Jason Capel
Encyclopedia
Jason Maurice Capel is the 15th and current head coach of the Appalachian State
Mountaineers
men's basketball team
. Capel is the youngest head coach in Division I. He is a former basketball
player for the North Carolina
Tar Heel
s, and is the brother of Jeff Capel
, former Duke University
basketball player and current Duke University
assistant coach. Capel provided color commentary for ACC basketball games on Raycom Sports
during the 2007–2008 college basketball season. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity. He is married to his college sweetheart Ashley Heath, also an alumnus of UNC.
position. Capel is only one of nine players to ever start for UNC's basketball team in all four years of his eligibility. He led the Tar Heels in scoring in his senior year with 15.6 points per game. He also played in the NCAA
Final Four
in 2000.
Capel went undrafted in the National Basketball Association
's NBA Draft
in 2002. Though he briefly made the Charlotte Bobcats
' roster, he never played in an NBA game. He then turned down more lucrative offers in Europe
to play basketball in the NBA D-League
for the Fayetteville Patriots
, a team coached by his father Jeff Capel II. After two years in the D-League (2002–04) he played professionally in Japan
for the Aisin Seahorses
(2004–05).
He played for BT Roseto
of the Italian Serie A league in 2005–2006, and from July to December 2006 he played with Air Avellino
in the same league. Capel wrapped up his professional career in Serbia
playing for KK Crvena zvezda
of the Naša Sinalko Liga
in 2007.
at Appalachian in 2009 as an assistant coach. Following the departure of Buzz Peterson for the head coach job at UNCW, on April 19, 2010 rumors surfaced that Capel had been offered the top spot on the Appalachian basketball coaching staff. On April 21 it was confirmed in a press conference that Capel was the new head coach of the Mountaineers, the 15th in program history.
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
Mountaineers
Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and have been a member of the Southern Conference since 1972....
men's basketball team
Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball
The Appalachian State Mountaineers basketball team is the college basketball team at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Southern Conference since 1972, and are currently a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ....
. Capel is the youngest head coach in Division I. He is a former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
Tar Heel
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
s, and is the brother of Jeff Capel
Jeff Capel III
Felton Jeff Capel III is an American former college basketball player at Duke University and was a head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Oklahoma. He is currently an assistant coach for his alma mater, Duke.-Youth:Capel is from a basketball family...
, former Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
basketball player and current Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
assistant coach. Capel provided color commentary for ACC basketball games on Raycom Sports
Raycom Sports
Raycom Sports is an American syndicator of sports television programs. It is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and owned and operated by Raycom Media.-Founding:...
during the 2007–2008 college basketball season. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity. He is married to his college sweetheart Ashley Heath, also an alumnus of UNC.
Playing career
At a height of 6 feet and 8 inches and a weight of 220 pounds, Capel played the small forwardSmall forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
position. Capel is only one of nine players to ever start for UNC's basketball team in all four years of his eligibility. He led the Tar Heels in scoring in his senior year with 15.6 points per game. He also played in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Final Four
2000 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2000, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Indianapolis, Indiana...
in 2000.
Capel went undrafted in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
in 2002. Though he briefly made the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
' roster, he never played in an NBA game. He then turned down more lucrative offers in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to play basketball in the NBA D-League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
for the Fayetteville Patriots
Fayetteville Patriots
The Fayetteville Patriots were a NBA Development League team based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. Its logo design features a bald eagle's head and a basketball in the middle of a capital letter "P" with stars and stripes filling the rest of it.-Season By Season:- Franchise history...
, a team coached by his father Jeff Capel II. After two years in the D-League (2002–04) he played professionally in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for the Aisin Seahorses
Aisin Seahorses
Aisin Seahorses is a Japanese professional basketball team sponsored by Aisin. The team was founded in 1947. The team currently plays in the JBL Super League and has won the league's last two titles .-Roster 2009-10:*C J.R...
(2004–05).
He played for BT Roseto
Roseto Basket
Roseto Basket also known as Roseto Sharks and Pallacanestro Roseto 1946 was an Italian professional basketball team from Roseto, Abruzzo, Italy that was established in 1946....
of the Italian Serie A league in 2005–2006, and from July to December 2006 he played with Air Avellino
S.S. Felice Scandone
S.S. Felice Scandone, also known by their sponsorship name of Sidigas Avellino, is a prominent Italian League professional basketball club that is based in Avellino, in southern Italy. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below.-History:...
in the same league. Capel wrapped up his professional career in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
playing for KK Crvena zvezda
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
of the Naša Sinalko Liga
Naša Sinalko Liga
-Champions:* 2006–07 to present: Basketball League of Serbia-Championship winning teams:* Including titles in SFR Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia-Euroleague:-Eurocup:Ex. European Cup Winner's Cup, Saporta Cup...
in 2007.
Coaching career
Capel joined the staff of Buzz PetersonBuzz Peterson
Robert Bower "Buzz" Peterson, Jr. is the current head coach of the UNC Wilmington Seahawks men's basketball team. Peterson was the Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers for four years before being fired in 2005. He previously coached a second stint at Appalachian State--he coached the 2009–10...
at Appalachian in 2009 as an assistant coach. Following the departure of Buzz Peterson for the head coach job at UNCW, on April 19, 2010 rumors surfaced that Capel had been offered the top spot on the Appalachian basketball coaching staff. On April 21 it was confirmed in a press conference that Capel was the new head coach of the Mountaineers, the 15th in program history.