Comments

When Bzdelik took over this team we knew that he was fighting an uphill battle. With the losses of LD, Al-Farouq, Ish and Mcfarland Bzdelik was looking at a young team with not many minutes under their belt.  The biggest problem I have with the Wake Forest basketball operations is that there seems to be little to no discipline for the players that have come under Bzdelik.  Losing Tony Woods to an assault charge, Ari Stewart to transferring, Melvin Tabb to discipline issues, and JT Terrell to a DUI.  Not to mention Ty Walker being suspended first semester to discipline related issues.  If Bzdelik really wants to make these promises for the future he needs to make sure he can get players who realize the privilege they are being given by receiving an education at an outstanding University paid for in exchange for their talents on the court.  If Bzdelik and Wake Forest Basketball operations cannot get a hold on their players then the future will not only be dim in fact it will be non-existent.

DeacStudent on 01/20/2012 (12:42 am)

I’m a HUGE Wake Forest fan from the Mountains of North Carolina.  I have always loved the deacs and especially the glory days of being a young boy watching R. Childress.  Several of my friends and I went to the NC State game on Saturday. I have never been so frustrated from watching a basketball game.  It was pathetic!! It just seems that Buzz has NO PASSION for winning.  I can’t stand it.  The players was not playing hard, not rebounding, not boxing out(THE FUNDAMENTALS).  I, along with people in our section would have loved for Buzz to have called a timeout during the game and just raked some of the players over the coals for their effort… But to be honest, ITS OUR COACH, that is why he don’t get excited about the players efforts on the court.  He has no energy and passion for the game and as a by product our players don’t either.. I’m disgusted with the coach and the effort of the players!  My friends and I will no longer make the effort to come watch something has lame as what was put out on the floor Saturday.. It was truly sad to watch and I love the Deacs… Win, Lose or Draw please just bring passion to the court and people will respond and support you!!! But to be honest, Buzz don’t have that kind of passion in him for coaching.  Give me a coach that screams and demands basics of basketball.. I could just keep on going but I will stop.. Still love the Deacs and love reading your blogs.  However, one last thing, I think the people at the games need to be louder about the effort they’re seeing on the court… I was very loud in making my plea for more of an effort from THE COACHING STAFF…

kevin mabe on 01/19/2012 (10:21 pm)

Here is an example of a good basketball coach that probably would have loved the opportunity to coach at Wake: Todd Lee, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Kentucky Wesleyan. Here is his record: 
2010 NABC Midwest Region Coach of the Year
2008 Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year 2008 Division II Bulletin Coach of the Month - January. In the past four seasons, his teams have produced 91 wins in 123 games (24-2008, 19-2009, 29-2010, 19-2011) for an average of 22.8 wins and a 73.9 winning percentage. But of course Ron Wellman went out and got Bzzz. Looking over the internet after Bzzz was hired there were so many negative comments on why he was hired. Most of the comments were were why was this person hired and who is he?

Craig Carter on 01/19/2012 (4:53 pm)

John Goodson, WRAL posted an interview with Coach Bzdelik today; “Bzdelik, Deacons searching for answers.”

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke/story/10613737/

2 quotes were of particular interest: “Bzdelik said one player told him the players got wrapped up in individual performances and did not play together,” “Bzdelik offered a bit of encouragement to Deacon fans, ‘We’re 10-7 overall, 1-2 in the league. We’re getting better, We got a great recruiting class coming in, so we feel great about where we’re headed.’”

The first quote tells me he has lost total control of his team.  The second quote is another excuse ... wait until next year.

When is Bz going to accept the blame for the downfall of the DEACS?

DTuttle on 01/18/2012 (10:27 pm)

I really don’t know what to say about the NCSU game. Bzdelik is an awful coach who has contributed to the ruining of our basketball program. But make no mistake Bzdelik is Ron Wellmans’s choice. Mr. Wellman made it clear from the begining of this coaching hire that he did not care about anyone giving him input he was going out and hire a coach who had a lifetime winning average of .350. There have been two decisions that Wellman has made that has destroyed the Wake basketball program. The first was hiring Dino Gaudio as coach (he should have been hired as interium coach until a decent coach was hired). The second was hiring Bzdelik as coach. Wellman should take responsiblity for these decisions. Fans have to ask themselves if the administration at Wake cares that little about the quality of the Wake Forest Basketball program then why should the average Wake fan continue to support and attend Wake home games? The best thing that could ever happen to Wake Forest basketball at the end of the season is for Wellman and Bzdelik to be fired. One can only hope that this happens.

