For polar-opposite reasons, the coaching futures of Jeff Bzdelik and Dale Layer are uncertain.

But the hot-commodity Bzdelik and the beleaguered Layer are not thinking about that just yet.

Bzdelik, a former Nuggets coach, is on the radar of other schools with coaching openings after two fine seasons at Air Force. Layer, whose Colorado State Rams faded during the conference season, could be on the outs if the administration chooses to buy out the last year of his contract.

Both say this is no time to think about their futures with the Mountain West Conference tournament this week in Las Vegas.

The fourth-seeded Falcons, likely NCAA Tournament participants, will try to reverse a three- game slide at 3:30 p.m. MST Thursday against Wyoming.

The sixth-seeded Rams hope to erase the bad vibes of a 6-10 conference season against San Diego State at 9:30 MST that night.

"It's never been brought up within our team," Bzdelik said Monday of his name being connected as possibly replacing Ricardo Patton as Colorado. "We just ignore it. Our players have had a lot of success the past two years, and that can put a coach in a speculative situation like that."

Layer's situation falls at the other end of the annual job scrum. Athletic director Paul Kowalczyk must decide in the coming weeks among the options of buying out Layer's remaining season at about $250,000, leaving him hanging with a one-year deal or extending his deal.

The more vociferous of CSU's disappointed basketball fans feel the first option is the best, but Layer has no interest in dealing with the speculation.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of difference, so it's certainly not a distraction to our team," the seventh-year coach said. "Right now, we're just distracted by San Diego State."

CSU has one thing going for it: The last time the conference tournament was in Las Vegas, in 2003, the Rams were a No. 6 seed, same as this year. That team put together a three-game run to advance to CSU's only NCAA Tournament under Layer.

But Layer knows the familiar convergence of seed and site means nothing once his up-and- down Rams hit the Thomas & Mack Center floor.

"There's no magic seed," he said. "You have to play well for three straight nights."

If there's going to be a second night for the Rams, they must get past a San Diego State team that handled them twice this season.

Air Force-Wyoming usually is tight and entertaining. But the most recent meeting hardly was that way. Playing without their top two scorers, Brandon Ewing and Brad Jones, the Cowboys were throttled by the Falcons 88-43 at Clune Arena.

Ewing and Jones were serving suspensions for fighting. In the first meeting, Air Force won in Laramie by two points.

The way Bzdelik sees it, the second game with the Cowboys never happened.

"I didn't even look at the tape," he said. "Those guys are back, and that game will have no bearing on this one. I think Wyoming is the kind of team that could really make a nice run in the conference tournament."

Air Force has struggled of late, something Bzdelik blames partly on players' academic load.

With no game since a home loss Feb. 27 against Brigham Young, Bzdelik gave his players four days off to concentrate on schoolwork and get their heads together.

A win against Wyoming would be the Falcons' first in a conference tournament since 1990. The Falcons are 0-7 in Mountain West first-round games despite the program's surge the past four seasons.

As far as NCAA Tournament possibilities, BYU, Air Force and home-court-enjoying Nevada- Las Vegas look to be in good shape for at-large berths.

San Diego State probably has to win a game or two in the conference tournament to make the NCAA field.

All-Mountain West Men

Selected by media and head coaches

FIRST TEAM Player School Pos. Yr.

Brandon Heath SDSU G Sr.

Wendell White UNLV G Sr.

Jason Smith CSU F Jr.

Dan Nwaelele AFA F Sr.

Keena Young BYU F Sr.

SECOND TEAM Player School Pos. Yr.

Brandon Ewing Wyo. G So.

Wink Adams UNLV G So.

Trent Plaisted BYU C So.

Jacob Burtschi AFA F Sr.

Mohamed Abukar SDSU F Sr.

THIRD TEAM Player School Pos. Yr.

Brad Jones Wyo. G Jr.

Lee Cummard BYU G So.

Kevin Kruger UNLV G Sr.

Tony Danridge N.M. G Jr.

Luke Nevill Utah C So.

• Honorable mention: Tim Anderson, AFA, G, Jr.; Matt McCraw, AFA, G, Sr.; Austin Ainge, BYU, G, Sr.; Cory Lewis, CSU, G, Sr.; Darren Prentice, N.M., G, Jr.; J.R. Giddens, N.M., G, Jr.; Jerome Habel, SDSU, F, Jr.; Lorrenzo Wade, SDSU, F, So.; Brent Hackett, TCU, G, Jr.; Kevin Langford, TCU, F, So.; Johnnie Bryant, Utah, G, Jr. • Player of the Year: Keena Young, BYU. • Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Anthony, UNLV. • Freshman of the Year: Jonathan Tavernari, BYU. • Coach of the Year: Dave Rose, BYU.

Women

Selected by head coaches

FIRST TEAM Player School Pos. Yr.

Adrianne Ross TCU G Jr.

Morgan Warburton Utah G So.

Katie Montgomery N.M. G Sr.

Dani Wright BYU C Sr.

Hanna Zavecz Wyo. F Jr.

SECOND TEAM Player School Pos. Yr.

Mallary Gillespie BYU G Jr.

Ashley Davis TCU G Sr.

Julie Briody N.M. G Sr.

Justyna Podziemska Wyo. F Jr.

Dionne Marsh N.M. F Jr.

Sequoia Holmes UNLV F Jr.

THIRD TEAM Player School Pos. Yr.

Sara Hunter CSU G Jr.

Quenese Davis SDSU G Fr.

Shamela Hampton UNLV C So.

Alecia Steele AFA F Jr.

Kalee Whipple Utah F Fr.

• Honorable mention: Melinda Johnsen, BYU, G/F, Sr.; Lauren Riley, BYU, C, Jr.; Hanna Biernacka, TCU, F, Sr.; Shanna Demus, SDSU, F, Jr. • Co-Players of the Year: Dani Wright, BYU; Adrianne Ross, TCU. • Newcomer of the Year: Justyna Podziemska, Wyo. • Defensive Player of the Year: Sequoia Holmes, UNLV. • Coach of the Year: Jeff Judkins, BYU.

holtzr@RockyMountainNews.com

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