The great Jeffrey Capel

[iMissTheOldDayss]

Who could’ve guessed the legendary recruiter Jeffrey Capel and his awesome brother Jason would lose half the roster and then secure (1) one transfer commit from a kid who was coming here regardless of who was the coach because he is from the area….let’s all get excited for the next 4 guys we secure from the portal who average a combined 6.7 points a game between them. Jeff is so, so good, it’s only gonna be his 5th year guys, he needs time! Covid was the biggest factor in why Jeff has turned this program into the laughing stock of the ACC! Now with cases decreasing I really think our guys will be less “tired” and “worn out” it just wasn’t FAIR! H2P baby

BRICK. by. BRICK

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Who could’ve guessed the legendary recruiter Jeffrey Capel and his awesome brother Jason would lose half the roster and then secure (1) one transfer commit from a kid who was coming here regardless of who was the coach because he is from the area….let’s all get excited for the next 4 guys we secure from the portal who average a combined 6.7 points a game between them. Jeff is so, so good, it’s only gonna be his 5th year guys, he needs time! Covid was the biggest factor in why Jeff has turned this program into the laughing stock of the ACC! Now with cases decreasing I really think our guys will be less “tired” and “worn out” it just wasn’t FAIR! H2P baby

BRICK. by. BRICK

He has 11 months left. No need to stress about it.

 

[iMissTheOldDayss]

He has 11 months left. No need to stress about it.

Lol, not stressing at all. This program couldn’t sink any lower at this point

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Lol, not stressing at all. This program couldn’t sink any lower at this point

This is the worst 6 year stretch in decades, a half century, something like that. It didn't need to be THIS bad. This takes a very special type of incompetence starting with Barnes to Stallings to Lyke to Capel

 

[iMissTheOldDayss]

This is the worst 6 year stretch in decades, a half century, something like that. It didn't need to be THIS bad. This takes a very special type of incompetence starting with Barnes to Stallings to Lyke to Capel

Everything went as completely wrong as possible, every decision was wrong and still is

 

[LeftCoastPanther]

This is the worst 6 year stretch in decades, a half century, something like that. It didn't need to be THIS bad. This takes a very special type of incompetence starting with Barnes to Stallings to Lyke to Capel

The starting point is Gallagher. And you’re right, it did take a special kind of incompetence. It wasn’t as though no one wanted the job and Barnes was turned down by so many coaches he had to hit the panic button with Stallings.

 

[Wanstash21]

maybe Cummings wanted to come back home but he got a guard that played in the tournament last year. I'm all for criticizing when it's due to him, but this isn't it.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Starting point is Gallagher. And you’re right, it did take a special kind of incompetence.. It wasn’t like no one wanted the job and Barnes was turned down by so many coaches he had to hit the panic button with Stallings.

That’s where it started. It wasn’t with the decision to let Jamie leave for his dream job. Say what we want about the downward trajectory that this program was on. Yes the bottom was about to fall out. That was true. But it was also true that Jamie had this program with enough equity still left in it that we could have hired a coach that could keep the program respectable. Good coaches would have come here. Maybe not great ones but we didn’t even want to consider the good ones. And here we sit.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That’s where it started. It wasn’t with the decision to let Jamie leave for his dream job. Say what we want about the downward trajectory that this program was on. Yes the bottom was about to fall out. That was true. But it was also true that Jamie had this program with enough equity still left in it that we could have hired a coach that could keep the program respectable. Good coaches would have come here. Maybe not great ones but we didn’t even want to consider the good ones. And here we sit.

Having said all that, its nearly impossible to have as bad of a 6 year stretch as we've had. If we hired Point Park's coach instead of Stallings and CMU's coach instead of Capel, we may very well be in a similar spot. We are paying people well into half a million to make these hiring decisions.

And the worst part is, there is no end in sight. Our next coach will come from the mid-major ranks and most of those guys fail. We could have another 4 years this bad. I never imagined Pitt would become Rutgers or DePaul. Its why I don't think we can just cross our fingers and hope our MM hire works out. I feel like Pitt is in a position where they are going to have to way overpay to bring in an established coach.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

maybe Cummings wanted to come back home but he got a guard that played in the tournament last year. I'm all for criticizing when it's due to him, but this isn't it.

