Comments

I know Mike, and this guy is no Mike… look at his previous record. Wellman is a friend and high on the Kool Aide.

Go get a coach.

L

TL on 03/09/2011 (8:22 pm)

Wellman has made 2 back to back mistakes.  The first being to name Gaudio as the head coach following the tragic death of Skip Prosser.  A national search should have been done, and you could have left Gaudio in place as an assistant to shore up the recruiting class.  However, Wellman’s decision seemed emotionally based and I do not recall Wake even interviewing a single additional candidate.  The result of which was to fire Gaudio and buy out his contract.  Great use of funds for a small school and a great signal to the universe of potential recruits that our program is in a downward spiral.  So we again act out of haste, and hire Coach B.  Again, I do not believe be had a single other coach make a campus visit to interview for the program.  Correct me if I am wrong but all the speculation was the Brad Smith would be the new coach.  However, he got a sizeable contract to stay and more power to him.  I believe that Wellman put all his eggs in one basket, had few other candidates out there and we are now stuck with Coach B.  As other posters have mentioned, the lack of competitive play is a key component that will set our program back years.  Great players don’t mind losing…however, they do mind not even being competitive. 

Coach B seems to have no handle on his team.  I viewed the Wake vs. GT game in person.  Coach B couldn’t get the offensive schemes into JT or CJ at all and we run a half court set.  These aren’t the Dave Odom years and when you have athletes of the type that merit a top recruiting class, then let them get out and run.  Coach B also incessantly rotates players in and out of the lineup, not allowing any 5 players to get in sync during game time at all. 

In my opinion, he has destroyed the confidence of our young players, has stated that he will settle for 3 star players, shows no command for the game, no leadership of his team, and no class. 

As an alumni, I am appalled at the state that Wake has fallen too.  Not just from a BB program perspective, but the entire mentality of the university.  Wake has a fairly large endowment, an absurd cap ex program, and yearly tuition hikes that are not only well above inflation, but outpace the national average for tuition hikes.  What has all of this accomplished?  School rankings that have barely fluctuated from where they were 15 years ago. 

Color me disappointed, but in my opinion, Wake’s basketball team is a reflection of the country club mentality that the school has come to embody.  I long for the days when their was the figurative chip on the University’s shoulder and a desire to prove that we could be smarter, better, and more competitive with less. 

I miss Coach Prosser, and his work coal mining town work ethic.  It seems that he elevated average players to good ones, and good players to great ones.  He helped to unify the Wake community, and I fear that with his passing, so too passed our passion.

JP on 01/30/2011 (12:54 am)

Folks, this is terrible. Wellman has illustrated why he deserves to be fired. He has become content in his job to the point where the one that would cure a lot of our problems isn’t a priority - winning.

Yes, team chemistry is important. Trust is important, but when you fail to produce there’s a serious problem.

Wellman….when Coach K began at Duke, those Duke teams before him through the 70s were not very good. Many of those teams were either at .500 or just below. So, comparing Buzz to Coach K is like comparing a goldfish to king mackerel. Coach K came in with nothing and built Duke into a name brand. Buzz has just a bit more than “nothing.” He has some great talent, but his inability to harness that into wins, at least competitive losses demonstrates a fundamental disconnect. Wellman doesn’t get. He is too daft to realize that the only culture that creates success is a winning culture…you can’t breed a winning culture from patterns of losing.

Since Wellman’s so content with this decision I think he should be let go. He had no real basis to hire Buzz other than that they were buddies. Go figure. Typical Wellman.  I don’t know what his vision is for Wake athletics, but if it’s anything short of winning, then he needs to be let go. I was at Wake long before Wellman came, and I’m going to be sure I’m around long enough when he’s gone. He’s done some good things, but this decision shows me that his time is up.

DeacBeac on 01/29/2011 (8:03 pm)

Lee, Write what you want, it’s your opinion. but you like others who support this hire have yet to give the answers that we are seeking. And that is, why this Coach? Based on what? Clearly it wasn’t his track record of winning, clearly it wasn’t the success of his teams in post season which is why he said Dino was fired. Everything about this stinks and it is backed up from professionals all across the country with any basketball knowledge, from Seth Davis to Len Elmore. Go back and read Welmens article again and see how much he dodged the the most logical soft questions. 
Dan. If there is something special about this Coach that Wake Forest needed that he gave to Air Force and Colorado I want to know what it is. Any why. Just tell us the truth, straight out. But he won’t he will just keep pretending that he can take us where we want to go. Where ever that is.

