Pitt Head Coach Jeff Capel Quotes
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Pittsburgh Head Coach Jeff Capel
Can you sum up the game?
“Well, congrats to Syracuse, they played really well, especially the second half. They got into a rhythm offensively. They hit shots, they hit threes. That’s something they haven’t been doing. I know they hit 11 against Duke. We tried to play the percentages a little bit and they hurt us from the three-point line.
“Their zone took us out of any sort of rhythm. We could never get into a rhythm offensively. Our inexperience and immaturity really hurt us. To start the second half, we got five straight stops. We scored first and I think it was a one-point game, but then after that the first four minutes we had five turnovers.
“Again, our inability to value the basketball is something that hurt us. Now, this one was different, because this is a different style than we’re accustomed to playing and with a lot of young guys and four guys in our starting lineup, it’s their first time playing against Syracuse. You expect it a little bit. I just thought the way we started the second half really hurt us, and then they really took advantage of it. From the under 16 timeout on, they really took advantage of that.”
How much did Marek Dolezaj up at the top of the key finding guys inside hurt you?
“That hurt us, but again we shouldn’t have been overplaying him like that. He’s a really good passer, he’s a good player. That’s what I mean about the game plan. We want them going away from the basket.
“I think Syracuse is a team, with Battle, with Brissett, with Howard, those three guys especially, they want to go downhill. They want to drive and get to spots, and Hughes is a little bit different because he’s a guy that can really shoot the ball. Certainly his passing and his ability to make plays, it did hurt us.”
Were you still not able to get any transition game going, something you’ve lived on so much this year?
“They do a really good job of transition defense. The way they play their zone, they get back. We didn’t rebound great. I think we were tied at halftime. They had 18 offensive rebounds, so that’s probably why we weren’t able to get out in transition.”
The inexperience that you referenced before, is that part of the learning process? Winning the game against Florida State, is this part of that process?
“Everything for us is part of the process. We have to figure out how to win on the road. That’s something that we haven’t done. This is a different style than we’ve played all season long, and no matter how much we practice, we can’t simulate their size and their experience in the zone. It is a learning experience for us, it’s something we’ll grow and get better from.”
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Pittsburgh Head Coach Jeff Capel
Can you sum up the game?
“Well, congrats to Syracuse, they played really well, especially the second half. They got into a rhythm offensively. They hit shots, they hit threes. That’s something they haven’t been doing. I know they hit 11 against Duke. We tried to play the percentages a little bit and they hurt us from the three-point line.
“Their zone took us out of any sort of rhythm. We could never get into a rhythm offensively. Our inexperience and immaturity really hurt us. To start the second half, we got five straight stops. We scored first and I think it was a one-point game, but then after that the first four minutes we had five turnovers.
“Again, our inability to value the basketball is something that hurt us. Now, this one was different, because this is a different style than we’re accustomed to playing and with a lot of young guys and four guys in our starting lineup, it’s their first time playing against Syracuse. You expect it a little bit. I just thought the way we started the second half really hurt us, and then they really took advantage of it. From the under 16 timeout on, they really took advantage of that.”
How much did Marek Dolezaj up at the top of the key finding guys inside hurt you?
“That hurt us, but again we shouldn’t have been overplaying him like that. He’s a really good passer, he’s a good player. That’s what I mean about the game plan. We want them going away from the basket.
“I think Syracuse is a team, with Battle, with Brissett, with Howard, those three guys especially, they want to go downhill. They want to drive and get to spots, and Hughes is a little bit different because he’s a guy that can really shoot the ball. Certainly his passing and his ability to make plays, it did hurt us.”
Were you still not able to get any transition game going, something you’ve lived on so much this year?
“They do a really good job of transition defense. The way they play their zone, they get back. We didn’t rebound great. I think we were tied at halftime. They had 18 offensive rebounds, so that’s probably why we weren’t able to get out in transition.”
The inexperience that you referenced before, is that part of the learning process? Winning the game against Florida State, is this part of that process?
“Everything for us is part of the process. We have to figure out how to win on the road. That’s something that we haven’t done. This is a different style than we’ve played all season long, and no matter how much we practice, we can’t simulate their size and their experience in the zone. It is a learning experience for us, it’s something we’ll grow and get better from.”
