thebigabd
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WESTMINSTER -- Jeff Bzdelik didn't say goodbye to his Colorado players.
But as the CU men's basketball head coach drove away from a meeting with the Buffs late Sunday afternoon the moment felt like an awkward farewell.
During a brief visit with the Camera, Bzdelik insisted there is not an official offer on the table to become the next head coach at Wake Forest and that an announcement on his future would be released in the next few days.
Bzdelik was expected to fly back to Winston-Salem, N.C., with Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman for a formal interview on Monday.
"I know already," CU guard Nate Tomlinson said after leaving the meeting, which was held at associate head coach Steve McClain's house. "It's done pretty much."
So where does the program go from here?
The group that filed out of McClain's front door included two-time All-Big 12 guard Cory Higgins, Bzdelik's first CU recruit, and reigning Big 12 freshman of the year Alec Burks.
If the next coach retains this tandem and point guard Shannon Sharpe, the team will feature one of the best backcourts in the country.
"I'm going to stay with McClain," Burks said. "If McClain isn't here, I don't know. It's still all up in the air right now. I'm just going to go about my business until all this is final."
Burks is projected as a first-round NBA draft pick in 2011. Higgins, Sharpe, Marcus Relphorde, Austin Dufault, Keegan Hornbuckle, Shane Harris-Tunks, Levi Knutson and Trey Eckloff were also in attendance and headed back to Boulder together hoping the strong nucleus remains intact for the 2010-11 season. "We're a strong team and the coaching staff that is here ... I want to stick with them," Tomlinson said. "They've been through it with all of us and they're a really strong group. McClain is a great coach, and we all want him. As long as we all stay together, that's the best thing."
Bzdelik was vague enough with the players to leave some of them believing that there is still a chance he will be the CU head coach next season.
"We're just like everybody else trying to figure it out," Relphorde said. "I don't even know if he knows what he's going to do. We're just trying to stay positive and wait and see what happens."
Bzdelik emerged as the leading candidate to replace Dino Gaudio, who was abruptly fired last Wednesday despite guiding Wake Forest to a 61-31 record in three seasons, on Friday afternoon.
The Buffs were just 36-58 during Bzdelik's three seasons in Boulder, but the program made significant progress with a 15-16 record last season, despite having only one senior on the roster and one of the nation's most difficult schedules.
"We're going to be good regardless if Bzdelik is here or not," Tomlinson said. "It doesn't really bother any of us. We're going to stick together and we're going to be good regardless."
Bzdelik led the Denver Nuggets back into the NBA playoffs and posted a 50-16 record at Air Force while taking the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament and the NIT Final Four before being hired by CU on April 4, 2007.
When asked last week about getting a possible contract extension negotiated with CU, Bzdelik said he was just focused on recruiting.
The critical spring signing period begins on Wednesday, which explains why Wake Forest -- projected to have a top-10 class -- will likely want their new man in place by Monday or Tuesday.
"He kept (the decision) to himself, but we'll know in the next couple days," Tomlinson said.
Bzdelik's daughter, Courtney, is a student at Wake Forest, and he worked with Wellman during his days as an assistant at Northwestern from 1981-86. Bzdelik has also coached in North Carolina before as a young assistant at Davidson.
CU athletic director Mike Bohn lured Bzdelik away from the Air Force three years ago with a five-year contract that included $650,000 a year in guaranteed money.
The deal also included a clause that would void Bzdelik's buyout if the cash-strapped athletic department did not break ground on a new practice facility before the end of his third year. The head coach joined Bohn at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Coors Events Center on March 25, which means CU will now be owed $500,000 if he leaves.
Wake Forest, a private school, is not required to divulge the details of its coaches contracts, but USA Today reported in 2009 that Gaudio was guaranteed at least $793,901 annually.
CU will have a press conference Monday to announce a new women's basketball coach. Former Buffs standout and current Metro State head coach Linda Lappe is expected to be named as Kathy McConnell-Miller's replacement.