Tony C on 01/28/2011 (3:07 pm)

Dan: we probably all agree - what Wake bb and fb need are a couple centers at 7’5” who weigh 280 plus, can easily touch the top of the backboard with their elbows, run the gym at two seconds flat and score twenty-five each every game; we also need two, perhaps three, Chris-Paul types who play as freshmen the way Paul plays now at NO.  We, also, require fb offensive and defensive lines averaging 330 pounds, all of whom can do the forty in 3.5 seconds, as well as backs and wide-outs who run the same distance in 2.9-3.0 seconds.  Our recruiters simply must be given those assignments, and they must succeed each year, or else be fired.  That way, every Deacs team will be 14-0 and 32-0 from now to always.  Just sayin’.

Lee Anglin on 01/28/2011 (1:15 pm)

TonyC, you seem to feel the need to disparage other’s opinions if they don’t agree with you.  Please remember, you’re opinion is no more important than anyone else’s.  My opinion, relevant or not, is I believe Wellman is in a difficult situation in regard to explaining Gaudio’s firing, most likely because of personnel issues.  In regard to Bzdelick’s hiring, I would say most of us, including me, do not understand this hire, based on what we can read.  However, I don’t believe Wellman simply hired a “buddy.”  I believe he is too professional to do that and I think he firmly believed in this hire.  Now it is up to Bzdelick to produce and justify his hiring.  In the meantime, let’s support the Deacs. We are not going to change Wellman’s mind in regard to his support of Bzdelick.  My financial and physical (attending games) support is based on a long time commitment to the program and, although dismayed at what is going on currently, will not all of a sudden end.

Jim on 01/28/2011 (11:35 am)

Dan, I appreciate this blog. you’re doing a good job bringing an inside look at Deacon athletics that was previously missing.
It’s all been said previously but I’m adding my two cents. Ron Wellman’s comments are weak, insincere and even contradictory. We’re taking a new direction, but we are keeping the same assistants. Our program needed a total change of direction, though we were 1.5 years removed from being number 1 in the country and had significant talent coming in. We wanted to rebuild for the long run, so we hired a coach who is 6 years away from retirement age. We want to go to the final four, so we hired a coach who made the first round once.
Are long time Deacon fans supposed to not see these contradictions? Of course an AD will take up for his coach, that’s natural. However, I for one would feel better if he at least admitted what a trainwreck this season is, or that it is surprisingly bad. Acting like he was expecting this all along makes the whole thing much more suspicious and makes it even harder to believe what he is saying.

Recruiting is the key to getting to the final four anyway, and at this point what recruit will want to come to Wake? Who wants to be lose by 30 and at the same time be reminded to tuck in their shirt tails?  We had built up significant recruiting momentum over the Prosser/Gaudio era (regardless of what you think of their performance otherwise)which will be lost now. The talent we have on the team (and there is some) will either get fed up and leave or will be brought down by the negative energy surrounding this program. The proof will be in next year’s recruiting class, but listening and watching Bzdelik and his results leaves me very skeptical that he will be a guy who can woo players away from Duke or Carolina. This mistake could really set our program back 5-10 years.

As many said earlier, comparing our situation to Duke hiring Coach K is beyond ridiculous.

Miller on 01/28/2011 (10:34 am)

Great work Dan.  I was wondering what wellman thought.  Sadly, I am now more dissapointed than ever.

Steve on 01/28/2011 (6:21 am)

Are Wake alums/fans going to support WFU and WFU athletics if and only bb and fb are successful (according to our measures of success)?  Isn’t that like saying we’re going to support democracy if and only if the House, Senate, Executive and Supreme Court see and do things as I/we want?  As Wake fans, we are not entitled to anything except that the folk who are invested there as administration, profs, coaches, maintenance crews (et.al.) do good work.  Our giving needs to be done for the benefit of WFU, not for the benefit of our egos and private sense of power as a result of our having given.

Lee Anglin on 01/27/2011 (7:39 pm)

For anyone (Blake) to write it is unbecoming of a Wake Fan to rip a new Coach, then certainly it is unbecoming of AD to insult the intelligence of those unbecoming WFU Fans by hiring such a Coach as he has. Anyone, Please anyone, tell me why he was hired? Can anyone? Our AD said it is in part because there was a need for a culture change. Can anyone really explain that? He also said it was because of post season failures. Those who say Dan asked the tough questions are simply wrong. A tough question would be: Mr. Welmen, what was the basic justification for hiring this particular Coach? You say he will take us where we want to go, where is that exactly? Assuming the answer was (The Final Four) where in his Coaching history/experience does it indicate to you he has the credentials to do so? How many Championships under his direct leadership has he won? How many All America’s has he recruited and Coached? What was his average graduation rate of his students? And Blake if you are as close to the program you will know that even before this Mr. Welmen was not invited to many parties. His hiring of Dino was clouded with emotion and his firing and the reasons for it were handled childish at best. Come on, why would you hire a Coach that has not been to one final four if that is where you want to go? How would he know what it takes to get there? I mean granted, when Coach K was hired he hadn’t been to a final four either, but he was young enough and had no track record to speak of. But Duke knew he had impecable drive and determination along with a knowledge for the game plus he was a assistant Coach under Bob Knight.
And those who say if in two/three years if we are 7-13 then we have a right to be upset, well I am sorry, but this is a train wreck. How many recruits do we have committed for next year folks? Maybe one. What is he ranked?
If this decision was sooo right, why is everyone who really knows basketball scratching their heard right now.

