Why Jeff Capel Extension Makes Sense for Pitt

Pitt Panthers extension for head coach Jeff Capel makes sense for the future of the program.

Mar 15, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel looks on from the sidelines against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel recently signed an extension for three more years, that will keep him with the program through the 2029-30 season.

The extension is the second for Capel since he took over in 2018 after the disastrous two seasons from Kevin Stallings, featuring a 2017-18 season that saw the team go 8-24 and 0-18 in conference play.

Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke awarded him an extension in 2020 for two more years onto his original contract, keeping him through the 2026-2027 season.

Capel was able to get the team to a more respectable place when he first started, but found trouble throughout the COVID-19 impacted 2020-21 season, leading to transfers due to issues on-and-off the court.

This culminated in a poor 2021-22 season, where the Panthers finished 11-21 overall, including embarrasing losses to The Citadel, UMBC and Monmouth at home.

Many fans called for Capel's firing after four straight losing seasons to start his tenure. The buyout clause played a part in him staying, reportedly $15 million at the time, but Lyke still believed that Capel could build a successful program.

That following summer, Capel and his coaching staff worked to bring in the transfers, instead of relying mostly on high school recruits like he previously did.

This strategy led to the addition of players like forward Blake Hinson (Ole Miss/Iowa State) and guards Nelly Cummings (Bowling Green/Colgate) and Greg Elliott (Marquette). They joined up with guards Jamarius Burton (Wichita State/Texas Tech) and Nike Sibande (Miami (Ohio)), who came in previous seasons, and became one of the best teams in the ACC.

Burton made the All-ACC First Team, Hinson made All-ACC Second Team and Sibande earned ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors.

The Panthers finished with a 24-12 record and 14-6 in the ACC, making their first NCAA Tournament since 2016, ending a seven-year absence. They also defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the First Four and then the Iowa State Cyclones in the Round of 64, making it the first NCAA Tournament with multiple wins since they made the Elite Eight in 2009.

Pitt changed the following season, still bringing in transfers like guard Ishmael Leggett from Rhode Island and forward Zack Austin from High Point, but also landing top high school commitments in four-star guards Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe.

The hype for the season slowly started to turn into apathy, after the Panthers won just one of their first six ACC games.

Things could've gone bad for Capel and staff, but they would eventually turn things around, with the emergence of Lowe, Carrington and Leggett, plus the expertise of Hinson, finishing the regular season with 11 wins out of 14 contests.

Despite Pitt finishing No. 4 in the ACC and making it to the ACC Tournament Semifinals, the Selection Committee didn't think they had a good enough résumé, and did not put them into the NCAA Tournament.

Hinson finished with All-ACC First Team Honors, Leggett won ACC Sixth Man of the Year Award and Carrington made it onto the All-ACC Honorable Mention and Rookie Teams.

Carrington would end up declaring for the NBA Draft and the Washington Wizards traded to take him at No. 14 overall, making him a lottery pick.

The Panthers chose not to play in the NIT for a number of reasons, but continued to build for next season, adding transfers in forward Cam Corhen from Florida State and guard Damian Dunn from Houston.

Capel also added Amsal Delalic, a sharpshooter from Bosnia & Herzegovina, to the Class of 2024, which includes four-star guard Brandin Cummings, brother of Nelly Cummings, and three-star forward Amdy Ndiaye.

The adjustment in the offseason prior to the 2022-23 season made a huge difference for the trajectory of the program, but even earlier on in that season, things looked like they'd end up badly again.

Pitt started 1-4 and they suspended star freshman guard Dior Johnson after the police arrested him for a domestic violence situation. Capel maintained composure, kept his players together after a rough start and they finished with a great season.

His work in helping to develop Carrington into an NBA Lottery pick, holding a press conference for Carrington's announcement, is incredibly important for the program going forward.

It creates a Pitt-to-NBA pipeline, that previously didn't exist, and shows recruits that if they go to Pitt, not only will they make it to the NBA, they have a coaching staff and teammates that will support them throughout the process.

Carrington's teammates showed up for him at the NBA Draft to cheer him on as he realized his childhood dreams. The coaching staff also flew out to Las Vegas to watch Carrington, Hinson, plus former forwards in Justin Champagnie and Mouhamadou Gueye play in the NBA Summer League, while also catching dinner with them.

The mood around the program is also completely different in just two years. Fans don't loathe the upcoming season, they wait eagerly for any news from the team, whether it is recruiting, scheduling, player or coach.

All of these things make Capel the right man for the program going forward and why he deserves this extension.

Capel's change in approach to transfers and his ability to still get results in spite of difficult circumstances shows his improvements as a coach on-and-off the court.

Some may point to just one NCAA Tournament in six seasons, but the future for Pitt looks better than it has in more than a decade.

Capel and staff are working hard on the recruiting trail, looking to land top players in the Class of 2025 and further down the road. Having a coach who is locked in with a program through to the end of the decade is another bonus for great recruits who want to play for a team with a winning culture and path to greater things beyond college.

With the support from former players, fans and the environment around this team, Capel has the chance to truly establish Pitt as one of the better programs in the country like they were in the Big East days.

There will feature times where things get tough and difficult for fans, but if there's anyone to get Pitt on the right path to success going forward, Capel is surely the one to lead the way.

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