I purposefully don’t log in or check the message boards much at all after performances like the one we saw last night.
The trolls come out, people who claim to be fans start pounding their chests about how right they were, hyperbole runs rampant, there’s seemingly no take or post too wild to press send on…
After a night and morning to reflect, I would like to share I’ve only ever been completely out on Jeff Capel twice in his tenure here.
The first time was in year 5, where after year 4 which he probably should have been fired but wasn’t due to his buyout and contract, when we were blown out by 30 in early November on a Friday night by WVU. After year 4, I was resigned to him coming back because of the financial situation. But that performance against WVU seemed like the final blow to me, oddly it turned out it wasn’t as we ended up turning the season around, improving, and making the dance and round of 32.
The second time I was out was last night. A thoroughly disappointing and embarrassing display from the players from the jump with an equally embarrassing coaching performance to match.
I fully expected last night to be a tough 48 hour turnaround, especially considering we are playing basically 6 guys. But my main gripes with last night are surrounding the lack of urgency or adjustments from Cape as the game wore on. Let’s review:
1) Virginia went on a 17 (seventeen!) - 0 run in the early part of the first half. Through the entirety of that, Pitt’s lineup, and guards, looked thoroughly lost on offense and completely disengaged on defense. And yet, there were no timeouts used! No timeout to yell in their faces. No timeouts to remind them of the urgency of the situation. Just sitting and watching.
2) in that same 17-0 run, only 1 substitution was used. Guillermo came in at the under 16. The next new Pitt player did not come in until Jorge around the 11 minute mark.
typically, across college hoops, you’ll see coaches make “line changes” for starting lineups that look thoroughly uninterested in playing. I fully get we don’t have a ton of depth. But I also fully expected, as the run was happening, for the coach to be pissed off and say F this, you 3-4-5 guys get in there and show them how to play with some effort. Even if it’s just for a minute or two. But nope, nothing. Just standing and watching.
Jorge should have been in way sooner. In times when the offense struggles, you need his outside shooting. 5 minutes too late for his sub.
3) The end of 1st half after timeout “play” to Jaland was embarrassing. Unimaginative and destined to fail.
4) Waiting to mix in a zone in the 2nd half. The zone against Wake was an effective changeup and I thought we’d see it mixed in in the 2nd half. Capel waiting until the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half to go to it. At least 5 minutes too late.
5) Waiting to ramp up the pressure. Pitt didn’t start applying full court pressure until about 5-6 minutes to go. Insane behavior. And 5 minutes of game time too late, at least. Virginia was bleeding clock and using all 30 seconds, and being very efficient in doing so. The coaching staff and Capel was seemingly content with applying the zone token press, which actually is designed to slow teams down, not speed them up.
Pitt should’ve spent the majority of the 2nd half speeding UVA up by applying pressure and taking more 3s.
But nope, nothing, standing and watching and changing too late.
The season isn’t over. But I’ve gone from can we be a top 6 seed in March and seeing us in top 20 kenpom to now praying this team has some pride and can squeak in the dance in a span of about 1 month.
Just depressing. If this team misses the tournament with the talent on the roster and non conference resume with the ACC being the weakest its ever been, it’s fireable.
That’s why, for only the second time in his tenure, I am out on Jeff Capel.
The trolls come out, people who claim to be fans start pounding their chests about how right they were, hyperbole runs rampant, there’s seemingly no take or post too wild to press send on…
After a night and morning to reflect, I would like to share I’ve only ever been completely out on Jeff Capel twice in his tenure here.
The first time was in year 5, where after year 4 which he probably should have been fired but wasn’t due to his buyout and contract, when we were blown out by 30 in early November on a Friday night by WVU. After year 4, I was resigned to him coming back because of the financial situation. But that performance against WVU seemed like the final blow to me, oddly it turned out it wasn’t as we ended up turning the season around, improving, and making the dance and round of 32.
The second time I was out was last night. A thoroughly disappointing and embarrassing display from the players from the jump with an equally embarrassing coaching performance to match.
I fully expected last night to be a tough 48 hour turnaround, especially considering we are playing basically 6 guys. But my main gripes with last night are surrounding the lack of urgency or adjustments from Cape as the game wore on. Let’s review:
1) Virginia went on a 17 (seventeen!) - 0 run in the early part of the first half. Through the entirety of that, Pitt’s lineup, and guards, looked thoroughly lost on offense and completely disengaged on defense. And yet, there were no timeouts used! No timeout to yell in their faces. No timeouts to remind them of the urgency of the situation. Just sitting and watching.
2) in that same 17-0 run, only 1 substitution was used. Guillermo came in at the under 16. The next new Pitt player did not come in until Jorge around the 11 minute mark.
typically, across college hoops, you’ll see coaches make “line changes” for starting lineups that look thoroughly uninterested in playing. I fully get we don’t have a ton of depth. But I also fully expected, as the run was happening, for the coach to be pissed off and say F this, you 3-4-5 guys get in there and show them how to play with some effort. Even if it’s just for a minute or two. But nope, nothing. Just standing and watching.
Jorge should have been in way sooner. In times when the offense struggles, you need his outside shooting. 5 minutes too late for his sub.
3) The end of 1st half after timeout “play” to Jaland was embarrassing. Unimaginative and destined to fail.
4) Waiting to mix in a zone in the 2nd half. The zone against Wake was an effective changeup and I thought we’d see it mixed in in the 2nd half. Capel waiting until the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half to go to it. At least 5 minutes too late.
5) Waiting to ramp up the pressure. Pitt didn’t start applying full court pressure until about 5-6 minutes to go. Insane behavior. And 5 minutes of game time too late, at least. Virginia was bleeding clock and using all 30 seconds, and being very efficient in doing so. The coaching staff and Capel was seemingly content with applying the zone token press, which actually is designed to slow teams down, not speed them up.
Pitt should’ve spent the majority of the 2nd half speeding UVA up by applying pressure and taking more 3s.
But nope, nothing, standing and watching and changing too late.
The season isn’t over. But I’ve gone from can we be a top 6 seed in March and seeing us in top 20 kenpom to now praying this team has some pride and can squeak in the dance in a span of about 1 month.
Just depressing. If this team misses the tournament with the talent on the roster and non conference resume with the ACC being the weakest its ever been, it’s fireable.
That’s why, for only the second time in his tenure, I am out on Jeff Capel.
