Editor’s note: In the past few weeks, four men’s Division I head basketball coaches have been hired at Front Range schools, and a fifth opening has yet to be filled. For the first in a series of Q&As with the new coaches, The Denver Post sat down with Colorado’s Jeff Bzdelik.
Denver Post: We know it hasn’t been much more than a week since you met the team, but what are your early impressions?
Jeff Bzdelik: They seem to be very receptive to direction. When you speak to a group, you can always tell through body language and eye contact whether a person is listening or just hearing. These guys are listening.
DP: What about the talent level?
JB: We have a lot of work ahead of us.
DP: When you began to consider the Colorado job, did you watch game tapes of CU games to see what you might inherit?
JB: True to my word, I never gave much thought about this job until our season was completed at Air Force. I’ve looked at tapes since getting the job. But I learn more in practice. In many ways, last year was so difficult for the players here. Everybody knew there was going to be a coaching change. The whole situation was difficult for all parties. So consequently, I don’t worry too much about what I saw of their past season.
DP: How close were you to telling CU athletic director Mike Bohn “thanks but no thanks”?
JB: I’m one to give considerable thought before I say something. So when I told Mike “yes” there was no looking back. But it was an extremely difficult decision.
DP: You were an assistant at Northwestern for six seasons in the early 1980s. Considering that Northwestern always faces an uphill battle in the Big Ten, will that background help you in this situation?
JB: I’ve always been at schools that faced unique challenges, whether it be Davidson, Northwestern, Air Force, now CU. Even the Nuggets were struggling when I took over. How I fall into these things, I don’t know. But we’ve always been able to somehow find a way.
DP: Considering your ability to turn around programs, any concerns that people might expect a miracle worker?
JB: No. I hope not. I’m just going to see if we can establish a pride here for what this program should be about on a consistent basis. And let me say this, because it needs to be said: (former coach) Ricardo Patton did a great job. He was in a situation where the leadership wasn’t consistent in helping to re-energize the program. It’s actually remarkable what Ricardo was able to accomplish. I just hope I can take what he’s done and establish a program that’s consistent, with an administration that now understands what needs to be done as far as improving facilities to just be on par with other schools in the Big 12.
DP: You received a signed commitment to improvements that include a planned practice facility and the basketball offices being moved from the football stadium to the Coors Events Center. Did you request that those promises be in writing?
JB: Yes, I did. I think when you commit to something in writing, it verifies commitment.
DP: Several pro scouts told us during the season that you really wanted to return to the pros. Were they wrong about that?
JB: It didn’t really matter where I was going to be. I just wanted to be with good people. There are great situations in the NBA, and there are not so good. There are great situations in college and there are not so good. Air Force was a timely fit for my family and me. CU is a timely fit for my family and me in a lot of ways, for a lot of personal reasons.
I’m going to say something that I’ve never told anyone. There was so much made about the money, so much made about all these things. But a couple or three weeks ago, my son (Brett, a senior at Regis High School) said to me, “You know, Dad, if you went to CU, maybe I could go to school there and we could be together.”
That says more than anyone can offer you or entice you with. Our family makes decisions together. We push aside everything else and decide what’s really good for the family.
DP: Let’s see. Basketball coaches from Chicago include the late DePaul legend Ray Meyer, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, current DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright and you. Any common denominator?
JB: It’s embarrassing to have my name mentioned with those other guys. They’re great coaches. When Jerry and I shook hands before our NIT game, we talked about coaching at basketball camps together back in Chicago. When I was in eighth grade or something, I went to Coach Meyer’s basketball camp. He told me I’d never be a player. He said, “You’re too slow!”
DP: Give me the three most influential people in your basketball career and why.
JB: That’s a tough question. In not any particular order, Dean Smith is one. He’s so professional about treating people the right way. I received two handwritten notes during the season from him that I will frame and keep. That was very special to me. Then there’s Pat Riley. What I learned from him is his unbelievable attention to detail. He’s one of those special people that, you probably don’t like him when you’re working for him or playing for him. But then you realize so many years down the road that he brought out the best in you. The third one is a toughie, but I’d probably say Bob Knight. When I was young and in the Big Ten (as an assistant at Northwestern), I’d notice his passion and his insight into the game. It was something I really enjoyed, following him and listening to him in clinics.
DP: Three words to describe your coaching style?
JB: Intense. Detailed. Passionate.
DP: Everybody who follows CU basketball seems to be excited that you’re on board. But we do hear some fans say they worry that your offense might bore them to tears. What would you say to ease their concerns?
JB: What Division I team had the most 30-point wins last season? It was Air Force. People talk, but they don’t do their homework. If people want “one pass and a shot” and get their butt beat, then they need to find themselves a new coach. Right now. We averaged in the mid-60s (points) at Air Force. We’re not going to hold the ball. Look at Georgetown, West Virginia, Washington State. The bottom line is winning games. That’s what really matters. If people think you’re going to run up and down the court with Kansas and Texas, they’re mistaken.
DP: People focus on your offense, but it was your defense that enabled your 2003-04 Nuggets to improve by 26 games over the previous season. What’s your philosophy on that end of the court?
JB: Defense is a constant; offense is a variable. You need to get defensive stops. “Nothing easy” is how we phrase it.
DP: Your expectations for your first season at CU?
JB: I just want us to get better every day. We have a long way to go. I hope people realize that.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
