Inside The Panthers

Jeff Capel Not Positive of Future With Pitt

The head coach believes he's improved the Pitt Panthers basketball team since his arrival.

Noah Strackbein

Jeff Capel Not Positive of Future With Pitt
Jeff Capel Not Positive of Future With Pitt /
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The former Duke Blue Devils assistant coach had high expectations when he arrived at Pitt to coach the Panthers. Now, four years later, the team hasn't guaranteed him he'll return in 2022-2023.

Capel spoke after the Panthers' ACC Tournament loss to Boston College, saying he hasn't gotten word from Athletic Director Heather Lyke on whether he'll return. That being said, he feels pretty confident he will.

"I haven’t gotten any assurance," Capel said. "I haven’t gotten anything about being back, not being back, I haven’t had any sort of discussions with her."

The Panthers finished the regular season 11-20 and took a first-round exit in the conference tournament. Their 20-point loss to Boston College capped the worst season in program history since going 0-19 in ACC play in former head coach Kevin Stallings’ final season in 2017-18.

Still, Capel feels he'll return - and that Pitt has gotten better since he arrived. 

"Hell yeah, from when I found it," Capel said. "It was completely depleted when I got here. It was a mess. I didn’t know how bad it was. I don’t think the people inside the program knew how bad it was. I think where we are today, from the first day I took over, is significantly better. 

"Now, is it improved the way I thought it would be after four years? No. Absolutely not. There is no one more frustrated than me with that, and I take responsibility for it, but it is certainly in a better place right now than it was when I first got here."

Thoughts on Capel's four-year tenure with Pitt? Let us know on Twitter: @InsidePitt.

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for Inside the Panthers and All Steelers, and is the host of All Steelers Talk. A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, years later, he's almost full yinzer. 

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