Waiting for Capel’s name to clear
By John Helsley
The coaching carousel spins on.
John Calipari to Kentucky.
Mike Anderson not to Georgia.
Jeff Capel to …
Where does the Oklahoma coach stand in relation to the carousel? On? Off? Total bystander?
Hard to tell. So far this offseason, speculation has ranged from right on to way off.
Capel was rumored to be the No. 1 choice at Virginia, which made some sense on that end considering his success at Virginia Commonwealth and his knowledge of the area. Also mentioned: Tubby Smith and Xavier’s Sean Miller.
Not at all mentioned: Washington State’s Tony Bennett, who took the job Monday.
At Georgia, where they reached negotiaton status with Mizzou’s Mike Anderson, Capel had long been rumored the frontrunner. One analyst listed Capel as the No. 1, No. 1a and No. 1b target of the Bulldogs a month ago.
Now there’s talk that he may be Plan B. Not sure how Jeff would warm to being Plan B to Anderson, but the guess is not so swell. Maybe Capel really was Plan A, but turned the Dawgs away early on, because, frankly, he’s already got a better job.
On the drive home from Memphis Monday, teammate Berry Tramel took a call from a writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who considered Capel to be Georgia’s top target. Berry didn’t have the heart to tell him that going from Norman to Athens was a step down.
Now the AJC is touting Capel as Plan B.
Wonder how many plans they have in place at Georgia? Bottom line, it’s a nice leverage job, just interesting enough for coaches to use to get better deals back home.
Anderson opted for a better deal to stay in Columbia, getting a bump to $1.5 million in a seven-year deal. Capel will be getting a bump of his own, to at least that figure.
Now there is one vacancy that bears monitoring: Arizona.
Their attention seems to focus on Gonzaga’s Mark Few. But Capel’s name is also being tossed about. Legit? Who knows?
Not long ago, and we’re talking the past calendar year, the Arizona job looked good. But that was before Lute Olson had to surrender his coaching position and recruits and players bolted.
Yes, it’s a basketball job, with football playing backup to hoops in Tucson. But it’s a basketball job that needs massive rebuilding, with many top analysts believing the Wildcats are at leat three years away from winning again.
There are also those who believe Olson spun some magic at Arizona. Local recruiting talent runs as dry as the dirt in the nearby Sonoran Desert. So the players have to come from far away. Drawing elite players to Tucson isn’t impossible, just difficult, although Olson found a way for years.
Arizona looks like a good job. But it doesn’t come without risk in a conference where UCLA is generally going to be great and Washington, USC and Arizona State are set up to be good for the long haul.
There’s also talk that money is tight in Tucson, meaning the Wildcats may not be going after their next coach with big guns.
Capel wants to succeed Coack K at Duke. And he’s on track, with some who claim knowledge of the situation saying Capel has clearly moved to the top of the list. The only thing that would change that would be a change in his winning pattern, something that isn’t likely to happen in Norman.
Capel carries the comfort of supreme working conditions in terms of relationships with athletic director Joe Castiglione and president David Boren. That counts for someting; counts for a lot. Barring somebody breaking the bank, Castiglione won’t let Capel leave over money.
Still, surprises happen.
And because Capel has done so well on so many fronts — coaching, recruiting, generating excitement — and become one of the hot young coaches, writers are going to throw his name into the hopper for just about every decent job that comes open.
It’s already happened. And it will continue until each and every job fills.
And all we can do is wait for Capel’s name to clear.
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Comments
Arizona has big bucks to bring a coach in … you might check your resources. They are willing to pay $2.5M for Capel who just over $1M at OU …
Arizona might have the bucks to pay him, however the facilities at Arizona are atrocious. OU has 2 things going for them. 1. A Great Athletic Director who allows the coaches to do their thing and just ask if they need anything. 2. Pay match. I even think that even if OU offers a little less he will take it. Duke is his DREAM JOB! There won’t be a conversation about that job!
What do you know about Arizona’s facilities? Have you ever been to the UA campus? Richard Jefferson, one of many former Wildcats in the NBA just donated nearly 2 million dollars for a basketball practice facility, and McKale Center is one of the best in the Pac-10. I think it’s funny that people say Arizona is cash-strapped. I live in Tucson and know that the school is will ing to pay for a top coach. Another thing, Tucson’s weather and lifestyle. I have lived in Kansas. The only thing that keeps people upright during the winter is KU basketball. I imagine in OK it’s Sooner football and then everything else a distant second. At Arizona, it’s basketball. First and Last.I feel bad for the OU fans that may be losing their coach, but OU has done Arizona wrong in the NCAA tournament before, so I don’t mind taking Capel.
I wonder if the Stoops brothers had anything to do with this?
OU needs to give Capel a raise because he has far exceeded the AD’s expectations. Pay him what he is worth!
There are also those who believe Olson spun some magic at Arizona. Local recruiting talent runs as dry as the dirt in the nearby Sonoran Desert. So the players have to come from far away. Drawing elite players to Tucson isn’t impossible, just difficult, although Olson found a way for years.
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It’s obvious college football is King in Normen, Oklahoma. Otherwise, Mr.Helsley wouldn’t have made the above-mentioned ignorant remark.
Perhaps Mr. Helsley has never heard of Sean Elliott. Or maybe Mike Bibby. Then, there’s Richard Jefferson. And last, but not least, Jerryd Bayless.
So, what do all of these former Wildcat’s have in common, Mr. Helsley. Well, they all hail from the majestic Grand Canyon state, and all have played and or are currently playing in the N.B.A.
Nonetheless, nice “propaganda” blog for the Boomer Sooner fans.
Arizona has a coach in place. Why can’t they just sign him to a contract and leave Coach Capel alone at OU.
Let’s look at this from a business decision.
1) Capel has done a great job over the past 3 seasons.
2) Good recruiting class coming in.
3) Good team coming back.
4) OU is one of the top 5 Athletic Programs in the country.
5) Great facilities, great fans, and great AD.
6) OU is a year or two from making the final four.
7) Have you ever been to Tucson? Athens? Norman is so much better.
Family environment at OU.
9) Great academics!
10) Sooner fans want Jeff Capel as the OU basketball coach. Though Duke may be a better overall basketball program, OU is a far superior Athletic Program. There is more opportunity at OU than anywhere else. ESPN ranked OU basketball and football programs the number 1 program. Why would you leave that?
I hope you Sooners get to keep Jeff Capel. He has done well for OU but lets face it, he wouldn’t fit the bill at AZ. I’m not big on Mark Few of Gonzaga either, they can keep him or he can stay in the NW. I would love to see AZ land Tom Izzo. Izzo’s name has been tossed around for the AZ job since late 2008. Izzo, I believe would be a perfect fit. Izzo’s AZ Crazies….it has a nice ring to it.
And once again everyone freaks over nothing.
Tim Floyd just took the Arizona job.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4035206
Going “from Norman to Athens” would be a step down in terms of how much players could reap in improper ‘benefits’ but in nothing else.