Wake Forest freshman Kevin Jordan needed a kidney. Jordan’s coach, Tom Walter, offered one of his.

The procedure took place Feb. 7 and was successful. Doctors said both Jordan and Walter are expected to make complete recoveries.

While this action may surprise a lot of fans, it didn’t surprise OU men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel.

“It’s not something that necessarily surprises me,” Capel said. “I think that when you have the kind of relationships we as coaches share with the student-athletes, you really do consider them family.”

Walter’s act of love brought memories back for Capel and the relationships he had with his coaches, especially his high school coach.

“He was like a family member,” Capel said. “I used to say he was like my second dad.”

Capel said he is still close with many of his coaches from his playing days.

The overall perception of college basketball coaches is not good, Capel said — many fans see coaches as money-hungry men who will try to win no matter what the cost.

“That’s why I think this story needs to be celebrated because it’s one of the many good stories about coaches doing things to help people,” Capel said.

Another great story came during last year’s Final Four.

West Virginia senior forward DeSean Butler went down with a knee injury in the second half of the Mountaineers’ game against Duke, writhing in agony on the court.

WVU coach Bob Huggins, long know for being a tough and fiery coach, went out on the court to comfort Butler.

Huggins got down on the court, cradled Butler’s head in his arms and put his face inches from the player’s, whispering the entire time.

No one could tell what he said, but that didn’t matter. It was a moving example of a coach that cared for his players.

Capel said he wasn’t sure he would go as far as Walter and donate a kidney to one of his players.

“I have two young kids at home, a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old,” Capel said. “It would depend on the situation.”

Although players and coaches can practically become family because of the depth of the relationship they share, Capel said no player could ever come close to the level of affection he has for his two girls, Cameron and Sydney.

“You have a relationship with [players] as early as 15, 16 years old,” Capel said. “I know for me, I want to help use the lessons that I’ve learned throughout my life to help them become better people.

“But being a father now — nothing compares to that.”