BOULDER — Colorado seniors Richard Roby and Marcus Hall began trying to purge the memory of last season with a change in uniform numbers.
Hall went from 21 to 1. Roby tried to go from 23 to 20, but was told he will have to live with his previous number because No. 20 is the retired jersey of former Buff All-American Cliff Meely. Despite that disappointment, the point is clear. Both wanted a complete separation from last season and the turmoil that engulfed the players.
Differences in Colorado’s program are everywhere you look. The Buffaloes start the regular season tonight at home against New Mexico with a healthier state of mind.
“Last year, they got beat up pretty bad in a lot of ways, and so their confidence is a little sideways,” new CU coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “It’s something that we’re addressing. The mental conditioning is just as important as everything else.”
Former coach Ricardo Patton resigned before last season began, and in spite of the brave words and stoic faces of the players, the season appeared lost before it started.
Patton coached for the remainder of the season, but also spent some time looking for another job, which he landed at Northern Illinois. Colorado’s seven victories was its lowest total since back-to-back 7-21 seasons in 1987-88 and 1988-89.
And now?
“I think it’s a lot better,” sophomore forward Jeremy Williams said. “Not only are we more confident, but people around us, we sense that they are more confident in us. And we’re more confident in the coaches.”
Bzdelik is running a tighter ship. There are no more names on the back of jerseys. Headbands are not allowed on the court or even in pictures of past players in the media guide. There is no more team prayer after practices. The team will be on the court for the national anthem; under Patton they went back into the locker room. On game days, shootaround is mandatory, for the players and the head coach. Under Patton, shootarounds were optional for the players and rarely attended by the head coach.
“Everything changed,” Roby said. “Our offense, the way we play defense, our whole mind-set has changed. I feel like everybody has a fresh start again. I think it is more upbeat. Every team is like that at the beginning of the season, but especially with us going through what we went through last year. Coach Bzdelik demands the best out of his players on an everyday basis.”
And that starts with a commitment to learn a new system.
Bzdelik’s Princeton-based offense is complex, and he knows that happy players are attentive players, which is a large reason why the change of culture is so important. Stability is key, and the results in his past cannot be denied.
Bzdelik took over the Nuggets in 2002, a season after they finished 27-55. Two years later they finished 43-39. At Air Force, Bzdelik was 50-16 with a trip to the NCAA Tournament and the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
He has become proficient at restoration projects, but knows this one takes much more than X’s and O’s.
“It’s not easy,” Bzdelik said. “It’s not difficult, but challenging. Because the way you gain confidence is to experience success and battle through it. It’s like a fighter who’s been knocked down several times. You start to wonder if getting up is … can I do it again?”
Are his players, taken to the mat last season, ready to get up?
Bzdelik didn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” he said.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Dressed for success?
Things have changed from last season for CU men’s basketball under new coach Jeff Bzdelik:
No names
Players’ names on the backs of jerseys are gone, to the disappointment of some of the athletes. The Buffs will officially play for the name on the front.
Attention to detail
Rubbing off screens, body positioning on box-outs, setting defenders up and then moving in a different direction – the little-noticed aspects of basketball are big things under Bzdelik and a big part of the foundation of an effective Princeton-style offense.
Dejeweled
Earrings weren’t acceptable under Ricardo Patton, and they will continue to be banned under Bzdelik. But add headbands, and perhaps wristbands, to that list. The team will be all about business on the court, with no material distractions.
