Mangino ’s role has Falcons winning Page 1 of 2

Publication: The Colorado Springs Gazette; Date:2006 Jan 05; Section:Sports; Page Number: 21 Mangino ’s role has Falcons winning

Coachs direction on offense crucial

By DAN WOLKEN THE GAZETTE

When Jeff Bzdelik took the Air Force job after spending 2½ years as coach of the , one of the first questions was whether he’d run the , a cornerstone of the Falcons basketball renaissance under Princetonalums Joe Scott and Chris Mooney. Watching an Air Force practice, it’s fairly clear Bzdelik isn’t running it. Assistant coach Larry Mangino is the one shouting directions, urging players to pass, cut, drift and screen for each other in the mostly Princeton way. A Montclair State graduate, Mangino has been an Air Force assistant since Scott arrived in 2000. Though it’s not quite the same as a football coaching staff with offensive and defensive coordinators who have strict responsibilities, Mangino has had a distinct role in directing the offense. “I’m very secure in who I am,” Bzdelik said. “I know the Princeton offense. Larry knows it a little bit better. Just like I tell my team to be unselfish, I’m unselfish. It’s best for the team right now. Can I teach it? Yes. Can I teach it as well as Larry? No.” Bzdelik’s deference and delegation is part of why the Falcons are 12-1 heading into their nationally televised (ESPN2) opener tonight against BYU at Clune Arena. Bzdelik has focused on improving the Falcons’ defense, while making only a few changes to the offense that Air Force’s nucleus of experienced players have utilized since they were at the academy prep school. The irony is that Bzdelik has entrusted much of the offense to an assistant who, by virtue of his Montclair rather than Princeton upbringing, wasn’t allowed much freedom by Mooney or Scott to tinker with the Princeton playbook as written by famed coach Pete Carril. “The prior five years, I certainly watched the offense but I had a lot more to do with the defense,” Mangino said. “This year, because this offense is so unique and so detailed, I have been much more involved in it. I go home at night and try to mix things and adjust parts of our offense, so that’s definitely my focus. I feel confident with it, and coach Bzdelik has kind of allowed me to focus on that a little bit more.” When Mooney left for Richmond after just one year as coach, Mangino interviewed for the job that eventually went to Bzdelik. Mooney didn’t ask Mangino to join his staff at Richmond and Mangino didn’t want to go, any way. That turned out to be a break for Bzdelik since Mangino is the only coach remaining from the Falcons’ 2004 MWC championship team. Over the summer, Bzdelik and Mangino spent hours watching tape and diagramming the offense on the blackboard. What they came up with was a system almost identical to what it was before, with one key exception. No longer is the offense designed to use the entire shot clock on every possession; now the Falcons have freedom to get into the offense quicker. “I don’t want to run the clock down,” Bzdelik said. “I want to attack and keep attacking, no matter how long it takes for us to get not a good shot, but the best shot. “We’re putting our own little spin on it, and it’s the right way to play. I’ve always believed that. It’s sound basketball predicated on player and ball movement, reading the defense. It takes great unselfishness, not only passing the ball but cutting and screening for one another.” The results seem to be twopronged: c First, opposing teams are expending more energy on the defensive end — one of Bzdelik’s biggest points of emphasis — perhaps contributing to Air Force’s trend of strong second halves. c Second, Mangino believes it has helped the Falcons relax more and thus shoot better (48.7 percent this season). Senior guard Antoine Hood said Mangino deserves a lot of credit for the Falcons’ success. “He’s put his own touch on it, and it’s benefited us greatly,” Hood said. “He coaches us to run sets to our strengths. If someone scores a couple buckets, we’ll go back at him and get another one. We’re taking advantages of our mismatches, and coach Mangino along with the rest of our staff has done a great job.” CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0258 or [email protected]

AIR FORCE WOMEN TODAY

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Air Force vs. BYU Where:

Provo, Utah

When:

7 p.m. The Air Force women’s basketball team opens its Mountain West Conference season with a road game against BYU. Air Force hasn’t won a game in the series, losing 14 straight to BYU. The Cougars won 75-66 last season at Clune Arena and 71-51 in Provo. The Falcons finished their nonconference schedule with a 9-2 mark. The nine wins are the most posted by Air Force as a Division I team. The Cougars, whose only loss this season came by two points to N.C. State, are led in scoring by Colorado Springs native Ambrosia Anderson (20.6 points per game). Anderson also averages a teamhigh 9.1 rebounds per game.

TODAY Air Force (12-1) vs. Brigham Young (8-3), 9 p.m., ESPN2, 740/560 AM

Larry Mangino: Assistant has major role in AFA offense.

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