Pitt represents clear example of changes gripping college basketball
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If you need any more confirmation of how dramatically college basketball in general and Pitt’s program in particular have changed, you need look no further than the box score from the 2021 West Virginia game.
Pitt coach Jeff Capel used nine players in the 74-59 loss to the Mountaineers on Nov. 12 at WVU Coliseum.
Six left the team via transfer or eligibility expiration, and starters John Hugley (knee) and Will Jeffress (foot) are injured and won’t play Friday when West Virginia meets Pitt in the rematch at Petersen Events Center.
That leaves sophomore Nate Santos, who started and played 34 minutes in last year’s game but likely will come off the bench Friday.
Capel’s starting lineup Monday in the opening-night victory against Tennessee Martin included no one who came to Pitt directly from high school, a clear sign that the way teams are assembled has changed.
The six who played the most minutes — forward Blake Hinson, center Federiko Federiko and guards Jamarius Burton, Greg Elliott, Nelly Cummings and Nike Sibande — found their way to The Pete through the NCAA transfer portal.
All but Burton and Sibande arrived this year, but they were injured and did not play in the 2021 West Virginia game. That Pitt team finished 11-21, so change is likely better than the status quo.
Instead of complaining about how the basic, now-antiquated tenets of college basketball have changed from the days when most players spent four or five years at one school, Capel, 47, has embraced the new rules, knowing that’s the only way to survive.
“Two years ago, the landscape of college athletics changed drastically. It really took a spike last summer (2021),” he said, referring to the covid-19 pandemic, the immediate transfer rule and how legislation aimed at promoting players’ names, images and likenesses affected recruiting.
Major roster change from year to year has become the norm at some programs, especially those such as Pitt looking for firmer footing.
“Your traditional programs that have had a lot of success over time, sustained success, maybe they don’t have to do that as much,” he said, referring to places such as Duke and Gonzaga. “They don’t have a whole team (of transfers), but they have some.
“For (teams) that are trying to become good, it gives you more options. It gives you an opportunity to get a good player, a guy who’s proven himself, older, who has experience, (who’s) maybe a little bit more mature. It’s a different option. We’re grateful for it.”
For Pitt, the new rules do not guarantee success. So much can happen in a long season that has four months and 30 more games remaining. But Capel appears more enthused about his current team than any in his previous four seasons at Pitt.
“Guys have been about the right stuff, about team, about caring about someone else,” he said.
The 80-59 victory Monday against Tennessee Martin was the first game that counted, and it put Pitt’s depth on display, especially in the backcourt.
Perhaps the bench won’t be as long against better opponents, but Pitt used six guards (Jeffress will be the seventh when he recovers) against UT Martin. They include Cummings, Burton, Elliott, Santos and Sibande, even 6-foot-11 freshman Jorge Diaz Graham, whose skillset translates to that of a backcourt player.
Cummings missed nine of his 11 shots, but he and Burton each dished out seven assists.
“You’re not going to make every shot,” Cummings said. “Steph Curry’s doesn’t make every shot. If he’s not going to make every shot, we’re not going to make every shot.
“We understand that. We allow ourselves to make mistakes and be human and be around each other and support each other. That’s going to allow us to make the next step.”
Said Burton: “It’s amazing to have two unselfish guys, getting downhill, playmaking. The joy that we have seeing our other teammates score is priceless.”
When he was asked to identify the most significant difference between last year’s team and this one, Burton said, “I would say the attitude and mindset. Everybody’s happy for one another. Everybody’s pulling for one another, regardless of if you’re making or missing shots.
“That’s the biggest thing, just our camaraderie as a team.”
Note: Hugley has been cleared by doctors to participate in noncontact workouts, an important first step in his return to the lineup. “We’re doing some individual workouts with him,” Capel said. “We’ll continue to monitor that to see if there’s any swelling or soreness (in the knee). That will most likely be his schedule for the rest of the week, and we’ll see what happens after that.”