Jan. 29 (UPI) — Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski repeatedly yelled “shut up” at the student section after hearing them chant about former Blue Devils player and current Pittsburgh coach Jeff Capel.
The sequence occurred just before the end of the first half during the Blue Devils’ 79-67 win against the Panthers Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Blue Devils students, nicknamed the “Cameron Crazies,” chanted “you can sit with us” toward the Pittsburgh bench, referring to Capel’s time with the Blue Devils as a player and assistant coach. Krzyzewski screamed “shut up” before being held back by a referee. Krzyzewski then walked across the court at the end of the half and yelled “he’s one of us,” while pounding his chest. The student section stopped chanting and listened to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer.
Krzyzewski called the scolding a “mistake” in his post-game comments.
“It was a mistake on my part, but I’ll never make a mistake in the protection of my guy [Capel],” Krzyzewski said. “At the end of the half I said, ‘look, he’s our guy.’”
“I apologize. Let’s think of a different cheer. … Leave the other guy alone.”
After Cameron Crazies started yelling "Jeff Capel, sit with us," Coach K could be seen yelling "Shut up" and "He's one of us."
Capel played at Duke and coached there for 7 seasons. pic.twitter.com/OdKeJ62MMv— ESPN (@espn) January 29, 2020
Vernon Carey Jr. led Duke with 26 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Au’Diese Toney scored a game-high 27 points for Pittsburgh.
“Love you guys back,” Capel tweeted to a Duke fan after the game. “No offense taken from me! Keep showing up and cheering for your team. They deserve it!”
Duke (17-3) faces Syracuse at 8 p.m. EST Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y. Pittsburgh (13-8) hosts Miami at noon Sunday in Pittsburgh.
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