Past helping Capel get through 1st season
Media day: Oklahoma Sooners

When Jeff Capel's new job began to seem overwhelming, Oklahoma's basketball coach fell back on his past.

Upon his arrival at OU, the former Virginia Commonwealth head coach found himself having to recruit incoming freshmen who had already signed with the Sooners.

"It was overwhelming because of the things that happened when I first got the job, but let's not go back there," Capel said Thursday during Big 12 men's basketball media day at the Cox Convention Center.

"I actually went back and looked at some stuff I had written down when I was at VCU, just some of the notes that I kept, and it was amazing. Some of the feelings I had here at OU were some of the same feelings that I had there."

As one of the youngest coaches in NCAA Division I, it doesn't seem the 31-year-old would have a wealth of experience to pull from.

But when he comes upon something he hasn't experienced, Capel references his two mentors: his father, Jeff Capel Jr., and his coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski.

"I talk to him often," Capel said of Krzyzewski. That's a relationship that I value. I love the guy. There's not a decision that I make of any importance that I don't call him and talk to him."

Outside of his father, Capel's relationship with Krzyzewski has molded him more than anyone.

"I believed in the guy since I was 17 years old," Capel said. "We're going on 15 years of that relationship. I lean on him for everything. Why wouldn't you, with the experience he's had, the success? He's one of the most brilliant men I've ever known."

Capel still lives by an inspirational phrase Krzyzewski passed on to him while he was playing at Duke.

"It was March 31, 1994, the day before we played the national championship game," Capel said. "The quote was, ‘You become successful by helping others become successful.' I try to live my life by that quote, and we want our guys to live their lives by that quote and to understand you're part of something bigger than you."

That becomes the goal in season No. 1 of the Capel era — each player committing to the team concept and losing himself in it. If that happens, Capel says, winning will be a by-product.

Capel's seniors are on board, learning and trying to understand Capel's philosophies. But it hasn't been easy breaking habits instilled by former head coach Kelvin Sampson.

"It's different when you've been under one system and you come to something new, you've got to wipe out some of the things and open your mind up to the new things," senior Nate Carter said.

Getting the seniors to buy into Capel's system has been important, because the commitment trickles down from them.

"Me and Nate Carter, we stay on these guys' butts every day that it's important to work hard," senior guard Michael Neal said. "If you take a day off, somebody else is working harder. With these freshmen, especially, we have to make them understand that if we don't work hard, we're not going to be any good."

Capel said this season feels similar to his first season at Virginia Commonwealth, when he was promoted from assistant to head coach at 27 years old.

That team was coming off a 21-win season, but it had only one senior.

"I have to lean on that experience, and I have to remind myself to be patient," Capel said. "I keep reminding myself that I went through this before. And the work that we did and doing things the right way paid off in us having success."