Pitt HC Jeff Capel Preaches Patience with John Hugley

Pitt Panthers forward John Hugley's recovery from injury has been slow, but his head coach isn't worried.

PITTSBURGH -- Sacred Heart head coach Anthony Latina was actually disappointed to see the Pitt Panthers had taken former All-ACC center John Hugley out of the starting lineup and replaced him with sophomore center Fede Federiko. As Hugley continues to work his way back from a knee injury, Latina noticed his mobility still has some catching up to do and was hoping his guards could take advantage. 

"To be honest, when they started [Fede] Federiko, for us, we’re like ‘Oh my god, this is going to be a lot,’ because one of the things Hugley’s struggling with right now is to guard," Latina said.

Against Sacred Heart, Hugley scored just two points and collected five rebounds in 10 minutes of work. His recovery from the sudden injury has been slow and his legs still are not back under him completely - that much is proven through box scores and the eye test. But head coach Jeff Capel has seen progress nonetheless and preached patience, saying the injury threw off routines that are so important to operating at peak performance during the regular season. 

“I feel for him," Capel said after the win over Sacred Heart. "I love the kid. He’s a great kid. It’s just difficult when you have an injury and you come back in the middle of the season. There’s a rhythm to everything. For six weeks, we were without him and so we had to adjust what we were doing. And I thought we became pretty good at that, with the way we were going to play. And so when he comes back, we have to adjust to him, but he has to adjust to us. 

Capel acknowledged this is an unfamiliar position for Hugley, who's been a dominant player for as long as he can remember. Because of the expectations his performance has created, Hugley's struggles are magnified and that can weigh on a player just as much as the physical side of repairing an injured knee. 

“When you’re a really good player and you’ve been a really good player, when you’re struggling a little bit - especially publicly - that can be difficult," Capel said.

But Capel has faith in Hugley, who he said is putting in the work necessary to reclaim that All-ACC form he achieved last year. He also reaffirmed how important Hugley is to this team moving forward, so there's no rush. It's a matter of "when", not "if" Hugley will return to form, according to Capel and that's why he's so comfortable being patient. 

"As he continues to get in better shape, as he continues to play and work and be with these guys more, we know he’ll be better," Capel said. "We know when he’s really good, what he is. It’s just taking the time to get back to that point. That time is going to come and we’re going to be a much better team when that happens.”

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

Pitt DE John Morgan Enters Transfer Portal

Pitt Lands Commitment from Former Elon P Jeff Yurk

Report: Pitt TE Kyi Wright Enters Transfer Portal

Pitt Has Not Discussed Acrisure Stadium's Future With Steelers

Pitt Head Coach Jeff Capel Grapples With John Hugley's Slow Start

Gametime Set for Pitt vs North Carolina Basketball

Pitt AD Heather Lyke Calls for Uniform Rules Around NIL

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt