Jeff Capel has not minced words about how bad Pitt has played of late, nor about the challenges teams face this season while playing in a pandemic.
Capel made the former clear when he described his team's play as 'deplorable' after Saturday's blowout loss to Notre Dame. He also followed that up with more comments during the ACC coaches Zoom conference Monday.
Pitt's three-game losing streak after starting the season with an 8-2 record, 4-1 in the ACC, has to be worrying on several levels, particularly when considering the program's recent history. The Panthers lost seven straight on their way to a losing record in the 2019-2020 season, and they dropped 13 in a row in the 2018-2019 season.
"I'm not trying to think about first or second year," Capel said when asked how this season compares to his first two. "I'm trying to think about right now. We've lost three games in a row. We've not played well defensively. We've not rebounded like we did in our first four ACC games. We have to be better on that side of the ball."
There aren't any excuses offered from Capel on his team's dip in play. When asked about how the Panthers only got five free throw attempts against Notre Dame, despite having the fourth-most free throw attempts in the ACC, Capel was straightforward in his answer.
"We didn't deserve to be at the line," Capel said. "We didn't deserve anything except what we got. It's interesting watching Virginia Tech, and watching (Keve) Aluma, he's really good. Some guys have a natural ability to draw fouls. I think he's one of them. He's really good with his footwork and his shot fakes. There are some guys who are physical and they draw fouls that way. Some guys are just creative and just have weird games where you foul them because you don't know what they're doing."
Aluma will be a key factor in Pitt's game against Virginia Tech at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday night. Pitt has a lot of work to get ready for the No. 20-ranked Hokies.
In the meantime, Capel's squad is in search of consistency. Finding it has been something a lot of teams have struggled with during the pandemic across different sports.
"It's a challenge," Capel said. "I talked to our football coach, Pat Narduzzi, before we started playing. One of the things he expressed to me was the challenges you face once you get started and playing games. He was one hundred percent right on. Just the week-to-week for them and all the things these young guys are going through, the things they deal with and the experiences they have, it's one of the reasons I understand everyone has a job to do."
Capel has been adamant all season about how difficulties all college athletes face during the pandemic.
"Certainly, these young people playing helps all of us," Capel continued. "It gives us work to do. But they're at times judged like it's normal and I don't think it's fair to them. I don't know what's being said about my team or my players because I don't read it, but I've read things about other teams that are struggling and the takes that are negative. I understand that everyone has a job to do, but at times it's like w're trying to normalize this and nothing they're going through is normal. So I would hope, the young people especially, would be given some grace for what they're trying to accomplish."
Capel also acknowledged how coaches can struggle during the pandemic with understanding just how hard to push their players. Reasonable expectations for what student-athletes can handle don't apply when players are taking regular tests and constantly concerned that their next game or practice could get cancelled.
"You have to be conscious and cognizant of what they are going through and how it's affecting them," Capel said. "So there is a fine line there. I think it's affected everything, especially preparedness for a game. The week to week, where one week you look really good and the next you look like you have no idea what the hell you're doing. Like you're not prepared, you didn't practice or go through anything. Players know when they don't play well, they know when they've screwed up. I had a coach that yelled at me for four years. I probably didn't need it once, but it was probably good that he did. But now as a coach I find myself on that fine line. How much can they take? I think about it all the time."
Finding that fine line could be a growing challenge for Capel if his Panthers can't stop the losing streak soon. And that becomes harder when your team has various challenges to address. Pitt's 42.3 field goal percentage ranks next-to-last in the ACC. Pitt's 65.7 free-throw percentage is the worst in the ACC. For three straight games, the Panthers' defense has allowed 75 points or more, after only allowing opponents to score that many points twice in their first eleven games.
All those aspects to Pitt's game need work to get the Panthers back to their winning ways. Finding the balance between coaching and understanding how young players are adapting to the pandemic is yet another hurdle for the Panthers to clear. And it could be what defines Capel's third season in charge.
