soonerfan28
4/6/2009, 07:57 PM
The Oklahoman
We kept hearing Jeff Capel’s name attached to jobs. Back East. Out West. Places in between.
And each time, reporters tagged Capel at the top of the search lists. And they were sure it was just a matter of time and money before he’d be skipping out of Norman.
Based on what? Assumption, apparently. Assumption that the Oklahoma job is lacking.
Assumption that Virginia and Georgia and Arizona had much more to offer.
Wrong assumption, confirmed when Capel silenced the scuttlebutt, agreeing to a new deal in Norman and insisting that OU is "not a stepping stone job.”
In fact, as Capel said, OU is "a really, really good job.”
And Capel pointed to the last two guys to hold his office, Billy Tubbs and Kelvin Sampson, as proof.
"If you look at especially the past two coaches,” Capel said, "how long they both stayed and the success that they had, that speaks volumes for that.”
Tubbs spent 14 seasons at OU, going 333-132, winning four conference titles, earning four NCAA Tournament top seeds and making the national title game in 1988.
Sampson worked 12 seasons in Norman, going 279-109 – the best winning percentage in school history – winning three Big 12 Tournament titles, going to the NCAA Tournament 11 times, reaching one Final Four and another Elite Eight.
Still, Capel said he somewhat understands the misperceptions formed by outsiders, especially those back East.
"Everyone in our family is in North Carolina,” he said. "My parents, my brother, my wife’s parents are there. Her brothers are there. Their wives, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins. Everyone is in North Carolina.”
So, connecting the imaginary dots, Capel must be itching to get closer to home, right?
Wrong.
"So there’s got to be something about this place that makes us continue to want to be here,” Capel said. "I’ve said it before, it’s the people that we work for, the people we work with. It’s really a unique place.”
Beyond the family and the geography, there can be a lack of respect for what OU has accomplished on the hardcourt. This football school has done some things in basketball, too.
"I know I’ve always had respect for this program, but I didn’t appreciate it until I got here,” Capel said. "It wasn’t until once I got in the program and started to really look at the history of the program, that I fully appreciated it.
"I can tell you, I appreciate it a lot more now.”
Maybe it’s time those outsiders appreciate all Capel has at OU — and why he’s still there.
We kept hearing Jeff Capel’s name attached to jobs. Back East. Out West. Places in between.
And each time, reporters tagged Capel at the top of the search lists. And they were sure it was just a matter of time and money before he’d be skipping out of Norman.
Based on what? Assumption, apparently. Assumption that the Oklahoma job is lacking.
Assumption that Virginia and Georgia and Arizona had much more to offer.
Wrong assumption, confirmed when Capel silenced the scuttlebutt, agreeing to a new deal in Norman and insisting that OU is "not a stepping stone job.”
In fact, as Capel said, OU is "a really, really good job.”
And Capel pointed to the last two guys to hold his office, Billy Tubbs and Kelvin Sampson, as proof.
"If you look at especially the past two coaches,” Capel said, "how long they both stayed and the success that they had, that speaks volumes for that.”
Tubbs spent 14 seasons at OU, going 333-132, winning four conference titles, earning four NCAA Tournament top seeds and making the national title game in 1988.
Sampson worked 12 seasons in Norman, going 279-109 – the best winning percentage in school history – winning three Big 12 Tournament titles, going to the NCAA Tournament 11 times, reaching one Final Four and another Elite Eight.
Still, Capel said he somewhat understands the misperceptions formed by outsiders, especially those back East.
"Everyone in our family is in North Carolina,” he said. "My parents, my brother, my wife’s parents are there. Her brothers are there. Their wives, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins. Everyone is in North Carolina.”
So, connecting the imaginary dots, Capel must be itching to get closer to home, right?
Wrong.
"So there’s got to be something about this place that makes us continue to want to be here,” Capel said. "I’ve said it before, it’s the people that we work for, the people we work with. It’s really a unique place.”
Beyond the family and the geography, there can be a lack of respect for what OU has accomplished on the hardcourt. This football school has done some things in basketball, too.
"I know I’ve always had respect for this program, but I didn’t appreciate it until I got here,” Capel said. "It wasn’t until once I got in the program and started to really look at the history of the program, that I fully appreciated it.
"I can tell you, I appreciate it a lot more now.”
Maybe it’s time those outsiders appreciate all Capel has at OU — and why he’s still there.