"And with the 58th and final selection of the 1997 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select... Roberto Duenas, center from Spain."
With those words from NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn, recent Duke grad Jeff Capel became a free agent in the world of professional basketball.
Thorn's announcement signaled the end of the second round, and consequently, the end of the '97 draft. On the surface, Capel's exclusion from the draft appears to undercut his professional aspirations, but to many observers, Capel's present situation is ideal.
"Going undrafted is probably best for Jeff if he's not going to go in the first round," Blue Devil coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Not being drafted, a team who needs the skills he has can go after him, and then he may end up with his choice of three or four teams. It gives him much greater flexibility."
Experts outside the Duke program echoed this sentiment, including ESPN draft analyst Jay Bilas, who commented, "He might be better off to go undrafted so he can pick and choose where he can play."
Before the draft, Capel was considered by most analysts to have a 50-50 chance of being selected in the latter portion of the second round. Capel's numbers as a senior-12.4 points per game, a .460 FG percentage and 2.8 boards and 2.7 assists per contest-were not stellar, or even the best of his own career. The numbers were skewed, however, by an early-season slump that had many fans doubting Capel's abilities. His strong second half not only boosted his stats, but helped lift the Blue Devils to the regular season Atlantic Coast Conference title.
"Maybe its just me, but I think a lot of people are focusing on the earlier part of the season," Capel told the News & Observer of Raleigh earlier this week. "Personally, I think I played the best basketball of my career for the last 15 games or so."
Another series of setbacks hindered Capel's draft status. After shining in the NBA's first pre-draft camp, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he averaged 17.3 points and was named to the all-consolation team, he was shut out of the last two camps in Phoenix and Chicago. Additionally, Capel was forced to miss a series of personal tryouts with individual clubs after a back injury, similar to the one Krzyzewski suffered during the 1994-95 season, prevented him from working out.
Despite not gaining the direct road into the NBA, some still expect Capel to succeed as a pro.
"I think Jeff can be a good pro, but I think that will happen in a year or two," Krzyzewski said. "I think that once he gets out in that environment, he'll get older and tougher."
Bilas and others have cited Capel's terrific shooting range and ability to create his own shot as tools that could make him a valuable pro.
The road for Capel now leads to free agency in the NBA. Should he not make any of the active rosters in the NBA, he will have to choose whether to play in the Continental Basketball Association or journey overseas.
"I think Jeff should just commit himself for the next few years to being a basketball player," Krzyzewski said. "I don't think that's a dead-end street for him. Whatever he does should be an investment. Whether he sticks with an NBA team now or he has to take another route, it's down the road a little bit for him, but it can definitely happen for him."
Krzyzewski also mentioned that Capel's classmate, Greg Newton may end up playing abroad. While the 6-foot-10 center's height could land him in some NBA team's free agent camp, he is most likely to end up playing overseas. Newton has a distinct advantage in Europe as, according to Krzyzewski, Newton's father was a British citizen, which means that European teams do not have to count Newton against their limit of American players.
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