A deep bench is always a key component for any successful college basketball program.
If Pitt wants to sustain its status among the top of the ACC and within the scope of NCAA Tournament contention, it will be imperative that Jeff Capel goes eight- or nine-deep into his rotations to fill in for the absent Will Jeffress, Dior Johnson, and John Hugley IV -- three main contributors or starters who otherwise would be eating up minutes in chunks throughout the season.
While still true freshman getting acclimated to the American style of basketball, Spanish twins Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham are about to get a trial by fire into a crucial stretch for not only the program's livelihood within the ACC, but also in a regard for their own individual developments.
"I think they've done really well," Capel said on Monday. "The last few games Guillermo has played more and has done really, really well. Jorge has been good for us all year. He hadn't played the past couple of games, but he will for us. ... We need everyone every day in practice, and we need the great attitudes like we've had, and guys being about the right stuff. Just being about winning."
Natives of the Spanish Canary Islands, an archipelago off the West coast of Morocco, the twins were highly regarded prospects out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., after recruiting restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic hindered international scouting while they were in high school. Jorge was rated higher as a recruit, per On3, at 81st overall in the 2022 class, whereas Guillermo was slotted at 94. The two boast international experience, each having trained with Spain's U20 team and with Guillermo playing just over 14 minutes per game for Spain in the FIBA European championship tournament this past summer.
Jorge has seen more action than Guillermo, logging 58 more minutes on the floor and attempting 29 more shots from the field while each have played in 15 of Pitt's 18 games. Jorge has played 10 minutes per game to Guillermo's seven.
But, over the last three Capel has deployed Guillermo for 30 minutes compared to Jorge's 10, and that is even while Blake Hinson battled foul trouble against Clemson and Duke and, again, without Hugley in the rotation.
Hugley will miss the rest of the season for personal reasons and so he can rehab his sprained knee that was sustained in the first week of practice. Jeffress had foot surgery, and Johnson is sitting out this season after battle legal issues from September through December.
With three key rotational players out, it will be imperative that the twins not only see more minutes, but also earn more opportunities while playing behind Federiko Federiko within the offense and on the glass. Operating without Jeffress, Hugley, and Johnson is not foreign to Capel and Pitt, but the perception currently rests on the team still figuring out how to operate deep into games without those three.
Perhaps the twins can be the solution.
Jorge profiles more as the stretch-four who can pull up from 3-point range (7-for-22), and Guillermo is more of a true center with slightly better rebounding ability. This gives Capel rotation combination options to mix alongside Nike Sibande and Nate Santos as the primary reserves in the backcourt.
Pitt is a team which is laced with veterans across the board, but Santos and Federiko are sophomores who are still finding their own respective grooves alongside the freshmen twins. Santos (1.8 points, 1.8 rebounds per game) has essentially been Pitt's seventh man off the bench behind SIbande and has shared the floor with the twins in plenty of stretches.
"We kind of try to talk to each other and help each other out," Santos said, "and be like, 'hey, you've got to do this,' or kind of talk to each other to see where we're lacking or where we can get better at so we can come in and help the team."
Pitt has struggled over its recent stretch to rebound, as Clemson, Duke, and Georgia Tech combined to outpace the Panthers 127-98. Duke hammered the Panthers on the glass for a 51-28 margin (and a 34-20 scoring advantage in the paint) while Guillermo played 13 minutes and Jorge did not see the floor.
That has been a recently and often-discussed point of emphasis by Capel and players alike, but having the 6-foot-11 Jorge and 7-foot Guillermo in for consistent minutes and gaining experience by playing in games could be one solution Capel is looking for.
Pitt's next two opponents this week -- at Louisville on Wednesday and Florida State on Saturday -- are 13th and 14th, respectively, within the ACC in rebounding margin, and Pitt will have a prime opportunity to put forward what ever adjustments are made to crashing and controlling the glass and begin to build upon potential improvements before a tougher February schedule arrives.
Jorge grabbed five rebounds in Pitt's game at Syracuse in December, and Guillermo collected five against a sizable Clemson for their respective highs in ACC play.
Expect that clip to be a near-standard for the two going forward, should we see this expected uptick in their minutes.
