Nearly 40 years as a Pitt fan...

[JD1976]

Tonight was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time that I voluntarily turned off a game and didn’t watch with full attention for all 40 minutes. Not even during the 0-18 year did I turn a game off. You could just see that the team had no jump and wasn’t competing.

I feel for Capel because overall he has done a fine job considering what he inherited, but I think he has used up all of his get out of jail free tokens with the fan base after tonight. If this continues like the last 2 years did with a long losing skid, he is going to lose the support for the program that he has worked hard to restore. And that’s a big shame, especially after how fun the Duke game was just 10 or 11 days ago.

 

[Protes]

Tonight was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time that I voluntarily turned off a game and didn’t watch with full attention for all 40 minutes. Not even during the 0-18 year did I turn a game off. You could just see that the team had no jump and wasn’t competing.

I feel for Capel because overall he has done a fine job considering what he inherited, but I think he has used up all of his get out of jail free tokens with the fan base after tonight. If this continues like the last 2 years did with a long losing skid, he is going to lose the support for the program that he has worked hard to restore. And that’s a big shame, especially after how fun the Duke game was just 10 or 11 days ago.

I almost turned it off, too. Should have mid-way through the 2nd half.

 

[Pittisit4me]

Tonight was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time that I voluntarily turned off a game and didn’t watch with full attention for all 40 minutes. Not even during the 0-18 year did I turn a game off. You could just see that the team had no jump and wasn’t competing.

I feel for Capel because overall he has done a fine job considering what he inherited, but I think he has used up all of his get out of jail free tokens with the fan base after tonight. If this continues like the last 2 years did with a long losing skid, he is going to lose the support for the program that he has worked hard to restore. And that’s a big shame, especially after how fun the Duke game was just 10 or 11 days ago.

That is being a Pitt fan. We always get just enough to get excited and then the rug is pulled out from under us!

 

[FIVE4PITT]

This team is not improving the players keep making the same mistakes. Starting to wonder about the coach and his staff. The team seems to play with no heart and energy right now. A lack of effort. The defensive discipline is bad. This has seem to be the problem the past few years. Coach Capel has had some losing streaks at other programs prior to Pitt the last two years.

 

[oldpanther]

That is being a Pitt fan. We always get just enough to get excited and then the rug is pulled out from under us!

After the Duke game XJ claimed that PItt would now be the hunted, lol, in truth the end result is at this time the panthers are toothless and clawless. Pitt basketball is now just an easy win for anybody on the schedule seeking a victory,

 

[pittizit]

they need to shut up and play.or leave

 

[LeftCoastPanther]

I loved the days when we had a guy like Krauser, who lost two teeth in a one-point win over ND in 2005. Amazing how far removed we are from those days and we’re back to the Willard days.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Can you imagine what Duke would do to this team today if we played?

During the past few years including when Stallings was here, I've lost a lot of interest in this program. I find myself not even knowing or caring when we play a game and not caring what happens when we do play. And that's from a Pitt fan who has been through a lot the past 50 years with both football and basketball. This team just doesn't put out the effort before, during and after games. That's unacceptable. They're very hard to root for.

I'd love to see what their practices are like. I'm sure they're nothing like what we had under Howland and Dixon. Maybe the kids are on their phones the whole time during practice, checking on their twitter or facebook accounts. It sure seems that's what they're doing.

 

[PittMan2003]

Yeah I’m taking a break from watching them after last night. What a complete garbage performance.

 

[TheLogicalTake]

At what point does the “What Capel inherited” stuff fade? I respect the heck out of him personally and give him credit for being able to get the team to punch above their weight class at times, but the this isn’t like he has a team full of guys inherited from a prior staff. This is HIS team.

 

[Ski11585]

At what point does the “What Capel inherited” stuff fade? I respect the heck out of him personally and give him credit for being able to get the team to punch above their weight class at times, but the this isn’t like he has a team full of guys inherited from a prior staff. This is HIS team.

