University of Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel announced the addition of Kyle Cieplicki to his staff, Monday morning. Cieplicki joins the staff following a 10-year tenure at Vermont.
“Kyle has a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the college basketball landscape,” said Capel. “Adding someone with his level of experience to our staff and allowing him to focus on all the recruiting aspects of the job will be beneficial to our entire staff. I have been impressed with his ability to build relationships across the industry and look forward to having him on our team.”
In 10 seasons at the University of Vermont, Cieplicki has helped the Catamounts to nine 20-win seasons, eight postseason berths (NCAA three times, NIT twice, CBI – three times), won four America East Tournament titles (2012, 2017, 2019, and 2020), six America East regular season crowns (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021) and an NCAA Tournament win (2012). The Catamounts posted a 229-96 overall record and a 131-27 mark in America East play at Vermont with Cieplicki on the sidelines.
Cieplicki spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Brown before joining the Vermont staff as the Director of Operations for the 2011-12 season. He was promoted to an assistant coach the following year before being elevated to associate head coach in May of 2015.
Cieplicki, a 2008 graduate from Vermont with a dual degree in English and sociology, was the first three-year captain in the history of the Vermont men’s basketball team. He stepped into the starting lineup as a sophomore and started 82 of 89 games over his final three seasons. He helped lead Vermont to the America East Championship Game three times and an NCAA Tournament appearance as a freshman and the team’s first-ever postseason NIT invite as a junior.
Pitt enters the 2021-22 season returning nine letterwinners and three of its top six scorers from a year ago in guard Ithiel Horton (8.9 ppg.), Nike Sibande (6.9 ppg.) and Femi Odukale (6.6 ppg.). The Panthers also welcome five newcomers, including Jamarius Burton (7.0 ppg. 3.0 rpg., 2.8 apg. in 90 career games), 2021 America East Defensive Player of the Year Mouhamadou Gueye (9.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg., 65 blocks in 2020-21) and Dan Oladapo (12.9 ppg., 8.8 rpg. in 2020-21).
Cieplicki Named Men’s Basketball Chief of Staff at Pitt
