Jeff Capel III was born into a basketball family. His father was the late basketball coach Jeff Capel II, the former assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats and former head coach at Old Dominion University. His younger brother Jason Capel played basketball at Duke just like him and is an assistant coach to him now for the Pitt Panthers. Jeff is one of the most excellent and underrated Duke players ever, and although he’s not a household name like Jason Tatum, Kyrie Irving, or JJ Reddick at Duke, he racked up 1,601 points, 433 assists, and 220 three-point field goals. He finished his career among Duke’s all-time Top 10 in minutes played, three-point field goal percentages, three-point field goals, and assists.
Born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he attended South View High School in Hope Hills, North Carolina. During his senior year, he led his team to the 1993 state championship defeating powerhouse South Mecklenburg, a private school in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a last-second layup. Capel set school career records in points (2,066), rebounds (668), and assists (663). Capel’s coaching career had stops in Virginia and Oklahoma that were successful. Then he returned to North Carolina, specifically Durham, where he was a head coach at his alma mater Duke. Since 2018, he’s been the University of Pittsburgh’s head coach, and so far, his record has been 70-76 as the University of Pittsburgh’s head coach. However, everything’s changed this season as the Panthers are 19 and 7 and on the best teams in the country. So North Carolinians, keep an eye on the Panther’s head coach, as he’s one of yours. Even if you’re not a Panthers fan, consider rooting for one of your own, as your fellow North Carolinian will probably make a splash this college basketball postseason!
