capel said of Pitt's transfers. "We have size, versatility and two guys who played really well at this level, especially with Dan and Mo (Mouhamadou Gueye). We have a guy in Burton who's been part of two really good cultures and at Wichita State was an integral part of it."

The switch placed two seniors, a graduate student and a junior on a roster to replace the three sophomores and three juniors who left the program last year. It was a change of pace for Capel to bring in older players instead of freshmen for him to develop.

"We also got a bit older," Capel said. "Even Nate is a freshman, but he's a 20-year old freshman. That's two years older than Will. They've all had really good attitudes, worked hard and showed maturity. I like the pieces we've added."

Burton, a point guard who transferred to Pitt one year after transferring to Arkansas from Wichita State, is a player who Capel sees with a chance to lead the charge of increased maturity on his new Panthers team.

"He's vocal and takes coaching well," Capel said of Burton. "That's what you expect coming from Chris Beard (Burton's head coach at Texas Tech) and Greg Marshall (Burton's head coach at Wichita State), two outstanding coaches from outstanding programs and cultures. We're very glad we got him."

Pitt announced Friday that Burton had a successful knee injury that will sideline him from practice for the next 4-6 weeks, meaning he will most likely miss Pitt's season opener at home against Gannon on Nov. 1.

Despite that setback, Capel has been confident about Burton's approach to his new opportunity with the Panthers. It's his hope that this new group of transfers bring a different tone that can better fit the mold of a team he's putting together.

"He's a really serious kid," Capel said of Burton. "He's incredibly mature as a man now. He's different than what we've had. He and Mo have been more mature than even where I was at their age with their approach to things and how they see the world and the importance of their work to be part of something. He's been ten toes down on both feet to figure out his place and how he can best impact the team."

During the boost in transfer player, Pitt did manage to get a regular JUCO recruit in Taylor, which, outside of Santos, was the closest thing to a normal recruit for the upcoming season.

"He wasn't a free agent, he was a regular JUCO guy," Capel said of Payton. "He came from a really good JUCO program that was coached really well and played with other really good players while he was there. That's helped him navigate getting to the ACC. One of the biggest challenges for him getting here was getting in shape because of what wasn't available to him in JUCO. He's learned a lot but he's been open to all of it. We've seen a huge jump from him."

But beyond talent and pedigree, Capel is excited about the group of new faces in the program for what they can bring in terms of attitude and how the team can be constructed.

THE NEW TONE

Don't be fooled, for as excited as Capel sounds about his new recruits and the program's new and emerging talents this season, he knows there's a long way before the Panthers find their identity.

"We want to hang our hat on being tough," Capel said. "We want to be good defensively, hopefully better offensively, and be a little more versatile."

That's vague at best. But it's the reality with Pitt's new situation. Capel had the Panthers playing their best basketball under him last season when they were playing solid defensive basketball, winning rebounds, and creating good offensive chances. That success was rarely about any one player playing hero ball, despite the numbers posted by Champagnie for most of the season and Johnson on a couple of occasions.

That's where Pitt has to find its feet with this new crew.

"We're not going to win off one person or two people," Capel said. "We're going to win because we're together, we're tough, we understand how much we need each other and the love is there even when there's adversity. There was a period in the season when Virginia lost three straight. It looked like the house was falling apart, but they have a culture and sustained it in the midst of chaos."

"When you have that, it's never about one person," Capel continued. "I told our guys that the highest guy drafted out of the ACC came off the bench. There was nobody from first or second team all conference that got drafted. It's not about what we do individually, it's about fitting a role. That's what everyone has to understand, and if we do that we'll be good. I like the pieces we have."

And when it comes to getting guys to fit those roles, Capel sees the chance for the new players, especially, to find their places fast and believe in fitting into roles rather than trying to win games with individual star performances that might carry a team to victory. That was something Capel could only get Johnson sparingly in his three years with the Panthers.

Now, that's the complete opposite of what he expects out of his new group of transfers and recruits.

"We wanted to get guys who felt like they wanted to be part of something and had something to prove," Capel said. "We need guys who want to be part of us and believe in how we're doing it."

"When we do it the right way, it works," Capel continued. "We continue to build relationships and be honest with how we coach them. I've always believed from when I was watching my dad coach teams and when I was an athlete, that if there's love there, you can coach them hard as long as you're fair to everyone. We've done that everyday since we've been here. We have guys that want to be here and want to be part of what we're doing. We'll coach the heck out of them."

Part of what Capel feels can make a difference with this year's Panthers is the year being a lot closer to a normal season than last year. Teams across the NCAA couldn't meet with players in person regularly for film sessions, had to advise players on their workout plans at home instead of giving them a summer workout program in training facility, and couldn't build the relationships that coaches and players have on the best teams.

"There was a lot we couldn't do," Capel said. "I couldn't have the guys over to my house, which is something we always do. We couldn't have guys in our offices to look at film with them and coach that way. That's where the relationship starts early but it's also about spending time with them. Nobody had that in college basketball. And for us as a program, we couldn't sustain it. We got pretty good, but we fell apart."

Pitt certainly did fall apart. Part of that was noted by Athletic Director Heather Lyke back in May who pointed out that Capel purchased a home in Shadyside so that he could be closer to players and host them more often, and that couldn't be a factor in him building with last year's team.

This year things still aren't back to the way they were before COVID, but they're a lot closer.

"It's been close to normal," Capel said. "Last year was so abnormal in every way and no matter what you never got used to it. There's normally a rhythm of a season and for as long as I can remember, there's been that rhythm. Last year was the first time since I entered college basketball in 1993 that the rhythm was disrupted. It threw everyone off."

Now, that rhythm can begin to be normal again. But for last year's freshman, that means catching them up on all the things they missed from normal student life during COVID-19 quarantine times with virtual classes.

"We had the whole team here for summer school," Capel said. "That's allowed us to do team outings and other things that we weren't able to do last year. For our sophomores, they went to their first in-person classes in September. We had to show them how to get around campus, how to get to class, where things were." 

There's also been an adjustment for the coaches, who couldn't even physically meet with the transfer players, Taylor and Santos before they joined the program. 

"For our new guys, the first time I met them in person was when they walked into our office," Capel said. "So the first thing I did when they walked in was I stood beside them to see if they were really 6-foot-5, 6-foot-7, and this is new. Especially for the five sophomores, this is a new situation going to football and volleyball games and doing things normal students would be able to do that we couldn't do last year."

The aesthetics of normalcy returning for student athletes is nice, but it won't matter much if the Panthers can't find some form of an identity this season that defines their style of play. Even with their top scorers last season, Pitt had the tenth ranked offense and eighth ranked defense in the ACC.

Rebuilding up from that can come with optimism that Capel will get a better chance to mold players together for a team environment that can have success. But it has to start with the 2020 freshman class that featured Hugley, Odukale, Jeffress, Collier and Amadasun. If Capel can bring that group together to be the new core, it will usher in the era that was hoped for when he was brought in to replace Stallings.

Pitt has its first open scrimmage to the public since 2019 this Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.