Editor's Note: As ASU continues its search for its next head coach, State Press writers pitched their best ideas on who should replace Herb Sendek. Read others here.
Here's why Ryan Clarke thinks Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel should be the next to take over the Sun Devils:
Bio:
- Played for Duke from 1993-97 under Coach Krzyzewski, four-year starter
- Spent two years playing professional basketball in France and Canada
- Began coaching under his father at Old Dominion in 2000
- Joined VCU as an assistant in 2001, promoted to head coach in 2002 at age 27
- 79-41 record at VCU, including an NCAA tournament appearance in 2004
- Hired to replace Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma in 2006
- Recruited Blake Griffin to Oklahoma; made it to the Elite Eight in 2009
- Joined Coach Mike Krzyzewski's staff at Duke as an assistant in 2011
- Promoted to associate head coach prior to this season
Why he's right for the job:
Jeff Capel knows what it takes to win, and ASU men's basketball needs a winner.
From his time at VCU where he built a lowly program into an NCAA tournament team, to his tenure at Oklahoma where he coached the Sooners to an Elite Eight appearance, to his assistant coaching position at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski, Capel has a résumé tailor-made for a Sun Devil team desperate to escape mediocrity.
ASU athletic director Ray Anderson said he wanted to give the program a chance to compete consistently for a championship. While that's a long shot, Capel gives ASU the best chance.
Balancing the scales with the rival Arizona Wildcats, as far as recruiting is concerned, will be essential to enacting Anderson's plan. Hiring a guy who worked under Coach K and recruited many future NBA stars puts the Sun Devils in an ideal position to do so.
Capel helped recruit the likes of Jabari Parker (now in the NBA), Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor to a Duke program that will play in the NCAA Final Four this weekend in pursuit of a national title.
A championship ring on his finger would sure stand out when shaking the hands of Sun Devil recruits.
Capel has experience in rebuilding a once-great program. When he took over as head coach of Oklahoma in 2006, the Sooners had lost three recruits because of NCAA violations. Similarly (but not equivalently), ASU has now lost recruits because of Herb Sendek's firing.
Why he wouldn't accept the job:
ASU has made a strong effort to woo Capel to the valley of the sun (including a meeting at an undisclosed location), and whether or not he accepts the job will likely come to fruition after Duke's postseason run ends.
But there is a chance that Capel decides to stay at Duke or go elsewhere. The Texas job is open, and if Shaka Smart decides to leave, then the VCU job will be open as well.
All of those schools are viable options for Capel, especially the VCU job because of what he's done there in the past. He's an East-coast guy. Capel is also a master recruiter, which would give him all the more reason to take the Texas job and tap into the hotbed of recruits in the Lone Star state.
Capel to ASU sounds like a match made in heaven, but fans can only hope that he doesn't spurn the Sun Devils for another, more stable destination.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu and follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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