ACC coaching shakeups

The coaching carousel has continued to spin, this time making stops in the ACC. Recently Clemson and Wake Forest both hired new coaches to lead their basketball programs.

It’s reported that Wake Forest has decided to hire Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik to replace the recently fired Dino Gaudio. Gaudio, who was a master recruiter, had difficulty getting his highly ranked players to play at their true potential and there is no question the team’s poor NCAA Tournament play factored in to his firing.

But the hiring of Bzdelik is a bit puzzling. While he had success at Air Force in 2005 and 2006, he really didn’t do much in his three-year stint at Colorado. I suppose he has some name recognition, but he’s not that relevant on the East Coast. It will be mighty interesting to see if he can compete with the likes of Coach K, Roy Williams, and Gary Williams.

Clemson also just hired Brad Brownell from Wright State to replace Oliver Purnell, who stunningly decided to leave Clemson to go to DePaul. In four years at Wright State, Brownell went 84-45 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2007.

Clearly though there is a difference between the Horizon League and the Atlantic Coast Conference. This is the type of hire that you really can’t judge for a few years because he is a bit of an unknown. It’s hard to know whether a coach can adjust from moving to a small mid-major to a major conference school.

Although they most certainly would not have gotten rid of Purnell, his decision to leave could benefit them. Purnell restored some credibility to the program but was unable to ever make it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. There is a niceness in knowing that your coach will always get you competing for a bid to the Big Dance, but it has to be frustrating to also know it’s doubtful that said coach will take you anywhere far.