Jeff Bzdelik
Jeff Bzdelik (born December 1, 1952)
Teams coached: UMBC Retrievers, Denver Nuggets, Air Force Falcons, Colorado Buffaloes, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
UMBC record: 25-31 (.446)
Air Force record: 50-16 (.758)
Colorado record: 36-58 (.383)
Wake Forest record: 51-76 (.402)
Overall record^: 162-181 (.472)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (2006)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (2007)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2019-present | New Orleans Pelicans (assoc. HC) |
| 2016-2019 | Houston Rockets (asst) |
| 2014-2016 | Memphis Grizzlies (asst) |
| 2010-2014 | Wake Forest |
| 2007-2010 | Colorado |
| 2005-2007 | Air Force |
| 2002-2004 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1995-2001 | Miami Heat (asst) |
| 1988-1994 | Washington Bullets (asst) |
| 1986-1988 | UMBC |
| 1980-1986 | Northwestern (asst) |
| 1978-1980 | Davidson (asst) |
Jeff Bzdelik Facts
- Jeffrey Joseph Bzdelik
- Born December 1, 1952
- Hometown: Mount Prospect, Illinois
- Alma Mater: University of Illinois at Chicago (BA, 1976)
- The Chicago area native played for head coaches Tom Russo and Ed McQuillan
- First coaching jobs were as an assistant at Davidson (under Eddie Biedenbach) and Northwestern (under Rich Falk)
- Spent two seasons as the head coach at UMBC, then a Division I Independent, going 25-31
- Moved onto the pro ranks in 1988, spending the next 14 years as an NBA assistant or scout
- Worked for head coaches Wes Unseld (WAS), Pat Riley (NYK & MIA) and Mike Evans (DEN)
- Spent two and a half years as the head coach in Denver, going 73-119 during that span
- Reached the 2004 NBA Playoffs but was eliminated in the first round
- Fired in December 2004 following a 13-15 start to the season
- Hired in 2005 to be the head coach at Air Force Academy
- Went an impressive 50-16 in two seasons at Air Force
- Reached the only NCAA Tournament (2006) and NIT (2007) of his career
- Went 51-76 in three seasons at the helm at Colorado, failing to finish above .500 in any season
- Hired away from Colorado in 2010, spending the next four seasons as head coach at Wake Forest
- Improved the Demon Deacons from an 8-win team in year one to a 17-16 campaign in year four
- Resigned in March 2014 with an overall 51-76 record and no postseason berths
- Returned to the NBA that same year, spending two seasons as an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies
- Worked for one year each under head coaches David Fizdale and J.B. Bickerstaff
- Joined Mike D’Antoni’s staff with the Houston Rockets in 2016
- Announced his retirement in 2018 but ultimately decided to work with the Rockets for the 2018-19 season
- Became associate head coach for defense on Alvin Gentry’s staff with the New Orleans Pelicans
- Along with his wife, Nina, has one son and one daughter
Jeff Bzdelik Coaching Tree
- Scott Brooks (Washington Wizards, OKC Thunder)
- Dan Ficke (Belmont Abbey)
- Juwan Howard (Michigan)
- Steve McClain (UIC)
- Mark Pope (BYU, Utah Valley)
- Jeff Reynolds (Air Force)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only
