Comments

SO why all the whining about seasons lost and water closets? My favorite whines would include a nice Moselle Riesling Auslese, not MD 20/20. Fine w(h)ine gets only better with age/tenure, good BBall coaches are no different. Less whine… more PATIENCE!

Hootie on 03/26/2011 (10:09 am)

Sooo, lets get down to cases,Demon Deacon World! As a student at Davidson College in the early 80’s, I was encouraged by a young assistant coach to pursue my dream of playing college basketball by none other than Coach B, who was an assistant to Eddie Biedenbach(UNC-Asheville NCAA Tourney etc)and that involved the unpopular idea of playing in Germany. Best advice I ever had ... and around Davidson controversial needless to say since not one single Davidson student had ever studied abroad for 1+ years and graduated as a Chemistry major, much less with honors!

Hootie on 03/26/2011 (9:54 am)

Dsn, reading through this interview leads me to believe Bzdelik has become hypersensitive to criticism.  Would say that is true?

John Sanders on 03/26/2011 (8:16 am)

I’m with you Mark.  They think Joel was empty last year…  It’s time to get a real coach, now.

gt on 03/25/2011 (9:26 pm)

So let me get this right.

With Bezledict as coach, in 4 years (3 more to go), the progam is going to be so good that WFU might just get an NIT bid!

Woo Hoo!  I know I’m ready to go right out and reserve my tickets!

I remember when an NIT bid was considered a sad consolation prize.  Now, apparently, it is something to aspire to!

OMG!

Bill Martin on 03/25/2011 (8:27 pm)

I want to keep this short and sweet but serious.  I mean this in truest sense, is there any way that we as Wake fans, can get our word out to the chancellor and let him know what we want done and that we as fans are not going to put up with Bzdelik’ or Wellman anymore and if they don’t go then we want go to games any more until they are gone?

Mark on 03/25/2011 (3:20 pm)

This fits into a season-long narrative of bungled communication with the media and fans. While the players work hard to get stronger and develop their game this summer, I hope both Ron Wellman and Jeff Bzdelick take time to review their communication approach this season and craft a more effective communication strategy in 2011-12. Throughout this unimaginably difficult year, both Wellman and Bzdelick compounded problems on the court by mishandling the media and failing to effectively communicate with fans. That’s disappointing and surprising for a veteran AD and coach.

TM on 03/25/2011 (7:35 am)

I’m very disappointed in the childishness and immaturity shown by some Wake fans toward our players. They came into an impossible situation with a new coach who had very little experience with winning. That coach also demonstrates his lack of leadership ability by blaming the players for his failures; saying things like “Gary was more like a soph, and Ty a frosh.” And, “Except for Travis the other frosh were not physically or mentally ready to contribute, yet had to.” Wake fans and our coach have acted in a very shameful manner toward and risk hurting the program as their negativity toward our players becomes widely known. Bz will not win the press conference, or any other conference.  But I’m more than convinced that the current “culture” changes will lead to a lack of talent. This means that winning basketball is now a thing of the past for the Deacs. Wake fans, stop activing like a bunch of spoiled divas and grow up. Stop bashing the players at every turn and give them a chance. Throwing away three years of these players lives should not be acceptable to any Wake fan. Those of us who feel otherwise need to stop whining and acting like someone took your shovel in the sandbox.

gt on 03/24/2011 (10:20 pm)

Andy,

What impossible situation?

Heck assume all 10 are Fr. since you have a new coach and a new system.

You have a pair of 7ftrs with 4&5* potential. You have a top 60 combo F with range and power. You have a fearless top 60 SG with range to 30ft who can shoot it up with anybody in the country. You have a top 150 deadeye shooter. You have a savvy combo guard to run the system.

There are 250 coaches in D1 basketball who would drool all over the opportunity to have such an impossible situation and I didn’t even scratch the surface of the potential on this roster. Unfortunately for all of us who love our University (as Brian said, we paid for and EARNED the opportunity to call it ours) neither did Coach Bzdelik.

Impossible situation??? I’d be perfectly willing to take my shot with JT Terrell, Travis McKie and almost any 3 other midmajor caliber players. I’m pretty sure I could be competitive night in and night out in any league in the country.

Joey D on 03/24/2011 (10:06 pm)

Wow. After reading the entire interview I am stunned. Previously, I did not like Bxdelick’s coaching ability. Now, I do not like Bzdelick, the person either. He seems extremely defensive. He continuosly throws his kids under the bus. He seems like some old fuddy-duddy that always complains that nothing is as good today as it was when he was younger. I think if you are a good enough coach, you can get away with that abrasive personality, but we have witnessed that his coaching ability and his personality are a match. To be the guy that influences kids to be a better person, you have to gain their trust and inspire them. You can not browbeat a guy into being a better person and a better player. Certainly you cannot do that without first gaining his respect. I see shades of Matt Doherty here, except without the coaching ability. So sad.

