My Take on Wake - Bzdelik Makes His Case

Bzdelik Makes His Case

Gotta make this fast. My bride and I are stepping out tonight, headed over to Greensboro and meet up with Lenox and friends for a Donna the Buffalo show at the new Blind Tiger. We haven’t seen Donna the Buffalo in two or three years, and it’s about time we did.

But before I shove off, I wanted to get a post up on Jeff Bzdelik, and how he responded to what people are saying about him and the current state of the program. I was at practice at Joel Coliseum when my friend and colleague, Joedy McCreary of the Associated Press dropped by from having attended Ron Wellman’s Fan Forum across the street at Deacon Tower.

McCreary asked Bzdelik an interesting question and I thought the response was worth posting.

McCreary: Ron today said that even from day one he had made it clear to you to take the long view as opposed to worrying about short-term results. How difficult is that to do?

Bzdelik: I’ll tell you what’s difficult to do—you look at my career. It seems like I’ve always been in these kind of situations. When we got to Davidson, Davidson’s record improved. We had gotten there and (Dave) Pritchett had been there and gotten ill, and that program got significantly better. Rick Barnes got the Southern Conference (Assistant Coach) Rookie of the Year and the next year I got the Southern Conference (Assistant Coach) Freshman of the Year. Then we go to Northwestern and in our fourth year there we took Northwestern to the best year they every had – NIT, beat Notre Dame in the first round. For Northwestern, that was significant. We played Notre Dame with Digger Phelps and we beat them and the we had to play DePaul with Mark Aguirre and everybody else, and Bernard Randolph made a shot from halfcourt to beat us. Then I go to UMBC. They were 11-45 Division II and they decided to go Division I. I probably got the job because nobody else wanted it. We wind up winning 10 out our last 12 games my first year – in Division I. I think we were 25-31 my first two years there, and Wes Unseld offers me the job with the Washington Bullets. Doubled my pay, didn’t have to move, (I was at a) independent Division I, where’s my future? But my third year, you look at it, and they won 20 games. Think about that. But people don’t see that on my record. I go to Washington and I go to Miami, we go to the Nuggets. They wanted to tear that down and we have the sixth-best turnaround in NBA history. I go to Air Force and they had won 18 games the year before. We win 50 (in two years), 11th in the nation, NCAA Tournament, all that stuff. I go to Colorado and they’d won only seven games the year before. They were awful. My third year we got 15 wins. Now we’ve got (14), but I’m not there to see it. And people don’t see that on my record. Now I come here and they won 20 games last year. They won 20 games with five seniors, two pros – five of those games in the last minute. Now we come here and I lose Tony Woods and Tony Chennault. My point is, in that big-picture stuff, people look at me and they’re saying `He’s not successful, what has he done?’ If you really look at it, I feel good about where we’ve been and how we’ve left the state of the program after I left. I just never stayed there. That’s on me. Things – I never looked for another job – just kind of happened. Wes Unseld called me up. `Oh, wow! Wes Unseld.’ I’m at Air Force and Colorado calls me up. Coach K was actually the one who put me there. We played them in the finals of the CBE (Tournament) in Kansas City and he goes `I know Colorado is interested in you Jeff.’ He goes `you know, I almost stayed at Army too long.’ He never had great teams there. He said `I almost stayed there too long. You’ve got to go.’ And when a guy like that tells you, it makes you think. And then this school, `Wow!’ And I knew Colorado was going through . . . they weren’t sure if they were going to (stay in) the Big 12. There was talk about the Mountain West Conference. They weren’t sure what they weren’t doing. I’m not crying a river, I’m just trying to explain the big picture. That’s what sometimes I think I struggle with personally, because the tangible evidence of me being able to improve a program and create it to where it’s right isn’t in black and white. You have to go under the surface to see that. So now I’ve become the target. But you know what? I can’t let that bother me, and I really, truly don’t.

I mentioned that it takes a strong man not to.

Bzdelik: You know I just hate to keep explaining myself. But you know what, I’m a human being, and as much as I try. . . and I worry about my son and a daughter. They know. If I had stayed at UMBC another year and you saw 20 wins. If I had stayed at Colorado one more year, and you saw 20 wins, then you go `Cool.’ But I never was able to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.

As for any comments you guys might have, you’ll have to wait until I get home from the show to see them here. But in the meantime, you can entertain yourself with a little of one of my favorite Roots Rock Bands. Donna the Buffalo

Back to the main page.

By Dan Collins on 01/28/2011 (7:20 pm)

Comments

I truly wish that Coach and the Deacs are successful. I am a grad as is my wife. We are die hard Deacon fans. However, I don’t buy this argument. Coach is basically saying look at my teams progress—- after I am gone. So, do we give him credit for Colorado this year when he is coaching Wake? As he says himself “I am not there to see it.” That is like Norm Roberts taking credit for St. John’s success this year under Lavin.

J Yarbrough on 03/11/2011 (9:45 am)

There are 2 separate, but related, events that occurred; Gaudio’s dismissal and Bzdelik’s hiring.

