Caputo taking methodical approach to summer progress
By: Eric Detweiler, GW Athletics Communications
Slowly but surely, Chris Caputo and his wife Julie continue to work their way through the mountain of moving boxes and put their stamp on their new Northern Virginia home.
"Next, we've got to get some patio furniture, so we can sit out there," Caputo said. "We're not quite there yet."
A short drive down the GW Parkway in Foggy Bottom, Caputo is taking a similarly methodical approach as he sets the foundation of his vision for GW men's basketball.
Changes in NCAA rules have opened more opportunities than ever to keep pushing forward during the summer, and Caputo is taking full advantage while carefully considering every detail in the lead up to his first season directing the Buff and Blue.
The weeks have raced by with so much to consider as far as developing the current group, building the roster via the transfer portal, recruiting the next generation of prep prospects and tackling the countless daily decisions that go into building a program.
"Not that long ago, people would say, 'What do you do in the summer?'" Caputo said. "Now, I think we're busier in the summer than we are during the season."
At Smith Center, Caputo and his staff are focused on sweating the small stuff.
Throughout the first session of summer school, the Buff and Blue have gone through individual and small-group skill workouts four times per week. On Fridays, everyone gets together for 3-on-3 work, but the majority of the sessions are completed solo working in position groups.
The hands-on practices have allowed coaches and student-athletes to get to know each other better while drilling the details that will be important in Caputo's system.
"Players are made in the summer, as they say," Caputo said. "We're spending a lot of time learning each other. They're learning the things that we expect out of them.
"We're just trying to build those relationships right now and get them really excited about coming into the gym to improve their game."
To be sure, Caputo wants defense to be the program's calling card, but right now, he is putting a priority on the offensive end.
The work is guided by individual improvement plans put together by the staff at the end of the spring based on film study, statistical analysis and their own first impressions of working with the student-athletes.
The spirited one-hour workouts are often a whirlwind mix of ball handling, cutting, passing and shooting.
"Of course, a team's a collective of individuals, and if we're all getting 1 percent better every day, think how much better we're going to be as a team," senior forward Qwanzi Samuels said. "Even if we're mostly by ourselves right now, we know we're all pulling in the same direction."
The group will start doing more as a team later in the summer and start honing in on defense once the group reconvenes in late August.
Caputo has learned from experience as a Power 5 assistant at Miami that the three weeks off before the fall semester can cause team defense to get rusty. He'd rather just wait to dive in there.
For now, the goal is self-improvement with an eye for how those skills will fit into the bigger picture down the road.
"I don't want it to feel like practice right now -- It just makes for too long of a year," Caputo said. "We're going to be going really hard through February and March, so I've got to be careful about what we're doing as a group in June. Trying to pace ourselves and really be intentional about that is important."
For Samuels, there's been an emphasis on becoming a better rebounder and improving his finishing in the lane. He said he and his teammates are already starting to see the benefits of that individualized approach in their pickup games.
"It's been really good," Samuels said. "You can see confidence in people who didn't have confidence last year."
Along the way, the Buff and Blue are getting to know more about their new leader.
Over a series of team meals, including a gathering for last week's NBA Draft, they've been impressed by his genuine passion for the sport, not to mention the tales from a decorated career as an assistant under Jim Larrañaga and connections to notable names at all levels of the game.
"He just lives and breathes basketball," senior forward Hunter Dean said. "He knows every little detail about every aspect of the game you can think of. Anything that has ever happened in basketball, he knows."
And, Caputo has been equally as impressed with this group as he continues to navigate such a full schedule this summer. Even if he hasn't had time to fully unpack or shop for patio furniture yet, he's feeling right at home leading the Buff and Blue.
"I've been thrilled with the willingness to work, the willingness to be coachable," Caputo said. "I think these guys really want to be successful, both as individual players and most importantly as a team."
"To be honest, I haven't had one bad day coming in here working with these guys. They're so receptive, very serious-minded and hardworking. It's just been a joy to be around this group."
