Pitt will retain men's basketball coach Jeff Capel for ninth season

Stephen Thompson and Abby Schnable, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 13, 2026

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PITTSBURGH — Pitt athletic director Allen Greene announced Friday afternoon that he would be retaining men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel for a ninth season.

With a 98-88 loss to NC State in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, Capel’s latest season at the helm ended with a 13-20 record, the fifth 20-loss season in program history.

“I believe our best path forward is leadership continuity paired with clear expectations and a willingness to evolve,” Greene said in a statement.

Greene added that this past season fell “well short of expectations” and that investment in the 2025-26 team was “sufficient enough for us to reach the NCAA Tournament at a minimum.” Pitt fell well short of that standard and Greene said he would, alongside Capel, “examine every aspect of the program” and “make the necessary changes.”

Greene said Pitt athletics already funds its revenue sharing for athletes operation up to the fullest amount currently allowed under the terms of the House settlement ($20.5 million during the 2025 fiscal year) but called upon fans, alumni and local businesses to help fund an NIL operation and further bolster recruiting for the program.

“In today’s college basketball landscape, teams that win in March are typically anchored by players with maturity and toughness,” Greene said. “Building a roster with those characteristics will be a central priority moving forward.

“Our focus turns to welcoming a highly regarded recruiting class, retaining key contributors and strategically using the transfer portal to add experience and balance.”

Capel arrived at Pitt in 2018 with the unenviable task of rebuilding the program after the Panthers endured two miserable seasons with Kevin Stallings as the head coach. After four rough years to start Capel’s tenure, the former VCU and Oklahoma head coach built a winner at Pitt.

In 2023, Pitt was in the running for the ACC regular-season title up until the last day. Capel earned ACC Coach of the Year honors. Plus, Blake Hinson and Jamarius Burton both earned All-ACC distinction and Nike Sibande was named the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year.

That March, Pitt earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years and took down Mississippi State and Iowa State to win multiple games in the tournament for the first time since 2009.

The following season, the Panthers narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament despite the presence of one of the ACC’s best wings in Hinson and freshman Bub Carrington, an eventual NBA lottery pick.

In July 2024, former Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke signed Capel to a contract extension that was intended to keep him as coach through the 2029-30 season. But ultimately, Capel’s tenure ended in disappointment as the Panthers failed to capitalize on the momentum they had built.

After starting last season 12-2 and climbing to a No. 18 ranking in the AP poll, the Panthers went 18-33 over the 54 games of Capel’s tenure. Early this season, they dropped home games to Quinnipiac and Hofstra, making it nine losses to low or mid-major opponents under Capel.

Despite injuries to a few key players, the Panthers rallied to win four of their last seven games in 2025-26, including an upset against Stanford in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Capel was the second-highest-paid Pitt employee during the fiscal year 2023, according to tax filings. He earned a base salary of $3,573,779 and $373,950 in additional compensation during that period. Only football coach Pat Narduzzi, who earned $7,259,909 in total compensation, was paid more.