The 800 pound gorilla in the room remains the reason(s) for Gaudio’s dismissal. There may have been excellent reason(s), many of which have been speculated about here and elsewhere, but the answer from Mr. Wellman has been elusive. Mr. Wellman alludes to the basketball “culture” but never fully explains himself, leaving one to wonder what was going on out of public view. If post-season success was truly the reason for the dismissal, than the hire of Bzdelik becomes even more confounding.

The second is the hiring of Bzdelik. The jury is out and will be for at least 2 years. Coach Bzdelik’s record has been examined and extensively commented on but, no matter how you spin it, some coaches win more than others. That is not to say that Coach Bzdelik is not a nice guy or a capable coach, but many fit that description. Finding a great coach, a consistent winner ala those mentioned by Mr. Wellman, is more difficult and likely more costly.

One thing to remember is that even great coaches, with the exception of Mr. Wooden, do not win it all every year, including Coaches Knight, Smith, Krzyzewski, Thompson, etc. But the teams of those coaches typically remain competitive, tough opponents, even in “down” years as the coach finds a way to maximize the talents of each individual to create a team that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Larry on 01/30/2011 (12:16 pm)

Steve, you are the worst kind of fan. Unproductive and negative. You bring zero insight into the conversation. Give the coach a chance, he’s working his butt off to give us a winner.
Go Deacs!!

blake on 01/30/2011 (10:43 am)

Tell you what coach. Resign today and we’ll hire a real coach. Then give you the credit for rebuilding our program.

Steve on 01/29/2011 (6:44 pm)

Alrighty… he makes some good points and I’m all for us whiner fans to embrace the reality that is he is here for the next 4 years and let’s help him build it into 20 year career at WFU where we all look back and say “he rebuilt our program”

Lee Jackson on 01/29/2011 (4:25 pm)

I am just so tired of the excuses, and the “history” of coach Bz’s career. I’m just not sure of someone who changes coaching jobs every 2-3 years. Maybe younger coaches like Brad Brownell at Clemson could fit that mold, but not someone over 55 years old. What I really wish is if we could know what Jeff Battle and Rusty are thinking about this whole mess. Have they drank the cool-aid? Will they be around next year? That might go a long way to give us fans a real insight into Wake Basketball than having to hear it from our completely out of touch Athletic Dir.

dano on 01/29/2011 (3:20 pm)

Let’s all chill out and give this coach some time to show what he can do. Wellman is going to give hime 3 or 4 years, so we should all quit all of the negativity and support the Deacs.

Moreover,has WFU ever hired a great coach from another school in basketball? Tacy came from a junior college. Staak and Prosser came from Xavier. Odom was an assistant at UVA who had a losing record at ECU. And why do we expect to be in the top of the ACC? Prosser let us fall completely to the bottom of the conference before rebuilding—just before his death. We missed the NCAA for 3 straight years with Odom after Tim Duncan graduated ( we did win the NIT).

Wake Forest has a good basketball tradition, and this season is unacceptable, but we will rise again.

john gardner on 01/29/2011 (1:37 pm)

I find this to be strange and sad that Coach Bzdelik feels the need to defend himself like this. It is truly a sign that all Wake Forest fans need to step back from the ledge. This guy seems well-respected in basketball circles, but is still getting completely disrespected by anonymous fans on a message board, such that he is now wasting his and our time with these defenses of his resume. Everybody needs to back off and give the guy a chance, a REAL chance, with a whole team, to see what he can do.

Amy on 01/29/2011 (10:42 am)

Mr. Wellman, what is your long range plan? I’m asking you because Coach Bzdelik doesn’t seem to have one. By his own admission, he never stays in one place long enough to follow through on anything. Two or three years from now Wake Forest might win 15 games and Coach Bzdelik will be somewhere else bragging about how he brought the Wake Forest basketball program up to speed.

Every time Coach Bzdelik opens his mouth it just gets worse.

George Spencer on 01/29/2011 (10:31 am)

Wow, what kind of history do we remember about ourselves ? lets take a deep breath, look at our history and all those NCAA seeds over the last 25 or 30 years and the average is a three seed ? I don’t think so.

We unfortunately have yet to build a consistent winner. when, if, who, how, ? ? please soon !

I want to think winning is a birth right, run up scores on opponents, have others complain about refs favoring us, stop being everyones second favorite team, feign concern about other teams woes, and have other teams fans think we are arrogant because we always win. Now is that to much to ask.

The current problems could be seen coming down the road ( in hindsight - of course ) and getting out of this train wreck is going to take time and work. lets deal with it. (yeah, I have been around longer than most of you)

and Dan, thanks again for keeping this going.

Paul on 01/29/2011 (9:32 am)

I think it was Oscar Wilde who wrote, “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” If only we could recapture the past. I have tried several of those medications that make a man virile again but they have not worked either. So now both I and the good coach can find solace in our past performance. Go Deacs!

