Trending
By Bill Contz
For the Mirror
A surprising reclamation project is in full swing down in Oakland with lead architect Jeff Capel on the cusp of pulling off one of the biggest turnarounds in recent memory.
Capel merits very serious consideration for ACC Coach of the Year honors, and here's why:
Barring a total collapse, Pitt will post a winning record for the first time under his watch and punch a ticket to the March Madness dance regardless of what happens at next month's New York Life ACC Tournament (and you thought bowl games were the only events to sell their souls to corporate America).
Pitt currently stands at 9-3 in the ACC with six of its remaining eight games against opponents who presently boast conference records below .500.
For perspective, consider that none of Capel's previous four Pitt squads have come even remotely close to finishing a campaign with a winning record in the conference (last year's 6-14 finish was a high-water mark).
Assuming they win even half of their remaining games, the Panthers will notch their first 20-win season since the Jamie Dixon's swan song back in 2015-16.
The preseason offered few clues.
You could count me among many naysayers that had written these guys off after a 1-3 start that included an embarrassing 31-point blowout loss to what turns out to be a very average Michigan team.
Several factors have contributed to what can be considered an astonishing renaissance.
One is a stingy defense that has been absolutely suffocating its opponents lately.
Last week a horde of raucous, rowdy and revitalized Zoo inhabitants witnessed the scrappy Panthers stifle 10th ranked Miami by overcoming an eight-point deficit and shutting out the Hurricanes over the game's final two plus minutes.
Pitt proceeded to stroll down Tobacco Road and hand North Carolina its first home loss of the season by holding the Tar Heels to 14 points below their scoring average while in the process sweeping the season series for the first time in school history.
A massive offseason roster overhaul has paid off handsomely.
Capel brought in eight new players this fall, including three former scholastic standouts, two junior-college transfers and three veteran players by way of via the portal -- Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliott and Blake Hinson.
Cummings is a fifth-year senior and possesses previous NCAA tourney experience while Elliott spent four seasons at Marquette.
Hinson is, without question, the biggest surprise, ranking second on the team in scoring and leading the Panthers in rebounding after two injury-plagued, washout seasons at Iowa State.
Along with TCU's participation in college football's national championship game, it's further proof of how the portal can be used as a shortcut to success and anoint struggling programs to sit-up-and-take-notice status.
This renaissance also occurred despite several distractions.
First, the gem of Capel's most recent recruiting class, Dior Johnson, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges following an ugly off-campus incident.
Junior forward John Hugley followed that up last month by proclaiming via Twitter that he would be missing the rest of the 2022-23 season to recover from an undisclosed injury.
Kudos to Capel for keeping his team focused.
The success of the Panthers' season will ultimately be measured by their performance in their upcoming tournaments.
However, it appears Pitt has found its program's next resident architect.
Contz was a starting offensive tackle on Penn State's first national championship team in 1982 and played six NFL seasons with New Orleans and Cleveland. He published a book in 2017, "When the Lions Roared: Joe Paterno and One of College Football's Greatest Teams." He resides in Pittsburgh.