LOGAN, Utah - It's
a cool, brisk morning in Northern Utah, but the Pioneers are warming up in the
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, getting ready for tonight's game against Utah State.
The players have a sour taste in their mouths after the Cal
loss, but they've got another big challenge tonight.
The Aggies have been one of the best teams in the nation
over the last 10 years, and when they play at home, they've been nearly
unstoppable. USU has won 33-straight games at the Spectrum, trailing only Duke
(40) and Kentucky (37) for the longest home winning streaks in the NCAA. Utah
State's last home loss was against Saint Mary's on Dec. 5, 2009, and the only
other home loss in the Aggies' last 87 games was against Fresno State on March
3, 2007.
Overall, USU is one of only three teams in the nation to win
at least 23 games in each of the last 12 seasons, matching only Gonzaga and
Kansas, and averaging 25.8 wins per season.
However, the Aggies return only four letterwinners and one
starter from last year, and this Denver team is ready.
They haven't played often in recent years, aside from last
year's meeting at Magness Arena, but DU has played Utah State 88 times. Only
Colorado State (158), Wyoming (143), Northern Colorado (113) and Colorado
School of Mines (97) have played Denver more than the Aggies.
The guys better get used to this place, though, since DU
will be joining Utah State in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) next
season. Essentially, this marks the first unofficial road trip in the WAC.
Since none of the DU players have been to this arena before,
they probably won't notice, but the Spectrum will likely be without one of the
most well-known fans in college basketball. According to sources close to the
Utah State athletic department, it seems that "Wild
Bill" has hung up his hula skirt and will no longer be distracting opposing free throw shooters
in the second half.
That, of course, is not to say the Aggies fans will be any
more hospitable to the Pioneers this evening. When Brigham Young rolled into
town, this is what the welcoming committee looked like:
Once the Pioneers finish shootaround this morning, they will
head back to the hotel to rest up, eat a pregame meal of chicken and pasta, and
rest a little more before heading back for tonight's game. Should be an
exciting one.
About Utah State - USU
is located in Logan, which is about two hours north of Salt Lake City. The
campus is on a hill, giving spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains in almost
every direction.
National Football League Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who was
drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1962 but opted to play his entire 15-year
career with the Rams, is probably the most notable alumni of Utah State.
On the political front, United States Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid also went to college in Logan.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 7
Total Mileage by Air - 4,300
Total Mileage by Bus - 347
Total Number of
Hotels - 3
Total Number of
Different Airports - 6
Total Number of
Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of
Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of
Bags Lost - 0
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
California - 11/26/11
BERKELEY, Calif. -
The Pioneers celebrated Thanksgiving with a 4-0 record, which certainly gave
the players, coaches and fans plenty to be thankful for.
The team has a challenge in front of them today, heading to Haas Pavilion to take on Cal, which is ranked No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Poll. This is just the second time that DU has faced a ranked opponent since returning to NCAA Division I in 1998-99. The Pioneers faced No. 10 Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 2003.
Today's game is especially exciting for a couple of senior from this area. Brian Stafford is from just up the road in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Alex Pickert grew up about 90 minutes southwest of here in Carmel, Calif.
Both players have a contingent coming, but Stafford's group of around 30 could be a little bit torn. Stafford's dad, Pete, was Cal's backup quarterback during the "Band Game," when the Golden Bears beat John Elway-led Stanford with the Cardinal's band on the field. Sally, his mother, was an All-American hurdler on the Cal track and field team. His grandfather, Dave, was a member of Cal's 1959 NCAA champion basketball team, which beat Jerry West and West Virginia in the title game.
When asked whether his family was cheering for the Pioneers today, Stafford just smiled sheepishly.
The team flew in Friday afternoon. It was an easy flight into Oakland, and everyone had a couple hours to relax before dinner across the street from the hotel.
There are a few significant differences from the usual routine when playing an afternoon game. The most noticeable today was that the team did not go to the gym to shoot around this morning, meaning the first time most of these players will ever put up a shot at Haas Pavilion will be when the team arrives around 12:30 p.m.
The other major difference is the pregame meal. Generally, the Pioneers dine on what former guard Kyle Lewis used to lovingly refer to as "Coach Scott's chicken and pasta," consisting of, surprisingly, chicken and pasta, about four hours before every game.
However, since today's pregame was midmorning, the players and coaches ate scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes.
About Cal - Obviously, Cal is pretty well know, whether it be as the top public university or fairly well known protests over the years.
As mentioned before, the Golden Bears won the 1959 national title in basketball under the guidance of legendary head coach Pete Newell.
