Jeff Capel Explains Pitt's New Starting Lineup

Jeff Capel went through his decision-making process and thoughts on the performance of the Pitt Panthers' new-look starting lineup.

PITTSBURGH -- Following a win over South Carolina State that featured the Pitt Panthers' first alteration of the season to their starting lineup, Jeff Capel spoke about what led to his decision in addition to the performance of the current group. 

Pitt's starting lineup, featuring Guillermo Diaz Graham and William Jeffress in favor of Zack Austin and Federiko Federiko, combined for 50 points and took complete control of the game over the final 25 minutes of the game to help the Panthers secure the win over the Bulldogs. 

Capel foreshadowed the lineup change in Pitt's win over Canisius, a game in which the Panthers rebounded in the second half and pulled away after struggling early on in the contest. With Austin and Federiko both struggling to find their footing, Capel made a stand and placed his confidence in Diaz Graham and Jeffress after the pair had yielded promising results with the first unit prior to Saturday's game. 

Capel discussed how he arrived at the conclusion that Diaz Graham should start over Federiko, stating the team wanted to shake things up and that Diaz Graham had shown signs of growth while offering a different skill set. Capel made it clear that Federiko remains a key piece for Pitt, however, and stated that he was encouraged by how he responded to the move.

"I just think we wanted to try something different with bigs and so Guillermo is the only other big that we have," Capel stated. "I thought he had done some very good things.... He gives us something a little bit different, especially offensively than Fede does. But we need Fede, and I was really proud with how he responded."

On a similar note, Capel mentioned that Jeffress impressed him defensively in Pitt's previous games and believed he would provide a new element to the Panthers' starting lineup.

"Will played really well defensively against West Virginia," Capel said. "Will is a connector and he just played with force, same thing against Canisius and we just wanted to go with that.

Capel further lamented on Diaz Graham's performance and style of play, stating that he and the rest of the team expect a lot out of him while also mentioning how much he has progressed thus far in his Pitt career. 

"Well, he’s a talented young kid and he can do a lot and we’re expecting him to do a lot," Capel said. ".... He’s getting better at understanding how to talk, being in a stance, and having the stamina to defend the whole possession. Offensively, he can pass it. He can make a shot and he was able to finish today. He can make free throws, so there’s a lot of things he can do and we expect him to continue to get better."

Capel shared his thoughts on Jeffress as well, once again stating that he acts as a "connector" for the Panthers and understands his role in a way that elevates Pitt's play, and in turn its starting lineup, whenever he's on the floor. 

"Will is a guy that, you know, he defends and can defend multiple positions," Capel said. "He talks. He does a really good job of talking, which is very important, especially defensively. That connects a team. That connects the other four guys out there .... a connector is really someone who just understands their role and they make the group that they’re in with better and they do it by connecting everyone,"

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