Jeff Capel III
Jeff Capel III (born February 12, 1975)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Pittsburgh Panthers
Current conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
VCU record: 79-41 (.658)
Oklahoma record: 83-69 (.546) **
Pittsburgh record: 97-92 (.513)
Overall record: 259-202 (.562) **
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (2004, 2008, 2009, 2023)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (2009)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (2005)
- ACC Regular Season Champion: 0
- CAA Regular Season Champion: 1 (2004)
- ACC Tournament Champion: 0
- CAA Tournament Champion: 1 (2004)
Awards:
- ACC Coach of the Year: 1 (2023)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2018-present | Pittsburgh |
| 2014-2018 | Duke (assoc. HC) |
| 2011-2014 | Duke (asst) |
| 2006-2011 | Oklahoma |
| 2002-2006 | VCU |
| 2001-2002 | VCU (asst) |
| 2000-2001 | Old Dominion (asst) |
Jeff Capel III Facts
- Felton Jeffrey Capel III
- Born February 12, 1975
- Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Alma Mater: Duke University (BA, 1997)
- Father was the late Jeff Capel II, a long-time high school, college and professional coach; younger brother Jason Capel played at rival UNC and served as the head coach at Appalachian State
- After a stellar prep career at South View HS, including a last-second lay-up to win the 1993 state title, Capel started at guard for four seasons under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke
- Was a two-year captain (1996 & 1997) and earned All-ACC third team honors as a junior
- After a short pro career, Capel joined his father‘s staff at Old Dominion as an assistant coach in 2000
- Spent one year as an assistant to Mack McCarthy at VCU and in 2002 took over as the Rams’ head coach
- Won 79 games in four years at VCU and captured CAA regular season and Tournament titles in 2004
- Spent five years as head coach at Oklahoma, leading the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament twice, reached the 2009 Elite Eight
- The Sooners were led in 2008 and 2009 by eventual National POY and 1st overall pick Blake Griffin
- Though Capel was not directly implicated, all 13 of OU’s wins from in 2009-10 were later vacated by the NCAA when it was found that assistant coach Oronde Taliaferro had helped provide Sooner star Tiny Gallon with monetary benefits
- Gallon left for the NBA in 2010 and several underclassmen transferred out, leaving OU’s roster decimated; Capel’s squad won just 14 games and he was fired after the season
- Capel returned to his alma mater Duke as an assistant to his former head coach Mike Krzyzewski in 2011; elevated to associate head coach before the the 2014-15 season
- Served as interim head coach at Duke on two occasions, though the outcomes of those games (5-3 overall) are still attributed to Krzyzewski
- Hired in March 2018 to be the new head coach at Pittsburgh; is 75-81 through his first five seasons
- In year five, Capel was named ACC COY after the Panthers finished T-3rd, got an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Round of 32
Jeff Capel III Coaching Tree
- Rod Barnes (Cal State Bakersfield, Georgia State)
- Ben Betts (South Carolina State)
** Listed records and accomplishments for this coach do not include wins or appearances later vacated by the NCAA
