When Air Force athletic director Hans Mueh first brainstormed potential candidates to fill the Falcons’ head coaching vacancy in early May 2005, Jeff Bzdelik never entered his mind.

It wasn’t because Bzdelik lacked the pedigree. Two and a half years of NBA head coaching experience, supplemented by seven years spent as an assistant to Pat Riley, made Bzdelik seem overqualified for the job.

It wasn’t because Mueh didn’t know who the coach was, either. The two had met just months earlier when Bzdelik attended a Falcons game against San Diego State.

Mueh just never assumed a high-profile coach like Bzdelik would be interested in coaching at a service academy not known for basketball greatness. Luckily for Mueh and Air Force, Bzdelik made his interest in the Falcons job known – and he didn’t wait long to do so either.

‘He called us 20 minutes after the job opened up,’ Mueh said.

Two weeks after that phone call, Bzdelik was introduced as the Air Force head coach.

In his time in Colorado Springs, Co., the 15-year NBA veteran has turned a traditionally average program into a legitimate winner. The No. 14 Falcons are currently 23-5, just two wins shy of setting the program’s winningest season ever. Throughout his time at Air Force, Bzdelik has drawn on the experiences and lessons from his days in professional basketball, translating them into success at the college level.

‘Special situations are so huge in the NBA,’ Bzdelik said. ‘There’s so many more possessions and utilization of clock efficiency. These are things that we try to make sure our basketball team is prepared for.’

That sort of preparation has become a cornerstone of Bzdelik’s success throughout his career. During his stint as Riley’s assistant in Miami from 1995-2001, Bzdelik was responsible for formulating gameplans for the Heat. His work with Riley earned him several honors, including recognition in 1998 as the NBA’s best advance scout in Sports Illustrated and as one of the NBA’s top five assistant coaches in a 2000 edition of USA Today.

‘Just generally speaking, I learned so many things from Coach Riley,’ Bzdelik said. ‘Pat’s a great motivator and being around him everyday for seven years was like attending a basketball clinic.’

That experience earned Bzdelik a shot as an NBA head coach in 2002 with the Denver Nuggets. After a lackluster first season with the team, Bzdelik directed the Nuggets to one of the biggest single-season improvements in NBA history. The Nuggets went 43-39 in 2003-04, winning 26 games more than the previous season and earning a playoff berth.

Yet despite the impressive turnaround he engineered in Denver, Bzdelik found himself out of a job just a half season later – the result of the Nuggets poor start to the 2004-05 campaign. It was that setback that allowed Bzdelik to take advantage of the Air Force vacancy that opened up after first-year head coach Chris Mooney unexpectedly left for Richmond in early May 2005.

Once again, it was Bzdelik’s preparation, along with his resume, that impressed Mueh and those in the Air Force athletic department.

‘I’ve never had an interview with someone who was so prepared,’ Mueh said. ‘He knew the strengths and weaknesses of every one of our players without even having coached a game.’

Any further convincing Mueh needed that Bzdelik was his man was provided in the form of a ‘glowing review’ by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, a former Air Force graduate and Mueh’s friend.

The decision to hire Bzdelik was an easy one for Mueh. It was also a decision that has paid immediate dividends.

The Falcons went 24-7 in Bzdelik’s first season and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. This season, an experienced Air Force team that starts four seniors is primed for postseason success.

‘I think Coach Bzdelik has done just an absolutely great job,’ Nevada-Las Vegas head coach Lon Kruger said. ‘I think his teams play like any coach would want his team to play. They set the standard with focus and with conviction. You always want teams to play each possession like it’s the one that’s going to decide the game.’

That focus and conviction manifests itself for Air Force in the form of solid defense and few turnovers on offense. On Feb. 14 against Utah, the Falcons committed just eight turnovers while forcing 19 in a convincing 69-43 win. The Falcons are allowing 54.9 points per game this season.

Despite the success since his arrival, Bzdelik refuses to take credit for his team’s performance.

‘All the credit goes to the players – they’ve been just absolutely wonderful to coach and they’re the ones who get it done,’ Bzdelik said. ‘So my job has just been easy and enjoyable thus far.’

Top-ranked teams fallBeing the top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll has proven to be an unenviable position over the past week. Last Saturday, then-No. 1 Florida’s 18-game winning streak was snapped in an 83-70 loss at Vanderbilt. It was a loss that Gators head coach Billy Donovan hopes his team will learn from.

‘I think you can learn from wins and learn from losses,’ Donovan said. ‘For me it’s all about getting better. More than any one game, it’s more about can we reach our potential.’

Three days later, on Tuesday night, the newest top dog, the Wisconsin Badgers, stumbled during their trip to Michigan State, losing 64-55. It was the Badgers first-ever game as the No. 1 team. Next in line to likely take over the top spot are the Ohio State Buckeyes, who ironically have a home date scheduled with the Badgers for this Sunday – just one day before the week’s newest poll is released.

Published on February 20, 2007 at 12:00 pm