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After a 16-15 rebuilding season in his first year as Oklahoma's head coach, Jeff Capel directed the Sooners to a 23-12 record and an NCAA Tournament victory in 2007-08. OU's seven-win improvement and prospects for a strong immediate future have reinvigorated the program's fan base. In April, Capel's contract was extended through 2014.
Catching most college basketball insiders by surprise, Capel was named the school's 13th men's basketball head coach on April 11, 2006. He is recognized as a rising star in the collegiate ranks and has compiled a two-year 39-27 mark (.591) at OU.
As the sixth youngest men's basketball coach in NCAA Division I in 2007-08 (he is 33 years old), Capel led his squad to a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference race when national magazines had the Sooners slotted for the lower half of the league.
Capel came to OU from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he recorded a 79-41 (.658) record over four years. In addition to his teams' impressive overall ledger at VCU, the Rams posted a 50-22 (.694) combined mark in Colonial Athletic Association play. VCU also boasted a 47-11 overall home record for a staunch .811 winning percentage under Capel.
In 2003-04, Virginia Commonwealth's Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship game victory over George Mason catapulted the Rams to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. The Rams lost in the first round to Wake Forest, but not before putting a major scare into the fourth-seeded Demon Deacons, 79-78. Capel's 2004-05 squad, which finished 19-13, competed in the National Invitation Tournament, marking just the third time in program history that VCU made consecutive postseason appearances.
The Rams won at least 18 games each of Capel's four seasons at Virginia Commonwealth with the 2003-04 squad registering a Capel-era-best 23-8 record. His first team finished 18-10 in 2002-03 as Capel tied a school record for wins by a first-year head coach. In 2005-06, VCU finished 19-10 overall and 11-7 in league play.
In 2005, Capel served as an assistant coach on the gold-medal-winning USA Men's World University Games Team that finished 8-0 in Turkey in August. Villanova's Jay Wright was the head coach while Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez served as the other assistant. The squad featured, among others, Midwest City (Okla.) High School and Duke University standout Shelden Williams.
Capel began his coaching career as an assistant at Old Dominion University in 2000 before moving to VCU as an assistant for the 2001-02 season. In 2002, he became the youngest NCAA Division I head coach at age 27.
A four-year starter for Hall-of-Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from the 1993-94 through 1996-97 campaigns, Capel earned Atlantic Coast Conference honors each of his seasons in Durham. The guard, who wore No. 5, averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 3-pointers during his career. He ranks 22nd in career scoring at Duke (1,601 points), 16th in minutes played (3,774), sixth in 3-pointers (220), seventh in 3-point attempts (553), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.398) and 10th in assists (433).
Capel started 28 games as a freshman for a Duke squad that lost to Arkansas in the 1994 national championship game, 76-72. He led the Blue Devils in scoring as a junior (16.6 ppg) and helped Duke to a No. 8 final AP ranking as a senior. He averaged 26.5 points over Duke's two NCAA Tournament games his final year, the same season he was named an Academic All-ACC selection.
Responsible for one of the most memorable shots in college basketball history, Capel nailed a running, buzzer-beating 30-footer to force double-overtime against rival North Carolina in a 1995 home game. The contest ranked No. 1 on the list of 25 Greatest Moments in ESPN Basketball History and the play was nominated for an ESPY award.
Following graduation in 1997, Capel played professionally for two years. He spent the 1997-98 season playing for the Continental Basketball Association's Grand Rapids Hoops. In 1999-00, he played in France before returning to Grand Rapids.
A standout prep performer, Capel was named the 1993 North Carolina High School Player of the Year after averaging 23.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists for 31-1 state champion Fayetteville South View. He set school career records for points (2,066), rebounds (668) and assists (663).
Capel boasts a strong basketball pedigree. His father, Jeff Capel Jr., was an eight-year Division I head coach at Old Dominion (seven years) and North Carolina A&T (one year), and currently serves as an assistant coach for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats franchise.
Capel's younger brother, Jason, was a four-year starter at North Carolina who averaged 12.1 points during the 1998-99 through 2001-02 seasons. Jason Capel helped the Tar Heels to the 2000 Final Four.
Capel, who graduated from Duke with a bachelor of arts degree in history, and his wife, Kanika, wed in 2003 and became parents when daughter Cameron was born in April 2007.
