Pitt Basketball Head Coach Jeff Capel Signs Extension
PITTSBURGH — According to a press release, Pitt Panthers men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel has signed an extension, securing his position with the program for an additional three seasons through the 2029-30 season.
This is the third extension Capel has signed since joining Pitt, with the previous one in 2020 extending his tenure by two years, keeping him with the program through the 2026-27 season.
Capel has been the head coach of the Panthers since 2018 and is entering his seventh season. During this time, he has compiled a 97-92 record, including 46 wins over the past two seasons and 26 wins in the ACC.
He succeeded former head coach Kevin Stallings, who led the team to a dismal 8-24 overall record and 0-18 in the ACC in the 2017-18 season.
Capel’s initial seasons were challenging, finishing below .500 in his first four years as he navigated internal team struggles, COVID-19, and the transfer portal.
Capel and his staff’s effective use of the transfer portal led to a remarkable 2022-23 season, with the team finishing 24-12 overall and 14-6 in the ACC. They broke a seven-year NCAA Tournament drought, reaching the Round of 32 after defeating Mississippi State in the First Four and Iowa State in the Round of 64.
Key contributors from the transfer portal included guards Jamarius Burton (Wichita State/Texas Tech), Greg Elliott (Marquette), Nelly Cummings (Bowling Green/Colgate), Nike Sibande (Miami (Ohio)), and forward Blake Hinson (Ole Miss/Iowa State).
Capel and his staff also recruited a strong Class of 2023, featuring star guards Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe, along with Rhode Island transfer guard Ishmael Leggett, who earned ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors.
The team struggled early last season, winning only one of their first six ACC games, but finished strong by winning 11 of their last 14 games and securing the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. They reached the ACC Tournament Semifinals, but the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee controversially excluded them.
Carrington declared for the NBA Draft, and the Washington Wizards traded to acquire him at the No. 14 overall pick, making him a lottery pick and one of the most promising rookies next season. This success also establishes a pipeline from Pitt to the NBA, benefiting future recruiting classes.
Pitt aims to return to the NCAA Tournament next season, retaining Lowe and Leggett and adding transfers forward Cam Corhen from Florida State and guard Damian Dunn from Houston.
“When Coach Capel initially arrived at Pitt in 2018, he was tasked with one of the most difficult rebuilding jobs in all of college basketball,” Athletic Director Heather Lyke said in the press release. “Jeff fully embraced that challenge from the outset and never wavered from his lofty vision for our players and program. Brick-by-brick, he built a rock-solid foundation that has Pitt basketball poised for a championship future. Jeff is an outstanding leader well beyond the court and we are highly fortunate to have him representing the University of Pittsburgh. I’m incredibly pleased to announce this extension of his contract and look forward to the continued ascendance of Pitt basketball under his direction.”
“The University of Pittsburgh continues to have outstanding leadership under Chancellor Joan Gabel and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke,” Capel said in the press release. “I am appreciative of the support they have provided me and my staff as we continue to build a Pitt Men’s Basketball program that competes for championships on a conference and national level annually. Pittsburgh is a terrific sports town full of amazing people and we are grateful for the continued support of so many passionate fans. We will continue to give one hundred percent of ourselves as we represent Pitt on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.”
