Pitt coach Jeff Capel, players carry heavy hearts into game against Duke

Jeff Capel had many thoughts, plans and concerns running through his mind while preparing Pitt to meet the challenge of No. 9 Duke on Tuesday night.

Sadly, he had to do it with a heavy heart matching those of his players after the tragic death Sunday of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash that also killed Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others in Calabasas, Calif.

“It’s been tough for them,” Capel said of his players, including guard Ryan Murphy, who is from Calabasas and wears Bryant’s No. 24. “We have several guys who are taking it pretty hard. These young guys admired him so much, looked up to him so much as a player and what he’s meant for the game of basketball.

“It’s like a super hero dying.”

Capel said Bryant appeared invincible.

“You saw him get hurt with an Achilles, shoot free throws and walk off the court (in a 2013 game against the Golden State Warriors),” Capel said. “And come back from that.

“He willed himself so many times during his basketball career, playing through injuries that it’s just kind of hard to believe this has happened.”

The tragedy was a bit personal for Capel, who occasionally travels with his children — two daughters and a son — on recruiting trips.

“It hits close to home when you think about it that way,” he said. “This has been a really tough little bit more than 24 hours.”

It also has been difficult for Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Bryant on the USA Basketball team that won gold in the 2008 and ‘12 Olympics in Beijing and London.

“He was very close to my family,” Krzyzewski said. “We shared two loves: love of the game and we both have daughters.

“Behind the scenes, he was amazing with my grandkids in Beijing and in London. They idolized him. One of my grandsons, his nickname is Mamba (Bryant’s nickname is Black Mamba). He got to meet him in Beijing and fell in love with him.”

Krzyzewski said Bryant’s impact on the game was felt far beyond the NBA.

“People don’t understand his impact in China,” he said. “He is the most loved player in China, by far.”

Their relationship was more than merely coach and player.

“We had a really close friendship,” Krzyzewski said. “We trusted one another. He allowed me to be his coach. Great players allow their coaches to coach them.”

Bryant went directly from Lower Merion High School, near Philadelphia, to the NBA in 1996. But he said in 2017 if he attended college, he would have chosen Duke.

That would have made Capel and Bryant teammates, a thought that came rushing back to the Pitt coach in the past two days.

“I know when I was in school at Duke, our coaching staff was recruiting him very hard,” Capel said. “It’s crossed my mind before (Bryant’s death) about what that would have been like, if he would have gone to college, if it would have been Duke, to have a chance to play with one of the best guys to ever lace them up.”

Through it all, Pitt and Duke have a game to play. Capel, who played for and coached with Krzyzewski, said the Blue Devils will be ready.

“I’m sure coach K’s mind (Tuesday) is going to be on beating Pittsburgh for those two hours and the preparation leading into it.”

The game will the first at Cameron Indoor Stadium for Capel since he left Duke for Pitt two years ago. The Blue Devils won at Petersen Events Center last year 79-64.

“It’s different this year because I’ve already done it,” he said of coaching against his alma mater. “I’m excited about the opportunity to play a great team.

“They are one of the best programs in the history of basketball. It’s good to see where we stand right now. That’s what I’m excited about.”

Pitt (13-7, 4-5) will face a well-rested Duke team (16-3, 6-2) that hasn’t played since beating Miami, 89-59, on Jan. 21.

“We’ve played twice since then,” Capel said.

It’s the same scenario Pitt faced in its second victory against North Carolina earlier this season, with the Panthers meeting two opponents while the Tar Heels took the week off.

“Hopefully, we will have a similar result,” Capel said.

Get the latest news about Pitt basketball and all things Panthers athletics.