By the way those of you who own your own business, if you have workers who do not perform at the expected level, or give the effort to improve and be totally committed to your company would you continue to support and pay them? These players and coaches have been together four months, four months.
These coaches make six figures and the players have full rides to a great school that I support financially and glad to do it. The expectations are minimal, give 100 percent, that means effort, commitment and most of all, the truth, that means you Mr. Welmen. And those of you who thought we saw progress at the Duke game, ask any basketball coach, Duke was playing with us and could have burried us whenever they wanted. Thanks Coach K for mercy.

Tony C on 01/27/2011 (6:58 pm)

Deacon23, you’re points are well taken (and well presented), but I respectfully disagree.  This was a bad hire in my opinion which is costing the university significant dollars the longer it goes uncorrected.  To me, this isn’t about a bad basketball team—it’s about a university taking a major gamble on an unproven college coach who is nearing retirement.  If they had hired an “up and comer” with a good track record and we had the exact same season we’re having now, I’m not going to complain about the decision one bit. (I wouldn’t be happy, but I wouldn’t complain about the hire). Further, if they had hired an up and comer with a proven track record and the alumni and fans were complaining like they are now becuase the team wasn’t winning, I totally agree with your points about the inmates running the asylum.

However, this decision had red flags all over it and even after reading Wellman’s responses to Dan’s questions, I STILL don’t know why this guy was hired.  This decision is costing the university money and I will not subsidize what I view as a flawed hiring process that resulted in what I believe is a big mistake that is going uncorrected.  If the university wants to bleed money on this decision through lost revenues and contributions, they can bleed someone else’s money other than mine.  I have other charities I can help support.  It’s not about athletics to me, it’s about making sound decisions that have a greater liklihood of success.  If Bz turns the program around and stays on coaching for a significant period of time, I will happily start contributing again (as well as publicly eat crow for all my criticism.)

Hugh on 01/27/2011 (5:55 pm)

It is interesting to read all this in the context of the ego maniac in Conn, wanting his money back because he wasn’t consulted on the hiring of the new UConn football coach.

While I think Dino fostered the wrong kind of culture at Wake (which didn’t result in any meaningful success if you take the numbers apart) and I don’t think Coach Buuzzy is the right guy to built a consistent winner (something that hasn’t happen often if ever at Wake)....my support, financial and otherwise for Wake Forest has never been contingent on athletic success….if it was it would have ended 2 or 3 decades ago.

You don’t have to be delusionally supportive of decisions that do not make sense to you but when people start making their support of the university contingent on the willingness of the AD or administration to let the inmates run the assylum…..there is a major perspective problem. I love my sports but Wake Forest is about a lot more than the athletic program. Ron Wellman is accountable….not to you and me but to Nathan Hatch and the Board of Trustees. Just think about the institutions where the athletic boosters do have too much influence on what goes on. Is that really what you want at Wake Forest?

Everybody has the “right” to vote with their wallet if they choose to do so but I would hope most Wake supporters would take a deep breath and think.(don’t see much of that in the blogoshpere).

Deacon23 on 01/27/2011 (4:24 pm)

Sorry Dan - My previous post should have been addressed to Blake…

gt on 01/27/2011 (4:09 pm)

Dan - I went to that Orange Bowl game and would love to go to another one.  And I was happy with Wellman.  When he canned Gaudio, I did not understand it, but I trusted him and figured that he knew what he was doing.  When he hired Bz, I realized that my trust was misplaced.  This season proves it and Wellman’s inability to admit he made a mistake confirms my revised opinion of him.  I wish Gaudio’s contract didn’t have a non-disclosure clause so Wellman’s schtick wasn’t the only side of this story available. 

