Jeff Capel...future Duke coach?

[Bluedawg]

There's always the chance that he doesn't want to be head coach. Slim, I guess, but he's passed up blue chip head coaching jobs before and may have just enjoyed his time as assistant head coach.

here is an interivew with JD by Black Athlete posted Jan 14, 2007.

I think he makes it clear he does.

BA-You must have had numerous opportunities to be a head coach.

JD-I have had opportunities but I am very happy at Duke.The opportunity to work with Coach K. is great.He is a true leader.And he has taught me a lot.

BA-Would you consider a head coaching job?

JD-Sure that is my goal.

BA-Would that be at Duke after Coach K, retires?

JD-Let's not talk about him retiring.And coaching Duke is everyone's ideal.

[Edouble]

Prove it.

Do you guys think that maybe, just maybe there is a chance that J.D. doesn't want to be a head coach? Do you think there is a chance that he is happy being the top assistant to K, and that perhaps there are certain things that come along with being the head coach at Duke that J.D. has no interest in dealing with?

I said "Coach K says Dawkins is taking over the program". Coach K said this in one of the pre-Carolina "team meetings" with the 6th man. He's also said it several times on TV, maybe on one of his interviews on Charlie Rose. I didn't say "Dawkins is taking over the program"... I just said that I heard Coach K say that he is. As far as proving that I heard it, I can't... it's in my memory, and I don't have any evidence in front of me. I'm sure numerous others on this board have the same memory as mine and maybe can point out where/when they've heard Coach K say this same thing. I'm suprised you've never heard Coach K say that Dawkins is taking over when he steps down. I thought it was pretty common knowledge.

[JasonEvans]

People close to the program generally agree that Dawkins is the guy K think should take over when he is done. However, while K will have a strong say in the matter, he will not make the final decision about who succeeds him.

Additionally, such a decision is likely something like a decade away, perhaps more. Speculation at this time is sorta silly.

--Jason "then again, silly speculation has never stopped us in the past" Evans

[SMO]

I said "Coach K says Dawkins is taking over the program". Coach K said this in one of the pre-Carolina "team meetings" with the 6th man. He's also said it several times on TV, maybe on one of his interviews on Charlie Rose. I didn't say "Dawkins is taking over the program"... I just said that I heard Coach K say that he is. As far as proving that I heard it, I can't... it's in my memory, and I don't have any evidence in front of me. I'm sure numerous others on this board have the same memory as mine and maybe can point out where/when they've heard Coach K say this same thing. I'm suprised you've never heard Coach K say that Dawkins is taking over when he steps down. I thought it was pretty common knowledge.

I remember reading the same thing. I think K said something along the lines of JD being a "logical choice" to succeed him.

[BlueintheFace]

I remember reading the same thing. I think K said something along the lines of JD being a "logical choice" to succeed him.

Yah, he has never actually said to the 6th man (at least not in these last 4 years) "Dawkins will take over after me," but he has implied it multiple times, and has said "Johnny loves Duke and, as you know, he has turned down quite a few good jobs to stay here in Durham. He'd obviously be the logical choice, but lets not run me out of town just yet."

[Exiled_Devil]

I think that the two main reasons are familiarity and continuity. A former player/alumni/assistant coach is going to not only be more familiar with Duke's campus/facilities but also how Duke approaches academics and other non basketball type things.

Familiarity with the campus seems iffy - given that he won't have been here for 20 years or so. I knwo I don't recognize 70% of my alma mater's campus now. The same can be said for culture and approach to academics.

The fan base will also feel more comfortable with "one of our own". The other big advantage is that a K disciple is likely to embrace a similar style of basketball which we already know is successful and should make the transition for the players at the time of K's retirement a bit easier.

I am not sure how Capel's teams play, but I know that Roy and Dean are know for different styles - run and gun vs. four corners. I'm not sure the similar system argument holds up. I can't see that the few players (in the scope of the program) who are there at the transition as being a huge factor in the selection process.

Plus, I think that it adds to the legend of the outgoing coach and to the mystique of the program.

