Capel

[cheezyq]

I just finished listening to the post-UT press conference. There is something about this guy that just impresses me. I hate to just call him intelligent...it's very hard to tell for sure, because some people are just fantastic in front of a camera. Going to Duke, I'm sure that he has a measure of knowledge, and clearly is intelligent in some sense. But in the press conference, you could see him quickly break down a question and come up with a solid answer.

The biggest thing that I got out of that conference was his competitiveness. He wants to win, that's clear. But what's interesting is that he was also CLEARLY tired of hearing the negatives about OU. He wants positive attention from the media, and the lack of it is frustrating to him.

A reporter mentioned that the Sooners seem to be getting respect with their national ranking. But Capel said that the biggest issue he has is that everyone talks about teams being better than OU and only discusses OU's problems. He mentioned watching Texas games and commentators discussing OU's problems during the Texas games as reasons for placing Texas above OU. I think that kind of thing resonates with the fans. I know all of us here in some way feel OU doesn't get enough respect.

I just have to say that I really like what I see out of Capel. Almost every decision he makes is solid, and he has a way of inspiring his team without dragging down their confidence. I think that's key. There's a confidence with this team, and it shows in what Capel allows them to do on the court.

Capel also clearly knows basketball, and is never afraid to switch something up if it's not working. I think his best tactical coaching job so far was against KSU. When the man/man was getting us into foul trouble and we weren't playing well inside on defense, he cut over to a 2/3. When KSU started hitting 3-pointers, he cut over to a 1-3-1....and he STAYED with it. How many times have we seen a coach find something that works, and then inexplicably go away from it?

I really feel that Capel can become one of the elite coaches in the country. Think of what he inherited and what he's done in such a short time. From recruiting to player development to decision-making this man has nearly everything figured out. Even his personality is likable, and his players respect and play hard for him. He's also done it without questionable-character players, too. I really can't imagine a better hire for OU basketball after the Sampson debacle. This is a guy that we MUST not let get away, unless it's to his alma-mater.

[tommieharris91]

A reporter mentioned that the Sooners seem to be getting respect with their national ranking. But Capel said that the biggest issue he has is that everyone talks about teams being better than OU and only discusses OU's problems. He mentioned watching Texas games and commentators discussing OU's problems during the Texas games as reasons for placing Texas above OU. I think that kind of thing resonates with the fans. I know all of us here in some way feel OU doesn't get enough respect.


45-35, duh.

...Oh wait, this is basketball.

[Cappy]

I really feel that Capel can become one of the elite coaches in the country. Think of what he inherited and what he's done in such a short time. From recruiting to player development to decision-making this man has nearly everything figured out. Even his personality is likable, and his players respect and play hard for him. He's also done it without questionable-character players, too. I really can't imagine a better hire for OU basketball after the Sampson debacle. This is a guy that we MUST not let get away, unless it's to his alma-mater.

Yeah. I really hope the fans get behind him, cause he can make this a special place. Not saying the fans aren't behind him now, I think everyone likes the guy (I mean how can you not like a pencil thin mustache?) more that they really start supporting the team and showing up at games. (Yes I am looking at myself, but at least I made it to the Texas game.) The good news, I don't ever see him going to Duke though. Seems like relations between him and Coack K have soured somewhat since he always claims his dad as his biggest mentor. Since Coach K has the final say on all things basketball out there, he will be down the list aways, below Dawkins and Amaker.

[oumartin]

If Maryland opens up he will take that job in a heartbeat. I would like to see Joe C. throw big bucks at him to keep him and let there be no doubt that OU will outpay anyone else that wants Jeff C.

I was happy they hired him and even more happy today. Dude is a solid coach.

[Ton Loc]

If Maryland opens up he will take that job in a heartbeat. I would like to see Joe C. throw big bucks at him to keep him and let there be no doubt that OU will outpay anyone else that wants Jeff C.

I was happy they hired him and even more happy today. Dude is a solid coach.

No doubt, every off season I live in fear that some other team will snatch him up. I think the real challenge will be after next season when Blake is gone. To keep the interest level and excitement up after he leaves is going to be a challenge.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

I certainly wouldn't be shocked if Capel went to a more basketball crazy environment, but Joe C. and Boren seem to have a way of instilling loyalty. At least for coaches that haven't worn out their welcome (cough)KS.

[birddog]

i hope capel continues to get fat and giggly at OU for many, many years.

i loved the hire from the get-go. my concern was losing him too quickly after he got here.

