University of North Carolina Athletics
Riding the Carolina Roller Coaster
February 27, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2002
By Bill Freehling
Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Jason Capel's career at North Carolina might be summarized by one metaphor: a roller coaster.
He has experienced the long inclines that have put Carolina among the nation's basketball elite: a 72-31 record in his first three seasons that included two appearances in the ACC Tournament final, three trips to the NCAA Tournament and one Final Four.
ut Capel's time at Carolina has also seen its share of dips along the way: three head coaches since he committed to play for the Tar Heels, undergoing back surgery to repair two herniated discs after his freshman year and playing on an inexperienced squad this season that is 7-18 overall.
Rather than dwell on the hard times, however, Capel has seized his opportunity with the Tar Heels to prepare for whatever challenges his future might hold.
"It's made me a stronger person, it's made me a man," Capel says. "I've been through a lot of adversity, a lot of change. I've had to react to and deal with a lot of different situations as a student, as an athlete and as a person around campus. It's prepared me for life after college."
Jason's father, Jeff Capel, a longtime college basketball coach who now coaches the Fayetteville Patriots of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), has seen the maturity that has developed in his youngest son over the past four years.
"Carolina thinks about the total program, the development of the whole person," he said. "He's blossomed in that environment. He's become a man. He's grown from a boy into a man."
Jason's success on the court should not be overlooked, however. Averaging 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds through his first three seasons, he has stepped up his play this year. After the first 25 games, he led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
He earned third-team All-ACC honors after his junior season and was one of 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award this year. He is also one of only eight Tar Heels since the 1972-73 season who has started all four years.
ut according to another person on that list, Kris Lang, Capel's value as a teammate and friend has been just as important as any individual accolade.
"Jason's been a great, reliable friend," Lang said. "What you see on the court is what you see off the court, too. You can always rely on him. He's trustworthy, and he's going to be there for you regardless."
Capel and Lang have assumed leadership of the inexperienced squad this season. While Capel said he has always been a voice on the team, he has tried to be more of a leader this year.
"I'm the person to look to," he said. "I've been more of a scoring threat, which is different from my past years. But the biggest thing is looking after guys on and off the floor, making sure things are going the way they should."
Capel was born in Fayetteville, N.C., and spent many of his childhood years in the state. His father coached at Wake Forest, Fayetteville State and North Carolina A&T before moving the family to Virginia in 1994, when he became head coach of Old Dominion.
Surrounded by Tar Heel fans throughout his youth, Capel said the decision to come to Chapel Hill was an easy one.
"I always wanted to come to Carolina," he said. "Growing up in Carolina, most of the kids want to come here. That's all you see. It was a dream come true."
Capel, a 6-foot-8-inch forward who weighs about 240 pounds, committed to UNC in the summer of 1997 after his junior season in high school. That year, he was named Maryland private school player of the year.
He showed no signs of complacency during his senior year at St. John's at Prospect Hall in Frederick, Md. That season, Capel scored 20.1 points and 12 rebounds per game while leading his school to a USA Today high school national championship.
That year, he also teamed with Ronald Curry to win the AAU Junior Olympic 19-and-under national championship and was named a first-team All-American by Street & Smith's.
While his high school career was ending in triumphant fashion, Capel's collegiate career encountered an early speed bump. Soon after he committed to UNC, legendary head coach Dean Smith retired.
While he said the retirement was hard to take at first, Capel quickly developed a close relationship with new head coach and longtime Smith assistant Bill Guthridge.
"He's a great person and a great coach," Capel said of Guthridge. "He cared about you more than just on the floor. He cared about you off the floor."
Capel named Guthridge and former assistant coach Phil Ford as his greatest influences at Carolina. He is still in touch with both coaches, Smith and former assistant coach Pat Sullivan on a regular basis.
After his sophomore season, Capel welcomed Coach Matt Doherty to town. Although he said the transition was difficult, Capel has developed a good relationship with Doherty, who said his leading scorer has been a great player and leader for UNC.
"Jason Capel has been an outstanding leader on this young basketball team," Doherty says. "He has produced on the floor and been a presence in the meetings and lockerroom. He leaves everything on the court when he plays. Jason is overlooked in terms of his basketball abilities, because he is often credited with doing so many little things that don't appear in the box score. But make no mistake, he is a talented basketball player. I am proud to have been his coach for these two seasons."
When Capel committed to the Tar Heels, he set up what could have been a Capel civil war. His brother, Jeff, who is now an assistant basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, played for Duke from 1993-97.
ut Jason said he never got into the Duke-UNC vendetta. He even admitted he was a Blue Devil fan while his brother was there.
The Capels' father was equally polite about the Tobacco Road rivalry. When asked whom he would root for in a game between Duke and UNC after this season, he replied, "I hope it ends in a tie."
Capel will graduate in May with a degree in communication studies. Capel's father said his son's on-time graduation gives him as much pride as any accomplishment on the court.
After Capel dons the cap and gown and calls it a career at UNC, he said he would pursue basketball at the next level. "I'm looking to get drafted, wherever, working hard, playing for a team and having a long career."
According to his father, a man who has coached the likes of Orlando Magic guard Darrell Armstrong, Jason's attitude and work ethic give him a good chance at the next level.
"I know my son," said the elder Capel. "I know that he's a fierce competitor, and I know that he thrives on adversity."
He added that the time immediately after Jason's graduation would be crucial as a measuring stick for future hardwood success. Capel will at that time receive NBA tryouts as teams prepare for the June draft. If he isn't drafted, Capel will continue to pursue his NBA dream by playing in the NBDL or in Europe.
In the time that remains in Chapel Hill, Capel said he'd help younger players and incoming recruits learn how to take Carolina back up the slow incline to national prominence.
"They should know what it means to play for Carolina," he said. "Some people that come here now don't know about the tradition and the Carolina pride that goes into it. They should know about it, take pride in it and work hard to get it back to where it was."