As to Gaudio’s offensive scheme - Two years ago we had the #6 scoring offense in the country.  Last year we were still at the upper 25th percentile of Division 1 schools.  Our offense WAS “frustrating”...to our opponents!  If you know what the secret to Gaudio’s offense was, please go teach it to Bz.  I’m tied of watching the Xs&Os; in action…or inaction, as the case may be.

gt on 01/27/2011 (3:37 pm)

Thanks, Dan. Good stuff. There seemed to be a few Freudian slips in there. “Change” had to be replaced by “culture adjustment” a few times, although Mr. Wellman would never say what “adjustments” were being made other than something about John Wooden and sox. Ha. That said, I do believe that Ron Wellman is doing what’s best for Wake Forest, as he always has. My early frustration with the Wake Forest basketball program has subsided a bit as I now fully recognize that Coach Bzdelik isn’t exactly playing with a full deck here. This is obvious. So, how upset can Wake fans be? I guess as upset as they want to be, but, in my opinion, the fair and decent thing to do is to have some patience and give Coach Bzdelik some time to sort everything out. I’m not sure I know one Wake fan, and I know quite a few, who wanted Dino to return for this season. Those who are now questionning the move are using, what I would call, convenient fodder. In 2-3 years, if Wake is 7-13 (0-5) 20 games into the season, losing ACC games by an average of 25 points per game, and losing to programs who Wake was previously undefeated against, then Wake fans should have every right to ask for Coach Bzdelik to be let go. Mr. Wellman would also need to be held accountable. I also believe the frustrations from this year’s football season are spilling-over into this downtrodden year for the Deacs in basketball…a perfect storm of unrest and agitation. This is unfamiliar territory for Deacon fans and some are lashing out. But when a coach has to deal with and rectify obvious deficiencies, of which he had no part in contributing to, (Woods dismissal, Chennault injury), added with a lack of additional resources to fall back on…what would a sane person expect? Would you get mad at a dyslexic for spelling a word incorrectly? I certainly hope not. Wake and Coach Bzdelik will learn from this season and return to its winning ways. They need our support. Go Deacs! Beat the Cavaliers!

Casey on 01/27/2011 (3:22 pm)

Dan,

Great interview. I’m not sure what the people on this message board think they are actually accomplishing with the negativity. Everybody was happy with Ron Wellman before this move, he had all of our sports programs in great shape (an orange bowl appearance!!). Then we lost Coach Prosser and Coach Dino inherited a loaded team with a loaded recruiting class. Coach Gaudio was 61-31 as a result but should have done much better. It’s all relative to the talent you possess. We did not have an offense under Gaudio. We had a system based on overpowering the other team with athleticism and isolation plays. Coach Gaudio is a great defensively minded assistant but the offense was frustrating to watch. It’s hard to imagine having a great deal of tournament success running that kind of system. So a change was made. Right now it is far too early to tell how it’s going to play out. Taking the time to post stats about Coach B’s past performance, as if the decision makers were unware of this information when they made the hire, is a waste of time. We trusted Ron Wellman before this, so why not be a little patient, have a litte perspective and show a little bit of class. It’s alright to not agree with the decision but ripping apart a coach halfway through his first year is unbecoming of a WFU basketball fan. GO DEACS!

Blake on 01/27/2011 (12:54 pm)

Dan, Excellent questions and the exact questions that needed to be asked.  I also appreciate your follow up attempts to get RW to answer several questions he dodged when you first asked them.  Unfortunately, RW didn’t really answer some of the key questions you asked.  A lot of “AD speak” in there (which is understandable, but not informative).  The other question that needs to be asked is “Even taking into consideration the “bad hand” Bz has been dealt, has the team performed as it should under this coach?”  If anyone isn’t disappointed in what they’ve seen this year, even with the “bad hand dealt”, they haven’t watched all the games.

Hugh on 01/27/2011 (12:09 pm)

Win on Saturday against UVa or this cauldron goes to full boil.

Class of 1977 on 01/27/2011 (12:02 pm)

Well, I suppose if Ron really wants to ride off into the sunset with Bzzz, that can be arranged. I know he’s in a position where he gets to call the shots. I understand that, but soon… very soon… the ball will be in our court, and I for one, will not be pumping anymore of my hard earned money into a program that disrespects the fans the way Wake Forest has this year. I have always been a Wake Forest fan and I guess I always will be a Wake forest fan, but I cannot support this terrible excuse of a coach, and I am disappointed that Ron Wellman thinks that we, the fans that support his programs, are delusional enough to believe this line of garbage.

Kathy S on 01/26/2011 (10:58 pm)

Thanks for this Dan. I know that feeling positive about this program is sacrilege to many around here right now but I couldn’t be happier. I will gladly trust Wellman with this program’s future sooner than I will listen to the know-it-alls who have never had to be held accountable for their ridiculous proclamations. Big things are coming for Wake. Bzz and this team will reward our patience.

Andy on 01/26/2011 (10:02 pm)