[cheezyq]

I wish I could say that I loved the hire from day one. I didn't knock the hire. I actually felt it was necessary to get a relative unknown in here, and I was very intrigued by the choice of Capel.

As far as atmosphere, the problem right now is that OU fans are generally still recovering and depressed by the MNC loss. I think that probably in another couple of weeks we'll see a crowd much more pumped for basketball. But that's the challenge for Capel...will he continue to be patient during the early part of the basketball season when everyone (important) in Oklahoma is still focused on football?

BUT, that's really the ingenious part of the OU job, if you think about it (which I hope Capel does). OU has proven that they have the resources to build a winning basketball program, and that they're willing to support the program fully. Capel's proven that he can draw greater high school talent than Sampson ever did, so recruiting is not a problem. And on top of it all, there is ZERO pressure to win a championship at OU in basketball. The football aspect of the school enhances his job security, and buys him more time to build the team the way that HE wants to. He's going to make a ton of money here, and anywhere else he would make only marginally more. He's in a situation much like Rick Barnes, where he would have to be just absolutely horrible to fail here. That's just not going to happen.

There really are only a few reasons to leave the OU job, if you're a basketball coach: return to coach alma mater, better location (near the coast/beach/whatever), and ease of access to big-time recruits. And even the access to recruits argument isn't that big of an advantage.

If Capel is smart (which I think he is), then the only job he leaves OU for is Duke. If Sampson were smart, he would have given the finger to Indiana, stopped making phone calls, focused on making a Final Four run every 6-10 years, and continued collecting a fat paycheck on his way to a retirement that would have included setting every OU basketball record ever, and becoming a legend in the state.

[King Crimson]

i liked the hire and i think that's in the "Jeff Capell????" thread. i know i didn't want Calipari though i'm a fan of Beilein and he would have been my first choice of the "big names".

good article on Coach Capel:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-capel011609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Capel more than capable
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports

NORMAN, Okla. – His team features the likely No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA draft. Still, impressive as Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin may be, he’s not the most famous pupil on Jeff Capel’s coaching resume.

That title belongs to country music legend Toby Keith, who takes pointers from Capel during summer pickup games at Keith’s ranch in Norman.

On Keith’s paved, lighted court – complete with three-point lines and glass backboards – Capel, the former Duke star, usually puts on a show.

“He’s coaching as he’s playing,” says Keith, an avid Sooners fan who has a red OU painted on the bottom of his hot tub. “He’s always directing people on where to go and who to guard.

“And I’m telling you, man, he can still shoot it. Every now and then we get on him about being lazy on defense, but it’s all in good fun.”

The other thing that draws a ribbing is when Capel misses a game – a no-no that leads to a jingle from Keith.

“All you have to do is call him out,” Keith says. “Just tease him a little about not coming, and you can bet he’ll be there the next time.”

Keith pauses.

“Jeff,” he says, “is not the type of guy that likes to be called out on anything.”

Indeed, first as a player and now as a coach, Capel has always been one to answer a challenge.

Some folks thought it was absurd seven years ago when Capel, then 27, was named head coach at Virginia Commonwealth. He responded by averaging nearly 20 wins in four seasons.

Oklahoma fans were hoping for a higher-profile name when Capel was hired to replace Kelvin Sampson in 2006. Within a month, though, he’d convinced one of the nation’s top prospects (Griffin) to sign with the Sooners and would eventually land another likely NBA first-round draft pick in Willie Warren.

Even today, with sixth-ranked Oklahoma boasting a 16-1 record and a spot atop the Big 12 standings, Capel knows there are still those who doubt him and his team.

The coach is too young. The guards are average. The bench is too shallow. Capel heard it all leading into Monday’s 78-63 victory over No. 11 Texas. Lounging in a corner booth at Louie’s Sports Bar & Grill the day after the win, Capel still seemed agitated – and motivated – by Oklahoma’s detractors.

“I get tired of hearing about what we don’t have,” he says. “We’re 16-1. We’ve played a good schedule. We won the Preseason NIT and we just beat Texas for the first time in six games. Let’s talk about that.

“This is a good basketball team, man, a good basketball team. These guys just keep getting better.”

So, too, does their coach.

__________

Earlier this week, less than 24 hours after Oklahoma defeated Texas, Capel received a text message on his cell phone.

“Thanks for making me look good,” it read.

The sender was Dr. Robert Sander, the former Virginia Commonwealth athletic director who gave Capel his first head coaching job back in 2002. Less than a year into his stint as the third assistant to Mack McCarthy, Capel was monitoring a study hall when Sander summoned him into his office in January.