I think this is the biggest reason. And, IMO, it is not necessarily a valid one. Coach K has built something bigger than himself. His legacy is set without having his disciples run the show.

I am not opposed to a former player as the next coach, I just don't see it as pre-requisite in the way so many (at so many schools) do.

[Shammrog]

People close to the program generally agree that Dawkins is the guy K think should take over when he is done. However, while K will have a strong say in the matter, he will not make the final decision about who succeeds him.

Additionally, such a decision is likely something like a decade away, perhaps more. Speculation at this time is sorta silly.

--Jason "then again, silly speculation has never stopped us in the past" Evans

K won't officially decide; but you can bet whoever he recommends wins.

[RPS]

This discussion is strictly and highly hypothetical since (a) I hope and expect that K is a long way from retiring, and (b) hiring his replacement shouldn't be a matter of legacy. That said, were it up to me today, I would choose Capel from among the Duke family to be the next head coach. Here's why.

1. Experience. I want an experienced head coach, especially at a premier program. Hiring a head basketball coach who has only been an assistant is a much riskier proposition. In football, assistant coaches have tremendous autonomy. The coordinators are almost head coaches on their side of the ball, allowing them to prove they have the requisite leadership skills. In college basketball, where staff size is so small, the head coach makes virtually every decision of import and is deeply involved in all aspects of the program. Projecting a top assistant as a head basketball coach thus becomes very difficult. Capel is experienced -- more experienced than anyone else in the Duke family except Tommy Amaker (and Mike Brey if he counts as true family).

2. Success. Although he hasn't been doing it long, Capel has had terrific success as a head coach.

3. Separation. Every top-flight program risks becoming too insular and thus missing out on new or different ideas. Capel's connection to the Duke "coaching tree" is limited, making this much less of an issue.

4. Big-Time HC Experience. Many mid-major coaches who seem to have what it takes have failed to make the jump to the top programs, largely because of an inability either to recruit or manage the talent at that level. The differences between a player pleased to be playing D1 and a player who expects to be a lottery pick are enormous, with the latter much more difficult to recruit and motivate. Capel has both played and coached at the big-time level. He's just getting started at that level as a head coach, but the early returns are promising indeed.

5. Understanding. The next coach needn't come from within the Duke family. But Duke is a unique place and requires a unique coach. It's not a school that is close to right for every prospective student-athlete. Understanding Duke and the type of student-athletes who can succeed here is essential in our next head basketball coach.

Were it up to me (today, remember, I reserve the right to have changed my mind when the time comes), I'd hire Jeff Capel.

[brevity]

This actually makes me wonder - whay are people so concerend about having an alum, or a former player to be more specific, be the caoch somewhere? When did the athletic world get obsessed with lineage like this? I guess it is more rational than passing it down to your son (Sutton, Knight) but I would still think that we should go for the best coach available and interested and not limit it to Duke alums.

What's the advantage of alum as coach?

I've read a few good reasons already in this thread, but let me add one in regards to recruiting. Duke's a school that has certainly had its share of golden days, and the parents of recruits remember that. I think they would consider Duke favorably for their children if its current coach had a tangible connection to the past. Not a slam-dunk, to be sure, but it could be a factor in their decision-making process.

[jgflava]

I think Dawkins is going to be the successor. One question is, do you think Collins or Wojo is really in contention for the Providence job?

There's no way Collins or Wojo is getting the Providence job. The word up there is that the top candidate is Jim Larranaga from George Mason who is a PC alum. Other names being mentioned are Phil Martelli, Fran McCraffrey (Seina), Craig Robinson (Brown, also Barack Obama's brother in law), and some other guys with Northeast connections.

I've always been under the assumption that Dawkins would be taking over. He's been there seemingly forever. Why hasn't he accepted a head coaching job, though?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

There's no way Collins or Wojo is getting the Providence job.

As mentioned in another thread recently (I think by Jumbo), all of the assistants have given K their word that they won't leave the program this summer while the Olympics effort is underway. They all have rolls to play on K's Olympic staff (which is incredible experience for them), and rolls to play at Duke this spring and summer.

