Some takeaways from the Pitt live wire interviews on this teams ”potential“—
Capel—happy to have a full compliment of 13 players on ship; likes the added options and versatility the increased number of big men provide; hopes this team will defensively rebound better and shoot a higher % and not just on 3s. Hopeful this team will be better at closing out games (increased depth means fresher legs late was possibly implied). Odukale practicing but only limited by not being cleared for contact yet. A faster paced offense is possible because last year’s team was slow mainly due to a lack of defensive rebounding and poor overall FG% and not because coaches preferred it that way. Cautiously optimistic overall as a coach would be.
XJ, Horton, Toney—don’t recall which said which—believe this team‘s additions provide an uptick in overall athleticism. Increased length should make it a better defensive team especially at shutting down passing lanes. XJ very impressed by Colliers hops, thinks Sibande has a first step like Ja Morant. Felt this was the most talented group he has played with since his AAU team. One of the three felt inside offense capability would be better due to new bigs. Players’ goal is NCAAs. Players outlook should always be more optimistic than their coach’s.
As fans we can be cautiously optimistic for an overall winning season at least—and perhaps the NIT. Anything more than just getting more wins than losses would be gravy, however, IMHO. Just need to wait and see what November 25 and later will bring while enjoying the entire process.
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