Swifty on 01/29/2011 (9:04 am)

Heard an interesting take from Tim Brando on Friday. He said that Wellman did Bzdelik a disservice by bringing him in this year to coach this train wreck. This year’s team was Dino’s responsibility and that he should have been at Wake to deal with the consequences. That way, no one would have questioned Wellman when the ax fell and he brought in someone known for rebuilding programs.

dtfix on 01/29/2011 (8:30 am)

I hope Bzdelik’s arm is not sore from patting himself on the back for his mediocre record. All we need to do is get him some sneakers and a cardigan sweater and we will be in Mr.(Rogers) Bzdelik’s neighborhood. Come on boys lets play some basketball it is fun.

ED on 01/29/2011 (6:35 am)

This is neither a criticism or praise.Of our recent NBA guys,Johnson just got sent down to the D-NBA minor league team;Ish was sent down for a week, just got back,has played 1 minute; Teague’s gone 1-13 shooting in sparse minutes the last 5 games(he’s had a recent hand injury).Aminu’s getting about 22 minutes, a little over 6 minutes a game, but Blake Griffin is all the Clipper rage.Ish is by far the lowest paid player on Houston, but by golly he made the team and I’m proud of him. By the way, LD Williams won the D-NBA slam dunk contest(yes he did),but has since then had his nose broken & is not listed on the Springfield Armor roster;both he & our beloved (& I am sincere)big Chas McFarland, play on that team, both starting,both doing well.Chas is out with an ankle injury for a short time, but LD I don’t know-he was scoring some points,playing good defense until his injury, then they brought down a NBA guy, so I don’t when LD will be put back on. Just thought I would give you all an update on our guys. PS, the inside news is that Timmy Duncan will probably make the reserves on the NBA all-stars,but Stern may have to appoint him to take Yao’s place.Tim deserves it.

memphisslim on 01/29/2011 (6:30 am)

Dan,

As always I really appreciate your honest reporting.

I was truly on Coach Bzdelik bandwagon and I trusted Ron Wellman, but this week has really, really hurt my opinion of both. Coach “Buzz” truly lives in the past. And I mean he mentions it EVERY interview. But the sad thing is he needs to quit being so cocky about his MEDIOCRE past. He truly comes off as a mean, angry, cocky man with “little man” syndrome. He has ZERO past of “rebuilding” a team. He continually brings up Air Force and Colorado as his PRIDE teams he “rebuilt”. Well, Sorry coach buzz, but we are used to winning and not I do not mean winning a few games. Colorado and Air Force will barely make the NCAA tourney this year. Coach, we are used to competing for a top 3 seed and competing for an ACC championship, not just winning a few games. Please quit using your pretty terrible past “records” as a focal point you comparing yourself to coach K. Grow up and move on to you next “project”. I heard UNCG needs a new coach to bring them a new culture.

Bill on 01/29/2011 (12:42 am)

Dan,

You’re right. Bzdelik’s response was certainly an interesting answer to some question - but it wasn’t really an answer to McCreary’s question, was it?

Given the team’s struggles and the criticism that he has faced as a result of it, I don’t blame Coach Bzdelik for feeling the need to explain himself. But the fact of the matter is that McCreary did not ask Bzdelik to recite his resume. And even if McCreary did ask Bzdelik to explain himself, Bzdelik does no good by obliging. It is much better to focus on being positive and reminding these players that they are talented and that they can win if they keep buying into what he is teaching them.

You know Bzdelik won’t have to explain himself? When we win.

DC on 01/28/2011 (11:16 pm)

You know what i hate? The fact that Bzzz didn’t get the chance to stay at Colorado this year and the next year and the next year…. The neat thing is that in three years Bzzz will move on down the road and Wake will return to its’ winning ways and Bzzz will be saying, “See, if I would have just stayed at Wake…. Yea, right Bzzz keep dreaming.

Wakemeup on 01/28/2011 (10:43 pm)

Good answer, Jeff. It seems that right when you’ve been in one place to see significant change, another school snaps you up because you are a catalyst coach. As a long time Wake fan, I’m sticking by you. You truly have never been at a school long enough to see quantitative results, because again, other schools saw your value.
I believe in our school, in our program, and in our history. I believe in our city, and I believe in the idea of faith, which is totally counterintuitive to the immediacy of American consumerism. As a former player, I can see the difficulty of your situation. If I were a coach in your situation (a position that I think more individuals on this board need to metaphorically take), I know I would not fare any better.
We have to deal with the hand we are dealt, because no amount of whining or complaining is going to change anything. The most positive thing we can do is support our team, and be actual fans.
Go Deacs, and Go Winston-Salem!

Clark on 01/28/2011 (9:51 pm)

Dan,

Thanks. All Wake fans need to read this.

The really good of all this “trial and tribulation” and impatient world is that it can’t get any worse in Deacon Basketball. So, let’s keep “hope alive.” The “sun shall rise tomorrow.”
Peace.
Bobby

bobby h griffin on 01/28/2011 (9:12 pm)