Sander informed Capel that the 2002-03 season would be the last for McCarthy at VCU – and that he wanted him to take the job. Sander asked Capel if he thought he was ready to be a head coach.

“I thought about it for a minute before I said anything,” says Capel, who was less than a month shy of his 27th birthday. “Then I told him I was confident in my ability to teach and to get guys to play for me. I told him I was ready – but I’m not sure I believed it.

“The whole thing was just bizarre. It was out of left field – way, way out of left field.”

In a move that was kept quiet until the end of the season, Capel agreed to become VCU’s next head coach. Within weeks of the decision, he and Sander headed to Durham, N.C., to meet with Capel’s former coach and mentor, Mike Krzyzewski.

After watching Duke’s practice, Sander and Capel sat with Krzyzewski in his office until 10 p.m. and talked about “everything imaginable when it comes to basketball.”

“There were so many similarities in the way Jeff and Coach K thought,” Sander says. “After that I had no doubt I’d made the right decision.”

Sander says he received his fair share of derogatory emails and phone calls after Capel’s hiring became official. Capel was the youngest coach at the Division I level – “by far,” Sander says – and fans couldn’t understand why he’d promote someone who’d spent just two years as an assistant.

Capel had worked under his father, Jeff Capel II, at Old Dominion in 2000-01.

“He may have only been 27,” Sander says, “but in basketball years he was about 40 because he’d grown up as a coach’s son. He’d been around the game his whole life.”

VCU won 18 games during Capel’s inaugural season before going 23-8 and capturing the Colonial title the next year. Following a near-upset of Wake Forest in the NCAA tournament, schools such as Miami and Auburn began inquiring about Capel’s services.

“I was happy at VCU,” Capel says. “It was a great job. I always said someone was going to have to knock me off my feet to get me to leave there.”

That happened at Oklahoma in 2006. After attempts to lure West Virginia’s John Beilein and Connecticut women’s coach Geno Auriemma failed, the Sooners turned their attention to Capel, who would have to deal with the NCAA sanctions that resulted from Sampson’s phone call scandal.

“I knew it would be a challenge,” Capel says. “But I don’t back down from challenges.”

Within two weeks of his hiring, the top two recruits in Sampson’s recruiting class – Damion James and Scottie Reynolds – had requested to be released from their letters of intent. James ended up at Texas, Reynolds at Villanova.

As excited as he was to land a commitment from Griffin that spring, Capel would still have to endure a season that ended with Oklahoma losing its final six conference games failing to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years.

At times Capel let his youth and frustration show, often screaming at officials while flailing his arms in desperation at athletic director Joe Castiglione, who was seated on the baseline.

“I was treading water that first year,” Capel says. “I had never lost that many games. I felt like I was letting people down, letting myself down, letting my team down. We were right there in games, but I couldn’t find a way to get us over that hump.”

Capel smiles.

“And then,” he says, “we got Blake.”

_________

Griffin was everything Oklahoma thought he would be as a freshman in 2007-08. His team-high 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds helped the Sooners to a 23-12 record and catapulted them back into the NCAA tournament, where they fell in the second round to Louisville.

Three days after that loss, Griffin walked into Capel’s office to address two rumors: one that he was entering the NBA draft, and another that suggested Capel might leave to take the vacant South Carolina job. What Griffin didn’t know is that, a day earlier, Castiglione had offered Capel a new contract.

“I had a copy of it on my desk, and I handed it to Blake,” Capel says. “I told him, ‘You don’t owe Oklahoma anything and you don’t owe me anything.’

“I pointed at the contract and said, ‘This is what you guys have done for me. This is what you’ve done for my family. I’m coming back, but that should have nothing to do with your decision. Don’t think about OU. You do what’s best for Blake Griffin.’”

Griffin’s parents, Gail and Tommy, couldn’t have been more appreciative of the way Capel handled the situation. They said they weren’t surprised when their son informed Capel of his intentions to return for his sophomore year.

“It helped Blake to know that, whatever he did, (Capel) was going to be in his corner,” Tommy Griffin says. “It took a lot off of his mind. The type of relationships these kids have with their coach is something you probably won’t find at a lot of schools.”

One month shy of his 34th birthday, Capel’s youth helps him relate to players in a way that few head coaches can.

He drives a trendy, black Cadillac Escalade, listens to Jay Z, orders movies from NetFlix and prefers a hoodies and jeans over collared shirts and khakis. While older coaches might keep personal dealings with players to a minimum, Capel believes being close off the court can translate to success on it.

