Air Force promotes Reynolds to head basketball coach

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

04/17/2007 -

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -The Air Force Academy didn't look far to find its new men's basketball coach, promoting assistant Jeff Reynolds on Tuesday.

Reynolds will replace Jeff Bzdelik, who left for Colorado two weeks ago. The 50-year-old Reynolds is the seventh head coach in the academy's history and the fourth in the past five years.

``My job here is to sustain the success of the program and take it to the next level,'' Reynolds said.

His five-year deal will be worth around $350,000 a season, about the same figure Bzdelik made with the Falcons. The contract also includes a $500,000 buyout clause, just in case other teams want to lure Reynolds away. Bzdelik's buyout was a comparatively small $270,000.

Athletic director Hans Mueh had joked that he was going to put in a $1 million buyout clause simply because he was tired of losing quality coaches.

Bzdelik went 50-16 at Air Force, but the Buffaloes lured him away for more than $750,000 a year.

Reynolds never had a formal interview. He talked to Mueh for 15 minutes the same day he was turning in his keys and credentials to follow Bzdelik up the road to Colorado. Reynolds had already moved his personal belongings into his office at Colorado and had received a bag of Colorado clothing.

Reynolds was in North Carolina visiting his mom, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, when he received the call Sunday morning from Mueh offering him the position.

``We had the interview with Jeff and we were absolutely blown away by his passion, emotion and vision,'' Mueh said.

Reynolds also came highly recommended by his good friend Bzdelik.

``Jeff Bzdelik took me aside and said, 'I would encourage you to talk to (Reynolds) about this job,''' Mueh said. ``I would probably not have done that because I wanted to honor whatever commitment he had to Jeff (Bzdelik).''

After being offered the position, Reynolds called Bzdelik for advice.

``I said, 'Coach, what do you want me to do?''' said Reynolds, who hadn't officially signed a contract with the Buffaloes. ``He said, 'You have my support. If you take the job, I'll feel like I had been a little bit successful in helping you reach your goal.' That was a weight off my shoulders.''

Reynolds joined Bzdelik's staff two years ago after serving as an assistant at Tulane from 2000 to 2004. He was the head coach at Division II Wingate in North Carolina from 1997 to 2000, finishing 61-27. He also was head coach for the 1985-86 season at North Carolina Wesleyan, going 21-7.

Air Force players showed up at the press conference to support Reynolds and said they were happy the job went to an assistant. Two other assistants, Larry Mangino and A.J. Kuhle, were also up for the position.

``He still could've chosen CU, but he wanted to be with us and we appreciate that,'' sophomore guard Adam Hood said. ``We feel like he's on our ship and that ship is going in the right direction.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

7decks NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Referee Crawford suspended for actions toward Duncan
NEW YORK (AP) -NBA referee Joey Crawford was suspended indefinitely by commissioner David Stern on Tuesday for his conduct toward Tim Duncan, who contends the official challenged him to a fight.Crawford, regarded as a top referee, ejected Duncan fro

<< Referee Crawford suspended for actions toward Duncan ejection
NEW YORK (AP) -NBA referee Joey Crawford was suspended indefinitely by commissioner David Stern on Tuesday for his conduct toward Tim Duncan, who contends the ref challenged him to a fight.Crawford ejected Duncan from a game in Dallas on Sunday, cal

<< Jerry West leaving Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Jerry West will leave as the Memphis Grizzlies' director of basketball operations July 1, ending a five-year stint with the former expansion franchise.West, one of the NBA's great players and executives with the Los Angeles Lake

<< Knee surgery planned for Picard
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Alexandre Picard, the Columbus Blue Jackets' No. 1 pick three years ago, will have surgery after injuring his left knee.The left winger, who has one assist in 40 games with the Blue Jackets, tore the anterior cruciate and medial

<< Hurricanes sign Rutherford to 5-year contract
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -The Carolina Hurricanes signed general manager Jim Rutherford to a five-year contract Tuesday.Rutherford recently completed his 13th season as Carolina's general manager and is the only person to hold that job since the franchise

Cavs still in hunt for No. 2 seed >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are two games left on Cleveland's regular-season schedule and hope is still alive for the No. 2 spot in the East standings. The Cavaliers are currently fifth in the conference, just a half game behind the sec

Germaine, Angel & Neal earn AFL Weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Blaze QB JOE GERMAINE, Colorado Crush DB CHRIS ANGEL, and New Orleans VooDoo WR/LB TREMAINE NEAL have been named Offensive Player, ADT Defensive Player, and Ironman of the Week, respectively, for Week 7 of t

Federer struggles to beat qualifier in Monte-Carlo >>
Monte-Carlo, Monaco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Swiss superstar Roger Federer needed a pair of tiebreaks to get past Italian qualifier Andreas Seppi in second-round action Tuesday at the Masters Series Monte-Carlo -- the third of nine Masters Series

This Week in Auto Racing April 19 - April 22 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A busy week is in store for race fans beginning with Nextel Cup qualifying on Thursday (race is Saturday night) and ending with a Champ Car race on the streets of Houston on Sunday afternoon. NASCAR

Pirates' Sanchez out with sore wrist >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez did not play in Tuesday's victory over the St. Louis Cardinals due to a sore left wrist. Sanchez, who started the season on the disabled list with a righ

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.