OU Hires a Keeper in Capel

By Big12-Fans Writer Josh Cline

Knowing that OU AD Joe Castiglione made the hire, we should not be surprised that the Sooners tabbed someone not on my prospect list from two weeks ago as their head coach. However, even the long list that dominated Oklahoma sports talk the past few weeks didn’t come up with the name of Jeff Capel, the now former Virginia Commonwealth coach who now heads the basketball program at the University of Oklahoma. Heck, even the newspaper’s 64-coach bracket didn’t include the man!

Jeff Capel has been in the coaching profession for only six years, four of which has been spent as the head coach of VCU in Richmond, Virginia. Capel is only 31 years old, the youngest coach in the conference, and when he started out four years ago, the youngest coach in the nation. You probably hadn’t heard his name much before Tuesday, at least as a coach. You may remember him as a standout guard at Duke in the mid-90s. You certainly remember his play, the 40-foot runner that sent the Duke-Carolina game into a second overtime (and if you don’t, randomly turn your dial to ESPN Classic…you’ll see it by the tenth time you try).

When Andy Katz leaked the news Monday night, much of the Sooner nation was left asking, “Who is Jeff Capel???” People scoured the internet for all they could find. What they found was a young coach, who has a couple of postseason appearances with strong recommendations from some of the best in the business (Coach K, Jay Bilas, and Dick Vitale to name a few). Questions arose about his style of play, would he be fast or slow? People also wondered why John Calipari or Ray Hobbs wasn’t named—OU certainly had the bank to bring in a big name.

To answer the first question, Capel said that he wants to run “when it is smart to.” To do that, he says that his teams must play solid defense and rebound well and that will lead to transition baskets. He also said in his press conference that he wants play whatever style wins basketball games and adjusts to his personnel.

The good news for Sooner fans dying to relive the Billy Tubbs era is that the recruiting class that is coming in is the most athletic class to arrive in Norman in years. Capel talked to Scottie Reynolds, McDonalds All-American and the glue of the recruiting class, and he is ready to come aboard. Rumors are also swirling that Damion James, a five-star OU commit, is trying hard to get another McDonalds All-American, Darrell Arthur to join them in Norman. With this group of athletes, a run-and-gun style will work to win basketball games.

As for the “Why Capel?” question…it answered itself during the press conference. Capel showed poise on the stage, saying that Oklahoma was a place he could win it all, and not just a Big 12 title. He talked about making his players complete people, on and off the court. He even tackled the question itself, saying that it probably came as a surprise to many around the nation, but that he’s ready to win in Norman.

The Capel hire may come as a shock to many, and we won’t really know how good of one it is until a few years have passed. All early indications, however, show that this was a great hire. His peers respect him, he is well-polished, and has a great desire to win and do great things. This kind of hire isn’t anything new to OU…Billy Tubbs came from Lamar and led OU to the NCAA Championship game and Kelvin Sampson came from Washington State with a .500 record and took them to a Final Four as well. When fans look back at the hire a few seasons from now with a succesful team, they will realize that Castiglione was a few years ahead of the curve on hiring Capel…he is a keeper.

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