Bzdelik takes on Colorado challenge
A fading, mostly empty arena. The likes of Bob Knight and Bill Self to compete against on the hardwood and along the recruiting trail. A program with no real history of success or much support.
Bring it all on, declared Jeff Bzdelik.
He left Air Force to take over as basketball coach at the University of Colorado on Wednesday, the latest in a series of career challenges he’s undertaken up and down the Rocky Mountain front range.
“I get excited by great, great challenges,” said Bzdelik, who was 50-16 at Air Force after a 2 1/2-year stint as coach of the Denver Nuggets, whom he led to the playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2004.
“When somebody said to me, ‘You’re never going to win there,’ I’m kind of a sicko with that,” Bzdelik said. “It’s kind of like with the Nuggets: ‘You’re never going to make the playoffs.’ Hey, we did it in one year.”
Similarly, he was admonished not to schedule heavyweights at Air Force, warnings that only drove him to do exactly that, and the Falcons flourished.
The 54-year-old Bzdelik replaces Ricardo Patton, who went 7-20 in his 11th and final season in Boulder.
In his first season at Air Force, Bzdelik led the Falcons to the best record (24-7) in the program’s 50-year history and an NCAA tournament bid. This year, they won a school-record 26 games and reached the NIT semifinals.
Donovan “decompresses”
Billy Donovan finally spoke up about a job opening.
It just wasn’t the one at Kentucky.
Speaking before a fundraising dinner at Marshall University, the Florida coach said he needs time to “decompress” following the Gators’ second straight national championship, though he endorsed current Florida assistant head coach Donnie Jones for the head coaching job at Marshall.
“I think Donnie’s ready,” said Donovan, who coached at Marshall from 1994 to 1996 before moving on to Florida.
Jones might be, but Donovan remains uncertain about his future. He said he hasn’t been contacted about the Kentucky job since leaving the Georgia Dome after Florida beat Ohio State on Monday night.
Around the country
The University of Michigan introduced John Beilein has its new coach, confirming reports that Beilein had left West Virginia to accept the Wolverines job. Michigan will pay Beilein $1.3 million a season, plus bonuses, as part of a six-year contract. … Butler hired assistant coach Brad Stevens, two days after Todd Lickliter left to take the job at Iowa. … Louis Orr was hired as the new coach at Bowling Green. Orr, fired last year after five seasons at Seton Hall, takes over a team that failed to reach the NCAA tournament in 10 seasons under Dan Dakich. … Lt. Corey Dahlem, a 22-year veteran police officer, who was struck by a car in Gainesville, Fla., during a Florida Gators championship celebration, has died, authorities said. … California guard Omar Wilkes will not return to the Golden Bears for his senior season. Wilkes, on target to graduate later this year, averaged 9.9 points and 2.2 rebounds.