DENVER - Early every year, Denver basketball fans around the program will stop by practice and say something along the lines of "I can't believe (fill in the player) is an upperclassman." This year is no different with seniors Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.). The duo arrived at Denver four years ago, the same year as head coach Joe Scott and his staff, and both already have stepped into bigger leadership roles this season. Kyle talks a little about the first two days of practice in the video below.
Two years ago, a lot was made of the Pioneers' youth, which was appropriate since they were the youngest team in the country. Looking at the court during practice today, the team looks grown up and confident.
One of the drills each day is to line up and shoot three-pointers. Each person shoots, grabs his own rebound and fires a pass to someone on the elbow, and he passes again to the shooter. They shoot from the top of the key for the first minute, move to a corner for a minute, and then return to the top before finishing in the other corner. The magic number in the drill is 80 makes, and the first time they did the drill today, they nailed 86 shots with everyone drilling shot after shot.
Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) took an elbow to the nose early and missed some practice time. Hooper's absence gave freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) a chance to play center. According to Coach Scott, it should work nicely because center is the easiest position to learn in Denver's system, but it also will give Udofia the chance to learn the entire system quickly.
While nobody is going to pick up the offense quickly, Udofia seems to be doing a good job absorbing a lot of information from the coaches and his teammates and applying it on the court.
Overall, it was a good practice, and Scott even ended it after two hours, which is a little shorter than usual.
Tanner Update: Former Pioneer Adam Tanner sent a note from Australia last week. It's always great to hear from the Tanner crew from Down Under.
Tanner played two years at DU including one season under Joe Scott in 2007-08, when he led the team in scoring and assists as the starting center.
After a year in the NBL, Australia's top professional league, with the New Zealand Breakers, Tanner is now playing in the offseason league with the Bendigo Braves, about 1.5 hours from Tanner's native Melbourne.
According to Tanner, it's the second-tier league behind the NBL, and although it is pays, it only requires a few days of practice per week in addition to a couple games each weekend.
In his spare time, Tanner has returned to school to become a teacher. Once he graduates in October, he will teach either primary school or high school business classes.
Rockies on FSN: Head coach Joe Scott will be a featured guest in the FSN Rocky Mountain television booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson at Coors Field on Saturday, Aug. 14. Scott will visit the FSN television booth during the third inning of the Colorado Rockies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch for the Rockies and Brewers tilt is slated for 6:10 p.m. MT. .
New Arrival: Congratulations to Denver team surgeon Michelle Wolcott, who gave birth to son Henry David Wolcott this morning. The family is doing great.
Two years ago, a lot was made of the Pioneers' youth, which was appropriate since they were the youngest team in the country. Looking at the court during practice today, the team looks grown up and confident.
One of the drills each day is to line up and shoot three-pointers. Each person shoots, grabs his own rebound and fires a pass to someone on the elbow, and he passes again to the shooter. They shoot from the top of the key for the first minute, move to a corner for a minute, and then return to the top before finishing in the other corner. The magic number in the drill is 80 makes, and the first time they did the drill today, they nailed 86 shots with everyone drilling shot after shot.
Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) took an elbow to the nose early and missed some practice time. Hooper's absence gave freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) a chance to play center. According to Coach Scott, it should work nicely because center is the easiest position to learn in Denver's system, but it also will give Udofia the chance to learn the entire system quickly.
While nobody is going to pick up the offense quickly, Udofia seems to be doing a good job absorbing a lot of information from the coaches and his teammates and applying it on the court.
Overall, it was a good practice, and Scott even ended it after two hours, which is a little shorter than usual.
Tanner Update: Former Pioneer Adam Tanner sent a note from Australia last week. It's always great to hear from the Tanner crew from Down Under.
Tanner played two years at DU including one season under Joe Scott in 2007-08, when he led the team in scoring and assists as the starting center.
After a year in the NBL, Australia's top professional league, with the New Zealand Breakers, Tanner is now playing in the offseason league with the Bendigo Braves, about 1.5 hours from Tanner's native Melbourne.
According to Tanner, it's the second-tier league behind the NBL, and although it is pays, it only requires a few days of practice per week in addition to a couple games each weekend.
In his spare time, Tanner has returned to school to become a teacher. Once he graduates in October, he will teach either primary school or high school business classes.
Rockies on FSN: Head coach Joe Scott will be a featured guest in the FSN Rocky Mountain television booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson at Coors Field on Saturday, Aug. 14. Scott will visit the FSN television booth during the third inning of the Colorado Rockies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch for the Rockies and Brewers tilt is slated for 6:10 p.m. MT. .
New Arrival: Congratulations to Denver team surgeon Michelle Wolcott, who gave birth to son Henry David Wolcott this morning. The family is doing great.
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