NEW Hoops hire: Jeff Reynolds

Jeff Reynolds was introduced as Air Force’s head men’s basketball coach this morning at an emotional news conference in the Blue and Sliver Room located inside the press box at Falcon Stadium.

Reynolds, who was an assistant the past two years under former coach Jeff Bzdelik, agreed to a five-year contract with the academy. The contract has not been finalized, but an academy official said Reynolds will earn a base salary of $350,000. There is a tiered buyout clause in the contract, as well. To get out of the contract after one year, Reynolds or another organization would have to pay Air Force $500,000. After two years it drops to $400,000 and after three years it drops to $250,000.

Reynolds, 50, broke down several times when talking about his mother, Alice, who was diagnosed several weeks ago with a brain tumor. The coach also spoke passionately about the academy, his players and the difficult decision to back out of a commitment he made to former Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik, who became the head coach at the University of Colorado two weeks ago.

Reynolds noted that he did not pursue the Air Force job but that he was excited to take over a team that many believe will struggle after losing six seniors to graduation - four of whom were starters.

“I’ll work my butt off, you can count on that,” Reynolds said. “I want to continue the success that his program has had.”

Air Force athletic director Hans Mueh said the academy looked at about “a dozen” candidates for the position and interviewed “about a half dozen - some on the phone, some face to face.” But he said research and recommendations kept pointing them back to Reynolds.

“Our goal during our recent search for a new head coach was to seamlessly transition to the next phase of successful Air Force basketball,” Mueh said. “We received great interest from a number of outstanding head coaches and assistants throughout the United States. We evaluated many packages and talked to a few people, but ultimately decided that we had the best candidate right here at our program.”

Reynolds, who called Bzdelik “my best friend,” was set to join Bzdelik in Boulder as an assistant. He cleaned out his office at the academy on April 8 and the next day gave academy officials his exit information. The following day, one week ago, he moved into his office at Colorado and helped conduct a second offseason workout for the Buffaloes’ players.

Reynolds, however, had not yet signed a contract with Colorado, and on April 9, when he left the academy, he told Mueh and Air Force associate athletic director Mike Saks that he would listen if the academy was interested in him as a head coach.

Reynolds officially accepted the academy’s offer Sunday and was introduced to the team Monday. He said today that he has not made any decision on his staff and he did not have a timetable for such a decision.