Comments

Hopefully the Wake basketball season is almost over.  It has been one big disaster no matter how you try to analze their performance.I think they improved very little from start to finish.  Where was the great coaching etc?  Wellman went with a gut feeling and he was proven wrong.  I feel very sorry for Wake fans that are faced with this type of thinking.
Too much is involved to just make quick decisions that have such lasting devastating results.  Show me another major college that picked a coach using the same parameters?  Poor Thinking.

grumpy on 03/04/2011 (5:01 pm)

If we had five players that played with the intensity and “smarts” of McKie, we would be winning some games. I do not understand why no one else goes to the boards on shots. It is like once our shot goes up, it is a mad race down the court. To me, this is a coaching issue. I would also say that the player that has shown the most progress this year is Terrell. He is playing much more under control, makes mostly very good assists and has played much better defense than earlier in the year. One of the most disappointing players is Ari. I watched him after one of his attempted three pointers—it rebounded long, the FSU player caught it and was at least four steps up the court BEFORE ARI MADE ONE STEP FROM WHERE HE LAUNCHED THE SHOT! I think what happened Saturday in second half was the age old WFU problem of getting a “big head” and thinking we’ve got this game and not going all out.
I too am not pleased with Buzz’s comments at times. It is like he is talking about professional players but those who say he does not get involved during the games have not observed his demeanor while the play is going. He is not a screamer a la coach K and Roy but he is obviously steamed. I suspect he may leave some of that to the assistant. I have seen Rusty go nose to nose with some of the players.

David on 02/21/2011 (1:55 pm)

Thought some in the “Gallery” may want to read about some big bodies and where they will be going…Even UNC, Md. & Ky. missed on this catch…only to be landed by Bobby Cremins @ CoC…LOL!

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/feb/21/c-of-c-felt-like-home-star-says/

Tom on 02/21/2011 (10:56 am)

Nice research Memphisslim…Appreciate the efforts you are making to bring us the TRUTH about Coach Bz!!! Keep it coming!

Tom on 02/21/2011 (10:47 am)

So, the Coach takes no responsibility in how his team performs? Any surprise there? Blame the players that left early, or blame Beezeldick. In my opinion, the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Ron Wellman. Had he not jobbed Gaudio, I suspect that Wake would have been at least respectable this year. As it is, Wake has become the laughing stock of not only the ACC, but of the entire basketball nation. So far we have fallen. Nice job Mr. AD! If your objective was to “kill” Wake basketball for many years to come, I would say that you performed flawlessly. Nice job hiring your pal as Coach too. Hope you don’t have any more “pals” that coach other sports, such as football, baseball, girls’ filed hockey, etc.

Ferd Fisher on 02/21/2011 (8:45 am)

In following up on Coach B’s Denver Nugget coaching stint,the team did have a huge turnaround his 2nd season & made the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony was drafted by the team that year, which help explains the turnaround. The team’s making the playoffs triggered an automatic $1.5M clause in Coach B’s contract for the next year, but the GM would not give him a contract extension, per ESPN.com. According to a report dated 12-29-04, after 13-15 start, he was released, but had hurt his cause by making post game critical comments about his players by questioning whether they were in shape & having said on numerous occasions that they weren’t giving full effort.
This reminds me of his post game comments about our players except in Denver, he was talking about grown men,millionaires playing ball for a living, & here he is talking about kids, student athletes.
But there is a pattern here. A 11-10-2004 ESPN.com article states that he had lost control of the team, which was evident from the players’ body language; they were not playing defense, their offense was stagnant & they were just standing around. Melo Anthony was on this team, in his second year. A month later, the GM let Coach B go, but he still got his $1.5M per his contract, per ESPN.com.
Here we are over six years later & we may ask ourselves: has history repeated itself.

memphisslim on 02/21/2011 (3:52 am)

I also wish to correct myself: Coach Battle did not coach at Central Catholic H.S. Several of Skip’s guys did. Battle was at Loyola (MD)as were some other of Skip’s guys.

memphisslim on 02/20/2011 (10:07 pm)

