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View Full Version : Capel officially hires Cline; Hoffman out



Jay C. Upchurch
4/29/2006, 08:16 PM
NORMAN, Okla. – New Oklahoma men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel announced his first hire today, naming Mark Cline as an assistant coach. Capel also announced that Bob Hoffman, who spent the last two years as an OU assistant coach under Kelvin Sampson, will not be retained.

Cline, a three-year assistant for Capel at Virginia Commonwealth, brings a wealth of coaching experience to Norman. The 41-year-old Williamson, W. Va., native helped VCU compile a 61-31 (.663) record that included an NCAA Tournament trip in 2003-04, his first season in Richmond.

“I’m very excited to join Coach Capel’s Oklahoma staff,” said Cline, who starred at Wake Forest in the 1980s and was a three-year starter. “I’ve known him for 20 years and I’m very happy to be here with him.

“OU is a great place. It is the University of Oklahoma. That means a lot to OU fans in the state and we’re going to do our best to attract the best player or two in the state each year. That’s important. We’re going to do everything we can to represent the people of Oklahoma in a first-class manner.”

Cline’s relationship with the Capel family dates back to his days as an assistant coach at Fayetteville State (1989-93) where he served under Capel’s father, Jeff Capel, Jr. Cline helped convert the Broncos from a team that finished at the bottom of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Southern Division to one of the top programs in the conference. He also served as the men’s golf head coach at Fayetteville State and was named CIAA Golf Coach of the Year twice.

He transitioned with Capel, Jr., to North Carolina A&T for the 1993-94 season, a year that saw the Aggies claim the Mid-Eastern Athletic Association championship and make an NCAA Tournament appearance. Cline followed Capel, Jr., to Old Dominion and spent five seasons with the Monarchs. He helped ODU reach the NCAA Tournament in 1995 and 1997. In 1999, the Monarchs tied a school record for wins with 25 and were rewarded with an NIT bid.

After his stint at Old Dominion, Cline served four years (1999-2003) as an assistant and associate head coach at Virginia Tech.

“I’m excited to have Mark here,” said Capel. “He’s a guy that I trust. I’ve known him for a good part of my life and he’s like a family member. I think he has a very good eye for talent, he is very good at communicating and relating to young people and I think he’s a very good basketball coach. I’m surprised that he hasn’t become a head coach yet, but I think it’s just a matter of time. His attention to detail, his ability to work with post players and his basketball mind in general are going to be great assets to our program.”

Cline enjoyed an outstanding playing career at Wake Forest over the 1983-84 through 1986-87 seasons (the same as Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues). He finished his career with 1,202 points to rank 17th on Wake’s all-time list. He averaged double figures over his final three seasons and was a co-captain the last two. The Demon Deacons advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight his freshman season. The two-time West Virginia High School Player of the Year who earned McDonald’s, Parade and Street & Smith’s high school All-America honors, shot .414 from 3-point range during his collegiate career.

Cline, who graduated from Wake Forest in 1988, has a wife, Nancy, and a four-year-old daughter, Layla.

Said Hoffman, “I’m very thankful to President Boren, Joe Castiglione and Coach Sampson for the opportunities I’ve had at OU the last two years. I enjoyed my time as a member of the Sooners’ staff and wish Coach Capel and the players nothing but the best.”

OU SID Report

Big Red Ron
4/29/2006, 10:14 PM
The Daily Oklahoman said something about Sampson not giving Hoffman a very good reference to Capel.

birddog
5/1/2006, 10:10 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2429363


also hires director of basketball operations.

GDC
5/2/2006, 08:05 AM
Sports FYI: Capel makes hire
By Staff and Wire Reports
5/2/2006

BASKETBALL

Capel makes hire: Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel made his second hire Monday when he named Bucknell assistant and Choctaw High School graduate Bryan Goodman the Sooners' director of basketball operations.

Goodman was a Choctaw guard during Billy Tubbs' late-80s / early-90s run. From there, Goodman played NAIA ball at Barat College in Lake Forest, Ill., and concluded his career with Academic All-America honors in 1996.

Goodman began coaching at NCAA Division III Susquehanna in 1998. He joined the Bucknell staff two years later, and most recently focused on the Bison's offense, recruiting and their academic affairs program..