Craig Carter on 01/17/2012 (12:16 pm)

What are the terms for BZZZZZ contract at Wake? How many more years must we put up with him? How many years left on the buy out of Dino’s contract? No way wellman will absorb the remainder of Bzzzz and Dino’s contract and pay a new coach’s too.

We’re basically screwed and it will take many years to recover from this fiasco once Wake is able to hire a competent coach.

AV8R on 01/17/2012 (11:11 am)

My guess is that I have been a Deac fan for longer than most on this board (first game I attended was 1953). Based on that experience I think there are clearly some Wake fans out there with totally unreasonable expectations…especially as regards football. There have been incredible changes in the college sports landscape over the last five decades none of which have made it any easier for a school like Wake Forest. For most of that time we struggled to be remotely comepetitive. Coach Grobe has made us competitive for the vast majority of his tenure. Should we make some adjustments to become even better?...absolutely but to suggest that Jim Grobe is a problem is lunacy and flies in the face of reality.

Basketball is another thing all together. While there has been some pretty abismal years for the most part Wake has been highly competitive and should be. It takes a limited number of quality kids to be successful in basketball unlike football. We don’t have to recruit “knot heads” to be successful which apparently the former administration didn’t appreciate. We have great faciities and until recently played in the best basketball conference in the country (my real complaint with Wellman is conference expansion…but I too have to accept reality). For those kids/parents who are actually interested in a quality education we have something very special to offer and for those who can see no further than the jump to the “next level” we have a pretty good cadre of ex players who did ok in the NBA.

My concern is not whether we win 12 or 13 games this year it is the health and direction of the program going forward. From the end of the bench to the empty upper tier of LJMC what I don’t see is passion. What I do see and for the first time in my life as a Deacon what I feel is apathy…and that is deadly. What little enthusiasm I had went out of me with the NC State debacle….if that was “us against the world” the world kicked our butts.

Unlike a lot of people I don’t buy the “Ron hired his buddy” theory and I really wanted to give Buzz a chance but at this point it is apparent that as the old saying goes….“when you are in a hole, the first thing you do is stop digging!” I don’t know what the contracutal or financial implications are in making a change now but Mr. Wellman or somebody needs to figure it out before the prgram is totally DOA.

Deacon23 on 01/17/2012 (11:08 am)

I simply can’t agree with the people calling for Wellman’s firing or Grobe’s firing for that matter.  Those two men have a history of success and achievement at WF.  If a mistake was made by Wellman, give him a chance to rectify it.  I believe he has earned that.  I believe Wellman thought that Bzdelick would bring a patient,disciplined type of game to the Deacs; one that would allow us to beat athletically superior opponents on those nights when we faced a Duke, a Syracuse or a NC.  I can’t fault him if that was his reasoning.  I am as upset as the next in regard to the basketball team’s performance, but I’m trying to be pragmatic.  Being a practical person, I also know that this is what we have for at least another season.  Wellman isn’t going to fire Bzdelick and WF won’t spend the money for another buyout.  I believe my entertainment dollars spent on two season tickets to the BB games was wasted this year.  However, the donation I make to the Deacon Club along with my season tickets to FB games is a show of faith.  That faith only wavers in regard to the BB program.  I don’t even want to think about my decision when it is time to renew BB tickets after being a season ticket holder since 1988.  I truly hope that this team gives me some hope for the future.

Jim on 01/17/2012 (9:36 am)

It is time to make a change with the athletic department. The basketball team and the football team together are beyond pathetic. The nature of the basketball and football records is no longer acceptable. I look forward to the day when Ron Wellman, Jeff Bzdelik and Jim Grobe are no longer employed by Wake Forest.

Chris on 01/16/2012 (10:43 pm)

A woman in the stands Saturday told an NC State fan the DEACS would do much better the next game ... the players were just tired from the Maryland game.

