Pitt opens basketball season with easy victory against UT Martin

No one can guarantee how the rebuilt Pitt basketball team will look 30 games from now.

But the 80-58 opening-night victory against Tennessee Martin on Monday at Petersen Events Center beats where the program was almost a year ago to the day: down and out after a 78-63 loss to The Citadel on the way to a 11-21 season.

Coach Jeff Capel, the man who laid the foundation in the offseason by recruiting domestically and overseas like his job depended on it, likes what he saw Monday from a team with a starting lineup that included no one who came to Pitt directly from high school.

Jeff Capel, with a shout-out to the Oakland Zoo pic.twitter.com/UHPNROYgvc

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) November 8, 2022

With center John Hugley out indefinitely with a knee injury, all five starters are transfers who arrived to play for Capel. Just as important is what has developed among so many new teammates since practice began six weeks ago.

Capel said the team is well-connected, even though many players never met until the academic year started in late August.

“Our practices are intense. We get after it,” Capel said. “They compete, but there’s incredible love and respect for the next guy. They’ve gotten to know each other.

“You see it here (Monday). They genuinely care about each other. That’s something we need to stay with us.”

That’s a departure from a past that has been marked by losses, internal strife and transfers.

Pitt’s first opening-night victory since 2019 featured some poor shooting (11 of 41 from beyond the 3-point arc), but it didn’t matter. Four players scored in double digits.

The leader was forward Blake Hinson, who scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds. He was fearless beyond the 3-point arc, putting up 12 and making four.

Behind Hinson on the stat sheet was 6-foot-11 center Federiko Federiko, who replaced Hugley in the starting lineup and had 13 points, with seven rebounds and three of Pitt’s 10 blocks.

“He’s played well since the first exhibition game,” Capel said of Federiko, who was born in Egypt and raised in Finland before attending First Love Christian Academy in Washington County. “He’s brought incredible energy on the defensive side of the floor. He’s gotten a better understanding of who he is as a player and who we need him to be for us.”

Greg Elliott (11 points), Jamarius Burton (10 and seven assists) and Nelly Cummings (eight with seven assists) also contributed.

Even the Diaz Graham twins — Canary Island natives and freshmen Guillermo and Jorge — were part of the easy victory. Guillermo had eight rebounds and a block, and Jorge blocked two shots.

How have such players, who were relative strangers two months ago, come together?

“You have some older guys,” said Capel, referencing three graduate students and a redshirt senior. “You have some guys who are a little bit more secure in who they are, that are confident in who they are.

“It’s happened organically. They are all good guys. They all want to be a part of something. All have fascinating stories and are appreciative and grateful to be at the University of Pittsburgh.”

And, of course, the strongest bricks Monday were what Capel preaches above all else: good defense and sharing the basketball.

“The way that you win is defending, rebounding, being connected, and there’s talk that has to happen,” he said. “That’s been who we’ve been in practice.”

Playing a team that was picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference, Pitt recorded 21 assists on 26 field goals and held UT Martin to 32.3% shooting (20 of 62), 15.8% (3 of 19) from beyond the 3-point arc.

“They made us uncomfortable,” UT Martin coach Ryan Ridder said.

Said Capel: “I was probably most proud of (the defense). Even though we weren’t making shots (36.6%, 26 of 71), we did not allow that to affect our defense. In fact, we got more energized on that side of the floor.”

Capel seems confident the shooting will improve and does not appear eager to restrict his players from seeking shots.

“I don’t think we shot the ball well, not like we’ve been doing every day in practice,” he said. “If we can get the ball moving and get hopping, touch the paint, we want to shoot 3s.”

Considering where Pitt has been, the victory was impressive. But the team is still not whole.

Capel said Hugley and Will Jeffress (foot) won’t play Friday when West Virginia comes to The Pete. He said Hugley will start on-court workouts Tuesday.

“He hasn’t done anything for six weeks,” the coach said. “The biggest thing for him is to see how he responds to workouts and then getting him in game shape.”

Capel said Jeffress is off crutches and plans to shed his walking boot next Monday.

“And, then, we’ll see from there.”