I think @Fsgolfdr is the only one still putting that excuse out. But you are right. This is Capel’s team with Capel’s players. I don’t want to be too much a prisoner of the moment, but I fear we are nearing a make or break point. At the very least, this next recruiting class looks like it will need to replace at least two of the three “best” players on the team.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

At what point does the “What Capel inherited” stuff fade? I respect the heck out of him personally and give him credit for being able to get the team to punch above their weight class at times, but the this isn’t like he has a team full of guys inherited from a prior staff. This is HIS team.

This x 1000. Blaming the players you recruited is getting older too.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

At what point does the “What Capel inherited” stuff fade? I respect the heck out of him personally and give him credit for being able to get the team to punch above their weight class at times, but the this isn’t like he has a team full of guys inherited from a prior staff. This is HIS team.

Exactly. This is on entirely him and he is responsible for the results. And he'll come out tomorrow or this week and say all the right things. Will anything change?

 

[Fsgolfdr]

At what point does the “What Capel inherited” stuff fade? I respect the heck out of him personally and give him credit for being able to get the team to punch above their weight class at times, but the this isn’t like he has a team full of guys inherited from a prior staff. This is HIS team.

This is his team and it’s a team that was very hard to put together . Lets not forget he started with TB and JWF that’s it .Chuck Noll took over the Steelers and it took him 4 yrs to build a winning program and he had the benefit of the draft ! JC isn‘t getting Joe Greene and Terry Bradshaw type of players !

His first recruiting class was surprisingly strong considering the time he had to piece it together . Both X and Trey looked to be future stars and Toney was a step behind them . Well Treys gone after a lousy sophomore season , X has never really improved and while I have no knowledge of the dynamics inside the locker room Toney seems to be at the center of constant discontent .

Year two JC shot higher in going after higher profile players to find out these guys only give lip service to be considering Pitt , but end up going with with better offers . Why is this surprising to anyone . He did find a diamond in JC and AKC is proving to be a capable player who would benefit playing next to a true 5 . Ask yourself do you want to spend 4 yrs fighting your way out of the basement or would you rather just move into the penthouse!

Last yrs class appears to be his best , but losing Hugley is a big blow . The other freshman just aren’t ready . Time will tell us how good Femi , Jeffress and Collier become and whether Hugley ever plays for Pitt again . As far as Horton and Nike go both so far have been underwhelming , especially Horton .

The future :
who stays
who goes
who improves
does Hugley get reinstated or bounced
do they get a few transfers or an impact freshman next yr

To me the bottom line is ,this is a hard job to attract the players needed to make Pitt a national contender and without an active booster group I can’t see any coach instantly coming in here bringing in 4&5* players . Pitts best bet is the guy whose currently coaching to continually improving the roster . If given time , which he will be , he’ll develop enough relationships to break through and get the type of players you need to be successful in the ACC . This isn’t Duke or Kentucky where next yr they’ll have 3 future lottery picks in their freshman class .Patience is the only answer .

 

[TheLogicalTake]

I think @Fsgolfdr is the only one still putting that excuse out. But you are right. This is Capel’s team with Capel’s players. I don’t want to be too much a prisoner of the moment, but I fear we are nearing a make or break point. At the very least, this next recruiting class looks like it will need to replace at least two of the three “best” players on the team.

The part of that which concerns me is that we’re going to be trying to replace key players from a player pool that is largely picked over. Of course decommits/transfers/reclasses will happen but that’s a dangerous game to play as we won’t be the only ones looking to plug holes in the spring.

The recruiting issues are by their own design. Outside of Hugley, I’m struggling to think of a guy that we’ve locked in on early and brought into the fold in a systematic fashion. Way too much of our recruiting seems scattershot or reactionary based upon missing on bigger fish. Now we’re heading into a pivotal year without a single commit and could potentially be looking to replace multiple key guys. Again, I have nothing but respect for Jeff Capel but it’s hard to feel good about the direction of this program

 

[Ski11585]

This is his team and it’s a team that was very hard to put together . Lets not forget he started with TB and JWF that’s it .Chuck Noll took over the Steelers and it took him 4 yrs to build a winning program and he had the benefit of the draft ! JC isn‘t getting Joe Greene and Terry Bradshaw type of players !

