Jeff Bzdelik enters his first season as an assistant coach on Dave Joerger’s staff, bringing over 30 years of experience, including 17 in the NBA, to the Grizzlies sidelines.
Bzdelik notably worked seven years under NBA Hall of Famer Pat Riley, starting as a scout for the New York Knicks (1994-95) and becoming an assistant coach and advance scout for the Miami Heat (1995-2001). Miami made the NBA Playoffs in all six seasons with Bzdelik on staff, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997. He was named by Sports Illustrated as the NBA’s best advance scout in 1997 and selected by USA Today as one of the league’s top five assistants in 2000.
Hired by the Denver Nuggets in 2001, Bzdelik spent two-plus seasons as Denver’s head coach (2002-04) and in his second season guided the Nuggets to a 26-win turnaround and a berth in the 2004 NBA Playoffs, the franchise’s first trip to the postseason in nine years.
We caught up with Coach Bzdelik after practice. Find out more about him:
You hold the single-season record for free throws made (88.1%) at the University of Chicago-Illinois where you graduated in ’76. Do you have any mantras, tips or words of advice for Grizzlies players or Grizzlies fans heading to the charity stripe this season?
PERFECT DAILY PRACTICE gives one the confidence and trust to have a great chance for success and making free throws is no exception.
You’ve scouted in New York, coached in Miami, and went to college in Chicago. What’s your favorite city of the three and why?
Professionally, Miami is my favorite of the three because of the success we had. But, from strictly a personal view, it would be Chicago because of family.
You were once voted by Sports Illustrated as the NBA’s best advance scout by league GMs (1998). What do you think made you such a good scout?
Winning an NBA championship was always the goal with Pat Riley and our team. My role was to have our team be the best prepared team in the NBA and I took great pride in my job.
What is one of your best memories working with Pat Riley?
Winning, learning and being part of a team that exhibited great pride.
You played basketball at UIC and your wife was a standout volleyball player there. Can it be assumed you met at UIC? Were you able to pick up any volleyball skills?
One day a stray volleyball appeared on our practice court and I happened to notice a cute blonde in volleyball shorts… From then on I had a special interest in volleyball!
What was your first date?
Well actually, that took a while because she turned me down several times to go out. But I stayed the course and we will celebrate our 39th anniversary in a few days!
Do either of your children play basketball or volleyball?
Neither of our children played basketball or volleyball. My son played rugby and golf and my daughter was a gymnast and dancer.
Memphis seems to be your first stint in the real south, what are you most looking forward to about living in “The South?”
I’m looking forward to hopefully a mild winter… I do not like cold weather!
Do you have any hobbies that aren’t basketball related?
Bass & trout fishing
In 2008, you visited military personnel and bases with the USO in an endeavor called “Operation Hoop Talk: Talking Hoops with the Troops.” What was your best memory there?
There were many memories. Maybe even too many to list here. But probably most vivid in my mind still to this day were the faces of the wounded, the willingness from all to accept their role to make sure the mission is accomplished, and the bravery exhibited to sacrifice their own welfare for a greater cause (that being our freedom). In other words, it is the spirit of our military personnel that I remember most.
Do you think you’ll still watch a lot of college hoops now that you’re a full-time NBA coach?
I love the NBA – I don’t not like college basketball. I only left the NBA after my stop with the Denver Nuggets for a family health issue and now that is behind us, I am excited and grateful to be back in the NBA.
You have an interesting last name, can you tell us your familial background, and tell fans how to correctly say, “Bzdelik?”
It’s Slovak and it’s pronounced (BUZZ dell ICK).