Pitt's Will Jeffress Dominates Defensively Against Wake Forest
PITTSBURGH -- In the Pitt Panthers' spirited victory over Wake Forest, an unlikely hero stepped forward and turned in a Herculean performance at a time of desperate need.
When Will Jeffress first checked into the second half of Wednesday night's game, Pitt was down by one to the Demon Deacons with 9:46 left to play. Up to that point, Efton Reid had taken the reigns and imposed his will on the Panthers, facing little resistance on the interior.
Upon Jeffress' entry into the contest, however, the tide turned. He matched Reid's physicality and toughness with persistence and tenacity, holding him scoreless for the final nine minutes while also forcing him into foul trouble.
Jeffress' presence and fight immediately helped Pitt spark a 21-8 run that put the Panthers in front for the first time all game and ultimately clinched the win. While he recorded just two points and one rebound in 10 second half minutes, Jeffress' contributions go far beyond the box score.
Ishmael Leggett lauded Jeffress' effort, stating that it was contagious and motivated the team to match his level of fight down the stretch.
"That energy was definitely contagious," Leggett said. "We saw him working, and as his brother, we have no option but to work just as hard, so that energy was contagious. That positive energy is just what sparked us, honestly."
Jeffress had played just eight minutes in Pitt's prior three games leading into the matchup against Wake Forest and appeared to have fallen out of the rotation for the time being. He showed up when his name was called, however, and made the most of his opportunity in a crucial spot.
Leggett praised Jeffress' readiness and fortitude, noting that he expected him to come out and perform the way he did based on the kind of person and player he is.
"His mental’s strong," Leggett said. "He seized the opportunity, his name was called, and he made the most of it. And we didn’t expect anything other for him than to make that impact. If you know Will like we know him, you know he’s a resilient guy and he makes the best with everything he does."
Jeffress also got involved on the offensive end as he threw down a vicious slam off of an out-of-bounds play with just under three minutes left that extended Pitt's lead to seven points and swung momentum even further in its favor during the closing minutes.
Jeff Capel mentioned the play after the game, stating that assistant coach Milan Brown made the call to put the ball in Jeffress' hands and that he made the most of his opportunity.
"Coach Brown made a great suggestion in timeout on the out of bounds; he saw how they were playing a play that we ran earlier for Bub [Carrington] and it worked," Capel said. "Will did a great job of taking the handoff and going in and dunking it."
With so much uncertainty about the state of Pitt's frontcourt, it would be fair to assume that Jeffress could be in line for more playing time moving forward given how well he held up against a tough opponent.
Capel supported that notion, saying that Jeffress deserves more time on the floor based upon the way he showed up on Wednesday.
"I could see him getting more time," Capel said. "When you perform like he performed today, you earn yourself more playing time."
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