Will Jeffress Sparks Turnaround for Pitt Bench
MORGANTOWN -- The Pitt Panthers bench was a non-factor against Clemson. Three reserves - Jaland Lowe, Will Jeffress and Guillermo Diaz Graham - combined to score zero points, shoot 0-7 from the field and 0-5 from 3-point distance and grab four rebounds.
The group was determined not to let that happen again in their next outing against West Virginia and, led by their gritty veteran, Will Jeffress, the Panthers bench made some of the biggest contributions to a full team win for Pitt over their hated rivals.
"We’ve got a lot of pride," Jeffress said. "Everybody from starters to freshmen to 14, we got ballers. They come in, we come to win games, we go hard in practice every day and push each other because we know at any given moment, our number can be called."
And Pitt head coach Jeff Capel had to call on his bench early, with two starters - Ishmael Leggett and Federiko Federiko - bogged down by foul trouble in the first half. The four-man bench delivered and each player brought their own thing to the table.
Lowe, who finished with six points and an assist, was instant offense off the bench, putting home a pair of crafty driving layups and a step-back jumper over 6'11 Jesse Edwards.
Jorge Diaz Graham stepped in to do a little bit of everything - taking two charges, blocking a shot, stealing a pass, sinking a 3-pointer and grabbing six rebounds.
Jorge's brother Guillermo stretched the floor and opened up driving lanes that were critical to a second-half surge for Pitt by knocking down three of his four 3-point attempts and scoring 15 points in all.
Both twins also worked together to help contain Edwards, one of the best big men in the country, as well.
But none of those players did more to impact the game with their limited time on the floor than Jeffress. Despite scoring just one point, Jeffress led the game in +/- at +22 because he grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, drew three fouls and played solid, game-changing defense.
"I thought the guy who changed the game was Will and it’s a testament to him because it doesn’t show up as far as points," Capel said. "But what he did to give us energy, defensively, rebounding, he was a connector, he was an unbelievable communicator, he showed unbelievable toughness and it really, really helped us be better."
Jeffress keyed a second-half defensive effort from Pitt that strangled their opponents. From the first half to the second, the Panthers forced more turnovers, gave up fewer points, fouled less and allowed their offense time to take over. The Pitt bench went from being shutout against Clemson to outscoring West Virginia's bench 25-3.
As one of the leading men in that bench unit, Jeffress has become accustomed to taking on a less traditionally glamorous role and thrived in it. And his teammates and coaches refuse to let Jeffress forget how valuable he is, even if points aren't his primary contribution.
“That is what it looks like to be a winner," Blake Hinson, who scored a career-high 29 points, said. "That is the definition of being a winner. Being able to come out there and put winning first, that’s what it looks like.”
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