Wake Forest could put a damper on the celebration by announcing Bzdelik as its new coach and forcing Bohn to officially begin another search.
http://www.buffzone.com/ci_14864348
But as the CU men's basketball head coach drove away from a meeting with the Buffs late Sunday afternoon the moment felt like an awkward farewell.
During a brief visit with the Camera, Bzdelik insisted there is not an official offer on the table to become the next head coach at Wake Forest and that an announcement on his future would be released in the next few days.
Bzdelik was expected to fly back to Winston-Salem, N.C., with Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman for a formal interview on Monday.
"I know already," CU guard Nate Tomlinson said after leaving the meeting, which was held at associate head coach Steve McClain's house. "It's done pretty much."
So where does the program go from here?
The group that filed out of McClain's front door included two-time All-Big 12 guard Cory Higgins, Bzdelik's first CU recruit, and reigning Big 12 freshman of the year Alec Burks.
If the next coach retains this tandem and point guard Shannon Sharpe, the team will feature one of the best backcourts in the country.
"I'm going to stay with McClain," Burks said. "If McClain isn't here, I don't know. It's still all up in the air right now. I'm just going to go about my business until all this is final."
Burks is projected as a first-round NBA draft pick in 2011. Higgins, Sharpe, Marcus Relphorde, Austin Dufault, Keegan Hornbuckle, Shane Harris-Tunks, Levi Knutson and Trey Eckloff were also in attendance and headed back to Boulder together hoping the strong nucleus remains intact for the 2010-11 season. "We're a strong team and the coaching staff that is here ... I want to stick with them," Tomlinson said. "They've been through it with all of us and they're a really strong group. McClain is a great coach, and we all want him. As long as we all stay together, that's the best thing."
Bzdelik was vague enough with the players to leave some of them believing that there is still a chance he will be the CU head coach next season.
"We're just like everybody else trying to figure it out," Relphorde said. "I don't even know if he knows what he's going to do. We're just trying to stay positive and wait and see what happens."
Bzdelik emerged as the leading candidate to replace Dino Gaudio, who was abruptly fired last Wednesday despite guiding Wake Forest to a 61-31 record in three seasons, on Friday afternoon.
The Buffs were just 36-58 during Bzdelik's three seasons in Boulder, but the program made significant progress with a 15-16 record last season, despite having only one senior on the roster and one of the nation's most difficult schedules.
"We're going to be good regardless if Bzdelik is here or not," Tomlinson said. "It doesn't really bother any of us. We're going to stick together and we're going to be good regardless."
Bzdelik led the Denver Nuggets back into the NBA playoffs and posted a 50-16 record at Air Force while taking the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament and the NIT Final Four before being hired by CU on April 4, 2007.
When asked last week about getting a possible contract extension negotiated with CU, Bzdelik said he was just focused on recruiting.
The critical spring signing period begins on Wednesday, which explains why Wake Forest -- projected to have a top-10 class -- will likely want their new man in place by Monday or Tuesday.
"He kept (the decision) to himself, but we'll know in the next couple days," Tomlinson said.
Bzdelik's daughter, Courtney, is a student at Wake Forest, and he worked with Wellman during his days as an assistant at Northwestern from 1981-86. Bzdelik has also coached in North Carolina before as a young assistant at Davidson.
CU athletic director Mike Bohn lured Bzdelik away from the Air Force three years ago with a five-year contract that included $650,000 a year in guaranteed money.
The deal also included a clause that would void Bzdelik's buyout if the cash-strapped athletic department did not break ground on a new practice facility before the end of his third year. The head coach joined Bohn at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Coors Events Center on March 25, which means CU will now be owed $500,000 if he leaves.
Wake Forest, a private school, is not required to divulge the details of its coaches contracts, but USA Today reported in 2009 that Gaudio was guaranteed at least $793,901 annually.
CU will have a press conference Monday to announce a new women's basketball coach. Former Buffs standout and current Metro State head coach Linda Lappe is expected to be named as Kathy McConnell-Miller's replacement.
Wake Forest could put a damper on the celebration by announcing Bzdelik as its new coach and forcing Bohn to officially begin another search.
http://www.buffzone.com/ci_14864348
