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Pitt coach Jeff Capel can comment on this case with more credence than the average talking head, considering he recruited, came to care for and would’ve coached Williamson in his only season at Duke, if not for Capel taking over the Panthers. “I think the guys should be able to go straight from high school,” Capel said after his team’s practice Monday afternoon. “That’s not an NCAA rule, that’s an NBA rule, but I think they should have the opportunity.”
“I don't like the way the rule is now, that you have to go, but at the same time, I think these kids do have opportunities where they can go overseas, they can go to the G-League,” Capel said of NBA alternatives. “I don't think it’s smart for them to do that, necessarily, especially a guy like Zion or a guy like R.J. Barrett. Because the attention they get going to Duke, they do get something out of it. It’s not total exploitation.”
Georgia Tech has reached out to both Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel and Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, but remains in the initial stages to replace Brian Gregory, multiple sources told ESPN. Capel has yet to be interviewed by Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski, sources told ESPN.
Where does Griffin rank among the players you’ve gotten to coach? Capel: “He’s the best. There’s really no comparison. When you talk about talent, athleticism and skill, and when you add the work ethic that comes along, that was the thing that probably impressed me the most was just how hard he worked. I’m sure people that really understand basketball understand that.” Where has developed most? Capel: “Obviously shooting the basketball, which is something he’s really worked on. He’s been able to score, he’s always been a relentless rebounder, physically imposing, but really being able to shoot. I’ve always thought that he had a lot of things that he could do that people didn’t realize, because people were always just so wowed by his athleticism. I don’t think people really had ever really given him credit for all the things he can do. He can really pass. I think people started to see that as the Clippers became a better team and there was better talent around him. He really understands the game. He’s really smart. All of those things I think are what people are starting to see now.”
In his first big move as 76ers coach, Brett Brown will not retain the team's assistant coaches. He informed Michael Curry, Aaron McKie, and Jeff Capel Thursday night they would not be a part of his staff. All three were holdovers from Doug Collins' staff, and are under contract for one more year.
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"I'm doing that for obvious reasons," said Brown, who was hired Monday and introduced Wednesday. "I want to hire my own staff and have a clean start going in that direction. ... I feel like it's important that I come in with my own staff and start fresh and try to rebuild."
The following is a statement from Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Brett Brown on making the decision that Michael Curry, Aaron McKie and Jeff Capel will not be part of the 76ers coaching staff next season. “This decision takes nothing away from the talent and loyalty of Michael Curry, Aaron McKie and Jeff Capel, but is more about making a fresh start here in Philadelphia,” said Brown. “I respect the way this staff did their job and how they handled themselves with tremendous class and professionalism, which needs to be acknowledged. I am grateful for all the work they've done this off-season leading up to this decision.”
"I'll just continue to work every day and continue to get better as a coach," said Michael Curry, who along with assistant coaches Aaron McKie and Jeff Capel, is under contract for another season. "I'm the senior guy on the staff, so I will continue to lead the rest of the staff and the players that we still have and the ones we have under contract. Just continue to make them get better."
Jeff Capel is now an assistant coach with the 76ers. The Sixers issued a news release Tuesday announcing that coach Doug Collins had hired Capel. The announcement came one day after the National Basketball Players Association dissolved its union in favor of legal action against the NBA.
Jeff Zillgitt: Per Philadelphia 76ers news release: Jeff Capel joins Sixers coach Doug Collins' staff as an assistant coach.
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An NBA source has told the Daily News that the 76ers have hired Jeff Capel Sr. as an assistant coach. Capel, who will turn 58 in January, was the head coach at Old Dominion from 1994 to 2001 and at North Carolina A&T (1993-94) and Fayetteville State (1989-1993). Capel is the father of Jeff Capel Jr., who starred for Duke from 1993-97. The younger Capel was a teammate of Chris Collins, son of Sixers coach Doug Collins.
An NBA source has told the Daily News that the 76ers have hired Jeff Capel, Sr. as an assitant coach. Capel, who will turn 58 in January, was the head coach at Old Dominion from 1994 to 2001 and at North Carolina A&T (1993-94) and Fayetteville State (1989-1993). Capel is the father of Jeff Capel, Jr., who starred for Duke from 1993-97. The younger Capel was a teammate of Chris Collins, son of Sixers coach Doug Collins.
If Jeff Capel doesn’t land another NCAA job, look for the former Oklahoma coach to be an attractive candidate for an NBA assistant coaching job. Capel was an annual visitor to Celtics training camp in Newport, R.I., and has established strong ties to Doc Rivers and other NBA coaches. Capel’s father is an assistant with the Charlotte Bobcats after coaching at Old Dominion
And while Capel said in a statement he considers OU a "first class institution and an excellent place to coach," former Sooners standout Blake Griffin thought Capel's firing was more like a slap to the face. The former Oklahoma star who is now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers said the university's decision to fire his coach was "unfair" and that the school was "piling it on." "What bothers me the most is that everyone is saying he did all of this when Blake Griffin was there," Griffin said. "Well to me, you say he deserves no credit when a certain player is there and then, when things go bad, throw all the blame on him. To me, they're piling it on. He took over the program after Kelvin Sampson and all of those sanctions and he put his faith in everyone. This is what he gets? Within two years we're in the tournament and now two years later he's fired? It's completely unfair."
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