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| The Capel File |
| Birthdate |
February 12, 1975 |
| Hometown |
Fayetteville, N.C. |
| High School |
South View, 1993 |
| College |
Duke, 1997 |
| Family |
wife, Kanika
daughter, Cameron |
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| Coaching History |
| 2006-present, Oklahoma Head Coach |
| 2002-06, Virginia Commonwealth Head Coach |
| 2001-02, Virginia Commonwealth Assistant Coach |
| 2000-01, Old Dominion Asstistant Coach |
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| Playing Experience |
| 1994-97, Duke University |
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| Playing Accomplishments |
| Four-year starter at Duke |
| Averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 3-pointers in 129 career games (106 starts) |
| Averaged a team-high 16.6 points as a junior in 1995-96 (third team All-ACC selection) |
| Named Academic All-ACC as a senior in 1996-97 |
| Played in 1994 national championship game as a freshman (lost to Arkansas, 76-72) |
| Two-year professional career in CBA and France |
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| Personality Profile |
| What I Cherish the Most: my daughter |
Three Words That Describe Me:
loyal, passionate, honest |
| Favorite Food: macaroni and cheese |
| Least Favorite Food: broccoli |
| Favorite Place to Eat: my mom's house |
| Favorite TV Channel: ESPN and VH1 |
| Favorite Video Game: Ms. Pac-Man |
| Favorite Web Site: bossip.com |
| I Wish I Was Better at... fixing things |
Best Advice My Parents Gave Me:
"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger." |
| Favorite Movie: Goodfellas and Scarface |
| Favorite Sports Movie: Remember the Titans |
| Favorite NBA Team: Lakers |
| Player I Pretended to Be as a Kid: Magic Johnson |
| Favorite TV Show: Martin |
| Favorite Cartoon: Bugs Bunny |
| Biggest Fear: letting down people who believe in me |
| Favorite Vacation Spot: Turks and Caicos |
| Rule I'd Change: pay players a monthly stipend |
| Favorite Music Artist: Jay-Z |
| Number of Songs on My iPod: 3,000 |
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| The Word on
Capel |
"Jeff is an outstanding young coach. He's proven that at Virginia Commonwealth and I am confident that he will do a terrific job at Oklahoma, as well. He and his wife are an amazing couple who will represent the University of Oklahoma with dignity and class. Jeff is one of the best communicators I've known and he will continue the quality tradition of basketball there by building a program suited for long-term success."
- Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski
"Jeff Capel is one of the best young coaches in America today. He always has his team well prepared for every situation. Jeff and his staff did an outstanding job at VCU of recruiting good players and then developing them into great players. He will be a great success story at Oklahoma."
- George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga
"What a great hire for OU. Jeff Capel is quite simply a natural. He has been around the game his whole life and has certainly proven himself as one of the special young coaches in the business. He's the kind of guy you want your son to play for. I'm excited for him and his new challenge at Oklahoma."
- Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey
"Jeff Capel is a rising star in the coaching world. He's mature beyond his years and grew up around the game. He knows how to teach the game, but he also knows how players want to play it. Jeff brings integrity and knowledge to the process and has a very bright future at Oklahoma. I think the world of him. He's young chronologically, but not upstairs."
- ESPN analyst Jay Bilas
"Growing up as a coach's son and then playing for Mike Krzyzewski would prepare anyone to be a very good college basketball coach. Jeff Capel brings the added dimensions of a sharp intellect, boundless enthusiasm and an innate knack for dealing with all kinds of people. I can't think of a young coach in America who has more potential for success than Capel does. He was a masterful hire for Oklahoma."
- CBS analyst Seth Davis
"Jeff Capel is a rising star in the coaching profession. He gained valuable experience playing at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski, as well as coaching at the World University Games and at Virginia Commonwealth. Joe Castiglione is a PTPer among athletic directors and he has done his homework to find a replacement for Kelvin Sampson."
- ESPN analyst Dick Vitale
"As far as our association is concerned, we have always felt very confident in the process Joe Castiglione was conducting in finding a replacement for Kelvin Sampson. I think this is a great hire. Jeff's record at VCU speaks for itself and I am confident he will do great things at Norman, Okla., and in the Big 12 Conference."
- Black Coaches Association Exec. Director Floyd Keith
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