I'm fine with the pickup, but "played in the tournament" is a term that is pretty relative. They were worse than Pitt.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

This is the worst 6 year stretch in decades, a half century, something like that. It didn't need to be THIS bad. This takes a very special type of incompetence starting with Barnes to Stallings to Lyke to Capel

To be fair, very few people criticizing the Capel hire at the time. Its easy to be critical about the extension but much less about the initial hiring.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Again, my biggest problem with Jeff Capel is not the losses. It is the fact he is not trying. Where is that guy who Capel smiles at at his restaurant who calls that "character". This guy is just taking a paycheck.

The fact that he has not made a staff change is criminal. The recruiting is non existent, even bad teams get players. He just doesn't give a bleep. He is milking us, we are his retirement. He will end up in broadcasting somewhere.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

Again, my biggest problem with Jeff Capel is not the losses. It is the fact he is not trying. Where is that guy who Capel smiles at at his restaurant who calls that "character". This guy is just taking a paycheck.

The fact that he has not made a staff change is criminal. The recruiting is non existent, even bad teams get players. He just doesn't give a bleep. He is milking us, we are his retirement. He will end up in broadcasting somewhere.

*shrug* How is it any different than all the managers and GMs the Pirates have had? All of them just sit on their tails and collect checks.

Paul Chryst was similar when he was here. Everybody including Pitt’s own leadership knew he was just job shadowing in prep for the Wisconsin job. No concern over his W-L record.

Team ownership (or school leadership, in the case of college sports) is where the buck stops in these situations. I don’t blame Capel, nor Shelton, Chryst, etc in the least for taking their checks with no guilt. They are fulfilling the obligations of the job that their bosses laid out. I’m sure if given truth serum, they’d accurately respond that the ownership / leadership won’t pony up the coin for talent, and don’t really care if the teams win, because tv and conference money will still flow.

Everybody here blasting Capel are blasting the wrong people. Go to the top.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

To be fair, very few people criticizing the Capel hire at the time. Its easy to be critical about the extension but much less about the initial hiring.

Sure but why does that matter. Fans aren't paid 500K to pick coaches.

 

[Cap pitt]

Lol, not stressing at all. This program couldn’t sink any lower at this point

 

[Cap pitt]

Lol, not stressing at all. This program couldn’t sink any lower at this point

Yes it could sink lower, remember the stallings days.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Again, my biggest problem with Jeff Capel is not the losses. It is the fact he is not trying. Where is that guy who Capel smiles at at his restaurant who calls that "character". This guy is just taking a paycheck.

The fact that he has not made a staff change is criminal. The recruiting is non existent, even bad teams get players. He just doesn't give a bleep. He is milking us, we are his retirement. He will end up in broadcasting somewhere.

I think he came here to play the "Duke Game". Once he learned that it doesn't work here, he has basically lost interest. Obviously I can't confirm that to be gospel, but one recruit in two seasons kind of speaks for itself.

 

[thebadby2]

Yes it could sink lower, remember the stallings days.

Hasn't Capel's tenure really just been an extension of the "Stallings Days"?

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

*shrug* How is it any different than all the managers and GMs the Pirates have had? All of them just sit on their tails and collect checks.

Paul Chryst was similar when he was here. Everybody including Pitt’s own leadership knew he was just job shadowing in prep for the Wisconsin job. No concern over his W-L record.

Team ownership (or school leadership, in the case of college sports) is where the buck stops in these situations. I don’t blame Capel, nor Shelton, Chryst, etc in the least for taking their checks with no guilt. They are fulfilling the obligations of the job that their bosses laid out. I’m sure if given truth serum, they’d accurately respond that the ownership / leadership won’t pony up the coin for talent, and don’t really care if the teams win, because tv and conference money will still flow.

Everybody here blasting Capel are blasting the wrong people. Go to the top.

