Wake Forest AD to stick with Prospect's Bzdelik

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman says basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik will be back for a fourth season.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Wellman reaffirmed his support for Bzdelik and said he is “very encouraged about the future of our program.”

Bzdelik, a Prospect High School graduate, previously coached at the University of Colorado, the Air Force Academy, the Denver Nuggets and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

The Demon Deacons have had three straight losing seasons and no postseason tournament appearances under Bzdelik. He is 34-60 overall and 11-42 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

This year's young team went 13-18 with upset wins over No. 2 Miami and No. 18 North Carolina State with a roster that had only three available non-freshmen on scholarship.

More than 60 percent of the team's minutes were played by freshmen, and Wellman says the Demon Deacons “are going to reap the benefits of that foundation.”