Colorado's coaching search is the topic of conversation and the Black and Gold Truth brings you the second part of its' interview with Neill Woelk of the Daily Camera. BGT: Do you have a feel for a Mike Bohn-type of hire from what you've seen so far, who he's brought to Boulder?
Woelk: If you look at Kathy McConnell-Miller and you look at Dan Hawkins -- two very outgoing, enthusiastic people and I think that's the kind of guy he's looking for. However, that being said, I think right now that the leader in the club house, so to speak, I'd say is Jeff Bzdelik for what he's done at the Air Force Academy. He's not the most enthusiastic, public guy but he's very passionate about the game.
I think Alvin Gentry certainly fits a lot of the categories but my only reservation about Alvin is he's been away from the college game for almost 20 years.
BGT: What about the recruiting concerns regarding those two men? Can they bring in talent?
Woelk: Recruiting is a matter of effort more than anything else. It's putting in time and not taking 'no' for an answer. Of all the people that are interested in the job, every one of those guys has that ability.
BGT: What do you or what do you feel most fans' are most concerned about or dare I say, fear, when it comes to the coaching search, especially considering the long line of men who couldn't get CU over the hump and establish a program of lasting success?
Woelk: If I was to step away and look at it from a fan's point-of-view, my worst fear would be a repeat of history -- my no. 1 fear is that they are going to repeat history in one way or another.
BGT: Is there a specific type of coach where if he was chosen by Bohn would elicit a response of 'oh, no, not again -- what are we doing!'
Woelk: I think any of the people we've named.
If you hired Alvin Gentry tomorrow, I'd have questions. If you hired Jeff Bzdelik tomorrow, I'm going to say 'can this guy recruit' and can he teach his style of basketball where discipline is not built into (player's) daily life (as it is at the Air Force)?
(Mike) Dunlap has never coached Division-1 ball.
BGT: Is there a type of coach CU could bring on that would have the majority of fans excited, have that immediate punch?
Woelk: If you got a Rick Majerus-type of coach -- and I only use that name because he's been mentioned a lot -- you'd sell a couple thousand season tickets in a week.
I think a year ago a guy like Mark Turgeon would have generated a pretty good amount of excitement around here.
BGT: You zero in on someone to hire, Neill, how do you sell them on taking the job?
Woelk: You tell them that you're going to have a chance to coach against the best. You're going to be coaching against Eddie Sutton's kid. You're going to be coaching against Bill Self. You're going to be coaching against Rick Barnes, coaching against Bob Huggins. Is that enough?
Then there's that guy at Texas Tech. What the hell is his name? Fat guy in a red sweater, just won his 880th game -- you get to coach against him, too.
You think you're good? Step on up and prove it.
No. 2, we have an administration that is going to support you. They're going to do the same things they did for Hawkins.
And hey, it's Boulder. There are a lot worse places in the world to raise your family.
Note: This interview brought up a lot of additional questions so many side roads were taken as Neill's knowledge and passion for the program dug up a wealth of thought. Because of the volume of conversation, this series will be extended to a third part, which will be posted Friday. In that segment, we discussed what Ricardo Patton accomplished, what his legacy will be, what his downfall was, and where his future might be.
Cyclones colder than Buffs
Colorado gets that first Big-12 Conference victory with a 74-65 home win over Iowa State as guards Xavier Silas and Richard Roby combine for 34 points.
The Buffs struggled hitting shots most of the evening, especially at the foul line, were they were an atrocious 14 of 26 but they sent the Cyclones home a loser with a rare show of defense as ISU went cold in the second half, finishing the game hitting only 40 percent from the field.
Silas (pictured) scored 19, tying a career-high. He piled up all his points in the second half. Roby added 15 on 6-of-18 shooting.
Frontcourt players Wesley Johnson and Jiri Hubalek scored 15 each for the Cyclones. Johnson, one of the best freshman in the country, hands down, had 14 rebounds for his eleventh double-double of the season.
BGT: Who cares that CU likely couldn't have beaten many teams with tonight's performance. This team needed a win, this program needed a win, the fans were starved for one and at the end, everyone is satiated for the moment. Hubalek and Johnson exposed the winners inside and don't think that opposing teams won't remember that way to exploit the Buffs. To be fair, Marcus King-Stockton's eight rebounds and three blocks show effort is being made.
Dominique Coleman had another "do-it-all, y'all" performance with 9 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals. Ironic that he came to Boulder as a scorer but isn't one. Yet, he is a basketball player who makes plays when he's on the court.
Silas is something else -- both loaded with talent and maddeningly sloppy, as his shooting showed, hitting four 3-pointers in five attempts and missing six of nine free throws). Roby's shot is a mess but he still wills his way to points.
If I'm Patton, I'm relieved at getting a victory but after hugging the players, I'm making all of them take 100 free throws before bed, making a minimum of 75 each.
This team is full of inconsistent play and youth is not a sufficient excuse. Until it can even out its' performance and defend better the results will fluctuate wildly. For a night though, let's sweep all that under the carpet, smile and enjoy being a winner.
Other Big 12 games
Oklahoma dominated Nebraska defensively in a 70-53 victory in Norman.
BGT: The Sooners made the Huskers look bad, holding them to 35-percent shooting. Nebraska center Alexs Maric was held to a paltry eight points. OU is becoming a tough team and with the continued emergence of forward Nate Carter (19 points) and the resurfacing of guard Michael Neal (20 points), the Sooners are competitive. And, oh, I couldn't have been more wrong about the Huskers' offense and shooters. Both were terrible.
Baylor surprisingly struggled on offense and it cost them on the road in Manhattan, losing to Kansas State, 69-60. The Bears blew an 11-point second-half lead in falling to the Wildcats.
BGT: Baylor shot but 34 percent and forward Kevin Rogers scored only two points on two attempts while still managing time to foul out. Lance Harris led the home team with 18 points and there was also a Cartier Martin sighting as he finished with 15. This game looked like a Bob Huggins'-led team -- and it had to please him as it was the approach he is trying to sell. Baylor showed, while it is improved, there are still potholes its' going to hit on the way to better things. Yes, missed on this one, too, as Kansas State got dirty on defense in the second half. I thought the Texans were playing better coming into the evening.
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