Jeff Capel has been around basketball long enough that it’s inevitable he‘ll often compete against friends and rivals.

That will be the case Wednesday, when Pitt (1-1) meets Michigan (2-0) in the first round of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The relationship between Capel and Michigan coach Juwan Howard stretches to the 1990s, when they competed as players. Capel was a Duke guard, and Howard was a member of the Wolverines’ legendary Fab Five, assembled as a team in 1991 and considered one of the greatest recruiting classes of all-time.

Howard was the first to be recruited by coach Steve Fisher, and he helped lure Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson to Michigan.

“I was a fan of the Fab Five,” Capel said. “I think every young Black kid was at the time. You wanted to be like them, just what they meant, for fashion, for cred.”

But the relationship goes beyond Capel’s fandom.

The day in 2019 when Howard was set to interview for the Michigan job, he called Capel for advice. Not only did they gain respect for each other as players, but they became even closer when Howard played for the Charlotte Bobcats, for whom Capel’s dad, Jeff II, was an assistant coach.

Obviously, the interview went exceptionally well for Howard, who is starting his fourth season as coach at Michigan. With a 63-32 record, he is only the second Wolverines coach to win more than 60 games in the first three years of his career. He joins Fisher on that exclusive list.

“He’s at a place where he bled,” Capel said. “He gave a lot to that program and meant a lot to that program. I know how much that jersey meant to him, that program means to him, that university means to him. It’s pretty cool to see it.”

Howard has led the Wolverines into the past two NCAA Tournament Sweet 16s, advancing to the Elite 8 in 2021 after Michigan won the Big Ten regular-season title with a 14-3 record. Howard has led the Wolverines to three consecutive seasons of 10-plus conference victories. Overall, that streak sits at seven in a row, including 10 of the past 11 seasons.

“They get good players, and they develop them,” Capel said.

Howard has an even bigger stake in his program with his sons, Jett and Jace, playing for their dad. Capel was impressed when he was watching Michigan video and he saw Jett, the freshman who has scored 30 points while averaging 32.2 minutes in two games, passing to his brother Jace, a junior, who hit a 3-pointer.

”I just can’t imagine how cool that is, as a father, to be a part of that,” Capel said. “I have a lot of respect for him and a lot of respect for that program.”

Busy time of year

The next two weeks won’t be easy for Capel and his players to navigate. Starting on Wednesday, Pitt will play six games in 13 days, including three away from Petersen Events Center. How will he keep his players fresh?

“I go by feel,” said Capel, noting he will monitor activity at practice. “The guys who play a lot of minutes, you try to keep them off their feet. The guys who haven’t played a lot of minutes, you try to get them workouts, so when they do get in there, their cardio is still up. It’s easy to get out of shape.”

He said playing so many games in a short period is good for the experience players gain, but it’s difficult to find time to practice, given NCAA restrictions.

After that stretch of games, Pitt opens ACC play Dec. 2 at N.C. State, with two more conference games (Syracuse and North Carolina) scheduled before the end of the calendar year.

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