I guess she didn’t realize the DEACS play AT Duke Thursday.

If you thought the NC State game was bad wait until Thursday. Duke will show no mercy.

DTuttle on 01/16/2012 (8:17 pm)

Each time I read that one of our football recruits has taken his official campus visit and attended a WF basketball game I cringe. What must they think of our athletic program when they see this disaster of a hoops team and an atmosphere at the Joel akin to a funeral? Wellman, son, you blew it when you hired Buz…put your ego aside and fire him now. It’s going to take you years to get the fan and donor base back so you might as well get started.

Class of 1977 on 01/16/2012 (7:45 pm)

I had a strong feelings that the positive comments that Wake fans were making after the Virginia Tech. win were premature. I wanted to say so, but hesitated becauthe mood and the direction of the team at the time seemed to be moving in a positive direction. However, in my heart I knew that this was just a momentary bump in Wake’s inevitable downward spiral. I don’t think there is even a remote chance that Wake, under coach Bzdelik, can win another game.
If changes aren’t made immediately, and I mean a coaching change this week—and possibly an AD change this week—I feel that the atlhetic program is going to lose 75-80% of its fan and financial support. 
    I have been following this team since 1972 and agree with many of the other bloggers that this is absolutely the worst team that I have ever seen playing ACC basketball.  They are even worse than a YMCA pick-up game, which is a shame because they DO have talent.  However, I see no passion from the head coach or his coaching assistants, which inevitably affects the passion of the players. 
    Finally, I feel like many others…that this team, as it is presently performing, is not worth watching.  Please—make the necessary changes this week to get a new coach.  And if the AD isn’t on board, I feel that he should be given his walking papers, as well.

Charles Carter on 01/16/2012 (1:09 pm)

Did you see the look on Bzdeliks face sitting on the bench after the NCS game? It was pitiful and hard to watch. He looked like a little kid that lost his toy! I lisitened to the post game talk and that told me a lot about his lack of abilities. Couldn’t believe that a head coach would present such a negative atmosphere with no promise for the future. This year is going to prove what a big mistake Wellman made by being so narrow minded in his coach selection. How does he get away with things like this?

sam on 01/16/2012 (12:45 pm)

Buz seems to have zero passion and no emotion.  Why is he still our coach?  We are getting worse, not any better under him.  Our offense looks like what I see weekends at the YMCA and I do not see any hope for improvement with him at the helm.  Wellman needs to step up, admit it was a wrong hire and get the program on the uptick again.

Robinson on 01/16/2012 (11:00 am)

What a birthday present!

2 tickets to NC State vs Wake Forest;

$124.00 ($80.00, $37.00 shipping / handling, $7.00 parking);

Waste of time and money!

The game was essentially over at 11-4. No leadership from players or Bz, no intensity, Chennault forgot McKie was on the floor, no rebounding, and Fisher “terrific 3-point shooter with deep range” a non-threat for the season.

And Bz didn’t even put up a fight to defend McKie. You think Coach K or Roy Williams wouldn’t have been livid - even to the point of getting ejected himself!

Buz Out!!!!!!!

DTuttle on 01/15/2012 (10:39 pm)

I think it’s time for the powers to be at Wake Forest take a hard,honest look at the basketball situation. Cannot think of any other major basketball college letting this continue. Wellman should be put on the carpet for his and his alone decision to replace Dino(or any other coch) without interviewing any other coaches.I thought he was wrong from the start but he made the deal etc. Wake fans deserve much.much better from their AD.

jack on 01/15/2012 (6:50 pm)

It seems that Bzdelik cannot get the team working tgether.  It is interesting that the four new coaches in the ACC are doing pretty, especially the NCS coach.  I don’t get anyone, (Wellman) feels that a mistake was made in hiring Bzdelik.  I know the players must be getting frustrated by not receing the coaching that WFU is acustomed to. 

I for one am losing my patience with Wellman and Bzdelik and may expect a miracle in getting rid of them both and moving on.

patrick price on 01/15/2012 (6:20 pm)

Off hand- he looks and acts like he could care less- no surprise there…...

Kathy Southern on 01/15/2012 (5:21 pm)