A coaching search that lasted nearly five and a half months finally came to an end on Wednesday morning when the Buffaloes' officially announced Jeff Bzdelik as the new leader of their men's basketball program.

Bzdelik's name that was immediately attached to the job opening after Ricardo Patton announced the 2006-07 season would be his last in Boulder back in late October.

Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap and Phoenix Suns assistant Alvin Gentry were other candidates that had informal talks with CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn during the coaching search, but it was believed all along that Bzdelik was the top candidate.

The 54-year old Bzdelik comes to Colorado from Air Force, where he compiled a 50-16 record in two seasons.

He led the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06 and coached them to a NIT Final Four appearance this past season.

Prior to his stint at Air Force, Bzdelik spent 15 years of coaching in the NBA, including two and a half as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets. Known as a great X's and O's coach, Bzdelik was recognized by the USA Today as one of the top five NBA assistants in 2000 while he was on staff with the Miami Heat. He was also named the NBA's best advance scout by Sports Illustrated in 1998.

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