Jeff Bzdelik isn't promising to turn Colorado into the next Duke.

But the Buffs head coach has more in common with Mike Krzyzewski than a last name that could stump a spelling bee champion.

Bzdelik, like "Coach K" years before the McDonald's All-Americans and national championship banners arrived at Cameron Indoor Stadium, has enough self-confidence to attempt to build a basketball program from the ground up at a university that won't lower its academic standards to achieve higher win totals.

"Coach K and I talk a lot," Bzdelik said of his longtime friend on Thursday. "In his second and third years (at Duke) he was 10-17 and 11-17. And he had an alumnus put his finger in his chest after his third year and say, 'You will never last here. We need to get rid of you.'

"But they stayed the course."

Bzdelik could have name dropped all afternoon. His peers -- from Pat Riley to Bob Knight to Mike Dunlap -- respect and admire his eye for talent, knowledge of the game and work ethic.

But he wasn't trying to impress members of the media or responding to irrational message board rants. Bzdelik -- who accepted this daunting challenge just over a year ago -- wanted to remind everyone that it is going to take several years to transform CU basketball from a bad Big 12 punch line into a respectable top 20-caliber program.

"I'm different," said Bzdelik, who could probably earn a similar or higher salary in the NBA as an assistant coach without all of the headaches that come with being the face of a last-place team. "I like to see if I can do something that people say you can't do."

The fact that Jeremy Williams will likely become the seventh Ricardo Patton recruit to leave CU since Bzdelik was hired doesn't look good from the outside. The fact that the APR for the men's basketball program is below the NCAA's standard doesn't look good from the outside. The fact that the Buffs lost 20 games last season doesn't look good from the outside.

The future, however, looks pretty bright from inside Bzdelik's bright new office at the Coors Events Center.

"My point is that if you're going to build something with a great foundation, it just takes time," Bzdelik continued.

CU will welcome five freshmen recruits to campus for the 2008-09 season in point guard Nate Tomlinson, combo guard Ryan Kelley, forward Toby Veal, forward Austin Dufault and center Trey Eckloff. These players, unlike most of the members of Patton's last class, were recruited by other BCS schools.

"Obviously we're going to be very, very young next year," Bzdelik said. "But I believe we're going to be very skilled and we're going to have depth. We will also have a willingness from all to buy in."

To their credit, Richard Roby and Marcus Hall bought what Bzdelik was selling last season. And both players enjoyed dramatic improvement with their all-around games as seniors, which will give them a better opportunity to play professionally.

Seven of the other players Bzdelik inherited -- whether it was due to a lack of talent, poor work ethic or failure to take care of business in the classroom -- did not fit well with the new coaching staff. Now they're either transferring to Northern Illinois, playing for mid-majors and junior colleges, or at home soul-searching.

Bzdelik has said from Day One that it's going to take some time for him to turn things around at CU, but that doesn't mean he's a patient man.

"What I'm really excited about is all these young men really want to be here," Bzdelik said on the subject of next year's roster. "There's no bad habits to erase."

Three of the elder statesmen on the Buffs next fall will be sophomores Cory Higgins, Casey Crawford and Levi Knutson. The only upperclassmen, senior Jermyl Jackson-Wilson and junior Dwight Thorne, are role players with great attitudes.

"We'll have growing pains," Bzdelik warns. "There's no question about that because of our extreme youth. But it's a great investment in our future."