A new day is upon us. Say hello to the Jeff Bzdelik Era. He has a lot on his plate right now--figuring out who the new assistant(s) will be, getting to know the players and getting them in the gym, talking to the 2010 commits and working on 2011 and beyond. Here's hoping he's got his plan set and he is ready to hit the ground running. He certainly has a lot in front of him. We've got a ton of stuff for you today, so get your reading glasses on and get going.
MLS rookie Schilawski off to fast start with Revs - Soccer - NewsObserver.com
Former Wake Forest and Cary High soccer standout Zach Schilawski didn't need long to draw the limelight at the professional level. In fact, the rookie needed just 11 minutes to convert his first Major League Soccer goal into his first professional hat trick Saturday evening.
Football recruiting: Georgia’s "fastest football player" lists UGA as No. 1, Georgia Tech falls out of Top 5 | Prep Zone: High School Sports
Mitchell County wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley told the AJC that the Bulldogs are his leader, ahead of Louisville, Wake Forest, South Carolina and Michigan (in that particular order). All but Michigan have offered the 6-foot, 190-pound speedster. He has nine total offers.
Mooney's Heuler switches to Wake | HeraldTribune.com
Cardinal Mooney's Ryan Heuler shook off an early sign just like he does on the mound, and the prized 6-foot-3 senior right-hander changed his mind to accept a baseball scholarship to Wake Forest University.
Cavs lose finale to the Hawks - Morning Journal Sports
Rookie point guard Jeff Teague was the main culprit. Playing in place of starter Mike Bibby, the Wake Forest product finished with 24 points and 15 assists, both game and career highs.
Bzdelik begins the process of building relationships at Wake – ACC Insider - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive
"When you have that kind of relationship with your players, they are going to respond to that very quickly," Wellman said. "They are going to recognize that you really care about them beyond their performance on the court. As a result of that, they’re going to perform for you and give you everything they’ve got on a daily basis. "To select Jeff, that was a major factor, because if he gets the right type of players in here with the commitment and desire that he talked about and establishes that relationship with them, he is going to produce the types of teams here that we want."
Hardin: Bzdelik hiring ends Prosser experiment : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
Prosser transformed Wake Forest, bringing in piped-in music, tie-dyed T-shirts, a motorcycle and speed, breaking from the staid, old traditions at Wake and welcoming the fanbase to a jungle of noise and expectations. He went after the best players in the nation, landed a few and missed on a few. He got the Deacons into the living rooms of some of the best and some of the most eccentric players we've seen. He was the only one who could've coached them. And we'll never know how it all would've turned out. We'll be introduced to a new Wake Forest coach today and wonder if we'll ever pass this way again. Everybody's second-favorite school is going through another basketball transformation after the last grand plan proved to be too vast for one man to control. Everything worked as Prosser planned. It just didn't last.
Wake's incoming freshmen have choice to make : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
"They're a close group," Nault said of Wake's recruits. "They keep in touch with each other through e-mail and text messages and phone calls. I know Carson communicates with the other guys about every two weeks, sometimes more often." Nault said Desrosiers has talked to all the recruits since Gaudio's firing, as well as Wake assistant coaches Jeff Battle and Rusty LaRue.
Is Bzedlik the right guy for Wake Forest? | citizen-times.com | Asheville Citizen-Times
"He’s an excellent basketball coach, a smart guy and a good man," said Biedenbach, the long-time coach at UNC Asheville. "It surprised me that he was up for the Wake Forest job, but I think it’s a good move for him and for the school. "His pro background is going to help him, especially with recruiting, and he’s the kind of coach that can alter his style of play depending on who he is playing and what kind of talent he has."
Adapting to the talent
The Buffaloes averaged 74.6 points a game in 2009-10, seventh most in the Big 12, while Wake Forest averaged 72.8 points, fifth most in the ACC. But the Deacons were much better defensively, ranking third in the conference by allowing opponents to shoot just 39 percent from the floor. Colorado ranked last in the Big 12, allowing teams to make 46.2 percent of their field-goal attempts. "I like creating offense off our defense," Bzdelik said. "I like getting deflections. No question.
selling it: Bzdelik, Wellman make pitch (Lenox warning)
The ferocious, sometimes crude and largely anonymous pushback -- hard to fathom in a pre-Web world -- landed loudly. Bzdelik insisted that he doesn't read newspapers or the Internet. Wellman insisted that he doesn't follow the message boards. Somehow, though, they got the message, which formed the framework for the overt sales job. "You don't hide your head in the sand, obviously," Wellman said.
Simple Vision: Win - Bzdelik got Wellman's attention 30 years ago
He did some things that were really neat," Wellman said. "And I saw a veteran coach in the Big Ten at that time really rely on this young guy. I thought, ‘My goodness, that says something about that young guy.' "And that young guy was Jeff Bzdelik."
Wake AD on Bzdelik: It's more about relationships than record | salem, bodycopy, wake - ACC Basketball - Burlington Times News
Wellman said he’s aware of naysayers regarding his selection. "I’ve heard some of the things going on. That did not deter me," he said. "(Those fans) have passion for the program and that’s the beauty of it." Wellman said he’s comfortable with the decision. "A lot of it is gut feeling," he said.
Melillo Knocks One Out as Elon Rallies, Holds Off Wake Forest | digtriad.com | Triad, NC | Sports News Article
Elon rallied for three runs in the eighth inning, keyed by a Scott Riddle two-RBI single, and tacked on another in the ninth before holding off a late charge by Wake Forest to claim a 9-8 victory from Wake Forest Baseball Park on Wednesday night.