Jeff Capel III facts for kids
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Capel as assistant coach at Duke (2011)
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Pittsburgh |
| Conference | ACC |
| Record | 108–98 (.524) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 12, 1975 Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1993–1997 | Duke |
| 1997–1998 | Grand Rapids Hoops |
| 1999 | Élan Chalon |
| 1999–2000 | Grand Rapids Hoops |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2000–2001 | Old Dominion (assistant) |
| 2001–2002 | VCU (assistant) |
| 2002–2006 | VCU |
| 2006–2011 | Oklahoma |
| 2011–2018 | Duke (asst./assoc. HC) |
| 2018–present | Pittsburgh |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 270–208 (.565) |
| Tournaments | 6–4 (NCAA Division I) 0–1 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| CAA tournament (2004) CAA regular season (2004) |
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| Awards | |
| CBA All-Rookie Team (1998) Third-team All-ACC (1996) North Carolina Mr. Basketball (1993) ACC Coach of the Year (2023) |
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Felton Jeffrey Capel III (born February 12, 1975) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the men's basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh. Before coaching, he played basketball for Duke University. He also coached at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the University of Oklahoma.
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Early Life and High School Basketball
Jeff Capel comes from a family that loves basketball. His father, Jeff Capel II, was also a well-known basketball coach. He coached at Old Dominion University and was an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats. Jeff's younger brother, Jason Capel, played basketball for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which is a big rival of Duke. Jason also became a head basketball coach at Appalachian State University.
When Jeff was a senior at South View High School in Hope Mills, North Carolina, he led his team to an amazing state championship win in 1993. They beat a strong team called South Mecklenburg 53–52 with a shot in the very last second! Jeff set school records for his career with 2,066 points, 668 rebounds, and 663 assists.
College Basketball Career at Duke
Jeff Capel played basketball for Duke University from 1993 to 1997. He became a starting guard as a freshman and kept that spot for all four years.
One of his most famous moments happened on February 2, 1995. In a game against UNC, Duke was losing 95–92 at the end of the first overtime. Right as the buzzer sounded, Capel shot the ball from 40 feet away, and it went in! This amazing shot sent the game into a second overtime. Even though Duke lost the game 102–100, Capel's shot is still remembered as one of the best plays in Duke basketball history. It was even nominated for an ESPY Award for College Basketball Play of the Year.
During his time at Duke, Capel scored 1,601 points, made 433 assists, and hit 220 three-point shots. He finished his college career in Duke's all-time Top 10 for minutes played, three-point shot percentages, three-point shots made, and assists.
Professional Basketball Career
After graduating from Duke, Jeff Capel played professional basketball for the Grand Rapids Hoops. This team was part of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), which was a professional league in the United States. In the 1997-98 season, he played in 56 games and scored an average of 11.9 points per game. He was even chosen for the CBA All-Rookie Team in 1998.
In 1997, he was also drafted by the Raleigh Cougars in the USBL, another basketball league. In 1999, he played a couple of games in France for a team called Élan Chalon. He then returned to the Grand Rapids Hoops, playing 33 more games and scoring 8.1 points per game.
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting at VCU
Jeff Capel began his coaching journey as an assistant coach under his father, Jeff Capel II, at Old Dominion University for the 2000–2001 season. In 2001, he moved to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as an assistant coach.
In 2002, at just 27 years old, he became the head coach of the VCU Rams. This made him the youngest head coach in Division I men's college basketball at that time! During his four years at VCU, Capel led the Rams to 79 wins, which was a record for the program. He also had the highest winning percentage of any Division I team in Virginia.
After the 2003–04 season, Capel was named Coach of the Year in Virginia. He led the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. A big moment was almost beating Wake Forest in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
In 2005, Capel also helped coach the USA Men's World University Games Team. They won the gold medal in Turkey!
Coaching at Oklahoma
On April 11, 2006, Capel became the head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team.
First Seasons (2006–2008)
In his first year (2006–07), the Sooners finished with 16 wins and 15 losses. They started strong in their conference but then lost several games, missing the postseason for the first time in 23 years.
