Jeff Capel, Bub Carrington Talk Journey to the NBA Draft, Impact on Pitt Program

On Wednesday, Pitt guard Bub Carrington announced that he will enter the 2024 NBA Draft and conclude his career at Pitt.

The Panthers’ star freshman guard averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, and began popping up on NBA Mock Drafts at the beginning of the season.

Carrington said that he finalized the decision to enter the draft and leave Pitt just three days prior to this announcement, but that he thought about the decision as the season went on.

On Wednesday, Carrington announced this decision at a press conference, explaining what went into it and speaking about his gratitude towards many people in his life that helped him make this decision. His head coach Jeff Capel joined him at the podium, speaking from his point of view about the process.

“I remember after the fourth game, sitting with his parents and talking to them about how do we want to handle this,” Capel said. “I knew from past experiences; everything was going to change, and this thing would be pretty fast — or had a chance to be pretty fast. Once the season was over with, I spoke to his dad again and put together a plan. I started reaching out to NBA teams, general managers, scouts, director of personnel, just trying to get them accurate information and feedback. The feedback that we got was very, very positive. I thought that went into lil Bub and his family’s decision to make this move.”

Carrington made a splash in his first game of his collegiate career, scoring 18 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists to earn a triple double.

“I feel like I always had that mindset that i wanted to get to the next level,” Carrington said. “I never really had the goal or dream to be one and done or whatever it is, but I always knew I wanted to get to the next level no matter what I had to do to get there. Seeing the position that coach has put me in, and this team put me in, that’s when I realized, I have a chance to do this a lot faster than most people. During the middle and end of the season, it was really just, what do I have to do to take advantage of the opportunity that I’ve been given to make this happen. I feel like towards the middle, end of the season, that’s when I realized I could.”

He continued his elite play throughout the season, with 21 games in double-digit scoring, including a 24-point outburst in the team’s final game of the season against North Carolina.

“I think it’s the right move,” Capel said about Carrington’s decision to enter the draft. “Again, we are incredibly excited about it and excited about his future. I think he has a really, really bright future. I know he will continue to work; I know he’ll continue to be competitive; I know he will continue to be humble, and this will always be home for him. I’m, on a personal level, I’m just really proud of him. Really proud of how he has handled everything this year. We threw a lot on his plate, he showed that he could handle it, and I’m really looking forward to watching the player he becomes.”

This year’s NBA Draft will take place on June 26 and 27 in Brooklyn, New York. The 2024 NBA Draft will expand to a two-night format for the first time, with the First Round taking place on the 26th and the Second Round on the 27th.

“The main thing that makes him really attractive and for the future — positional size,” Capel said. “We were walking in here today; I think he’s grown since the season’s been over. Positional size, feel for the game, his ability to score and facilitate. He will continue to get stronger; I actually think he will grow again. But his feel for the game, his mind, that’s the thing. the fact that he’s just 18, he won’t’ turn 19 until the middle, almost the end of July. I think all of those things are the things that make him really attractive. He’s shown that he is competitive defensively, he’s got to stop fouling so much. He got better towards the end of the year. Learning how to harness hat competitiveness and not let it get the best of him. I think what he showed this year, just the upside.”

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t nerves, Carrington said about his emotions heading into the announcement. “I feel like that’s natural. But definitely a lot of excitement. It’s something you look at, something you watch, something you dream for. It’s like, the fact that you’re one step away, that’s really where the excitement is, like I can really go do that.”

Pitt’s press release announcing the declaration said that Carrington will retain his eligibility at Pitt. However, Carrington made it clear that he wants to move on to the pros.

“My intention is to be a pro basketball player in two, three months,” Carrington said. “That’s my plan and that’s what I’m going to try to be.”

While Pitt loses one of its best players, Capel was overjoyed throughout the press conference and expressed his pride in Carrington. He also spoke on what this means for the future of the program.

“I think it’s great for our program,” he said. “Obviously, we would love to have him back. But when you have an opportunity like this, all of these kids dream of being a pro. When I was his age, I dreamed of being a pro. When you have an opportunity to do it, and it’s the right opportunity to do it right now, you have to take advantage of it. Throughout the season, we had more pro scouts at our practices this year than we have in my first five years combined. That’s when I knew, okay, this has a chance, this is real.”