Jeff Capel felt late father's presence in deciding to become Pitt's coach
Before he accepted the job as Pitt's basketball coach, Jeff Capel III wanted to be sure.
He wanted to do what his father — Jeff Capel Jr, who died in November after a year-long battle with ALS — would have done.
After a three-hour meeting Monday with Pitt chancellor Patrick Gallagher and athletic director Heather Lyke, Capel asked for more time.
"I want to sleep on it," he said. "I felt really good about it. My wife (Kanika) felt really good about it."
Still, there was no need to rush into a decision that could impact the rest of his life. After all, it was less than 24 hours after Duke — he was on coach Mike Krzyzewski's staff for the past seven years — had lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
"My dad taught me, 'Any big decision, don't go off just emotion. Sleep on it. Make sure when you wake up, it's the same feeling.' "
Capel went to bed.
"When I was laying in bed and it was completely dark, I said a prayer: 'Hey, this is what I'm feeling. This is what I want to do, but I want to make sure it's right.'
"I kept saying to myself, something from the Bible, 'Be still.' "
All of a sudden, the bed moved.
"I felt something at the edge of the bed. It was like someone was pushing it down. I thought it was Elijah (his 5-year-old son, one of his three children), but it wasn't.
"That's when I knew my dad was there, telling me this was the right decision. It was surreal, a little bit weird. It was like the final sign: 'OK, this is it. This is the right one.' "
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And that's how Pitt, finally, secured a basketball coach to fill the 19-day void left when Kevin Stallings was fired after two seasons.
Capel, 43, has been a head coach at VCU and Oklahoma, and had restoration projects at both places.
The day after accepting the VCU job at the age of 27, he kicked three players off the team. Oklahoma was dealing with NCAA sanctions left over from the previous coaching staff. Eventually, both programs played in the NCAA Tournament, with Oklahoma reaching the Elite Eight in 2009.
He admits the Pitt job is "daunting," with a young team that was 0-19 in the ACC last season and with players so upset with Stallings' firing that nine of them sought and received release from their scholarships. (In theory, however, they can change their minds and return to the team.)
Most of the players were at the news conference Wednesday when Capel was introduced to the Pitt community, its boosters and the media.
Among them was freshman center Terrell Brown. He said he hasn't decided if he will return. "I have to get to know him." But he added, "I think it was a good move.
"Yeah, I'm impressed (with Capel)," Brown said, "just the way he carries himself, the first African/American coach to coach (Pitt's men's basketball team)."
Capel said he understands what the players are feeling, "as a guy who wore the jersey."
Capel was a four-year starter at Duke, starting with the 1993-94 season when the Blue Devils played in the national championship game. The next year, Duke was 2-14 in the ACC, and Krzyzewski missed a portion of the season after back surgery and suffering from exhaustion. Capel was feeling some of what the current Pitt players are experiencing.
"I would be lying if I didn't think I don't know if I'm going to be back," he said.
Capel has spoken to the players and plans individual sessions with all of them in the upcoming days.
He said he'll give the players "knowledge, love, support and discipline," asking nothing in return but a complete and honest effort.
"I tried to express to them the empathy I have for them, and we'll see what happens," he said. "I respect the fact they have the freedom to make decisions."
Lyke never met Capel until their meetings through the hiring process. Gallagher made such an impression on Capel that, from the podium at Petersen Events Center, he called him "a real dude." "You usually don't see that in someone in such a high position," he said of Gallagher.
Lyke said Capel reminds her of football coach Pat Narduzzi, who attended the news conference Wednesday, spoke with Capel and offered him help getting started.
"What impressed me most was his intellect, his genuineness, his connection to the student-athletes," Lyke said.
"I think he's in it for the right reasons. Kind of like coach Narduzzi, a highly sought-after assistant coach who's going to be selective about where he goes and very thoughtful in that process."
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
