Vukovcan: Jeff Capel Has Pitt ‘Back,’ and Here’s Why

Excitement and legitimate interest returned last season to the Pitt men’s basketball program.

For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Panthers returned to play in the NCAA Tournament. During the Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon eras, Pitt fans didn’t know what it was like to not make the NCAA Tournament and play important games in February and March. Starting in 2000, Pitt played postseason basketball of some sort for 16 consecutive seasons (13 appearances in NCAA Tournament, 2 in NIT and 1 in CBI).

In other words, postseason play became an extension of the regular season for Pitt.

Unfortunately, that ended with the disastrous hiring of Kevin Stallings and continued for six seasons, including the first four years of the Jeff Capel era.

Pitt fans were starting to get frustrated with Capel and began wondering aloud if Heather Lyke swung and missed with this hiring. Fortunately, Lyke and the Pitt administration had patience, something that isn’t common in the world of sports. Coaches are being paid millions of dollars and regardless of the situation they’re in, winning is expected soon and if that isn’t happening, changes are usually made.

That didn’t happen at Pitt and that’s a good thing.

Whether or not the critics wanted to acknowledge this or not, the reality is the hiring of Stallings destroyed Pitt basketball and rebuilding it wasn’t going to be a quick fix. Even if John Wooden or Coach K were hired, it was going to take time to bring this once proud program back to respectability and what Pitt fans had become accustomed to. This rebuild was going to be even more difficult considering the level of cheating happening in recruiting coupled with the rise of NIL.

Coaching and recruiting in college athletics today is far from easy, and fortunately the administration of Pitt realized this. Fortunately, they didn’t pull the plug on Capel.

Last year was nice, but people that still weren’t sold on Capel entered the 2023-24 season asking the following questions: Was last year a fluke? Could Capel get Pitt to be a postseason contender again in 2024?

Barring a late season collapse, the answer to that question is Yes.

Pitt enters tonight’s game with a record of 15-8 and 6-6 in the ACC. While the Panthers aren’t a team that national bracket experts are listing as a Bubble Team, that would change if the winning continues, especially with win tonight against No. 21 Virginia.

Even if the Panthers lose tonight in Charlottesville, they have a truly meaningful game in mid-February, which is another sign that the program is back.

Here is something else. With at least 9 games remaining, if Pitt is able to win 5 games, it’ll be the first time since 2012-13 and 2013-14 that Pitt put together back-to-back 20-win seasons. While that’s not to say Pitt basketball is a national championship contender, it does indicate that the program is no longer a joke and Capel truly has things going in the right direction.

Here’s another indicator of the progress that Capel is making. Keep in mind, that’s 39 wins with at least 9 games left.

The other thing that’s encouraging is the job Pitt has done acquiring talent through the transfer portal. When they happened, the commitments of Blake Hinson, Jamarius Burton, Nike Sibande, Ish Leggett, etc. didn’t get too many people excited. But the reaction to these players has certainly changed after we’ve seen them perform. Capel has done a masterful job of identifying talent in the portal and then recruiting those players to Pitt.

The other reason for optimism that this winning can continue is the overall job the Panthers staff has done recruiting high school talent. Much credit to Capel, Milan Brown, Tim O’Toole and the 412 Alliance/NIL Team.

Class of 2022: Federiko Federiko, Jorge Diaz Graham and Guillermo Diaz Graham.

Class of 2023: 4-star guard Carlton Carrington, 4-star guard Jaland Lowe, 4-star center Papa Kante and 3-star wing Marlon Barnes.

The duo of Carrington and Lowe has shown the entire country what it can do and next season, Kante will return and show what he can add to the front court. Pitt will be adding another potential instant impact player in Lincoln Park star guard Brandin Cummings.

Pitt will lose Blake Hinson but with everyone else scheduled to return and with Capel’s ability to work the portal, there’s no reason to think that this winning will not continue next season.

There will be plenty of time to worry about that. The focus now is tonight’s matchup against Virginia and the eight games that will follow.

The goal now is to add as many wins as possible and to build a resume for postseason play, whether that be the NCAA’s or NIT. If that can happen, it’ll be further proof that although it took a year or two longer than expected, Jeff Capel truly has rebuilt the Pitt men’s basketball program.