Former Blue Devil Stars Meet as Head Coaches in Pitt-Duke Game

The Pitt Panthers, led by a former Blue Devil, will face a Duke team coached by one of their own this week.

PITTSBURGH -- It is impossible for Pitt to play Duke and for the Panthers' head coach's past as a star player and important assistant coach for the Blue Devils to take a backseat. As Jeff Capel gets set to return to his old stomping grounds, he's preparing to face off with another Mike Krzyzewski disciple. 

Capel and his Panthers will meet Jon Scheyer's No. 24 Blue Devils and the common beginnings of these two coaches is at the center of pregame discussion. Because they both learned so much of what they know about basketball from the same man, the personality of Capel and Scheyer's teams is very similar. 

“There probably are some similarities. A lot of the terminology will probably be the same. Jon and I both played for Coach so the things that we were taught, the things that were instilled in us that I think we both really believe in the way a game should be played, the way a team should be."

That said, Capel thinks both he and Scheyer have put their own stamp on the teams they coach, despite both being in the shadow of great tradition at their respective programs. 

"Jon has done a good job of putting his imprint on the program in his first year," Capel said. "It’s a very difficult task but you can see it and I like to think that I’ve done some things my way here and the other places I’ve been.”

But underneath the competition is mutual respect between the two decorated former Blue Devils. Capel knew when he met Scheyer at the 2010 Final Four that he was a sharp basketball mind and a coach with lots of potential. 

While they didn't play together, they both enjoyed lots of success as players and are no trying to make their names as opposing coaches, something Scheyer said he didn't think they'd ever do. 

"Capel's been a really good friend for a while now," Scheyer said. "I don't think either of us would have guessed when we met that we'd be in this position playing each other."

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