Inside The Panthers

Pitt HC Named Runner-Up for Coach of Year

Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel narrowly missed on winning a second ACC Coach of the Year award.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt HC Named Runner-Up for Coach of Year
Pitt HC Named Runner-Up for Coach of Year /
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WASHINGTON, DC -- Another 20-win season got Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel close to earning another massive honor from the ACC. 

Capel came close to winning his second consecutive ACC Coach of the Year award but ended up second in the voting to North Carolina's Hubert Davis. Capel earned 12 votes, which trailed Davis' 49. Six other ACC coaches also earned at least one vote. 

Capel's performed a remarkable turnaround over the past two seasons, turning a perennial cellar-dweller in ACC and nationally into a contender for the NCAA Tournament and in the conference. 

Capel won just 51 of his first 120 games as head coach of the Panthers from the beginning of the 2018-19 season through the 2021-22 season. Ever since, he owns a 45-22 record that includes two wins in the NCAA Tournament. 

This season, the Panthers earned the fourth seed in the ACC Tournament, their best finish in the conference standings since coming over from the Big East in 2013. 

Capel has now coached three All-ACC selections, an ACC Sixth Man of the Year, an ACC Freshman of the Year and a pair of NBA players during his tenure with the Panthers. 

He's hunting for more this season with a Pitt team that is heating up as the calendar shifts to March.  

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

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Ishmael Leggett Named ACC Sixth Man of the Year

Pitt's Blake Hinson Named First-Team All-ACC

ESPN: Pitt's NCAA Tournament Resume Going Underrated

Pitt Returns to Andy Katz Power 36 Rankings

CBS: Pitt First Team Out of NCAA Tournament

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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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