If a job opened up early in the school year, then maybe. And everyone would much prefer there not be another Skip Prosser (may he R.I.P.) situation arise.

[Atlanta Duke]

As the cliche goes, be the successor to the successor to the legend - Johnny Dawkins may be the initial replacement if only because it will be an impossible act to follow for anyone

Handing it over to a career assistant may work (Coach Gut at UNC) but probably not

[jgflava]

Also, hiring a guy just because he is an alum doesn't always work for the best. As a Carolina grad, I am all to familiar with the disasters that happened under Matt Doherty and Jon Bunting. There were clearly better candidates out there at the time both of these guys were hired, but our AD decided to go the alum root and ignored some impressive coaches...most notably Pete Carroll who actually called up Dick Baddour inquiring about the football position and never heard a response.

Obviously, going the non-alum route obviously worked for Duke when Coach K was hired back in the day. However, I sometimes do believe ADs have blinders on and only want hire alums. They may be familiar and passionate about the school, but it doesn't mean they are the best guys for the job.

[Cameron]

Do you guys think that maybe, just maybe there is a chance that J.D. doesn't want to be a head coach? Do you think there is a chance that he is happy being the top assistant to K, and that perhaps there are certain things that come along with being the head coach at Duke that J.D. has no interest in dealing with?

I have said this many times on here and have always been corrected as being wrong. In fact, I think I remember hearing Coach Dawkins state something close to the above before. Although, I have never been able to retrack the origin of where I believed I heard it.

I think MulletMan makes a good point. Would YOU want to have the burden of replacing Coach K in front of you? Dear Lord, if Johnny didn't exactly "live up" to some of our maniacal fans' standards, can you imagine how he would be turned on? (This is in no way a broad generalization of the majority).

He just may not want to head down that road. Sure he quickly says, "Yeah, that's a goal." But is it really?

Then again, I've always heard reports that the job is his. So who knows.

[wumhenry]

If anyone other than Johnny Dawkins takes over after Coach K it would be a travesty IMO.

Maybe so, but when it comes time to fill K's shoes anybody with no prior head-coach experience will be a pig in a poke.

[Duvall]

However, while K will have a strong say in the matter, he will not make the final decision about who succeeds him.

This is true only because of the often over-looked but potentially critical fact that the person who will ultimately make the final decision will be the person who decides whether to accept the job. Beyond that, it's K's call.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Why would Capel get booed?

The Boos really weren't for Capel, it was for the coaching decision to put him in..
I was there, I booed..I admit it. But I don't think I nor anyone else was booing Capel, it was the decision to put him in the game. K was home nursing his hip, and Gaudet was coaching. It was a bad season. It was a bad game. And he had been playing badly. Capel came to the scorer's table. That's when I let out a boo, and most everyone else did. He was having a horrendous game, and to see him coming in was adding bad to worse. He worked himself out of the slump, and made everyone eat their boos shortly after with his famous fling to send the UNC game into overtime.

I believe Capel would be a great choice. He is one of two head coaches with Duke ties that have had success. The other is Mike Brey, but I think Capel would be the better choice. I still would rather see Dawkins get some HC experience before taking over. Otherwise he would have a Guthridge-esque career, and he better hope he has the caliber of players that Gut did when he took over for Dean. (I'm sure he will)

[bbar7502]

what about laettner as one of the next assistant coaches? there is a big man coach with attitude....

[wolfpackdevil]

Johnny Dawkins will and should get this job.
He basically does every thing for the team, except for coach the games.
It would be a discrase to see someone take the job, and time and time K has said that the job is dawkins, and he will get the job.

Johnny Dawkins for Duke head Coach

[Classof06]

I think Dawkins would and should be the logical choice. He was K's first big time recruit, he knows the ins and outs of the University (having been a student) and in terms of attracting recruits, he's played in the NBA. That's a bigger deal than people might think.

As far as Capel's concerned, unless South Carolina was willing to pay him a lot more money, I have no idea why he would even consider going there and I'm glad he stayed at OU. He's in a better conference and a much better program. OU went to the Final Four under Kelvin Sampson earlier this decade and they make the tournament most every year. Again, I think Capel made the right choice.