Family.
It's one word that can be used in several situations. But, when a collection of people are close and share common interests or goals, they can develop a lifelong bond. They can create a family.
On Thursday, a day after Jeff Capel signed a three-year extension to remain the head men's basketball coach at Pitt through at least the 2030 season, that word was used by Pitt players, both old and new, to describe the type of culture he has built since taking over the program in 2018.
While there are probably several contributing factors to Pitt's success over the last two years, which have been the most successful of Capel's tenure, the program's culture stands out the most. People outside the program may not notice it, but it's there. Nelly Cummings, who played for Capel in 2022-23 when the Panthers made their last appearance in the NCAA tournament, simply pointed to the recent NBA Draft as an example.
Point guard Bub Carrington was taken with the 14th-overall pick and was congratulated by his teammates who had attended the draft in Brooklyn, New York to support their former teammate.
"I think that was a really cool moment to show that we’ve built a family here," Cummings said. "It’s not fake, it’s ‘That’s my brother and I’m happy for him.' A lot of people and a lot of players aren’t like that and that starts with the head coach. If your head coach is not doing that, if he doesn’t create an environment that everybody does that in, it’s not going to work. That’s why I think he’s the one to lead this program to the promised land."
Nike Sibande, who played with Cummings on that team in 2022-23, said it's one of the reasons Capel deserves to be at Pitt long-term.
"I definitely learned a lot from him throughout the years of being here, on the court and off the court, becoming a man and just being a professional every day," Sibande said. "Watching Cape when he comes in here, he’s a professional every day. He takes care of his business and goes home to his kids. That’s kind of what we follow."
When Damian Dunn, a transfer from Houston, was asked what brought him to Pitt. He used that word again.
"Family."
"It was something that I wanted to gravitate toward immediately," Dunn said. "When I got here it just felt like family."
It takes time to build a strong culture and Capel has gone through his trials and tribulations since taking over the program. Through the first four years of his tenure, the Panthers put together an overall record of 51-69 and went 21-53 in conference play. Not exactly extension-worthy.
However, led by players like Cummings, Sibande, Blake Hinson, Jamarius Burton, Greg Elliott and others, the Panthers turned the corner in 2022-2023, going 24-12 and making a run to the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. That was the first brick of a new foundation.
They stacked another brick last year when they went 22-11 and became one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch by winning 10 of their final 13 games. They narrowly missed out on the NCAA tournament which has left a lasting impact on the players within the program. But again, Pitt's culture is contagious and it has helped bring in the likes of Dunn and Florida State transfer Cam Corhen.
"I was a little skeptical about it at first because coaches tell you what you want to hear," Corhen said. "But now that I'm here and I'm with the culture, I think we can do it."
Capel has taken his lumps over the last six years, but the past two have been special, progress has been made and according to Cummings, this is just the beginning.
"He laid the foundation for this program and it's going to continue to ascend," Cummings said.
