From shades of glory, to the doldrums of all college basketball to baring the brunt of an entire team's faults, to finally conquering the summit, senior Jeff Capel has lived it all in his four years at Duke.
"I'd say it's been like a roller coaster, but everybody always says that," fellow senior Carmen Wallace said of the seniors' careers, and Capel's in particular. "Let me think of something original. [Pause] Rhapsody in Blue. You have some really slow parts towards the middle, you start off really strong and then you're finishing up with that grand finale."
That grand finale thus far has included an ACC regular season crown for the Blue Devils-something Duke hasn't won since 1994, when Capel was a freshman. That first year was an amazing one for Capel, as he earned the Blue Devils' starting point guard spot and played a vital role in Duke's run to the NCAA Championship game. The Blue Devils' success this year, however, means more to the Fayetteville, N.C. native.
"I feel like I'm more a part of [the team's success] this year," Capel said. "My freshman year, I was a huge part of it, but it wasn't my team. It was Grant [Hill], Tony [Lang] and Marty [Clark]'s team. This year I feel like it's more my team; it's my last year. I feel like I've developed into a good leader with the help of some of my teammates."
The development process has been the most trying experience of Capel's basketball career. He entered the 1996-97 season expected to start and be one of Duke's leaders, both in scoring and in setting an example. What unfolded was a nightmare that saw Capel average just 6.6 points a game and shoot 28 percent from the floor in his first eight games of the season. The low point was undoubtedly a Dec. 5 home overtime win over Florida State in which Capel finished an embarrassing 0-for-9 from the floor and displayed an obvious lack of confidence-the one characteristic which Capel had never lacked in his first three years.
"The worst feeling I had was that I was letting down my teammates as a leader," Capel said.
Capel's slump continued, and his Blue Devil teammates began to worry about their depleted captain.
"You always worry.... You don't want to see somebody going through something like that," said fellow senior Greg Newton. "If somebody is going through that, you just want to get behind him. You've seen him do it in the past and you know he can still do it. It's just a matter of him getting out of it."
While most Duke fans were caught off guard by Capel's sudden slide, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was less shocked.
"We felt the guys coming back from last year would have some problems adjusting to a new style, just a whole new environment," Krzyzewski said. "To Jeff's credit, when he was not playing very well, he took full responsibility for it instead of saying it was someone else's fault. That acceptance of responsibility has made him a better person, a better player. And for us, a much better leader. There is no stat for leadership, but Jeff's leadership has helped this basketball team."
Responsibility is a word that Capel learned the meaning of all too well through December and early January, as he continued to play below his own watermark.
"It's easy when things are going bad to try and find someone to blame," Capel said. "But I couldn't look at myself and say that I was doing everything that I possibly could. I think what happened this year was that my first three years here, no one had to compete at the level that we've had to compete this year.
"My freshman year, I earned the playing time that I got but it was different because we didn't have as many guys. My sophomore year we weren't good and last year we didn't have as much talent, so myself, Ricky and Newt could get away with a lot of things. What happened was that standards had to change. And with myself, I had to learn how to work harder, and it was hard at first because I didn't know how to. And I'm still learning how to do it at the highest level all the time."
The resolution of Capel's problems slowly developed and finally emerged in the Blue Devils' Jan. 21 win at N.C. State when Capel came alive to rejuvenate a stagnant Duke offense by scoring 25 points off the bench.
Capel has started every game since, and been a vital catalyst in the Blue Devils' three biggest wins of the year, scoring 18 to help Duke break a seven-game losing streak to UNC, notching 19 at then-No. 2 Wake Forest and leading the way with 18 in the Blue Devils' ACC-clinching win over Maryland.
Despite averaging only 11.3 points a contest, Capel has been consistent, scoring in double figures in 15 out of his last 18 games. He has also finally asserted himself as the leader the Blue Devils need, both in the proverbial 'active' and 'vocal' senses.
"On any good team, you need good leadership," Capel said. "I'm going to try to do whatever I can. I'm going to try and lead by example, I'm going to try and lead by words and some of the experiences I've had."
While Capel enjoys and respects his role as a leader, he also understands where leadership must come from for Duke to continue to succeed.
"Maybe some people do look to me and that's fine, but I think we look to each other for everything," he said. "I think we realize that we need each other."
Capel's move to the forefront as one of the keys to the Blue Devils' success is only fitting considering what has been the magical nature of many moments during his Duke career. It started with his improbable 'seizing of the moment' in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. It continued, and reached its frenzied apex, with Capel's unforgettable 30-foot prayer and the end of the first overtime in the home UNC game his sophomore year. Though no other moment can quite compare to that one, the list of fantastic memories rolls on.
"The game that will always stick out most for me was when we played Carolina this year, beating them here," Capel said. "And then my sophomore year, the double overtime game we lost. This year when we beat them here was the loudest that I've ever experienced Cameron. It was just an unbelievable atmosphere. When we lost in double overtime, it was just a great game. There were some amazing plays made in that game by both teams."
Through it all, whenever Duke has reached the top, whenever the Blue Devils have tasted greatness, Capel has been there to see it through, either grabbing the headlines or making it all possible behind the scenes.
If Carmen is on the money with his analogy, then the ACC Tournament field should take notice. The crescendo builds, with Capel the motive.
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