Jeff Capel: Panthers a 'work in progress on both sides of ball' entering 1st exhibition

Illustrative of Pitt having such a new-look roster was coach Jeff Capel’s mid-week revelation that he’s yet to finalize a starting lineup for Sunday’s exhibition at home vs. Providence.

Returning forward Cam Corhen is the only player Capel knows for sure will be starting against the Friars at 2 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.

Between now and then, the rest of Pitt’s players have an opportunity to prove they should be among the starting five.

“That’s a good thing because we have really good competition and we have guys who have stepped up and played well,” Capel said Wednesday.

Corhen is Capel’s lone returning starter, with graduation and the transfer portal significantly thinning Pitt’s ranks following a disappointing 17-15 (8-12 ACC) finish.

Gone are Jaland Lowe (Kentucky), brothers Jorge Diaz Graham (Oregon State) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (San Francisco), Marlon Barnes (Evansville) and Amsal Delalic (DePaul), while Damian Dunn, Ish Leggett and Zack Austin graduated.

As a result, Capel and his coaches hit the portal hard, bringing in four players in Dishon Jackson (Iowa State), Nojus Indrusaitis (Iowa State), Barry Dunning Jr. (South Alabama) and Damarco Minor (Oregon State).

Australian forward Roman Siulepa highlights the five preps/international first-year players Capel added.

Sophomore guard Brandin Cummings, sophomore forward Amdy Ndiaye and redshirt sophomore forward Papa Amadou Kante also return for the Panthers.

On Oct. 1, Capel was dealt a preseason curveball when Jackson was ruled out indefinitely due to an unspecified medical situation.

A key player at Iowa State last season, the 6-foot-11 Jackson (8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds per game) was expected to play a major role for the Panthers before going down.

“It definitely changes (things),” Capel said. “He’s a good player. He’s a guy that started every game for a team that was a Top 10 team consistently throughout the season last year. If you look at his numbers from an analytical perspective, he was one of the better guys in the country when he was on the floor (with) what his team did.

“It definitely is an adjustment that we have to make, but we have to make it. The situation is what it is and we’ll continue to monitor it. The main thing is his health, his safety and his well-being.”

A few other injuries have followed Jackson’s this preseason, leaving Capel with only 10 scholarship players for the last couple weeks.

Freshman forward Henry Lau recently underwent hand surgery, while Ndiaye has been sidelined with a lower-body ailment. Capel hopes he will be available Sunday.

Still, Capel has managed to get a feel for the players he’ll be riding with this season.

“It’s been a little bit tougher with just 10 scholarship guys and so we’ve had to make some adjustments, but I’ve been pleased with how hard we’ve practiced (and) how much better we’ve gotten defensively,” Capel said. “We still have to work to continue to get better offensively, but (players’) attitudes and willingness to try to get better every day has been unbelievable.”

Tightening the bolts defensively was a priority for Capel this offseason, and he recruited accordingly.

Preventing 3-pointers and rebounding were two departments the Panthers struggled with a year ago, as they finished 14th and 12th in the ACC in those areas, respectively.

So far into the preseason, Cummings can see evidence of Capel’s push for Pitt to become stouter defensively.

“We’re a little more physical,” Cummings said. “There were games where we just got out-, I mean, (people) saw it, there were games we were getting moved out of the way, people were going right by us (and) we weren’t boxing anybody out. So I think it was a point this year for everybody to be physical. I think (the coaches) went out and recruited that way.”

AP

Pitt’s Brandin Cummings drives against Duke’s Tyrese Proctor (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

Offensively, Pitt has quite a bit of production to replace from last year’s squad, and Cummings’ growth will be critical to that end.

Last season, he played in 31 games as a true freshman, starting four while averaging 6.3 points and 1.6 rebounds with a 42.9% conversion rate from the floor.

Fellow returner Amadou Kante also looks to develop into a player capable of seeing far more than the seven minutes per game he averaged last season, while completely leaving behind any restrictions from a season-ending knee injury suffered ahead of 2023-24.

“He’s made huge strides,” Capel said of Amadou Kante. “He’s looking a little bit more like the guy he was in high school, prior to the injury. He’s not favoring the leg anymore, not thinking about it and he’s made a jump. We’re excited about him. The biggest thing is, he’s got to be able to play without failing to be on the floor but he’s played with great energy and he’s gotten better.”

Aside from Corhen’s steady presence and the anticipated development of Cummings and Amadou Kante, plenty of more questions remain for Capel as the preseason continues.

How will Dunning’s 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game at South Alabama translate to the ACC? Is Indrusaitis a viable backcourt option? What can the 6-foot Minor bring to the table?

Siulepa’s adjustment to North American basketball — he’s been in Pittsburgh for about a month after arriving from Brisbane — remains to be seen, despite encouraging initial reports.

Such is the life of Capel, who continues to get his retooled roster ready for a new campaign together.

“My concern is us, making sure we’re organized (and) we look like we know what we’re doing, both offensively and defensively,” Capel said. “Obviously, we are a work in progress on both sides of the ball. But I love the spirit with which we play, the eagerness to try to get better.”