His first recruiting class was surprisingly strong considering the time he had to piece it together . Both X and Trey looked to be future stars and Toney was a step behind them . Well Treys gone after a lousy sophomore season , X has never really improved and while I have no knowledge of the dynamics inside the locker room Toney seems to be at the center of constant discontent .

Year two JC shot higher in going after higher profile players to find out these guys only give lip service to be considering Pitt , but end up going with with better offers . Why is this surprising to anyone . He did find a diamond in JC and AKC is proving to be a capable player who would benefit playing next to a true 5 . Ask yourself do you want to spend 4 yrs fighting your way out of the basement or would you rather just move into the penthouse!

Last yrs class appears to be his best , but losing Hugley is a big blow . The other freshman just aren’t ready . Time will tell us how good Femi , Jeffress and Collier become and whether Hugley ever plays for Pitt again . As far as Horton and Nike go both so far have been underwhelming , especially Horton .

The future :
who stays
who goes
who improves
does Hugley get reinstated or bounced
do they get a few transfers or an impact freshman next yr

To me the bottom line is ,this is a hard job to attract the players needed to make Pitt a national contender and without an active booster group I can’t see any coach instantly coming in here bringing in 4&5* players . Pitts best bet is the guy whose currently coaching to continually improving the roster . If given time , which he will be , he’ll develop enough relationships to break through and get the type of players you need to be successful in the ACC . This isn’t Duke or Kentucky where next yr they’ll have 3 future lottery picks in their freshman class .Patience is the only answer .

So when does he bear responsibility? Year 4? 6? 8? You’ve set up a convenient excuse no matter what. Cant recruit if you don’t win. Cant win without recruits. Oh well!

 

[Fsgolfdr]

So when does he bear responsibility? Year 4? 6? 8? You’ve set up a convenient excuse no matter what. Cant recruit if you don’t win. Cant win without recruits. Oh well!

My opinion is that Pitt is in the wrong league and being anything other than a middle level team in the ACC will be almost impossible . I think JC is their best bet going forward . If Pitt wants to really compete then they need to be creative in recruiting and I see no inclination for them to go that route .

Force JD out , hire a older successful HC with a career winning % over .600 and fire him , hire the top assistant from one of the two best programs in the country and fire him ....who‘d want that job ?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Tonight was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time that I voluntarily turned off a game and didn’t watch with full attention for all 40 minutes. Not even during the 0-18 year did I turn a game off. You could just see that the team had no jump and wasn’t competing.

I feel for Capel because overall he has done a fine job considering what he inherited, but I think he has used up all of his get out of jail free tokens with the fan base after tonight. If this continues like the last 2 years did with a long losing skid, he is going to lose the support for the program that he has worked hard to restore. And that’s a big shame, especially after how fun the Duke game was just 10 or 11 days ago.

Honestly, same for me. I turned it off shortly after Johnson fouled out turned on Vikings. I swear in my entire life I never remember doing that, not even during the 0-19 year because I felt those kids were playing hard and I had no expectations. Funny this is 20 minutes after I tuned out, my son came upstairs all excited, "Dad you're never going to believe this." I'm thinking maybe Pitt went on a run. Nope. "Onye made a deep 3."

These guys just arent fun to watch. Champagnie is a talent. Johnson is just plain bad. Embarrassingly bad and his decision-making makes me want to pull my hair out.

I dont know where Capel goes from here. And I dont mean this season. The future with a subpar freshman class potentially without Hugley and no recruits signed makes you wonder if we will ever get out of last place.

 

[Panther Holla]

I don't envy the AD or the head coach in terms of restoring respectability to this program. Pitt seems stuck in basketball limbo. The upsets tantalize, but the recent slide brings us back to earth with a thud. Reports of player jealousies or unhappiness? We've heard this before, and they are hallmarks of losers.

