Pitt Fitting Frontcourt With Matchups
PITTSBURGH -- The starting center spot for the Pitt Panthers has flipped back and forth this season, with head coach Jeff Capel turning from Federiko Federiko to Guillermo Diaz Graham and back to Federiko throughout the 20 games they've played this season.
Those moves have yielded inconsistent results, so Capel, unable to find a permanent starter, said he would continue to rotate Pitt's big men based on matchups and what the team needs in each individual game.
"It’s always going to be that. I don’t look at it as a benching," Capel said about his rotations in the frontcourt. "We sub guys in and out. We get them in there and it depends on how you’re playing and it depends on what the specific game needs."
During their last three-game stretch, the Panthers got valuable contributions from both Federiko and Diaz Graham.
In a landmark win over then-No. 7 Duke, Federiko scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots while playing tremendous defense on All-ACC center Kyle Filipowski for 27 minutes. He was Capel's preferred option against hulking Miami center Norchad Omier because of his defensive abilities.
In between the Duke win and Miami loss, Diaz Graham showed his value by scoring 12 points in 17 minutes of action, knocking down a pair of critical 3-pointers during a pivotal 22-7 run in the second half that powered Pitt to a win.
Coming out on the other side of a three-game road trip with two wins, Capel has found a better way to order his frontcourt. There are no guaranteed starts and Federiko and Diaz Graham will play their way onto the court.
"We feel like we have a two-headed, not monster at that position, but two guys with Federiko and with Guillermo and we need both of them to play well," Capel said. "They’re different players."
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