“Relationships are important to me,” he says. “If I care about you, I care hard, and I care deep. One thing I try to teach my players is that relationships go two ways. They have to give something back. They have to want to have a relationship. They have to embrace it.”

The Sooners seem to be doing just that.

Senior forward Taylor Griffin (Blake’s brother) said he and his teammates were appreciative of the way Capel stood up for them after Monday’s victory over Texas. For weeks the Sooners listened as television pundits pointed out their flaws while ignoring their strengths.

Despite Oklahoma’s No. 6 national ranking, Capel said the Sooners weren’t being given their due.

“Everyone talks about everyone else,” he told reporters. “We don’t get respect in our own state.”

Taylor Griffin says: “He had our back. He’s going to stand up and fight for his players, and that means a lot. He has our heads in the right place right now. From day one – even before the start of official practices – he kept reminding us that we haven’t done anything yet.”

_____________

Back at Louie’s Sports Bar & Grill, Capel walks out the door and prepares to head into the office. Dressed in blue jeans, he’s already had a busy off-day.

Capel spent the morning watching Elmo cartoons with his 20-month-old daughter, Cameron. Tonight he’s looking forward to some time with his wife, Kanika. The couple is expecting its second child, another girl, this summer.

Yes, seven years after becoming the youngest coach in Division I basketball, Capel is all grown up.

It’s evident on the court, too.

Capel doesn’t badger the officials as much and, whether it’s in practice or in a game, he’s easing away from his micromanagement approach and learning to let the little things slide. Sometimes.

“Every now and then,” Capel says, “I look at older coaches that have been doing it for awhile, guys like Coach Izzo or Coach Self or Coach K or Coach Boeheim.

“Just looking from afar, I marvel at how calm they are. It’s probably because they’ve seen so many different things in their career that stuff doesn’t really bother them that much. Or they have such experience with everything, they have a reference point for how to handle it.

“I’m still learning, but every coach should still be learning. If you don’t you’re staying idle, and that’s not a good thing.”

Now an assistant with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, Capel’s father enjoys watching his son on the sideline.

“It’s like he’s playing every play,” Capel’s father said. “His mannerisms, little things, foot stomps, the way he’s gripping a towel. After the game he’s physically exhausted. He has a passion for basketball that’s neat to watch.”

With the regular season beyond its midway point, Oklahoma’s resume includes victories over Purdue, USC, Davidson and, of course, Texas. Still, in a Big 12 conference that includes the likes of Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, Capel knows the Sooners must improve – fast – if they hope to have a shot at the league title.

Capel wants Griffin’s defense and free-throw shooting to improve, and he’s looking for more consistency from guards Austin Johnson and Tony Crocker. Depth is an issue, too, as Oklahoma’s starters account for 81.2 percent of the Sooners’ points. All five starters played more than 30 minutes against Texas on Monday.

“We’ll keep working,” Capel says. “But I want our guys to enjoy this, too. I want them to have fun. I know I am.”

[soonerfan28]

Nice post.

[Sooner04]

If Sampson were smart, he would have given the finger to Indiana, stopped making phone calls, focused on making a Final Four run every 6-10 years, and continued collecting a fat paycheck on his way to a retirement that would have included setting every OU basketball record ever, and becoming a legend in the state.
Kelvin didn't have that choice. Running afoul of the NCAA greatly upsets Lord Boren. The Indiana job coming available was a tremendous happening for Kelvin because the waters were awfully rough around here at that time.

[King Crimson]

Kelvin didn't have that choice. Running afoul of the NCAA greatly upsets Lord Boren. The Indiana job coming available was a tremendous happening for Kelvin because the waters were awfully rough around here at that time.

this true. i've posted this more than a few times but my pops has done legal work for OU on and off (including Billy Tubbs' Converse contract**) for 20 years....and the "word" was that after Kelvin refused to show contrition about the original NCAA issues.....Boren told him it was time to look for a new job if he ever wanted another raise because he wasn't going to get one at OU.


**04, i had "official" OU Converse, Skeeter era high-tops back in the day. i was "the man" with those in intramurals. i can feel the jealousy.....:D

[8timechamps]

I'll admit it, when I first heard about the hiring of Capel, my first thought was "huh? The dude that threw the football pass in the tourny??".

I knew he was in coaching, but I had no idea why 'we' hired him. I can honestly say I didn't have any clue how he was as a coach (and very little about how he did as a player).

Then again, when we hired Stoops, I was 'drop jawed'. After the previous two, I think I had reason to be skeptical.