No. I disagree. I mean you are partly right, they got us into this. But unlike the Pirates, they are paying Capel competitive wage as compared with our peers. His contract is great. It is also the albatross.

The fact is, he isn't trying anymore and maybe he can't. What can he sell now? All of the good will and hope and optimism and forward looking statements for recruiting has expired because he has now 4 years of resume baggage to counter this.

The one thing he can do, is possibly bring in some staff changes who may have some connections to some players. And he hasn't. Not one. So yeah, it is on Capel. The buck stops with him.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Yes it could sink lower, remember the stallings days.

No. This is just as bad. It is year 4. Stop this crap.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Yeah, I tend to think the Capel Era is now worse. At some point, getting kicked in the shin X amount of times surpasses getting punched in the face. I think we've hit that number.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

No. I disagree. I mean you are partly right, they got us into this. But unlike the Pirates, they are paying Capel competitive wage as compared with our peers. His contract is great. It is also the albatross.

The fact is, he isn't trying anymore and maybe he can't. What can he sell now? All of the good will and hope and optimism and forward looking statements for recruiting has expired because he has now 4 years of resume baggage to counter this.

The one thing he can do, is possibly bring in some staff changes who may have some connections to some players. And he hasn't. Not one. So yeah, it is on Capel. The buck stops with him.

Well, then the admin should make him replace some or all of the staff members if he didn’t do it on his own (or resign, if he doesn’t want to). I don’t think this would help a bit (what magic assistant is going to succeed without payola, especially pimping for a lame duck HC). But, by declining to require even this token change, Pitt leadership is demonstrating they don’t care as long as he punches the card mindlessly each day.

As Gary shows us every day, the staff are dutifully contacting portal players (seemingly ALL portal players), as seemed to be the sole dictate that came from Lyke.

The problem is that anyone can merely contact someone. These players, like all players with a pulse these days, then expect a bag placed into their palms. The winning school will undoubtedly allow their boosters to do so. Ours will not.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I do agree but what capel has done is better then 0 - 18

That's one season.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Well, then the admin should make him replace some or all of the staff members if he didn’t do it on his own (or resign, if he doesn’t want to). I don’t think this would help a bit (what magic assistant is going to succeed without payola, especially pimping for a lame duck HC). But, by declining to require even this token change, Pitt leadership is demonstrating they don’t care as long as he punches the card mindlessly each day.

As Gary shows us every day, the staff are dutifully contacting portal players (seemingly ALL portal players), as seemed to be the sole dictate that came from Lyke.

The problem is that anyone can merely contact someone. These players, like all players with a pulse these days, then expect a bag placed into their palms. The winning school will undoubtedly allow their boosters to do so. Ours will not.

Yeah I have brought that up. People say or defend our Admin for not dictating to Capel because it sets dangerous precedent as "meddling". And yes, that would be, but I don't think it is that out of line that management dictates some direction when there has been 3-4 years of poor performance.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

Well, then the admin should make him replace some or all of the staff members of he didn’t do it in his own (or resign if he doesn’t want to). By not requiring even this token change, they are demonstrating they don’t care as long as he pushes the card mindlessly each day.

As Gary shows us every day, they are dutifully contacting portal players, as seemed to be the sole dictate that came from Lyke.

The problem is that anyone can merely contact someone. These players, like all players with a pulse these days, then expect a bag placed into their palms. The winning school will undoubtedly allow their boosters to do so. Ours will not.

Yeah I have brought that up. People say or defend our Admin for not dictating to Capel because it sets dangerous precedent as "meddling". And yes, that would be, but I don't think it is that out of line that management dictates some direction when there has been 3-4 years of poor performance.

In their defense It could be contractual that the admin wouldn’t dictate his assistants. I have no idea if that is common in coaching contracts. Even if it isn’t typical, Capel kind of had Pitt over a barrel at the time he was inked, so perhaps that was a condition Pitt felt helpless not to agree to.