Not surprisingly, this campus just north of Oakland has drawn a number of notable alumni. The basketball team has turned out a few standout point guards named Kevin Johnson (currently the mayor of Sacramento, Calif.) and Jason Kidd, as well as Tony Gonzalez, who is known better as an All-Pro tight end but also played just after Kidd on the Golden Bears basketball team.
Olympians Matt Biondi, Natalie Coughlin and Jonny Moseley were Golden Bears, as were authors Jack London and Beverly Cleary.
From the music industry, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz and Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh all attended Cal.
Since we're in California, we can't ignore Hollywood. Cal can boast stars such as Gregory Peck, Jerry Mathers and Bill Bixby. Perhaps not as well known, but John Cho from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in Goonies; and American Idol contestant William Hung also went to Cal.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 5
Total Mileage by Air - 2,953
Total Mileage by Bus - 157
Total Number of Hotels - 2
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Stafford and Pickert's Friends & Family at the Game - 40+
The team has a challenge in front of them today, heading to Haas Pavilion to take on Cal, which is ranked No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Poll. This is just the second time that DU has faced a ranked opponent since returning to NCAA Division I in 1998-99. The Pioneers faced No. 10 Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 2003.
Today's game is especially exciting for a couple of senior from this area. Brian Stafford is from just up the road in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Alex Pickert grew up about 90 minutes southwest of here in Carmel, Calif.
Both players have a contingent coming, but Stafford's group of around 30 could be a little bit torn. Stafford's dad, Pete, was Cal's backup quarterback during the "Band Game," when the Golden Bears beat John Elway-led Stanford with the Cardinal's band on the field. Sally, his mother, was an All-American hurdler on the Cal track and field team. His grandfather, Dave, was a member of Cal's 1959 NCAA champion basketball team, which beat Jerry West and West Virginia in the title game.
When asked whether his family was cheering for the Pioneers today, Stafford just smiled sheepishly.
The team flew in Friday afternoon. It was an easy flight into Oakland, and everyone had a couple hours to relax before dinner across the street from the hotel.
There are a few significant differences from the usual routine when playing an afternoon game. The most noticeable today was that the team did not go to the gym to shoot around this morning, meaning the first time most of these players will ever put up a shot at Haas Pavilion will be when the team arrives around 12:30 p.m.
The other major difference is the pregame meal. Generally, the Pioneers dine on what former guard Kyle Lewis used to lovingly refer to as "Coach Scott's chicken and pasta," consisting of, surprisingly, chicken and pasta, about four hours before every game.
However, since today's pregame was midmorning, the players and coaches ate scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes.
About Cal - Obviously, Cal is pretty well know, whether it be as the top public university or fairly well known protests over the years.
As mentioned before, the Golden Bears won the 1959 national title in basketball under the guidance of legendary head coach Pete Newell.
Not surprisingly, this campus just north of Oakland has drawn a number of notable alumni. The basketball team has turned out a few standout point guards named Kevin Johnson (currently the mayor of Sacramento, Calif.) and Jason Kidd, as well as Tony Gonzalez, who is known better as an All-Pro tight end but also played just after Kidd on the Golden Bears basketball team.
Olympians Matt Biondi, Natalie Coughlin and Jonny Moseley were Golden Bears, as were authors Jack London and Beverly Cleary.
From the music industry, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz and Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh all attended Cal.
Since we're in California, we can't ignore Hollywood. Cal can boast stars such as Gregory Peck, Jerry Mathers and Bill Bixby. Perhaps not as well known, but John Cho from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in Goonies; and American Idol contestant William Hung also went to Cal.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 5
Total Mileage by Air - 2,953
Total Mileage by Bus - 157
Total Number of Hotels - 2
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Stafford and Pickert's Friends & Family at the Game - 40+
Monday, November 14, 2011
Texas A&M Corpus Christi - 11/14/11
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas
- We're on the road again, and it's nice to be back out here because it
means basketball season is underway.
The Pioneers flew through Dallas yesterday before catching a connection to Corpus Christi. One of the great things about traveling together as a group of about 20-25 people is that, aside from director of basketball operations John Fitzgerald who expertly arranges just about everything, we rarely have to worry about the challenges of travel.
Yesterday, however, there was a slight concern when both senior Alex Pickert and freshman Jake Logan were standing by the ticket counter without a seat assignment, and the airline representative was adamant that someone on the flight was not going to make it to Corpus Christi last night.
Pickert remained calm and looked almost like he wouldn't mind a night to himself in Dallas (not to mention getting his hands on the travel vouchers being offered).
