After an ugly coaching search, the Pittsburgh Panthers finally named a new head coach in former Duke assistant Jeff Capel.
For Pittsburgh, it was more important to get their coaching hire right than to get it done fast. In hiring Jeff Capel, they accomplished their goal.
The school announced Capel as their next head coach on Tuesday. Evan Daniels of 247 Sports reports that the school is giving him a whopping seven-year deal to coach the Panthers.
Jeff Capel’s deal with Pittsburgh is for seven years, per sources.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) March 27, 2018
Capel has a winning pedigree, something the program desperately needs following a disastrous winless ACC campaign. He won at Duke as a player (and assistant) and as VCU and Oklahoma as a head coach.
Capel brought the VCU Rams to the NCAA Tournament in just his second season with the team. He did the same with the Oklahoma Sooners in his second season, then took them all the way to the Elite Eight the following year.
It’s presumptuous to declare Capel will be a success in Pitt, but a seven-year contract suggests the school is counting on it. He’s just 43 years old, which means he can grow with the program and return it to their juggernaut days.
The way he’ll do that, first and foremost, is through recruiting. His reputation as an ace recruiter precedes him, largely responsible for the tremendous classes that filled Duke’s coffers, year in and year out.
You can not hire a better recruiter with head coaching experience than Jeff Capel
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 27, 2018
He was also responsible for bringing Blake Griffin to the Sooners.
His work is certainly cut out for him. The program fell into disarray this season and the handling of former coach Kevin Stallings led to nearly every scholarship player requesting a transfer. It’s incumbent upon Capel to show some of those players why sticking around will be worth their while.
Then, he’ll need to hit the recruiting trail to fill out the rest of the roster.
Next: Should Marques Bolden transfer?
Pittsburgh won’t become a mecca for college basketball next year. Give Capel time, however, and the Panthers will round into form.