Listen, I’m not here to try to defend the indefensible. Quite the contrary. I’m really sad, more than mad, that Pitt fettered away a tremendous position in college basketball in less than a decade. And the HCs…the last three, including the final couple Dixon years…they have failed spectacularly. In their own ways they each lack the gravitas or charisma to attract decent players even without significant perks.

I don’t think success is ALL about paying players, either. Pitt Football is still more than hanging in there, without surrendering totally to it. i think having an outstanding dynamic tactician might have somewhat overcome the boosters shackling. but none of our three guys have enough (or any) of that.

I wish Capel had the integrity (altruism? Stupidity?) to go to Pitt last month and say, it just ain’t gonna happen for me here under these restraints, I can only be successful in the system you wont permit, so let’s negotiate a fair number and I’ll leave quietly, and everyone can say nice things about each other. But we know it never works that way.

 

[JRPITT]

I think he came here to play the "Duke Game". Once he learned that it doesn't work here, he has basically lost interest. Obviously I can't confirm that to be gospel, but one recruit in two seasons kind of speaks for itself.

I also think he came here believing he could play the "Duke" Game." However, I don't think he's lost interest; I don't think he knows what to do. IMO he needs 4 & 5 star kids to be remotely successful. Also, either his in-game coaching is poor or his players aren't listening to him. Add in that player development hasn't been very strong either and bingo this is what we get.

 

[Dointhatrag]

I think capel at least tries but he is incompetent in recruiting, coaching. generating fan support, and hiring assistants. Stallings looked like he completely gave up and didnt want to be here and was just a paycheck while he watched his son on the Pirates.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I think capel at least tries but he is incompetent in recruiting, coaching. generating fan support, and hiring assistants. Stallings looked like he completely gave up and didnt want to be here and was just a paycheck while he watched his son on the Pirates.

I don't think he is trying. Cause he did have a couple of good recruiting efforts and he has never made a staff change.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I also think he came here believing he could play the "Duke" Game." However, I don't think he's lost interest; I don't think he knows what to do. IMO he needs 4 & 5 star kids to be remotely successful. Also, either his in-game coaching is poor or his players aren't listening to him. Add in that player development hasn't been very strong either and bingo this is what we get.

I don't think he realized just how difficult recruiting would be for him. I am sure he blames Pitt for this but I think he thought he'd be able to live in that 50-150 range. The fact he went about 0 for 10 on landing a big in his 1st class and wound up with Coulibaly was an early precursor.

 

[FreeportPanther]

I also think he came here believing he could play the "Duke" Game." However, I don't think he's lost interest; I don't think he knows what to do. IMO he needs 4 & 5 star kids to be remotely successful. Also, either his in-game coaching is poor or his players aren't listening to him. Add in that player development hasn't been very strong either and bingo this is what we get.

This is what we get for $4 million/year, with a $17 million buyout!!!
The price of incompetence has certainly gone up. Damn inflation!!

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

This is what we get for $4 million/year, with a $17 million buyout!!!
The price of incompetence has certainly gone up. Damn inflation!!

Before slamming Capel, we don’t know if there were any sweet little lies told to him during the courting process.

Capel may well have been given the understanding (or he merely assumed it, incorrectly) that the school was eager to win THIS TIME, so would happily look the other way when boosters were needed to close a deal. Only to find when he was actually out in the recruiting trail, and needed a bag to get a kid inked, that either the boosters had long been chased away, or hamstrung to provide any actual subsidence.

Frankly I think similar was done with Todd Graham as well. Very similar situations. In each case Pitt was getting lambasted for a terrible hire (Haywood at the time, then Stallings later) and desperately needed a hire that would rally the discouraged fan base. Hasty promises were made in a period of panic, only for the coach to find that the school was taking out of multiple sides of its mouth.

Ironically, Graham is blasted today (as he was then) for flying the coop in the middle of the night, but frankly that was doing Pitt a bigger favor than what Capel is doing now (taking the paycheck for no production).

 

[FreeportPanther]

Before slamming Capel, we don’t know if there were any sweet little lies told to him during the courting process.

