While preparing to honor Pitt's seniors, Jeff Capel recalls his own special night at Duke

More than anything, the game matters to Jeff Capel, just as much then as it does now. So he is looking forward to Saturday night and celebrating his seniors in the final home game of the season when Pitt plays Boston College at Petersen Events Center.

Ishmael Leggett, Zack Austin, Damian Dunn, walk-on Vason Stevenson (Montour) and managers George D’Atri, Steven Eiben and Jacob Riben will step on the Pete’s floorboards for a game for the final time as members of the program.

Nearly three decades ago, Feb. 27, 1997, it was Capel’s turn to be honored during senior night at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. But he paid the ceremonial part of the evening little mind.

“I was so focused that I really didn’t care about the senior ceremony,” Capel said Thursday night on his radio show on 93.7 FM.

The opponent that night was Maryland, and Duke needed the victory to win the ACC regular-season championship, just as the Blue Devils did in 1994 when Capel was their starting point guard as a freshman.

“It was really important for me to leave that place like I found it,” said Capel, who was part of an 81-69 victory that night.

Capel said his career at Duke wasn’t all roses, getting booed by the Cameron Crazies at one point and even him calling his mother and telling her he wanted to transfer from the No. 1 team in the nation because coach Mike Krzyzewski was always yelling at him.

“I was the guy, as the point guard, every time we lost it was my fault,” he said.

One day, his father said to him, “Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you stop calling home, complaining to your mother, shut up and just go play.”

So, on senior night, he gave Krzyzewski a bear hug as “culmination of everything our relationship had gone through.”

On Saturday, Capel will be on the receiving end of handshakes and hugs before the game. Each of the three senior starters — all of whom are transfers — have a different story to tell about their time at Pitt.

Capel said he recruited Leggett from Rhode Islands despite a shooting percentage there under 40%. But Rhode Island was 9-22, and Capel was able to overlook the stats when he saw Leggett on video.

“I loved, loved how he competed, and I loved how he defended,” Capel said. “It’s my honor to get to coach him and, more importantly, to get to know him. His journey was really unique. He’s overcome a lot.”

Leggett’s father, Detrick, suffered a stroke when his son was in high school, but Capel said Leggett never exposed his pain.

“He’s so positive with all of the pain that he’s experienced and had to endure,” the coach said. “It’s a testament to his spirit. He’s a really cool kid. He competes. He wants to win. Obviously, what we’re going through since January is killing him just like it is me and us.

“We’ve had talks and (he said), ‘I can’t and I won’t allow negative energy into my life.’ I get it. I understand. I actually have a lot of respect for it.”

Austin’s mother died when he was young, but he also has persevered and now needs only five points and one rebound to reach 1,400 points and 700 rebounds — to go along with 229 blocks — in his career at High Point and Pitt.

“The thing Zack had to learn how to do is to be more disciplined,” Capel said. “Part of Zack’s issue is that he is talented and he has his athleticism. So some of the stuff comes easy to him. He’s been more disciplined in his approach and his habits (this season). His first year with us (2023-24), he was a sometime-good player. A lot of times, he’d float. It’s still there at times, and it’s frustrating but he’s been better with that. I think he has a really bright future beyond here.”

Dunn is lost for the season with a fractured elbow, his second major injury of the season. He will end up playing only 16 games.

“Before he got hurt the first time (a thumb injury in November), I thought we were a really good team,” Capel said. “He was a huge reason why. I commend him for wanting to come back. There are guys who are in college right now who would have shut it down. When he came back, he really wasn’t himself. The thing that stinks is when we played at (North) Carolina (Feb. 8), you started to see the old Damian before he got hurt (that night). He was playing really, really well and another freak injury.

“I hate it for him more than anything.”