THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511230624
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
Thanksgiving traditionally brings families together, but for a few hours tonight, the Capel clan will be split in two.
When Old Dominion and Duke open their basketball seasons in the Great Alaska Shootout, Jeff Capel and Jeff Capel III will be on opposite sides for the first time ever - dad as the ODU coach, son as a Duke guard.
The NCAA has no record of this type of family feud ever happening in college basketball.
``Any time my father comes to one of my games, he's always been someone I look to for support,'' Jeff III said. ``I always find out where he's sitting in the stands and look to him for advice and support.
``I'll still probably look at him, but I'm pretty sure he won't give me any advice or support.''
Both Capels have tried to characterize this as just another game, but behind that facade run deep emotions of a close-knit family.
``I'm really trying hard to keep it in perspective in a business sense,'' coach Capel said. ``But he's my son, and I can't not feel it. It's been really weird as we've been preparing a scouting report to say, `This is what we need to do and this is what we need to make him do.' I am trying to beat him, and that's difficult.
``I didn't know it would be this difficult.''
Caught in the middle of it all will be mother and wife Jerry Capel.
``I'll be cheering for everyone who throws the ball up,'' Jerry said. ``I cannot pull against my son and I cannot pull against my husband.''
Jerry will be in the stands with younger son Jason and a nephew who lives with the Capels.
For a family whose lives revolve around the basketball schedules of Duke, ODU and Jason's Indian River High, a holiday together is a rare treat. So is the chance to see Jeff III play three games in person. But Jerry doesn't relish the gut-wrenching two hours tonight at Sullivan Arena.
``To be honest, I think it will be harder on me than it will be on them,'' Jerry said.
The paradox is that father and son seem to be approaching this with equal parts trepidation and anticipation.
This was not an accident or scheduling quirk. Duke was a matchup coach Capel had sought almost from the day he was hired by Old Dominion. They would have met last year had coach Capel stayed at North Carolina A&T instead of moving on to ODU - A&T played at Duke during the regular season. And it's likely the two will meet again next year in Jeff III's senior season.
``If I can't play for my dad, the next best things is to play against him,'' he said.
Capel would have transferred to ODU had Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski not returned after health problems sidelined him much of last season. Krzyzewski's return tonight will help temper the hype of the familial civil war.
But before Old Dominion even left campus, the coach had done interviews with several metropolitan newspapers and out-of-state radio programs about the unique scenario.
Gary Johnson, basketball statistics coordinator at the NCAA for the past 11 years, could find no record of a head coach pitted against an opposing player who is his son. While that doesn't mean it hasn't happened, Johnson does have extensive lists of sons who played for fathers, father vs. son coaching matchups and brothers against brothers. But no father coaching against a son.
``I'm going to put that one down,'' Johnson said. ``I'll start a list of sons playing against coaching fathers.''
The Capels started discussing this matchup last summer - ``talking junk,'' the son said - but haven't had much to say about it to each other in recent months.
The Monarchs and Blue Devils are staying in the same hotel. Duke's team and traveling party celebrated Thanksgiving with a dinner Wednesday, which Jerry and Jason attended but the elder Capel did not.
A few weeks ago, the ODU coach went to Durham during Duke's intrasquad scrimmage, but then didn't watch the game. Although Krzyzewski suggested he come see his son play, coach Capel didn't think it would be fair to get an advance scouting glance. He stayed in the coaches' offices during the game.
Jeff III spent some time this summer hanging out with the Monarchs and playing with them in pickup games.
``They're my second-favorite team,'' he said.
``He's a real nice guy, he's cool,'' ODU guard Brion Dunlap said. ``He's down-to-earth, just like his father.''
But tonight, it's down to business.
``I've had thoughts of the game being on the line and he's got the ball,'' coach Capel said. ``That would be a real tough situation for me to deal with. I'd want him to finish it, because we always talk about finishing strong, but at the same time I'd like to see someone go up and swipe it away from him.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
PAUL AIKEN/The Virginian-Pilot file
``Any time my father comes to one of my games, he's always been
someone I look to for support,'' Jeff Capel III said. ``I'll still
probably look at him, but I'm pretty sure he won't give me any
advice or support.''
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot file
Jeff Capel on coaching against his son. ``I didn't know it would be
this difficult.''
by CNB