Jeff Capel is secure with who he is as a coach and as a person. But the lessons he's taken from others continue to fuel that belief.
The leader of Pitt's resurgent men's basketball program currently has the Panthers at 6-2, fresh off a tournament win in last week's Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Capel's life in coaching has been long for a 44-year-old. But he's had what many others never get the chance to do, and that is the opportunity to learn, firsthand, from the very best.
He played for and coached under Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders in the history of sports. His dad, Jeff Capel II, was the longtime coach at Old Dominion and spent time in the NBA, among other stops. Both men were instrumental in shaping Capel's leadership abilities to the point that Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke tabbed him as the Panthers' next head coach before last season.
"One of the great things that I've had, that I've been very fortunate (to have), is that I had a dad that was in the profession and that had coached at every level," Capel said Monday, as his team readied for Tuesday night's showdown with Rutgers. "But then, one of the best pieces of advice that I got when I got into this and became a head coach, was from my college coach (Krzyzewski), and he said to me, 'don't try to be your dad and don't try to be me. Be you and be very comfortable with that, because who you are is good enough.' So I've really tried to lean on that. I've been fortunate enough to be in these amazing situations and in these positions."
Capel took over as head coach at VCU at 27 years of age, making him the youngest coach in the country. By 31, he was the head man at Oklahoma. Two years later, he took the Sooners to the Elite 8. It was a meteoric rise for such a young man. Looking back, he's unsure of the mentality that paced him through it all. But, three years after being fired by Oklahoma — something he describes as his "lowest point" — Capel gained more perspective on life as a coach.
"One of the coolest things, it was in 2014, I was on a plane with (Mike Krzyzewski) and (Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim), headed from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas for the U.S.A. National Team, we were getting ready for the World Cup. And I sat there, and I just watched and I listened to them. I think it was about an hour and 15 minute flight. I just listened to them, I didn't really say a word unless I was asked a question.
"And I remember, when we landed in Vegas, I called my wife and I said to her, 'I just sat for an hour and 15 minutes and listened to these two guys and both of them will have over 1,000 wins, so over 2,000 wins between them, and they're so different.' It's the perfect example of how you have have to be comfortable doing it the way you do it. Coach (Krzyzewski) couldn't do it the way Coach Boeheim does it, Coach Boeheim couldn't do it the way Coach (Krzyzewski) does it. But they're both incredibly comfortable with the way they do it. And it's so different, it's polar opposite. But they've won a lot of games.
"You have to be comfortable with who you are. There's some coaches that may watch tape all day, and do that, and this is their life. There's nothing wrong with that, at least for me. I don't judge anyone."
Capel views basketball and coaching as his job, not his life. He works to make time for his wife, his kids, friends and other hobbies, like watching football, especially the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has formed a bond with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, and has been spotted at training camp and practices over the last two years.
Jeff Capel has gotten to know Mike Tomlin pretty well since arriving in Pittsburgh, and he's not surprised that the #Steelers are 7-5."He instills a belief in those guys because of the belief he has in himself and his system." #Pitt @937theFan pic.twitter.com/rnldTGOLlj
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) December 2, 2019While much of the football watching world is understandably astonished that Tomlin's injury-riddled Steelers are currently 7-5 and in a playoff spot, Capel isn't. He's watched, just like he did on that flight in 2014, what it takes for a strong leader to lead.
"I think (Tomlin) thrives in these situations," he said. "He's a really good coach and really good coaches figure out a way. You have to make adjustments and I think they've made adjustments.
"Mike has stayed positive and I think that permeates throughout the culture of the organization and especially their football team. He instills a belief in those guys because of the belief he has in himself and his system. Year in and year out, I think he's been one of the best coaches in the NFL. It's unfortunate that they've had to lose anyone for people to maybe appreciate that. Sometimes you can take really good things for granted."
Pitt is still learning, still growing, and that includes Capel. The program is trying to morph back into the powerhouse it was not all that long ago. Capel, it seems, is the man for the job, because of the man he has become away from it.
"I've been through a lot of different things in this profession, even though I still consider myself young," he said. "It's easy when you're a young coach to get caught up, wrapped up in 'this is what I think coaching should be.'
"I'm comfortable with who I am now. I probably wasn't as a younger coach, because you're trying to figure it all out. This is an important part of my life, but it's not my life."
Hear all of Jeff Capel's press conference below.
