Boulder – Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn expected to have a new men’s basketball coach by Wednesday, so he asked the Rockies to pencil in a CU representative in the ceremonial first-pitch rotation.
Bohn admitted if Jeff Bzdelik turned down CU late Tuesday, he would have asked the Rockies to find a replacement.
As soon as Bzdelik finished CU news conference formalities at the University Memorial Center, he was whisked away in a political campaign-style bus to barnstorm the Denver area. The bus left campus with a motorcycle police escort.
Besides dropping in at Coors Field, Bzdelik and CU administrators went to a pep rally at Smiley Middle School, two radio station “meet-‘n’-greets” and a fan gathering at Braun’s Restaurant near the Pepsi Center.
There’s no chance of CU getting embarrassed by the big introduction the way Arkansas was when Dana Altman changed his mind this week.
“When I make a tough decision, I don’t look back,” Bzdelik said.
CU players and athletic department staffers welcomed the hire.
“I’m glad we finally got a new coach,” freshman forward Jeremy Williams said. “We’ve got a lot of things we need to work on, so I’m glad we’re all back together again as a family. I want to learn some new things from him and he’s going to learn some new things from us.”
Freshman point guard Kal Bay was eager to run an offense unfamiliar to the Big 12.
“I don’t think anyone has seen this offense,” Bay said of Bzdelik’s modified Princeton attack. “I know they are probably not looking forward to it. It’s something you’re going to have to defend for a full 35 seconds.”
Also attending the news conference was former Nuggets player and coach Bill Hanzlik.
“I think it’s unbelievable. I think it’s the right decision.” Hanzlik said. “I think he’ll be fantastic for the university and the kids that come here. He’ll create a product that basketball fans in Colorado, Denver, Boulder will love coming here. I see attendance going way up.”
Former Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, who fired Bzdelik after a 13-15 start in 2004, also called it a good move.
“Jeff is an excellent basketball man. I think the college game really fits him,” Vande- weghe said. “He did a great job at Air Force and I think he’ll do a fantastic job at Colorado.”
Said CU women’s basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller: “I’m happy for Mike he stuck it out in the process. (Jeff is) the one they had targeted from the beginning. To get your prized recruit, I know what that’s like.”
Buffs football coach Dan Hawkins said: “He will do a lot of great things.”
Footnotes
Bzdelik commuted from Lone Tree to Air Force for two years, staying in the same house where he lived when he coached the Nuggets. Bzdelik said he will move north but there’s no rush. … The one Big 12 foe who needs no introduction is Texas coach Rick Barnes. He and Bzdelik were on the staff at Davidson in 1976. … The new coach realizes there will be some distractions when CU returns a game at Air Force next season.
Staff writer Marc J. Spears contributed to this report.
