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Pittsburgh Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Panthers

DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 07: Acting coach Jeff Capel of the Duke Blue Devils watches his team during the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 7, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 93-82. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 07: Acting coach Jeff Capel of the Duke Blue Devils watches his team during the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 7, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 93-82. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 06: Shamiel Stevenson #23 of the Pittsburgh Panthers takes a shot against Bonzie Colson #35 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half during the first round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 06: Shamiel Stevenson #23 of the Pittsburgh Panthers takes a shot against Bonzie Colson #35 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half during the first round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Basketball is entering a new era under head coach Jeff Capel. The rebuild will be on in full effect this upcoming season as a result.

It’s been quite the struggle for the Pittsburgh Panthers since the departure of head coach Jamie Dixon back in 2016. Previous head coach Kevin Stallings lasted two seasons before Pittsburgh administration had seen enough and decided to try a new approach. In two seasons, Stallings led the team to an overall record of 24-41 and 4-22 in ACC play.

New head coach Jeff Capel should be a rejuvenating experience and has already gotten off to a hot start, turning in a Top 30 recruiting class this past summer. Capel has spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Duke Blue Devils and head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Bringing that type of recruiting pedigree should be huge and it’s also telling a majority of their production stayed put despite the coaching change.

Capel is a capable head coach with two stints with the VCU Rams (2002-06) and Oklahoma Sooners (2006-11). He led the Rams to a Conference title and conference Tournament championship in 2004. He coached the likes of Blake Griffin and Willie Warren with the Sooners while leading them to two NCAA Tournament appearances.

The resume and recent wisdom gained while on the bench at Duke should serve Capel well with the Panthers. He’s got a nice combination of players set to build a new culture and re-energize “The Oakland Zoo”. Here’s a look at the 2018-19 season preview for the Pittsburgh Panthers.