I'm more than happy now to eat crow.

For those worried about Capel leaving, I don't think there's much to be worried about. Short of the Duke job coming open, I think Joe C will make sure he has trouble finding a better gig.

Like 04 said, Kelvin knew he was in rough waters (and so did Joe)...the Indiana job came open at the right time. For all involved.

[King Crimson]

Then again, when we hired Stoops, I was 'drop jawed'. After the previous two, I think I had reason to be skeptical.


i wanted Francione in 99 (ooof). and Sonny Lubick in the Blake hire. i thought Sonny would be a great fit in Oklahoma.

[Sooner04]

**04, i had "official" OU Converse, Skeeter era high-tops back in the day. i was "the man" with those in intramurals. i can feel the jealousy.....:D
Have been and always will be a Nike guy.

Nothing pleased me more than seeing the first pictures of the 99-00 BBall season and noticing our boys were sporting Nike duds.

[King Crimson]

Have been and always will be a Nike guy.

Nothing pleased me more than seeing the first pictures of the 99-00 BBall season and noticing our boys were sporting Nike duds.

after that dirty trick Converse played on us with the tire-treads.....

[8timechamps]

after that dirty trick Converse played on us with the tire-treads.....

At least they "got" Georgia too.

I am a Nike guy for the most part. I've even trained my kids. Although, now days...DCs, Vans, etc. are "the" shoe for the kids. I don't get it.

[Sooner04]

Nebraska wore the tire-treads too.

http://www.utahmrbasketball.com/images/past_utah/jb.jpg

[cheezyq]

Kelvin didn't have that choice. Running afoul of the NCAA greatly upsets Lord Boren. The Indiana job coming available was a tremendous happening for Kelvin because the waters were awfully rough around here at that time.

If he had never done it in the first place, or if he had made an effort to apologize and a sincere effort to not do it again, he would have been writing his own check and his own legend at OU. The problem is that I think he was increasingly aware that he couldn't compete on the recruiting trail, and had to turn to less ethical measures.

And there's no way Sampson gets kicked out after his best recruiting class ever. He would have been reprimanded, but with him finally looking solid talent in the eye...OU would have kept him as long as his nose was clean afterward.

[cheezyq]

Taylor Griffin says: “He had our back. He’s going to stand up and fight for his players, and that means a lot.

Even though he's not 40? Impossible. One must rant and rave like a lunatic and run out of a conference room screaming, "makes me wanna puke" in order to TRULY have his players' backs.

[Collier11]

Great coach, passionate guy, and I love the fact that he will call out our fans for being so fair weatherish

[OUstud]

If he had never done it in the first place, or if he had made an effort to apologize and a sincere effort to not do it again, he would have been writing his own check and his own legend at OU. The problem is that I think he was increasingly aware that he couldn't compete on the recruiting trail, and had to turn to less ethical measures.

And there's no way Sampson gets kicked out after his best recruiting class ever. He would have been reprimanded, but with him finally looking solid talent in the eye...OU would have kept him as long as his nose was clean afterward.

See, I don't think Calvin was ever going to be a "legend" at OU. Tubbs is a "legend" because his teams put up ungodly point totals and won conference titles. Calvin's style of play had gotten so ugly that we were actually starting to get blown out (remember the WVU game in OKC? blech), which was one thing that for the most part we were safe from. And that "best recruiting class ever"? 03-04 had a similar moniker, and the headliner of that class became a quality player...for Xavier. So who's to say they would have stuck around?

If you look at KS's time at OU, you'll see his 279-109 record (soonerstats.com), 20 win seasons, etc...but outside of Hollis' last 2 years and the fluke in 99, we didn't do anything in the tournament. The loss to Utah in 05 was offensively in the top 3 ugliest games I watched of KS's, and that's saying a lot. And as I watched UW-Milwaukee press us out of the tourney on a choppy online feed Spring Break 06, plus hearing the NCAA talks growing louder, I wanted a change. I just didn't know change was going to come less than a month later.

Bottom line, I'm so glad we have Capel now. I realize the UL game last year was painful, but remember, it took KS 5 tries before he won his first tournament game. And Capel doesn't look like the type that would run off talent.

[the_ouskull]

Re: the Kelvin Sampson comments...

(And NOT that I disagree with the guy that just posted while I was typing the rant below... he's right too.)

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2565160#post2565160

the_ouskull

[oumartin]

kelvin sucked.
he got to the final four due to Hollis and Quannis and Ace.


He got outcoached anytime he went against any decent coach. He still sucks!