In his second year (2007–08), things got much better. With new star player Blake Griffin, the Sooners improved to 21 wins and 10 losses. They earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They won their first game against St. Joseph's before losing to Louisville in the second round.
Success with Blake Griffin (2008–2009)
The 2008–09 season was very exciting. Blake Griffin decided to stay for his second year, and another talented player, Willie Warren, joined the team. The Sooners had one of their best starts ever, winning 25 of their first 26 games!
They made it to the NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed. They easily won their first two games and then beat #3 seed Syracuse in the Sweet 16. However, they lost to North Carolina in the Elite Eight. After this season, Blake Griffin decided to enter the NBA draft and was chosen as the #1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Later Years at Oklahoma (2009–2011)
The next two seasons were tough for the Sooners. In 2009–10, injuries and other issues caused the team to have a losing record of 13–18. This was Oklahoma's first losing season since 1981. All 13 wins from this season were later removed from the record because a player was found to be ineligible.
In 2010–11, more players left the team, and Oklahoma finished with another losing record of 14–18. Jeff Capel was fired in March 2011. Even though he had a great 30-win season and an Elite Eight appearance, many fans felt his time at Oklahoma was disappointing.
Returning to Duke University
On May 8, 2011, Jeff Capel returned to his old college, Duke University, to join the coaching staff of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. He started as an assistant coach. In April 2014, Coach Krzyzewski promoted Capel to associate head coach.
Capel even stepped in as head coach for Duke a few times when Coach Krzyzewski was ill. On February 2, 2016, he led Duke to an 80–71 victory over Georgia Tech. In January 2017, he was the acting head coach while Krzyzewski recovered from back surgery.
Coaching at Pittsburgh
On March 27, 2018, the University of Pittsburgh announced that Jeff Capel would be their new head men's basketball coach. He took over a team that had struggled, finishing with zero wins and 18 losses in their conference the season before.
On March 6, 2023, Jeff Capel won the Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball Coach of the Year award. He led Pitt to a strong 21–10 record with 14 wins in their conference games.
Broadcasting Work
During the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Jeff Capel worked as a guest TV studio analyst for CBS and Turner. He helped explain the games during the first round of the tournament.
Personal Life
Jeff Capel is married to Kanika Réale Blue, who also went to Duke University. They got married in 2003 and have three children.
Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCU Rams (Colonial Athletic Association) (2002–2006) | |||||||||
| 2002–03 | VCU | 18–10 | 12–6 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2003–04 | VCU | 23–8 | 14–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2004–05 | VCU | 19–13 | 13–5 | T–2nd | NIT Opening Round | ||||
| 2005–06 | VCU | 19–10 | 11–7 | 5th | |||||
| VCU: | 79–41 (.658) | 50–22 (.694) | |||||||
| Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Conference) (2006–2011) | |||||||||
| 2006–07 | Oklahoma | 16–15 | 6–10 | T–7th | |||||
| 2007–08 | Oklahoma | 23–12 | 9–7 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Oklahoma | 30–6 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 2009–10 | Oklahoma | 13–18* | 4–12* | T–11th | |||||
| 2010–11 | Oklahoma | 14–18 | 5–11 | 8th | |||||
| Oklahoma: | 83–69 (.546)* | 33–43 (.434)* | |||||||
| Pittsburgh Panthers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2018–present) | |||||||||
| 2018–19 | Pittsburgh | 14–19 | 3–15 | T–14th | |||||
| 2019–20 | Pittsburgh | 16–17 | 6–14 | T–13th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Pittsburgh | 10–12 | 6–10 | 12th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Pittsburgh | 11–21 | 6–14 | T–11th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Pittsburgh | 24–12 | 14–6 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Pittsburgh | 22–11 | 12–8 | 4th | |||||
| 2024–25 | Pittsburgh | 12–6 | 3–4 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh: | 109–98 (.527) | 50–71 (.413) | |||||||
| Total: | 270–208 (.565)* | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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*Oklahoma vacated 13 regular season wins (and 4 conference wins) due to use of an ineligible player during the 2009–10 season.
