The Call That Never Came
A couple of readers have emailed to ask why we haven’t had Dino Gaudio’s reaction to being relieved of his duties as Wake’s head basketball coach. For more than a month now, I’ve been wondering the same thing.
Obviously I made repeated efforts to talk with Gaudio when the deal went down. The day Coach Bzdelik was named, I called Gaudio three times. I kept calling in the days that followed, and he never called back.
None of this is to bash Gaudio, who I always got along with well. It’s a free country, and he has no obligation to return my calls and explain himself or anything. But I do want to mention on the last time or two I called, the message I left was that, even if he had no comment on his departure from Wake or his immediate plans, I wanted to at least thank him for his cooperation and assistance these last nine years and to wish him well.
I left the same message for Jim Caldwell in 2001 and I’m still waiting for that return call. The difference, though, is that Caldwell and I had some contentious moments, most of which I have chalked up to his 26-63 record at Wake. Gaudio took exception a time or two to something I wrote, and we talked about it, I thanked him for letting me know he was bothered and we easily moved on to the next point of business. That’s the way it should be done. If someone has a complaint, I’d rather hear it first-hand than the alternative. And he was also extremely accessible, which I have mentioned many times on this blog.
It does no good to speculate on why Gaudio hasn’t called me back. His reasons are his own, and will remain that way until the day the phone rings and Gaudio is on the line. I’ll be glad if and when it does. I enjoyed working with Gaudio and getting to know him and his family. I really like his mother and father, Honey and Joe, and will miss seeing them around Joel Coliseum. And I will state for the record—specifically 61-31 with two straight trips to the NCAA Tournament—that he did a good job at Wake. He clearly wasn’t the man Ron Wellman wanted as head coach at Wake, and in that Wellman is the director of athletics, that’s Ron’s call. And anyone who thinks I will allow my opinion of Gaudio to affect my relationship with Bzdelik doesn’t know me very well.
So, Dino, if you happen across this little corner of the blogsphere and see this post, I want to ask once again that you give me a holler. And if you decline, just know that I’m thankful for your help and cooperation these past nine years and I wish the very best for you and your family.
Back to the main page.
By Dan Collins on 05/21/2010 (11:40 am)
Comments
I thought that I would post this link for those of you who may still have an interest in what Dino is up to these days.
http://blogs.fayobserver.com/accbasketball/July-2010/Team-USA-surprise—Gaudio-in-attendance
DeaconFan99 on 07/22/2010 (2:52 pm)
Dan,
I liken Coach Gaudio’s situation to a bad breakup. When the girl of your dreams, to whom you gave your heart and soul, dumps you unceremoniously you certainly do not want to take any phone calls from her family, even if you were once close with them during the relationship. Even if they are just calling to wish you well or to say goodbye, the reminder of your ex-girlfriend is just too painful.
I wish Coach Gaudio and his family all of the very best, and I hope one day he will be able to look back with fondness on some of the better times that he and the team had while he was Coach Prosser’s assistant and Wake’s head coach.
I hope you enjoy your summer hiatus, Dan. Hopefully there will be some good things to say in the Fall during what could be a very rough year for Wake Forest athletics.
Matt on 05/29/2010 (8:17 am)
Speaking of the next chapter, any newsworthy events pertaining to the current coaching staff and team?
If nothing is happening on the basketball front, what is the football team up to? Did the coaching staff chart out what Skylar Jones needs to work on in order to solidify his status as the starting to QB? Is he in summer school working on those things? Is he working independently with the receivers? Chris Givens took a big step last year. How are he and Marshall Williams and the other receivers working to refine their skills? Wake Forest actually has a decent group of alumni receivers (and players at other positions!) out there. Do some of the current players reach out to them for advice?
Speaking of Wake Forest alumni, we have a bunch of former players heading into their “sophomore” year in the NFL. What are some of the lessons learned by Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith? Can we expect Arnoux and Vaughn to return from their injuries? Thanks.
DC on 05/26/2010 (12:33 pm)
I agree with Lee. Sometimes its best to just walk away without comments, especially when those comments might cause controversy, etc. I think Dino is taking the high road and is simply moving on with his life. He probably has a lot of hurt and there is no need to share that with us and certainly no obligation to return anyone’s phone calls. Life has a lot of chapters and, like the best book you ever read, you still don’t go back and re-read a chapter you just finished, but go on to the next.
blitzball on 05/26/2010 (10:00 am)
Sometimes it is just better to walk away and not take the chance to say something that when taken out of context can become seen as being less than a classy exit. I have to believe that Dino is still taking the high road.
Lee Jackson on 05/24/2010 (1:24 pm)
Dan,
You’re right. Dino Gaudio’s silence is somewhat curious. I would certainly understand a polite “thank-you” without any on-the-record comments about how things transpired. But complete silence is a little surprising. Hopefully he is doing well as he recovers from what must have been a difficult time. I eventually came to the conclusion that a change needed to be made, but I still appreciate his efforts.
Moving on, what has been going on with the current coaching staff? I know that conversation about recruiting efforts are based almost entirely on speculation, so do you know if Coach Bzdelik has had the opportunity to thoroughly evaluation the current and incoming players? Do they have specific tasks to complete before practice officially starts this fall? Are they all playing together at what used to be Rusty LaRue’s summer league?
Thanks as always for the updates.
DC on 05/24/2010 (9:35 am)
Dan,
I agree 100% with Bobby. You love to sneak in some life lessons!
However, I think it is very shallow and self-centered for Dino not to, at the very least, acknowledge your calls. If he wants his opinions kept to himself, fine, but he should let it be known to you and all of us if that’s the way he wants it!
As I learn more more and more about Bzdelik, I think he’s a better fit for WFU anyway.
ken green on 05/22/2010 (10:55 am)
Good to have you back again with another post. I miss them—even if there’s not a whole lot going on right now from a Wake athletics standpoint outside of baseball, golf and track.
Tough spot with Dino, obviously. The quotes that make for the best story would be the ones that would probably do the most damage from a perception standpoint—both for him and for Wake—and that’s obviously not something anyone wants to see. But it would be nice to get his take on how it all went down and what his initial reaction was and to what level he was surprised by the decision. In any event, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Dino over the past year or two and consider him to be a gentleman of the highest order. I join you in wishing him and his family all of the very best.
I now look forward to meeting Coach Bzdelik and our upcoming Final Four appearances. . .
Chris on 05/21/2010 (8:37 pm)
Dan,
Dadgum,you cause me to be a better person for the substance in your columns!!
Bobby
bobby h griffin on 05/21/2010 (4:19 pm)
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