National Basketball Development League Names Jeff Capel Head Coach of the Fayetteville Patriots
Appointment Marks Homecoming for NBDL's Newest Head Coach

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Jeff Capel, a former collegiate basketball coach at Old Dominion University and Fayetteville State University has been named head coach of the Fayetteville Patriots, it was announced January 8 by NBDL Executive Director Karl Hicks.

"My goal is to step in and continue to help these players improve their individual skills and play fundamentally sound team basketball," said Capel.

"Jeff's coaching experience, knowledge of the game and local ties to the community make him uniquely qualified for this position," said Hicks. "This is also a wonderful opportunity for him to return home and help develop our players both on and off the court."

Capel replaces Basketball Hall of Famer Nate "Tiny" Archibald, who resigned as head coach of the Patriots today to take a position with the NBA's community relations department. Capel will join his new team tomorrow in North Charleston as the Patriots take on the Lowgators at the North Charleston Coliseum in a 7 p.m. tip. Assistant Coach Sam Worthen will serve as interim coach for tonight's game vs. the Columbus Riverdragons at the Crown Coliseum.

Capel, a native of Southern Pines, N.C., has over 20 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels. Most recently, he served as head coach at Old Dominion University posting an overall record of 122-98 and leading his team to two NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament appearances including a win over Villanova and one National Invitational Tournament (NIT) bid and a victory over Seton Hall.

Prior to his tenure at Old Dominion, Capel served as head coach at North Carolina A&T (1993-94) and at Fayetteville State University (1989-92) taking each team to one NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament appearance. Capel also served as an assistant coach at Wake Forest University (1986-89) and as the head coach for Pinecrest Senior High School from 1978-86.

Capel has amassed over 200 career wins as a head coach and 138 victories as a Division I collegiate basketball head coach. While at Fayetteville State University, Capel led his team to an overall record of 64-51 and coached Darrell Armstrong, who now plays for the Orlando Magic and was named Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year in 1999.

Capel earned his Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education from Fayetteville State University in 1977. He currently resides in Chesapeake, Va. with his wife Jerry, who is a native of Fayetteville. He is also the father of former Duke University standout Jeff Capel III who played at Southview High School and current University of North Carolina standout Jason Capel.

The National Basketball Development League tipped off its inaugural season on November 16, 2001. The Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), North Charleston Lowgators (S.C.), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Mobile Revelers (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.), Greenville Groove (S.C.), and Asheville Altitude (N.C.) will compete in a 56-game regular season schedule that runs from mid-November through March, followed by playoffs. A total of 24 games will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN, and 19 games will be broadcast regionally on FOX Sports Net South.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the NBDL offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. In addition to being a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 29 teams, the NBDL will also serve as a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions in each NBDL city.

NBDL players must be 20 years of age or older to play in the league. NBDL teams do not have a direct affiliation with specific NBA teams. Development league players are eligible to play for any NBA team.