http://www.journalnow.com/spor...19bb30f31a.html

#Bzout = #Wellmanout. It's that simple at this point.

Q: Where is the basketball program and where is it headed?
A: I’m certainly not discouraged by what I’m seeing.

Q: One thing nobody is seeing is a lot of fans in the seats at Joel Coliseum.

A: If you go back in our history, we have never drawn well in December.

Looks like Ron forgot about this:
The attendance total last season was the second lowest in the 23-year history of Joel Coliseum; the total the season before was the third lowest.

Q: What about a lack of connection with the fan base?

A: The problem is that we’re not winning. Jeff can’t connect with 15,000 fans.

LOL. Jeff can't even connect with 3000 fans, 1000 of which are from High Point U. And he certainly can't connect with Miami fans as he shouts "F You" to them.

Q: So you’re convinced the fans will return to see a winning team?

A: I am. Again the fans want one thing. They want winning basketball. And when that happens, do you think that a coach’s perceived public relations is going to get in the way of them coming back and cheering for a great basketball program?

One problem there big guy...Bz hasn't ever won. He has a career losing record and it's not because he's a young up and comer. He's an old washed up loser who is collecting retirement on our collective dime.

Unless Wellman goes or Bz resigns, we're in for another year of the Bz disaster. Wellman is dug in. This isn't just an AD standing behind his coach publicly. He's insulting to the fanbase, alumni, students and school at this point. If public support was the requirement, nothing more than "we're not happy with the state of the program but I'm standing behind Jeff Bzdelik" would suffice. There's no explanation for the absurdities coming out of Ron's mouth.

Q: The word culture has become a lightning rod. How do you define it as it pertains to Wake Forest athletics?
A: I can tell that we want a culture that reflects Wake Forest, that reflects the values and the ideas and the standards of this university

oops...

Bzdelik apologizes for swearing at fan

If only we had the wisdom to see things with the vision, and clarity that Wellman has.

Q: What about a lack of connection with the fan base?
A: The problem is that we’re not winning. Jeff can’t connect with 15,000 fans. There’s just no way you can do that and do the job that he really has to do

The statement about winning may be true, but unfortunately....

CaryDeac wrote: The statement about winning may be true, but unfortunately....

Winning cures all...so let's hire a winner.

Interview unabridged on MTOW:
http://www.journalnow.com/spor...19bb30f31a.html

MTOW: I haven’t seen crowds this small.
RW: Oh I have.
MTOW: Really?
RW: Oh heavens yes. I remember when I came here, and sitting in the stands, the first December I was here I was thinking `My gosh where is everybody? We’ve got to be drawing better than this.’ And there were four or five thousand at some of those games. So that’s not all that unusual.

I've been at the Joel from opening night. Ron is full of crap. There's been exactly ONE season with worse attendance.

The attendance total last season was the second lowest in the 23-year history of Joel Coliseum; the total the season before was the third lowest.

One thing I'll agree with Wellman on from that article:

It's been 3 years. It's time to stop looking back. Everything we see now is on Bzdelik.

And barring a miraculous turnaround in ACC play, I don't see anything that merits Bzdelik's retention.

I agree with Racer that failing to acknowledge the historic attendance issues doesn't make any sense at all.

Chrispy wrote: I agree with Racer that failing to acknowledge the historic attendance issues doesn't make any sense at all.

None of this has made any sense. It's quotes like this from Wellman that are simply insulting to anyone listening. He has said and continues to say anything he can to somehow justify and support this awful hire. There's no explanation for what is going on at Wake. We're going to find out years from now that Wellman and Bz are lovers and it's all going to make sense.

Might as well stop worrying about it at this point.

RacerDeac wrote:

CaryDeac wrote: The statement about winning may be true, but unfortunately....

Winning cures all...so let's hire a winner.

Ding Ding Ding!  Let's hire a winner.

It will be impossible to improve with a
clearly insane, dillusional, and apparently senile
athletic director.

I understand that Wellman needs to publicly support his coach during the season. 

But, how can anyone read his comments and not comprehend that Wellman is the problem and not the solution?

Wellman really needs to retire ... yesterday.

R R Rhenish wrote: I understand that Wellman needs to publicly support his coach during the season.

If that was his only goal of the interview, he could have answered every question with:

"No, we're not satisfied with ___________, but we're not complacent and we're standing behind Coach Bzdelik to get the job done."

Instead, we get "Oh heaves yes" BS about how Wellman has seen the Joel just as empty in years past. Nothing to see here. Please move on.

Fwiw, he is right. Winning will solve the dissatisfaction that most people feel right now. But I see no evidence whatsoever that we will start winning anytime soon.

Davidson Deac II wrote: Fwiw, he is right. Winning will solve the dissatisfaction that most people feel right now.

I'm not even sure that's true any longer. Maybe after season 1 or partially through season 2. The condescending nature of "the majority of people who complain have never built anything" among other insane quotes would prevent Bz from being loved even if he turned it around. He's never felt like a Wake guy, always taking a "me vs. them" approach to the fans. I sit just above the basketball recruit section at football games and remember multiple games this past season where not a single fan spoke to Bz as he came into and out of the stands. He can win the ACC tourney this year and I'd still be ready to pack his bags.

Honestly, winning would cure everything but he would have to win big and that's simply not happening.

I don't think there is much in this interview to wring your hands about. Wellman is going to spin everything to be as positive as possible during the season because to do otherwise would damage the program for no good reason. Then he'll fire the guy come March 14th or 15th.

WakeForestIndy wrote: Honestly, winning would cure everything but he would have to win big and that's simply not happening.

I don't think there is much in this interview to wring your hands about. Wellman is going to spin everything to be as positive as possible during the season because to do otherwise would damage the program for no good reason. Then he'll fire the guy come March 14th or 15th.

I tend to agree this is the likely outcome.  I didn't see the termination of Gaudio coming based on comments from Wellman.  I didn't see the termination of Caldwell coming based on comments from Wellman.

That said, Wellman's support wasn't so effusive in either case.

I get the impression that Wellman is setting the stage for Bzz's retention rather than his termination.

You aren't that effusive with your praise when you are considering terminating them at the end of the season.

Ibleedgoldandblack wrote: I get the impression that Wellman is setting the stage for Bzz's retention rather than his termination.

You aren't that effusive with your praise when you are considering terminating them at the end of the season.

Yup.

RacerDeac wrote: If that was his only goal of the interview, he could have answered every question with:

"No, we're not satisfied with ___________, but we're not complacent and we're standing behind Coach Bzdelik to get the job done."

Instead, we get "Oh heaves yes" BS about how Wellman has seen the Joel just as empty in years past. Nothing to see here. Please move on.