PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – “Really hated the way it ended. I’ve been coaching for 25 years, it’s the worst way I’ve ever seen to end a ballgame in my 25 years of doing this. I still can’t believe it.”
Pitt head coach Jeff Capel on a foul call, that was questionable at best, worse if you read comments on social media. It was whistled against senior Zack Austin on a Notre Dame missed put-back attempt with a half-second left in the game with the score tied. There didn’t appear to be any contract and even if there was slight, the refs were letting them play most of the game. Tae Davis would make a free throw for a 55-54 ND win and ending the Panthers season at 17-15.
“Shocked at how it ended for us,” Capel said. “My guys played hard, fought, put ourselves in a position to win.”
“I’m just hurt, man,” Austin said.
“Just in disbelief, nobody should have to go out like this,” said sophomore Jaland Lowe.
It was a Fighting Irish second-chance field goal that tied the game with 49 seconds left before the free throw won it. Pitt had fought back, trailing by 10 in the first half with Lowe finishing with a team-high 17 points.
It was just one of eight single-digit losses over the last two months.
“Hurt, angry, frustrated, really feel for them because regardless of what was going on, they continued to show up with really good attitudes,” Capel said. “We continued to show up with really good attitudes. We continued to fight, even in the face of adversity.”
“They don’t realize it now because it’s fresh and it really hurts. The finality of it for some of these guys, it’s tough. But, these are life lessons that will help them. Hopefully they will be able to reflect back on tough times and use it as an example of how you have to continue to show up, continue to have a positive attitude and you have to continue to be a good teammate. That’s one of the things I’m grateful for that we’ve been able to do in our program.”
“I don’t know if I could put into words,” Austin said of his pair of seasons at Pitt. “I’m just happy I got to play for a coach like him.”
“We were really close. It really is a family here. It really is family.”
“It’s been a great two years so far,” Lowe said. “My relationship with Coach is amazing. He gives it his all. He puts his all into us. We just try to give that back. It’s been an amazing two years so far, I love it.”
“It’s a brotherhood. I love these guys with everything in my heart.”
Capel said with free agency in college basketball there is a short window to decompress and then the coaching staff gets right back at it putting together a roster for 2025-26.