Pitt's Jeff Capel laments distractions of social media for players

The issue is one that clearly weighs on Jeff Capel’s mind.

It’s not as bad as the problems of ball movement and identifying the opponent’s best shooters that surfaced Wednesday in Pitt’s 72-52 loss to Clemson at Petersen Events Center.

But it matters to Capel.

“Young people today, they are so easily distracted,” Pitt’s 45-year-old coach said. “You can lose a game, and I can talk to them — and this is not just our locker room; I talk to other coaches — before you leave, 12 guys are looking at their phone, 13 guys.

“By the time they leave the locker room, their mind may be off the loss. They may have gotten some texts. They may have looked at something on Twitter or Instagram. They’ve looked at some snaps.”

Capel said he has wondered if he would have been distracted by social media if it had existed when he was a player at Duke (a four-year starter from 1994-97).

“The game and team have always been sacred to me, and I don’t think I would have.”

“This kills me,” he said about the loss to Clemson. “I won’t sleep tonight. I was that way when I was a player.”

Capel cited the example of Pitt’s 79-67 loss at Duke on Jan. 28. The Panthers were in a position to win at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the most intimidating venues in college basketball, trailing by three points with 4 minutes, 27 seconds to play.

“One of things I said to our guys is … if you can do this here in this environment against this team, hopefully we can bottle that up.”

But Pitt still lost the game.

“Everyone’s going to be telling you how good you are and how good you did,” Capel said. “And at some point, that has to offend you. At some point, that has to offend you to be close.

“We’re not there yet. When we get there – not if – that’s when we’ll take a giant leap, I think, as a program. Maybe you do have to continue to go through these lessons to get that message across.”

Pitt (15-10, 6-8) has won two and lost two since the Duke game, but the losses have been two of the worst of the season — by 20 points at home to a .500 team (Clemson) and allowing a season-high 80 at Notre Dame.

Multiplying Pitt’s problems is four of its final six regular-season games are on the road, where the Panthers are 1-5 in the ACC.

Next up is Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Then, Pitt travels to Tallahassee, Fla., on Tuesday to meet No. 8 Florida State (20-4, 10-3) whose players will remember Pitt beating them, 63-61, in the first game of the season Nov. 6.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us,” Capel said. “We have to grow up, and we have to understand we are the ones who have to change it.”

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