OU Players Bonding with Capel

NORMAN, Okla. -- Jeff Capel was hired as OU's 12th men's basketball head coach on April 11. Three hectic months have elapsed since a news conference at Oklahoma Memorial Union introduced him to the state. During those three months, Capel has purchased a house, hired three assistant coaches and a director of basketball operations, signed a recruit for the 2006-07 campaign and secured verbal commitments from several others for future seasons.

Also during that time -- and most importantly according to him -- Capel has worked hard to foster relationships with the eight returning players from last year's 20-9 OU squad.

Jeff Capel Bio

How have those players taken a liking to the 31-year-old coach and what are their early reactions to him? SoonerSports.com interviewed seniors Michael Neal and Nate Carter, and sophomore Taylor Griffin to find out.

Michael Neal
"When we first met him everyone was eager to find out what he was about. We knew he was about business because right away he talked to us about excellence and everything. We were all kind of rejuvenated and motivated to play again. We were ready to get to work right when he came in.

"He's laid-back right now, kind of like one of us but in a coach's body. He listens to the same music as us, he was out here having shooting competitions during individual workouts with us and stuff like that.

"We already have it in our heads that our style of play will be to run. We've been conditioning in the offseason. That's the way we want to play. We want to run, have fun and get the crowd involved. We're going to be solid on the defensive end, too. He stresses that. Those are two things we know right now.

"I was only able to participate in one individual workout in the spring because of an injury. It was different than our individual workouts last year under Coach (Kelvin) Sampson's staff. Coach Capel was having us work on moves that we're actually going to use in games, like in different situations. That's going to help everybody because everyone will be able to handle (the ball) better, shoot better and pick up things that will actually be a part of the game."

Taylor Griffin
"Everybody likes him more and more as we go along. The more time we spend around Coach Capel and the coaching staff the more we know what they're expecting next year. That kind of helps us when we work out on our own. For instance, he wants me to play an inside-out. So it gives me a better idea of what to work on this summer.

"It's hard to tell exactly how a coach is until you see him in practice, but for the most part I think we have a pretty good idea of the style of play he wants. We'll push the ball and run up and down the floor, and we'll play hard-nosed defense.

"One of the things I like best about Coach Capel is that you can just talk to him. You can go up to him and have a conversation about anything and you feel like he's your friend. There is that boundary that he's your coach and there's an amount of respect he's given. But the coolest part about it is you can just talk to him about whatever."

Nate Carter
"The first time we met him in the locker room, we had mixed emotions because we really didn't know what to expect. Everyone was kind of emotional about Coach Sampson leaving and everybody took it kind of hard. We dealt with it the best we could. When Coach Capel came, it took us a little while to get close to him and get to know him. I remember he'd be like, 'Why don't you guys come in the office and visit me?' We didn't really know him that well at that point, but that's all changing.

"He's a fiery coach, he gets his point across. Most coaches always want to know what you're doing all the time. Coach Capel just lets us do our thing and have fun. When it's time to work, it's time to work. He's one of those coaches who doesn't say much until it's necessary. If everybody's working hard, he's not going to say much. If somebody's not working hard, he's going to say something. For us, the work ethic hasn't really changed -- just the coach has.

"You can talk to him. You can talk to him about anything. He's real honest, he's straight with you and he can be blunt. He doesn't lie. He won't tell you what you want to hear, he'll tell you what you need to hear. That's what I like most about him.

"I got a chance to work with him during individual workouts. He'd come out there before the workout and shoot and laugh and joke around with us. But then when it was time to get to work he brought us in and said, 'Let's go.' If you mess up in drills he'll stop you and be like, 'This is what you've got to do,' and 'Don't cheat the drill.' We felt like we were learning stuff and he was making everyone feel comfortable on the court."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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