Former
FSU and NCA&T coach named Bobcats assistant
June 10, 2004
Jeff Capel
The Charlotte Bobcats have named Jeff Capel as an
assistant coach, it was announced by General Manager & Head Coach Bernie
Bickerstaff. Capel joins Gary Brokaw, John-Blair Bickerstaff, Gary Kloppenburg
and John Outlaw on the coaching staff.
“I am very pleased to add Jeff Capel to our staff. Jeff is well-known
and respected in basketball circles and he will be a perfect fit with our staff
and players,” Bickerstaff said. “He has achieved success wherever
he has been as a coach, but more impressive is how he imparts his knowledge
and relates to the players.”
Among Capel’s duties will be on-the-floor coaching and serving as an
advance scout.
“I want to thank the Charlotte Bobcats and Bernie Bickerstaff for this
wonderful opportunity. I’m thrilled to join a great coaching staff and
to help build this team from the beginning. I will do whatever I can to help
the team progress and succeed,” Capel said. “My time in the NBDL
was a very enjoyable experience and allowed me to realize my dream of coaching
in the NBA.”
Capel joins the Bobcats after serving two-plus seasons as head coach of the
Fayetteville Patriots in the National Basketball Development League, with a
69-61 (.531) record in that time. He took over the head coaching job midway
through the Patriots inaugural season in 2001-02 and the following season,
in his first full season, he guided the team to the NBDL Finals and a 32-18
record, tops in the NBDL regular season. Last season, Capel coached four players
who earned a call-up to the NBA and still led the Patriots into the postseason.
He becomes the sixth former NBDL coach to advance under the NBA umbrella and
the seventh former member of the league to serve on an NBA or WNBA coaching
staff.
Prior to the NBDL, Capel spent 12 years as a head coach at the collegiate
level at Old Dominion, North Carolina A&T and Fayetteville
State, with a combined record of 201-162 (.554).
In a seven-year run at Old Dominion, Capel compiled a 122-98 (.555) record,
three 20-win seasons, two NCAA tournament appearances and one NIT postseason
berth. In 1998-99, the Monarchs finished 25-9 and the win total was the highest
for a season in school history. Old Dominion also recorded a triple-overtime
upset win over fourth-seeded Villanova in the opening round of the 1995 NCAA
tournament.
Capel spent the 1993-94 season at North Carolina A&T and led the Aggies
to the MEAC championship, an NCAA tournament berth and a 15-13 record. His
first head coaching job on the college level came at his alma mater, Fayetteville
State, a Division II program he coached from 1989-93. While there he posted
a 64-51(.557) record and coached current New Orleans guard Darrell Armstrong.
Capel and his wife Jerry are the parents of a pair of former ACC collegiate
basketball players. Jeff Capel III played at Duke from 1993-97 and Jason Capel
attended University of North Carolina from 1998-2002, before playing for the
Fayetteville Patriots for two seasons with his father as the coach. Jeff Capel
III is currently entering his third season as head coach at Virginia Commonwealth
University and is the youngest Division I men’s basketball head coach
at 29 years old.
