Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- jmcapel@athletics.pitt.edu
- Phone:
- 412-648-8350
Jason Capel is in his eighth season as an assistant coach at Pitt and his 13th season in the Division I coaching ranks, including a four-year run as head coach at Appalachian State. Capel, the younger brother of Pitt head coach Jeff Capel, also spent three seasons as a college basketball television analyst for ESPN, the ACC Network and Raycom Sports.
Under the mentorship of Capel, Zack Austin led the Panthers in blocks (51) and three-pointers (56) for the 2024-25 season and became one of seven players in ACC history (eighth time) with at least 50 blocks and 50 ,three-point field goals in a season. Austin is the only player in NCAA history to record 50 or more blocks and 50 or more three-point field goals three times in their career.
In 2023-24, Capel continue to foster the development of Pitt’s wings with veteran Blake Hinson shining in the final season with the Panthers. Hinson grabbed First Team All-ACC and NABC Second Team All-District 2 honors after leading the ACC in three-point field goals (3.33 3pg.) and three-point percentage (.421), while also ranking among the league leaders in scoring (3rd - 18.5 ppg.) and field goal percentage (13th - .454). He set a school record with 110 threes and also made a school record nine threes in a game twice during the 2023-24 season. Capel also saw Zack Austin deliver a productive season for the Panthers after joining the program as a transfer. Austin averaged 6.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in just under 23 minutes a game, while electrifying the crowd with his athleticism on both ends of the floor. The versatility of Pitt’s wings helped generate an offensive attack that led the league in threes per game (9.6 3pg.) as well as anchor a defensive unit that ranked among the league leaders in blocks and rebounding.
Capel played an integral role in the recruitment and development of the 2022-23 roster, including Second Team All-ACC selection Blake Hinson. Hinson went on to earn CollegeInsider.com Transfer of the Year accolades after leading the Panthers in scoring (15.3 ppg.), rebounds (6.0 rpg.), and three-pointers (97) in his first season at Pitt. Capel was also instrumental in the development of Jorge Diaz Graham who established himself as an exciting spark plug off the bench for the Panthers. The added shooting from the forward position played a significant role in Pitt’s NCAA Tournament run and 24-win season. The Panthers set a school record for three-point field goals (325) and became one of the hardest teams to guard in the ACC with excellent floor spacing and lethal three-point shooting.
In 2020-21, Capel helped developed Pitt’s wings into a unit that combined to average over 30 points and 20 rebounds per game with First Team All-ACC performer Justin Champagnie leading the way at 18.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Champagnie scored in double figures in all 20 games played and became the first Pitt player since DeJuan Blair (2008-09) to average a double-double. He was also the only major conference player to average a double-double for the 2020-21 season.
In 2019-20, Capel was instrumental in the development of freshman Justin Champagnie and sophomore Au’Diese Toney. Champagnie averaged 12.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game to become the first Pitt freshman since Charles Smith (1984-85) to lead the team in scoring and rebounds. He finished the year in the top five of the freshman record books in points, points per game, double-figure scoring games, 20+ point games, 30+ point games, field goals, field goal attempts, three-point field goal attempts, rebounds, double-figure rebounding games, minutes played and minutes per game. Toney continued to show the ability to be one of the top wing defenders in the ACC, while also becoming more efficient on the offensive end of the floor. He closed the year averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 assists per game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field.
In 2018-19, Capel began mentoring the versatile Toney. The 6-6 wing player went on to average 7.5 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game, while often playing the power forward position for the Panthers.
Capel became the youngest head coach in the NCAA April 21, 2010, when he was introduced as the head coach at Appalachian State. He went on to post one winning season and was 53-70 overall in four seasons at the helm of the program.
In 2010-11, Capel led the Mountaineers to a 16-15 record, including a 10-8 mark and a third place finish in the Southern Conference North Division. He also guided Appalachian State to a 10-8 conference mark and a tie for second finish in 2013.
In his only season as an assistant coach, Capel helped lead the Mountaineers to the second-most victories in school history (24), their first Southern Conference Tournament title-game appearance since 2000 and a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), only their fourth postseason appearance since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1973. Appalachian State’s CIT wins over Harvard and Marshall, which earned it a berth in the tournament’s semifinals, were the first DI postseason victories in school history.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, he spent two years as a college basketball analyst for ESPNU and Raycom Sports before joining ASU’s staff prior to the 2009-10 season.
Capel is a member of one of college basketball’s most distinguished coaching families. His late father, Jeff, compiled a 201-163 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances in 12 seasons as head coach at Old Dominion, North Carolina A&T and Fayetteville State prior to moving to the professional ranks with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers.
His brother, Jeff, has put together an impressive coaching resume that includes a 192-136 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight trip in 2008, as a head coach at VCU and Oklahoma.
After graduating from North Carolina with a B.A. in communication in 2002, Capel embarked on a professional playing career, which included successful stints in the NBA Developmental League and leagues in Japan, Italy and Serbia. In his first season as a pro, he averaged 11.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game to help lead the NBDL’s Fayetteville Patriots, where he was coached by his father, Jeff, to a league-best 32-18 record and a D-League Finals appearance.
Capel first burst on to the national scene as a star forward at North Carolina from 1998-2002, where he was a two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection (2001 and ‘02) and the Tar Heels’ leader in scoring (15.6 ppg.), rebounds (8.6 rpg.) and steals (29) as a senior. He helped lead UNC to the Final Four in 2000, recorded the second triple-double in UNC history with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Buffalo during the 2000-01 season and was a candidate for 2002 Wooden Award, which is presented annually to college basketball’s most outstanding player.
A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Capel was a McDonald’s All-American and ranked as high as the nation’s No. 5 high-school player after concluding his prep career at St. John’s at Prospect Hall (Frederick, Md.), where he helped lead his team to the USA Today National Championship in 1998.
He spent his freshman and sophomore years at Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Va., where he was named Virginia’s Player of the Year as a sophomore. He began his prep career as an eighth-grader, when he made the varsity team at Greensboro Day School while his father was head coach at N.C. A&T.
Capel and his wife, Ashley, reside in Cranberry with their three sons, Myles, Jayce and Cole.