I forgot that Walt Corbean, Director of Basketball Operations, is another Xavier guy. So we still have two X men. Dan, you are exactly right about the muscle needed inside.But State’s Leslie weighs about 206 lbs,hits the boards,gets rebounds,is an inside presence;then Chapel Hill has Henson,whose build is not unlike that of Ty;he is a definite inside scorer & rebounder, & like Ty,a shot blocker. We haven’t been using the resources we have.Tabb was a big body guy,but he didn’t work out. The other teams do not abandon the boards after only one shot, but hang around the goal to try to get a follow up rebound or tip in. We do not. And except for McKie, we do not really try to establish any inside game, except for our guards’ drives to the baskets. As our coach has pointed out, we need to be more physical, but we are not, & the season is about over. Whose fault this is, I do not know.
But I do not like that the coach in his post game radio interviews criticizes the players’ physical,mental or emotional state as the problem. They have already been beaten on the court & unfortunately, badly. They do not need another public beating by their coach, who has stated he does not know what to do about it.
In review of some articles at ESPN.com, he stated last year, that he inherits jobs that no one else wanted(8-31-10)but the writer points out that the Wake job cannot be described as a crummy job. The writer queries whether the hire was a “fool’s folly or pure genius”?
Also, on ESPN.Com, our coach described the Wake job as his “dream job”. We all had hoped it would work out that way. Each game we hope is another chance for a dream rather than a nightmare.

memphisslim on 02/20/2011 (9:56 pm)

I’m tired of the coaches and players giving the same stuff after a loss. Don’t want to hear it! This team is talented outside but greatly lacking inside and until the coaching staff makes offers to every available big man and 1 or 2 sign, it’s going to be the same! I have very little hope for next year unless….

Ken Green on 02/20/2011 (1:14 pm)

Charles, you’re astute to identify inside size and muscle as one of the essential missing elements of this team. I don’t see Wake making any splash in the ACC until it can better handle the guys like Tracy Smith and Reggie Johnson and Bernard James. Daniel Green, the one who has committed, is an intriguing player. He’s not ranked, but he’s still growing. He’s also a martial arts devotee and the son of a military man. I’m really anxious for him to show up this summer. Otherwise, the Deacons are still after Desmond Hubert, a pretty highly coveted 6-9 center out of Jersey. And it appears they’ve also offered Lekan Ajayi, a 6-10 center from the same local school (Quality Education Academy) where guard recruit Anthony Fields plays. But the need for size and muscle is the most pressing I can see.

Dan on 02/20/2011 (1:06 pm)

Hey Dan - I guess I’m in the minority since I think that the problem still lies with the players.  I just don’t think this is a very talented team, and I think it is more than the fact that they are immature.  Kentucky’s team was immature last year but were a pretty good team nonetheless.  Talent will quickly help a team overcome immaturity.  I think it is hard to judge Coach Bzdelik’s ability right now because this is such an unathletic team.  (Coach B wasn’t the one making all of the foolish turnovers immediately after halftime.)  I’m not saying that they are completely devoid of talent, but I am saying that they are not nearly as good as the high school scouts surmised.  Not to beat a dead horse, but this are Coach Gaudio’s recruits and not Coach Bzdelik’s.  In fact, Coach Gaudio was basically playing with Coach Prosser’s team until he was fired.  (All of the players who got significant playing time, with the exceptions of C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart, were recruited by Coach Prosser.)  Even Gary Clark and Ty Walker are Prosser recruits!  I think everyone was so high on C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart last year because the other teams were so focused on all of the other talented Wake players on the court at the time.  Now that they are on their own they don’t look as good as they did when receiving passes from Ish Smith or getting defensive stops from L.D. Williams or having open looks when Al-Farouq Aminu was double-teamed.  So I don’t foresee Wake Forest basketball getting better regardless of who the coach is until some new players come in and elevate the talent level of the squad - and that could be a while.

Matt on 02/20/2011 (9:39 am)

Dan,
Signing day is over, but is WF in the running for any mystery big men recruits still somehow available for next season?  All I have heard about is one 6-9 guy from Texas who is not a top 100 player.  Any JC transfers?  Any help from anywhere?  I think the guards should be in better shape next year but except for McKie hard to see how the front court will compete, again.  Any news on the recruiting front?

