Pitt head coach Jeff Capel has been keeping busy since his arrival in Pittsburgh, and that continued on Thursday morning, as he started his day with an interview on 93.7 The Fan.
Capel’s first order of business was to clarify during “The Fan Morning Show” that Duke assistant Nolan Smith would not be joining him in his departure from Durham, despite suggestions to the contrary on social media. However, to the delight of many Pitt fans and former players, he also confirmed that he would like to have Brandin Knight on his staff and has reached out to him.
“Brandin is someone that I have great interest in and I’ve reached out to,” Capel told The Fan’s Colin Dunlap. “And I know Brandin’s one of the best players here. I know he’s beloved here. And one of the things that was successful for the Duke program — or has been successful — is having assistants back there that wore the jersey.”
“I would love to get someone like Brandin, who wore the jersey, who was as good of a point guard as there ever was here — as good of a player — that really knows Pitt. And so hopefully, we’re able to do that,” he added.
While it’s unclear if Knight would return to his alma mater for a lateral move from his current role at Rutgers, it would certainly energize the fanbase if Capel lured him back. One hurdle he might face in doing so, though, is that Rutgers sits about a half-hour down the Garden State Parkway from Knight’s hometown of East Orange, New Jersey — so there is reason for him to stay.
Still, considering Knight’s history with Pitt and the fact that the Scarlet Knights have failed to post a winning record or do better than three wins in the Big Ten since he arrived in 2016, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he decided to come back to Pittsburgh and help with the rebuild.