Ken Nowell on 03/24/2011 (6:54 pm)

Nick: What bus? Ron and Bzz ran it off the highway at the beginning of the season and no one has seen it sense then. This guy was a poor choice for a coach. What is this supposed to be Marine Corp. basic training? Let’s be clear. There were many good coaches to choose from and Ron Wellman decided to choose a friend that he could tell what to do and unlike Dino who would give him his opinion whether RW liked it or not this guy just wants a place to retire and will be a yes man to RW. I hope I am wrong, but there has been nothing, nothing that has shown me that this coach knows what he is doing. I am tired of hearing about a certain culture that we didn’t have at Wake before Bzz. Please look at the calendar. This is NOT 1956. We are not all going down to the Soda shop after the game. Young kids today are complex, thinking about the NBA, and come from different areas of the country with different viewpoints. I keep hearing how we should compare Bzz to Coach K. I heard an interview with Coach K recently in which he said that a good coach should not only communicate with his players,  he should talk to them, and above all LISTEN to them. Since we keep losing good players it doesn’t seem that Bzz and his buddy RW believe that listening to players is part of the so called new “Wake Culture”. I have a sickening feeling that next season will be worse. Nothing so far has changed my mind. Nick:  I am going to get me a set of binoculars and see if I can find that lost bus, but until we get a new coach I don’t think anyone can find that bus.

Craig Carter on 03/24/2011 (5:18 pm)

I’m very disappointed in the childishness and immaturity shown by Wake fans toward Bz. He came into an impossible situation with very little experience on the roster. He’s right when he says that Gary was more like a soph, and Ty a frosh. Except for Travis the other frosh were not physically or mentally ready to contribute, yet had to. Wake fans have acted in a very shameful manner toward and risk hurting the program as their negativity toward our Coach becomes widely known. Bz may not win the press conference but I’m more than willing to see if the “culture” changes and an infusion of talent will lead to winning basketball. Wake fans, stop active like a bunch of spoiled divas and grow up. Stop bashing the coach at every turn and give him a chance. If, after three years, it looks like it won’t happen, make a change then. But stop whining and acting like someone took your shovel in the sandbox.

Andy on 03/24/2011 (4:15 pm)

Dan,
Sorry, 28 seconds.  I still think I could come up with about 45 words. Lol

Unmotivated
Sloppy
Diorganized
Unenthusiastic
Nonpassionate
Humiliating…..  just a few hmmm that took 3 seconds. Lol

WinstonMan78 on 03/24/2011 (2:27 pm)

Dan,
Thanks for taking the time and effort to interview Bzz and inform us. It was….............................................Interesting.

Early on I was afraid you weren’t going to ask him his definition of “culture”. Then you did and it is good to know. Bzz appears to really want to do the right thing and build a program that instills pride in the entire Wake Forest community. There is a lot to be said for teaching young men to be responsible good citizens and good basketball players. We will have to see if he can do that.

Jerry on 03/24/2011 (11:59 am)

So far Coach Bzdelik’s public relations skills seem to match his coaching abilities.

Steve on 03/24/2011 (11:48 am)

Country, Perhaps we need to look at this situation from another perspective.

Just asking, but when does Bz’s daughter graduate from WFU?

There is your answer on when Bz will be departing…

The man has never stayed in one place too long and it is time for him to retire!

Tom Willis on 03/24/2011 (11:48 am)

Bz is working his tail off to get this going in the right direction - get behind him or get off the bus.  No one likes a complainer.  He and the team need everyone’s support.

Nick on 03/24/2011 (11:36 am)

Winstonman78, It was actually 28 seconds, but it seemed like 48 seconds. Actually it seemed a lot longer than that.

Dan on 03/24/2011 (11:33 am)

Gary - I think you are spot on that the “right” to be snarly or prickly comes with success and Bz has not, in my mind, achieved that degree of success which gives him such a right. I also think you are right that, to some degree he was not given a completely fair shake by WFU fans this season. On the other hand I don’t think he did or has done anything to help close that gap. The reality is that there are high expectations here. Did he come into a difficult situation? Absolutely - but as he said, his eyes were wide open. Does he have a mandate from RS to change the culture here? Very likely, and I can’t disagree with that. But, if the plan was to break it all down and then build it back up we - the fan base - needed to be briefed on that a little bit more fully. Most of us, I think, are behind the idea of a program with integrity as goal #1 if not #1A. My issue is that neither Bz or RS was transparent about that goal, and now Bz is citing it in a very defensive manner. To take on that type of challenge requires a significant measure of charismatic leadership so that all constituents buy-in. Bz lacks that and at his age I don’t think he is going to change. There are a number of disconnects here and the two men at the center - the ones with the power to close those gaps - are either silent and/or defensive. It might have been unfair for fans to jump on Bz before he had a chance to establish himself - but it might also have been prescient.

Geoff on 03/24/2011 (11:22 am)

I am with you Gary - this takes time & hopefully next year its much better - to Brian - didnt know you were a fair weathered fan - hop off the bus when its not going well - who is the talented player he ran off?? if you are talking Ari man you didnt see what I saw - he became a turnover machine & just wasnt focused - assume in your mind thats Buzz’s issue - question for you - if the roof blows off of Joel during a tornado will that be his fault also??...

Rich on 03/24/2011 (11:20 am)