Charles on 02/20/2011 (9:24 am)

my bottom line is this group just isnt as talented as ESPN & all others predicted - look Aminu skipping town was huge & personally I didnt think he was that good to go pro & I still dont - Woods was expected to be the main stay center all along & Wake made the proper decision & I am proud of that to toss his butt out of this school - Ty is Ty - he basicially will you give you NO offense & when he shoots I actually cringe - sure he can block shots & when he doesnt he is way out of position - but I agree with most post’s here, players are just out of there normal positions - but here is what I would like to see just 1 game - everyone giving the effort that Travis does - we would be wayyyyy better off - he plays hard - works hard - you can see his competiveness -his desire - he is a winner & I am not sure who else is on this team at this point !

Rich on 02/20/2011 (8:46 am)

My two young daughters and I have a little tradition on Deacon game day. I say to them, “Deacons or Wolfpack?” or “Deacons or Tigers?”, playfully asking them to pick the winner. They have no idea about odds, but know how much I care about the Deacs so they are used to always saying, “Deacons Daddy!” Yesterday we did the same routine but momentarily I forgot who we were playing. Their response was, “It doesn’t matter. Whoever the Deacons are playing is going to win.” From the mouth of babes…

Class of 1977 on 02/20/2011 (7:34 am)

THE ARRIVAL OF THE X MEN:The first time was Bob Staak,unfortunate,86-89,then Dave Odom, who after one losing season,had the longest streak of winning seasons in Wake history, 11 years, from 1991 through 2001, we had winning seasons every year. Yet it was not enough to satisfy some, post-Duncan,3 straight NIT appearances, 1 NIT championship,1 last NCAA appearance ending in the Butler game,in 2001,final AP rank of 23, but then there was the disappearance of Dave & the arrival of a new group of X men: Skip Prosser, Dino, Coach Battle, Chris Mack, Pat Kelsey, Dave Wojcik.4 straight 20 plus win seasons, high rankings. Only 1 losing season since 1991, in 2007,15-16, then Skip died in 2007. Chris Mack had gone back to Xavier & in ‘09 Kelsey joined him. Then we know what happened to Dino and Dave Wojcik in 2010(Wojcik is an asst. at Boise State now). The only connection with Xavier is Battle and the banner of Skip which hangs over his head on the bench. Chris Mack & his X men had a deep run last year in the NCAA’s & have won 19 this yr.We have the Xavier-Wake match up for a few more years at least & the only connections are the ones I have mentioned, plus Dino watching in the stands as he did this year.The first X connection with Staak failed;the second one with Skip succeeded, except for this year, when we are no longer in their class to compete with the X men. Still it exists in memory. Unfortunately, this year, our current coach looked strangely out of place, as though he did not belong, as though he had shown up at a party to which he had not really been invited.
But the connection goes back even further, goes back to a Catholic High School where Skip,Gaudio,Battle & some of the other X men coached, had humble beginnings in coaching,then to Xavier, then followed Skip to Wake,& two went back to Xavier, Mack & Kelsey.
We cannot deny that these X men brought us thrills, filled Joel, that Joel rocked, a Deacon on a motorcycle appeared, two number one rankings,upsets over Duke & Chapel Hill, NCAA appearances, competitive games,fierce rebounding, development of 6 guys who at least made NBA squads during the era.
But it appears the X men era is over. Except for Coach Battle. He sits there, a reminder of what was:the arrival of the X men.

memphisslim on 02/20/2011 (5:18 am)

THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES.I was reminded of this story after listening to Coach B’s postgame’s comments in which he basically said he was clueless about the meltdown,why it occurred,except an inexplicable loss of energy or what to do about the consistent problem of being cleaned in the paint each game & why we still get beaten so badly. The coach has no clues. It reminded me of an earlier interview during which he said essentially the same thing after another whipping & he may have said it on other occasions. When will he have a clue? My query is why are our freshmen immature and therefore not performing, whereas some other teams’ freshmen are carrying their teams and performing? We seem to have dropped the young & inexperienced issue and now are on the immaturity issue. I am not a coach, but I can observe FSU going for offensive rebounds whereas at times, we would shoot and our other four guys were all outside the 3 point line, conceding the rebound. Why send a big man well out beyond the 3 point line to double a guard, leaving James open to dunk over a shorter guy before our center can get back? They did that several times, yet we kept doing it, & they got easy baskets that led to their surge.
I sit in the lower level and can see the faces of our players;they do not seem to know what to do at times.
Nor does the coach seem to know what to do at times; if he did, he would do it.I have tried to be very circumspect & fair toward our coach, but he said earlier he did not know what to do. Now he says we have immature players,which may or may not be true.
Then the issue is not so difficult.If he does not have a clue, how can the players have a clue, how can they know what to do?
It has taken all season, and I have watched every home game and the away games on T V, but I believe that our coach is unable to relate or teach our players;they are put in situations where they will fail. I reluctantly say and conclude this. ESPN ranked this freshmen class as number 6 in the nation. That does not mean they will win all their games, but they should at least be competitive. I keep thinking about that former X man, Skip Prosser, and how he said they practiced: they threw it up against the backboard and let them go get it, & we had rebounding.
But when our coach has stated in exasperation that he has tried to talk to them lovey-dovey, Knute Rockne, shown them the Pacino movie,but nothing is working, & he is clueless, then the old story comes to mind where the little boy finally says, but in this case, figuratively, the emperor has no clothes.
He has one last X man sitting on the bench who might could help: Coach Battle. I do not know, but he was with Skip a long time.

memphisslim on 02/20/2011 (4:40 am)

I agree wholeheartedly with Brain and with Hugh! When is this coach going to shoulder ANY of the responsibility for the debacle that 2011 has become??? And what TOTALLY blew my mind today, was that Bzz made a call in today, and what does HE wear??? A Florida-State colored tie with a light blue shirt!!!!! And that makes sense, how? What are we supposed to think about that? Did he not get his own memo?
I’ m sure this is a nice man, a great neighbor, a wonderful dad, but I’m afraid he’s clueless about what it takes to really connect with his players and with this community. He might as well have thumbed his nose at the whole crowd when he came out with a deep red tie. Even Ronnie Wellman was sporting his own team thought about it?

Kathy S on 02/19/2011 (11:36 pm)

Dan, Where has the WF basketball program gone? It is difficult to realize how “low” we have become as a basketball team. The thoughts regarding the team is now"How much will we lose by today” That wasnot WF basketball thinking ,in the past. Someone has really changed the attitude of our fans, with their mistakes. It is time for someone who has the authority to make some decisions. Yes, the team will improve in the future, but not to the point expected. A very sad situation. We are still rooting for our team, but we are rapidly losing faith. Good blog , Dan.

Cal on 02/19/2011 (11:26 pm)

We flat out got out coached at halftime and in the second half. Florida State adjusted at the half and blew us out.  We came out flat in the second half.  Why single out Ty in the post game interview other than to make another excuse?  Ty has had a couple of good games, but he hasn’t exactly been unstoppable.  This game would have been the same whether Ty started or not.  So, why single him out in the press conference other than because you didn’t want to take the blame yourself? Having gone to Wake, I don’t recall “Blame everyone else first and never admit you didn’t do a good job” as one of the things I was taught.  Nice new culture we’re developing.

Hugh on 02/19/2011 (10:12 pm)

Winning is about recognizing talent and putting the talent in a position to succeed.  Wake’s players have talent, their coaches do not have talent as coaches.

Ty Walker shouldn’t have redshirted, he should have transferred because he’d be in a better situation anywhere else. Skip thought he would help Wake win. Traditionally basketball is 2g 2f 1c, but that’s too radical these days.

Travis McKie would be averaging a double double if he were allowed to play against the other team’s 3 instead of the 4 with another big body in.

CJ (1-17 in 2 games while playing every minute of the first half - um, I’m tired coach), Gary (didn’t take a 3), Chennault is not a point guard because he shoots too much. All three are at maximum potential.

Players who CAN get better given opportunity are Ari, McKie, Walker, Carson, JTT. Why don’t you punish them in practice instead of the game? Why don’t you T-R-Y playing a bigger lineup? ARROGANCE? SPITE?  Dude, you are losing by 20+ with 3 guards, how would 2 centers be worse?

It takes coaching talent to understand that. Talented coaches have players who would go through a wall for them. Bz is not talented and he’s surrounded by well trained “yes men” as assistants. Wake doesn’t care about success as long as Bz is the coach.

Brian Thacker on 02/19/2011 (9:29 pm)