Inside The Panthers

Jason Capel Shares Heartfelt Message About Pitt Basketball Team

After an emotional season, Pitt Panthers assistant Jason Capel shared a heartfelt message about his team.

Stephen Thompson

Jason Capel Shares Heartfelt Message About Pitt Basketball Team
Jason Capel Shares Heartfelt Message About Pitt Basketball Team /
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PITTSBURGH -- The dust has settled on the Pitt Panthers' remarkable 2022-23 season, one in which they won 24 games and earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in seven years. 

The Panthers' dramatic 13-game turnaround from last year's 11-21 campaign was fueled by an injection of new talent but also a constant commitment to the collective good of the team, according to both players and coaches from up and down the roster. In the wake of their season-ending loss to Xavier in the second round of the ACC Tournament, assistant coach Jason Capel shared an emotional message about this team on Instagram. 

"I have been around basketball my entire life," Capel wrote. "I've always been a part of a team. From HS to College, Pro's, Overseas, Assistant Coach to becoming a Head Coach - this has been the BEST group I have EVER been a part of."

Capel went on to call them the most unselfish and together team he had ever been a part of and praised the way they grew bonds organically. 

"Through adversity, through success, these guys FOUGHT," he said. "These guys BELIEVED. These guys APPRECIATED what it means to wear that Pitt jersey EVERY DAY!!"

Capel said he admired their toughness and could see how the rest of the fanbase and city appreciated that tenacity too, one that reflected what made the great Pitt teams of old so good. 

"And for that, with their sheer JOY of one another, their singular focus on a common goal, they made a campus, faculty, student body, a city fall in love with them," Capel said. "It was truly a beautiful thing." 

After recounting some of this year's best moments, Capel said he will never forget the experiences this group of players, coaches and staff members shared. 

"That was this year's Pitt Men's Basketball TEAM," Capel wrote. "Humble. Hungry. I'll cherish these moments for a lifetime."

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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