DENVER - It's the
ides of October, which can only mean one thing. That's right, college
basketball practice started Friday at 5 p.m. MT.
The Pioneers hit the courts in Gates Fieldhouse inside the
Ritchie Center. Some teams perform skits and sing songs, but Denver is all
about the basketball, and there's something peaceful about just having the
players, the coaches and the court. By 5:01 p.m. the team was at full speed.
The freshmen have a lot to learn, but they look as though
the older guys have done a great job of preparing them for this practice. In
fact, Royce O'Neale just broke down
low past a couple of upperclassmen and got a layup.
Followers of the program no doubt noticed the absence of Rob Lewis in a Denver jersey last year.
Well, he's back on the court tonight and looking like he's ready to make up for
lost time.
After a few individual drills - layups, three-point shooting
and fast breaks - the teams split into five-on-five for full court team drills.
Head coach Joe Scott appears
to be in midseason form, coaching each player and making suggestions about how
to perfect each cut, pass and drive. Every player and coach on this team is
very upfront and vocal about wanting to improve each and every day.
The facilities at DU are outstanding. The normal practice
facilities are Hamilton Gymnasium, where there are three full basketball courts.
However, since there's a volleyball game tonight, the team is in Gates, which
is a great alternative with two full courts. In fact, one of the actual courts
used to be in Magness Arena before the team got a new one a few years ago.
A little over halfway through practice, the team is split up
on both courts, so half the team is working two different aspects of the Denver
offense. In a while, the players will switch sides in order to get everyone
familiar with it.
One thing is clear this evening: everyone in this program is
happy that practices have started, and the countdown is on for the first game
on November 11.
