This team, and staff, deserve a lot of credit. They could have easily folded, but didn't. So here they are. Was or is it perfect? They don't have a true point guard and don't shoot the ball well at all, but they have developed and do enough in every area outside of those two things. With the current state of the ACC, this team has a chance to win more games than any of us thought.
Felt like the tone was set on the very first play last night. Hugley really gets up for these kinds of matchups, and Williams just had no chance. Sometimes I wonder why teams go man on Pitt and how they approach John, but the kid is legit. He isn't just big and strong, he has several moves. He can spin and maintain balance, he can go in either direction, has a nice drop-step, etc. Thought he kept his composure for the most part two, as a couple of those foul calls were beyond awful.
Jamarius Burton has been the co-MVP thus far to me. The offense seemed to be in trouble when Femi had the ball in his hands for the majority of the time. Moving Femi off the ball has been a great thing. JB is really good at driving the ball, and his turnaround and pull up midrange game is special. He rarely elevates much at all on the shot, but his drive lets him get away with that. He is about as strong and tough as it gets for a guard. Sometimes you wonder how he is able to produce like this because nothing about his game is elite. But he is just the type of kid that gets picked first on the playground. He flat out gets it done.
I like Femi off of the ball much more. Have not seen many better penetrators than him. He has struggled at times with the final decision off of these drives, but he can get wherever he wants. His euro step game is elite and his ability to go to the left hand is special. With his length, he always reminded me of a poor man's Tyreke Evans.
Mo is the fourth piece of this. He can be a secondary scorer and still have a huge impact. His ability to block shots is special. He has gotten a lot better at taking care of the ball as well. He doesn't always take the best shots, but his handle has improved and he is not turning it over like the beginning of the year. He plays so incredibly hard that it is hard to knock him for a quick three point attempt. He makes some plays that would really stand out to any scouts in attendance. I am not saying that he is an NBA player, but he makes NBA level splash plays. Guys that size should not be able to move like that.
Two of these big four were transfers obviously. It is not always easy to find the right ones and they have struggled with this. But these two are about as good as you can get. I know that a lot of people wonder if this model can be sustainable and I get it But when you look at the transfer numbers, that market is now similar to the prep market. And I don't think anyone believes that the transfers are going to stop. We have seen programs like Iowa State live off of transfers for stretches. So at this point, I am starting to wonder if there is much of a difference between the two markets.
This team has stayed locked in and are learning how they need to play. I am almost ready to say that this is who they have become and who they are. If that is the case, they will do well enough the rest of the season. It is not easy to play this way, but it is also not easy to play against. It requires mental toughness, and they have the bodies to play this level of football on hardwood. This team is capable of beating almost any team in this league with the exception of Duke. I am not saying that they are going to win all of these games because they won't. Just saying that they are capable now that they have developed like they have as a team.
Jeff Capel deserves credit. Needless to say, he has struggled in this job. With that being said, he has this group bought in and they are playing their best now. Getting better each week. The limitations are there from a roster standpoint, but they are getting around that and figuring it out. He out coached Chris Mack yesterday. Speaking of Mack, I am really starting to wonder if he can coach at all. I am starting to doubt that he lasts there much longer. This is the problem when you pull from an elite job at a lower level. It can be difficult to determine how much of the success is just from the environment and advantage they have. For the most part yesterday, he just stood there and watched the action. Had no answers, didn't make any adjustments. Kept going to man for some reason. Very strange.
Felt like the tone was set on the very first play last night. Hugley really gets up for these kinds of matchups, and Williams just had no chance. Sometimes I wonder why teams go man on Pitt and how they approach John, but the kid is legit. He isn't just big and strong, he has several moves. He can spin and maintain balance, he can go in either direction, has a nice drop-step, etc. Thought he kept his composure for the most part two, as a couple of those foul calls were beyond awful.
Jamarius Burton has been the co-MVP thus far to me. The offense seemed to be in trouble when Femi had the ball in his hands for the majority of the time. Moving Femi off the ball has been a great thing. JB is really good at driving the ball, and his turnaround and pull up midrange game is special. He rarely elevates much at all on the shot, but his drive lets him get away with that. He is about as strong and tough as it gets for a guard. Sometimes you wonder how he is able to produce like this because nothing about his game is elite. But he is just the type of kid that gets picked first on the playground. He flat out gets it done.
I like Femi off of the ball much more. Have not seen many better penetrators than him. He has struggled at times with the final decision off of these drives, but he can get wherever he wants. His euro step game is elite and his ability to go to the left hand is special. With his length, he always reminded me of a poor man's Tyreke Evans.
Mo is the fourth piece of this. He can be a secondary scorer and still have a huge impact. His ability to block shots is special. He has gotten a lot better at taking care of the ball as well. He doesn't always take the best shots, but his handle has improved and he is not turning it over like the beginning of the year. He plays so incredibly hard that it is hard to knock him for a quick three point attempt. He makes some plays that would really stand out to any scouts in attendance. I am not saying that he is an NBA player, but he makes NBA level splash plays. Guys that size should not be able to move like that.
Two of these big four were transfers obviously. It is not always easy to find the right ones and they have struggled with this. But these two are about as good as you can get. I know that a lot of people wonder if this model can be sustainable and I get it But when you look at the transfer numbers, that market is now similar to the prep market. And I don't think anyone believes that the transfers are going to stop. We have seen programs like Iowa State live off of transfers for stretches. So at this point, I am starting to wonder if there is much of a difference between the two markets.
This team has stayed locked in and are learning how they need to play. I am almost ready to say that this is who they have become and who they are. If that is the case, they will do well enough the rest of the season. It is not easy to play this way, but it is also not easy to play against. It requires mental toughness, and they have the bodies to play this level of football on hardwood. This team is capable of beating almost any team in this league with the exception of Duke. I am not saying that they are going to win all of these games because they won't. Just saying that they are capable now that they have developed like they have as a team.
Jeff Capel deserves credit. Needless to say, he has struggled in this job. With that being said, he has this group bought in and they are playing their best now. Getting better each week. The limitations are there from a roster standpoint, but they are getting around that and figuring it out. He out coached Chris Mack yesterday. Speaking of Mack, I am really starting to wonder if he can coach at all. I am starting to doubt that he lasts there much longer. This is the problem when you pull from an elite job at a lower level. It can be difficult to determine how much of the success is just from the environment and advantage they have. For the most part yesterday, he just stood there and watched the action. Had no answers, didn't make any adjustments. Kept going to man for some reason. Very strange.