Capel may well have been given the understanding (or he merely assumed it, incorrectly) that the school was eager to win THIS TIME, so would happily look the other way when boosters were needed to close a deal. Only to find when he was actually out in the recruiting trail, and needed a bag to get a kid inked, that either the boosters had long been chased away, or hamstrung to provide any actual subsidence.

Frankly I think similar was done with Todd Graham as well. Very similar situations. In each case Pitt was getting lambasted for a terrible hire (Haywood at the time, then Stallings later) and desperately needed a hire that would rally the discouraged fan base. Hasty promises were made in a period of panic, only for the coach to find that the school was taking out of multiple sides of its mouth.

Ironically, Graham is blasted today (as he was then) for flying the coop in the middle of the night, but frankly that was doing Pitt a bigger favor than what Capel is doing now (taking the paycheck for no production).

Yeah, that's it!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Before slamming Capel, we don’t know if there were any sweet little lies told to him during the courting process.

Capel may well have been given the understanding (or he merely assumed it, incorrectly) that the school was eager to win THIS TIME, so would happily look the other way when boosters were needed to close a deal. Only to find when he was actually out in the recruiting trail, and needed a bag to get a kid inked, that either the boosters had long been chased away, or hamstrung to provide any actual subsidence.

Frankly I think similar was done with Todd Graham as well. Very similar situations. In each case Pitt was getting lambasted for a terrible hire (Haywood at the time, then Stallings later) and desperately needed a hire that would rally the discouraged fan base. Hasty promises were made in a period of panic, only for the coach to find that the school was taking out of multiple sides of its mouth.

Ironically, Graham is blasted today (as he was then) for flying the coop in the middle of the night, but frankly that was doing Pitt a bigger favor than what Capel is doing now (taking the paycheck for no production).

It might be the opposite actually. Capel was very straightforward about wanting to win the right way and said he got burned at OU by that assistant and only wanted to hirr assistants he can trust. When I heard that, I thought, "shit." He won at OU due to buying players and now he's going to have to get similar players at Pitt without cheating? I wonder if the Pitt admin thought the same thing. Maybe they hired him to get dirty then he surprised everyone when he said he's going legit

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

It might be the opposite actually. Capel was very straightforward about wanting to win the right way and said he got burned at OU by that assistant and only wanted to hirr assistants he can trust. When I heard that, I thought, "shit." He won at OU due to buying players and now he's going to have to get similar players at Pitt without cheating? I wonder if the Pitt admin thought the same thing. Maybe they hired him to get dirty then he surprised everyone when he said he's going legit

Leopards don’t typically change their spots so I can’t see it. Capel didn’t need to cheat at Duke, but he didn’t forget about what it takes to succeed in recruiting. For all but the most exalted blue bloods, Clean=Certain Loser. And Pitt, still letting its faculty undermine winning sports (since the 1930s, as history shows), and petrified by vague NCAA threats that never materialized in the early 1980s (and certainly would not occur now with the NCAA dead and buried) is still running scared.

I guess it doesn’t really matter because the result is the same.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

So his whole plan here was to have bags to recruit and then more bags to retain?
Here, at Pitt? where the first bag would be self reported by its own admin or its own fans or local media like tomorrow.
lol

 

[docpanther26]

Does anyone have any idea, is he and his staff even set up to be in anyone's living room today...like other coaching staffs?

 

[JS School]

Does anyone have any idea, is he and his staff even set up to be in anyone's living room today...like other coaching staffs?

My living room. I invited them over to watch the Masters. I figured they weren't busy.

 

[JS School]

My living room. I invited them over to watch the Masters. I figured they weren't busy.

Whoops, they just said they would rather go to SMF's place to watch kickyball.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

My living room. I invited them over to watch the Masters. I figured they weren't busy.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Does anyone have any idea, is he and his staff even set up to be in anyone's living room today...like other coaching staffs?

No. They are in Derek Bell Operation Shutdown. They are just texting everyone who enters the portal. They aren't doing in-homes. As someone else said, we will start recruiting in May or June when everyone else fills up