Scott D
3/15/2007, 08:43 AM
Thought it was a pretty good story.
Capel Watching as Alma Mater, Former Team Clash
Mar 15, 3:22 AM (ET)
By HANK KURZ Jr.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -He wore the royal blue and white of Duke, but recruited the guys who will be wearing black and gold and trying to beat the Blue Devils on Thursday.
Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel views with humor the first-round NCAA tournament matchup pitting the Virginia Commonwealth team he recruited against his alma mater.
"Well, they got what they want," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday from Oklahoma, where his Sooners finished 16-15 and without a postseason invitation.
It's a matchup the Rams clamored for when Capel was their coach, and one he knew would never happen because Duke's Mike Krzyzewski loathes coaching against his players.
Now, he plans to watch with reasons to root for both teams.
"I can't lose," he said. "I'm rooting for VCU and the players there, and I'm rooting for the coaches at Duke."
First-year VCU coach Anthony Grant has often commended Capel for the character and work ethic and talent of the team he left behind, and Capel accepts the complements with grace. But, he said, it's unfair to consider the Rams his guys.
"That's Anthony's team," he said.
Which is not to say he doesn't still feel strong connections. There have been a few conversations with some of the players this year, and a few exchanged text messages.
"I'm really, really excited for them," he said of the Rams. "I'm proud of them for what they've been able to accomplish so far and excited about the possibilities.
For Rams senior starting guards B.A. Walker and Jesse Pellot-Rosa, this will be the second trip to the NCAA tournament as Colonial Athletic Association champs. They also made it in 2004, losing 79-78 to fourth-seeded Wake Forest in Raleigh, N.C.
As well as anyone, Capel knows what it took them to get back.
"They've worked hard, individually and collectively as a group," he said. "Anthony's come in and done a tremendous job taking the program to another level. I think it's a testament to the hard work and character of the guys in that program."
And to Capel, who will watch from afar as they chase a dream he once shared.
"It's a really great group of young people that wanted to come there and be a part of something bigger than them," he said. "They have an opportunity to beat the premier college basketball program in the country, probably the most recognizable name in the country, the most recognizable coach in the country. They have a tremendous opportunity, and I know those guys are going to be ready to take advantage of it."
Capel is not the only one being pulled in two directions by the matchup.
Gerald Henderson ranks as one of VCU's career scoring leaders, and followed his college career in the mid-1970s by spending 13 more seasons playing as a guard in the NBA. But while Henderson would seem a natural to pull hard for the Rams, there's the small matter of his son and namesake, who is a freshman for Krzyzewski's Blue Devils.
"He was real excited when he heard we were playing them," the younger Henderson said Wednesday. "He said, 'Good luck, but they're known to have good guards there at VCU.' That was something funny. But he's excited that we're playing his alma mater."
Henderson told the Richmond Times-Dispatch it will be hard to pull for his alma mater when his son is playing for the other team, but it will get easy once it's over.
"I'll be pulling the rest of the way for whichever team wins," he said.
Capel Watching as Alma Mater, Former Team Clash
Mar 15, 3:22 AM (ET)
By HANK KURZ Jr.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -He wore the royal blue and white of Duke, but recruited the guys who will be wearing black and gold and trying to beat the Blue Devils on Thursday.
Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel views with humor the first-round NCAA tournament matchup pitting the Virginia Commonwealth team he recruited against his alma mater.
"Well, they got what they want," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday from Oklahoma, where his Sooners finished 16-15 and without a postseason invitation.
It's a matchup the Rams clamored for when Capel was their coach, and one he knew would never happen because Duke's Mike Krzyzewski loathes coaching against his players.
Now, he plans to watch with reasons to root for both teams.
"I can't lose," he said. "I'm rooting for VCU and the players there, and I'm rooting for the coaches at Duke."
First-year VCU coach Anthony Grant has often commended Capel for the character and work ethic and talent of the team he left behind, and Capel accepts the complements with grace. But, he said, it's unfair to consider the Rams his guys.
"That's Anthony's team," he said.
Which is not to say he doesn't still feel strong connections. There have been a few conversations with some of the players this year, and a few exchanged text messages.
"I'm really, really excited for them," he said of the Rams. "I'm proud of them for what they've been able to accomplish so far and excited about the possibilities.
For Rams senior starting guards B.A. Walker and Jesse Pellot-Rosa, this will be the second trip to the NCAA tournament as Colonial Athletic Association champs. They also made it in 2004, losing 79-78 to fourth-seeded Wake Forest in Raleigh, N.C.
As well as anyone, Capel knows what it took them to get back.
"They've worked hard, individually and collectively as a group," he said. "Anthony's come in and done a tremendous job taking the program to another level. I think it's a testament to the hard work and character of the guys in that program."
And to Capel, who will watch from afar as they chase a dream he once shared.
"It's a really great group of young people that wanted to come there and be a part of something bigger than them," he said. "They have an opportunity to beat the premier college basketball program in the country, probably the most recognizable name in the country, the most recognizable coach in the country. They have a tremendous opportunity, and I know those guys are going to be ready to take advantage of it."
Capel is not the only one being pulled in two directions by the matchup.
Gerald Henderson ranks as one of VCU's career scoring leaders, and followed his college career in the mid-1970s by spending 13 more seasons playing as a guard in the NBA. But while Henderson would seem a natural to pull hard for the Rams, there's the small matter of his son and namesake, who is a freshman for Krzyzewski's Blue Devils.
"He was real excited when he heard we were playing them," the younger Henderson said Wednesday. "He said, 'Good luck, but they're known to have good guards there at VCU.' That was something funny. But he's excited that we're playing his alma mater."
Henderson told the Richmond Times-Dispatch it will be hard to pull for his alma mater when his son is playing for the other team, but it will get easy once it's over.
"I'll be pulling the rest of the way for whichever team wins," he said.