As Pitt heads into game No. 10 of the season, its two true freshman guards, Omari Witherspoon and Macari Moore, have enjoyed dissimilar campaigns thus far.

Witherspoon has started every game, playing about 28 minutes per night and contributing 7.7 points, Moore has assumed an irregular bench role.

The 6-foot-3 guard from Ypsilanti, Mich., last played Nov. 23 vs. Quinnipiac and has appeared in only four games, averaging only 6.5 minutes.

As Moore navigates his first year as a collegiate player, coach Jeff Capel hopes he’ll continue to develop confidence on the hardwood.

“He’s been good,” Capel said. “I think the biggest thing for him is to believe and know that he’s good. Every game that he’s come in, I’ve thought he’s done some really good things. … He’s a good player. He’s tough, he’s competitive, he can really defend, he passes it. I think the more minutes we get him, the more confident that he’ll be in himself.”

It’s been a mixed bag of results and playing time for the four high schoolers that Capel brought in this season: Witherspoon, Moore, Australian forward Henry Lau and center Kieran Mullen.

Lau has been recovering from offseason hand surgery and has yet to suit up, while Mullen has been used more sparingly than Moore, playing in only two games.

While Moore has yet to carve out a regular role for himself at Pitt, Capel trusts in the recruiting evaluation that led the Panthers to pursue him.

“Mac is a guy that, he’s not going to wow you in a drill,” Capel said. “But when you get to competition, whatever it is — 2-on-2, 3-on-3, 4-on-4, 5-on-5 — that’s when his play starts to stand out. We knew that about him when we (recruited him). We knew that he was competitive, we knew that he was a late bloomer, we knew that he was a guy that had a toughness about him.

“Certainly, the talent is there, but the intangibles are really what we felt like fit us and that we fit him.”

On Nov. 17 vs. Bucknell, Moore played a season-high 12 minutes, going 0 for 2 from the floor with three rebounds and an assist.

Against Quinnipiac, he hit his first field goal of the year and had a pair of steals, but played only seven minutes, recording four fouls.

But since then, Moore hasn’t seen the court, not playing against Ohio State or Texas A&M.

Still, Capel believes that Moore’s potential remains there to be unlocked.

“We’re going to need it going forward,” Capel said.

Capel doesn’t need Moore to emulate everything Witherspoon is doing. He also recognized that building momentum as a player is tough when frequent playing time isn’t always in the cards.

Regardless, Capel is hopeful that Moore will be capable of assuming a larger role this season.

“His teammates have confidence in him, his coaches have confidence in him (and) he has to have that all the time,” Capel said. “That’s one of the tricky parts for a freshman because it’s new, especially if you’re not playing consistent minutes. But we believe in him.”

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