As a fan, in the wake of the pandemic I'm going to have hard decisions to make about renewing my season tickets and my contribution to the Panther Club. I've grown really fond of watching the Panthers on TV -- or changing the channel once I see The Same Shit Again. I've willingly endured the traffic to and from, the cold nights, and the athletic department's ticketing shenanigans -- good times and bad -- since Pitt joined the Big East in 1982. These Panthers are hard to watch. It's going to take a leap of faith for me to subsidize "Limbo" next fall. But, if they don't act like they care, why should I?

 

[Ski11585]

My opinion is that Pitt is in the wrong league and being anything other than a middle level team in the ACC will be almost impossible . I think JC is their best bet going forward . If Pitt wants to really compete then they need to be creative in recruiting and I see no inclination for them to go that route .

Force JD out , hire a older successful HC with a career winning % over .600 and fire him , hire the top assistant from one of the two best programs in the country and fire him ....who‘d want that job ?

There was not a person on earth who wound describe KS in as flattering terms as you do. He was a terrible coach who was thoroughly mediocre at Vandy. I’ve asked you this before - why shouldn’t Pitt just shutter it’s D1 programs if they can’t compete?

 

[Fsgolfdr]

There was not a person on earth who wound describe KS in as flattering terms as you do. He was a terrible coach who was thoroughly mediocre at Vandy. I’ve asked you this before - why shouldn’t Pitt just shutter it’s D1 programs if they can’t compete?

The man won over 60% of his games . Since his departure Vandy bb has been horrible. That doesn’t mean he was a horrible coach while at Pitt .

The answer to your question is MONEY !

 

[deepelemblues]

there's a couple guys who should not be playing anymore

every year there's a cancer or two in the locker room that this staff fails to chemo

 

[Ski11585]

The man won over 60% of his games . Since his departure Vandy bb has been horrible. That doesn’t mean he was a horrible coach while at Pitt .

The answer to your question is MONEY !

Given how many cupcake OOC games D1 teams play, that 60% winning percentage stat means nothing to me. Particularly since he only own 49% of his SEC games. How did his tournament record look? In 17 seasons at Vandy he only took his team to the NCAAs 7 times. That's not even 50%. He was a thoroughly mediocre coach his entire career.

And "Money!" is not an answer to my question.

Why are you so insistent on defending bad coaches?

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Given how many cupcake OOC games D1 teams play, that 60% winning percentage stat means nothing to me. Particularly since he only own 49% of his SEC games. How did his tournament record look? In 17 seasons at Vandy he only took his team to the NCAAs 7 times. That's not even 50%. He was a thoroughly mediocre coach his entire career.

And "Money!" is not an answer to my question.

Why are you so insistent on defending bad coaches?

Money is the answer to every question involving big time college athletics .

KS at Vandy 332-220 7 NCAAs > 60%
Drew who many people wanted for Pitt 40-59
current coach Stackhouse 11-29

Like I said he was horrible at Pitt , but far better than the next 2 guys at Vandy .

 

[Ski11585]

Money is the answer to every question involving big time college athletics .

KS at Vandy 332-220 7 NCAAs > 60%
Drew who many people wanted for Pitt 40-59
current coach Stackhouse 11-29

Like I said he was horrible at Pitt , but far better than the next 2 guys at Vandy .

So when asked if Pitt should just shut down D1 you respond with... money?

And being better than the guys who came after him doesn't make him a good coach. It makes the guys who came after him horrible coaches.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

So when asked if Pitt should just shut down D1 you respond with... money?

And being better than the guys who came after him doesn't make him a good coach. It makes the guys who came after him horrible coaches.

Pitt funds all there other sports through ACC money .

Drew was a rising star .

I beg to differ when you can win at a school others lose it does say something about your abilities .

How many people who hated JD wish he was still here !

 

[PatMac59]

I've gotta say, I never imagined seeing a debate on this board over Kevin Stallings' legacy at Vanderbilt. Strange times we're living through.