Fansided

25 worst coaching hires in the history of college basketball

By Joey Loose

LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 21: Head coach Billy Gillispie of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts to the action during the SEC game against the Auburn Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 21, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 21: Head coach Billy Gillispie of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts to the action during the SEC game against the Auburn Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 21, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Worst college basketball coach hires
GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 12: Head coach Jeff Bzdelik of Wake Forest Demon Deacons reacts to a play during the first round of the 2014 Men’s ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2014 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

19. Jeff Bzdelik – Wake Forest (2010-2014)

  • 51-76 record (4 seasons)

Given the current state of the program, it may be hard for newer or fairweather fans of college basketball to hear that Wake Forest used to be a fantastic program and one of the best in the ACC. Less than two decades ago, Chris Paul was doing some fantastic things for the Demon Deacons, though the program has fallen on tougher times in recent years. The program was still humming along after the tragic death of coach Skip Prosser in 2007, but the bad news begins when his successor Dino Gaudio was fired just three years later.

Jeff Bzdelik had certainly been around by 2010 He had been an assistant at both the collegiate and NBA level and had just wrapped up his third stint as a D1 head coach. As head coach, he had taken the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs, but also to an abhorrent 65-loss season. More recently, he had parlayed two successful seasons leading Air Force into the job at Colorado, though his three years with the Buffalo (36-58) were not exactly outstanding.

For some reason, Wake Forest decided that Bzdelik was who they wanted leading their program, even after Gaudio had just led them to consecutive NCAA Tournament bids. The Tourney would be a pipe dream moving forward, as the Demon Deacons would win just 8 games and finish last in the ACC in Bzdelik’s first season. While his last three were better, it’s clear that his tenure was a mistake, with a rocky 51-76 total record and just a .250 mark in ACC play. Wake Forest is still in rough shape, with successor Danny Manning failing to turn things around before he too was fired several years later.