Jeff Capel to return for Year 9 at Pitt: School would owe nearly $15 million buyout to fire him
Capel has a .500 record but will get at least one more year to turn it around at an ACC program that has lost its luster
There will be no change in the Steel City for Pitt hoops. Panthers coach Jeff Capel will stay on with the program, school athletic director Alan Greene announced Friday afternoon.
In a lengthy letter posted to the school's website, Greene wrote in part, "I consulted with University leadership to ensure we continue to be aligned with our expectations for the program. After that comprehensive evaluation, I have made the decision that Jeff Capel will continue to lead our men's basketball program. I believe our best path forward is leadership continuity paired with clear expectations and a willingness to evolve. This was not a simple decision and I believe you deserve to understand the thinking behind it.
To be blunt, this season fell well short of our expectations. Our level of investment in this year's team was sufficient enough for us to reach the NCAA Tournament at a minimum. Simply fighting to qualify for the ACC Tournament is not good enough, and I am sure you feel the same way."
The one factor -- the single biggest reason for Capel holding on to the job for another season -- that was not included in Greene's letter? The fee to fire him this year would have cost the university close to $15 million, sources said. Capel has one NCAA Tournament appearance (2023) in eight seasons. The Panthers were eliminated from the ACC Tournament by North Carolina State on Wednesday. They ended the season at 13-20 and ranked outside the top 100 at KenPom for the fourth time in Capel's tenure. The 51-year-old coach has a 127-127 record at the school and 288-232 overall (he previously coached at Oklahoma and VCU).
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Capel's return was not always believed to be automatic. Multiple sources told CBS Sports that Greene made initial contact with a few potential candidates weeks ago just to peruse the market. Pitt has been mired in mediocrity since Jamie Dixon left for TCU a decade ago, making one NCAA tourney and averaging 15 wins per season in the 10 years since. The appeal this job once had is gone, and the path to getting it back has proven exceedingly difficult.
Dixon made 11 tournaments in 13 seasons, but dissatisfaction in his final five years there (with zero Sweet 16 appearances) led the fan base to yearn for more. The Zoo was once among the best student sections in the sport, but it's also worth noting that Pitt has seldom been a big player nationally since it left the Big East for the ACC in 2013.