Logan, however, was in his first collegiate road trip and seemed more than a little uncomfortable with the thought of breaking away from his teammates.
Fortunately, everyone from the team ended up on the plane, and it was smooth sailing toward the Gulf Coast.
We arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. and headed straight to dinner before the team turned in early for a good night's sleep.
About Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - The Pioneers are shooting around in American Bank Center this morning. It's a nice facility that opened in 2004 and holds a little more than 8,100, but seems quite a bit more intimate.
The arena is right on the edge of the water. In fact, the U.S.S. Lexington aircraft carrier is docked just outside one of the arena entrances.
TAMUCC's actual campus is down the road a few miles, while the arena sits at the edge of downtown Corpus Christi. About 10,200 students go to the school.
While we are sure many of their past students have gone on to great things, their list of notable alumni is limited.
In fact, during the 2008 NCAA Tournament in 2008, the Louisville Courier-Journal had a mock bracket of the participating schools' most famous alumni. In the first round, Wisconsin (Tom Wopat) beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nobody).
That's a bit of a stretch. According to sources, former TAMUCC golfer Liza Mucheru-Wisner finished third on the Apprentice last year, and Eva Longoria briefly went to the school before graduating elsewhere.
While it has little to nothing to do with TAMUCC, Corpus Christi is where Whataburger was founded in 1950. Although that fact may not excite many people in Denver, which does not have any franchises, there was a sparkle in Chase Hallam's eyes when he referred to it yesterday. There's probably a decent chance that Chase ends up with a Whataburger at some point while the team is here.
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright: It's appropriate that the Pioneers' first road trip of the year is to the Lone Star State. Five players - Cam Griffin, Chase Hallam, Travis Hallam, Royce O'Neale and Chris Udofia - all came from Texas.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 2
Total Mileage by Air - 998
Total Mileage by Bus - 49
Total Number of Hotels - 1
Total Number of Different Airports - 3
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Bumped Passengers - 0, but barely
The Pioneers flew through Dallas yesterday before catching a connection to Corpus Christi. One of the great things about traveling together as a group of about 20-25 people is that, aside from director of basketball operations John Fitzgerald who expertly arranges just about everything, we rarely have to worry about the challenges of travel.
Yesterday, however, there was a slight concern when both senior Alex Pickert and freshman Jake Logan were standing by the ticket counter without a seat assignment, and the airline representative was adamant that someone on the flight was not going to make it to Corpus Christi last night.
Pickert remained calm and looked almost like he wouldn't mind a night to himself in Dallas (not to mention getting his hands on the travel vouchers being offered).
Logan, however, was in his first collegiate road trip and seemed more than a little uncomfortable with the thought of breaking away from his teammates.
Fortunately, everyone from the team ended up on the plane, and it was smooth sailing toward the Gulf Coast.
We arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. and headed straight to dinner before the team turned in early for a good night's sleep.
About Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - The Pioneers are shooting around in American Bank Center this morning. It's a nice facility that opened in 2004 and holds a little more than 8,100, but seems quite a bit more intimate.
The arena is right on the edge of the water. In fact, the U.S.S. Lexington aircraft carrier is docked just outside one of the arena entrances.
TAMUCC's actual campus is down the road a few miles, while the arena sits at the edge of downtown Corpus Christi. About 10,200 students go to the school.
While we are sure many of their past students have gone on to great things, their list of notable alumni is limited.
In fact, during the 2008 NCAA Tournament in 2008, the Louisville Courier-Journal had a mock bracket of the participating schools' most famous alumni. In the first round, Wisconsin (Tom Wopat) beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nobody).
That's a bit of a stretch. According to sources, former TAMUCC golfer Liza Mucheru-Wisner finished third on the Apprentice last year, and Eva Longoria briefly went to the school before graduating elsewhere.
While it has little to nothing to do with TAMUCC, Corpus Christi is where Whataburger was founded in 1950. Although that fact may not excite many people in Denver, which does not have any franchises, there was a sparkle in Chase Hallam's eyes when he referred to it yesterday. There's probably a decent chance that Chase ends up with a Whataburger at some point while the team is here.
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright: It's appropriate that the Pioneers' first road trip of the year is to the Lone Star State. Five players - Cam Griffin, Chase Hallam, Travis Hallam, Royce O'Neale and Chris Udofia - all came from Texas.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 2
Total Mileage by Air - 998
Total Mileage by Bus - 49
Total Number of Hotels - 1
Total Number of Different Airports - 3
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Bumped Passengers - 0, but barely
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