Who is Jeff Capel: Get to know the man heading Duke with Mike Krzyzewski out
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will undergo lower back surgery on Friday to remove a fragment of a herniated disk and will take a leave of absence as he recovers, the university announced.
The anticipated recovery time from the surgery is expected to take at least four weeks.
Associate head coach Jeff Capel will coach the team in his absence, and will lead the Blue Devils for the first time in competition when they take on Boston College on January 7 at home.
Here are a few facts about Capel as he takes the helm for Duke over the next few weeks:
• Capel joined Coach K's staff in May 2011. He spent nine years as a head coach at VCU (2002–06) and Oklahoma (2006–11). He has a career 175–110 record with three NCAA tournament appearances.
• He was promoted to associate coach in July 2013 and then associate head coach before the 2014–15 season.
• Capel helped in recruiting 12 McDonald’s All-Americans to Duke and mentored the likes of Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker and Justise Winslow.
• Capel is best known for hitting this shot for Duke on Feb. 2, 1995 to send this game against North Carolina into double overtime. Duke lost 102–100.
• Capel graduated from Duke in 1997. He finished his playing career with the Blue Devils with 1,601 points, 433 assists and 220 three-point field goals.
