MIAMI, Fla. - This is it. Tonight is Denver's final Sun
Belt Conference road game.
There are worse places to end it, of
course. The weather has been rather pleasant, despite the occasional rain
showers. At least nobody is slipping on the ice, as they walk down the street.
Thursday was another tough one. The
Pioneers have lost four games this season in the final 1.1 seconds, but they
are learning from each one and making themselves better because of them.
After breakfast yesterday morning, the
team checked out of the hotel in Boca Raton, piled on a bus and traveled about
an hour south to a new hotel in Miami.
All things considered, it was one of the
easiest travel days of the year, since most of them include a flight and being
on the bus at least as long as yesterday's trip. This also is DU's first and only
combined trip to both FAU and FIU.
The players spent a few hours studying
- or perhaps relaxing - before heading to the University of Miami for a
90-minute practice. There was a nice meal at the Macaroni Grill, and everyone
called it a night.
Shoot around at U.S. Century Bank
Arena is a little later than usual, so the players ate breakfast in the hotel
around 10 a.m. and had some time before a 12:35 p.m. departure.
There was the tiniest bit of confusion
outside the hotel, because four buses that looked exactly like ours were
waiting to take people to various cruise ships. It seemed to take some will
power by "The Voice" Mitch Hyder, as he boarded the team bus instead of the one
to the islands.
About Florida International - It's been two years since the Pioneers have
played at FIU, which means this is the first time the team will take on the
Golden Panthers in Miami under the direction of head coach Isiah Thomas.
Florida International is a mostly
commuter school with 46,000 students. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of
notable alumni from FIU, other than Andy Garcia.
However, there have been some notable
television shows filmed on campus, including several episodes of USA Network's Burn Notice.
And, of course, those of us who lived
through the 1980s (i.e. - not the players) have made a few allusions to the
stylish action from Miami Vice. Well, one particular episode was actually
filmed in the very arena that the Pioneers are now practicing in.
Little has changed since this show, "The
Fix," which was filmed just after the arena opened in 1986, except FIU changed
their mascot from the
Sunblazers to the Golden Panthers in 1987.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 27
Total Mileage by Air - 14, 694
Total Mileage by Bus - 1, 376
Total
Number of Hotels - 14
Total
Number of Different Airports - 13
Total
Number of Airline Delays - 9
Total
Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total
Number of Bags Lost - 4
Total
Number of Cruise Buses the Players Passed to Get to the Team Bus -
4
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Florida Atlantic - 2/9/12
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Yesterday's trip to Florida was completely uneventful, which is the way everyone prefers it.
The Pioneers practiced early Wednesday morning before heading to DIA for the four-hour flight to Fort Lauderdale.
For most of us, it was an ordinary flight, but freshman Royce O'Nealewas thrilled to catch a glimpse of the ocean and beach for the first time as the plane descended.
This trip also marks the first (and possibly only) chance that redshirt sophomore Blake Foeman will play in front of his hometown crowd.
Foeman grew up about 45 southwest of FAU in Weston, Fla. As a high school senior, Foeman attended the only game DU previously played in FAU Arena in 2009.
The Pioneers have actually traveled to play the Owls twice, but their first game during Joe Scott's first season in 2007-08 was played across town at the Count & Countess de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center on the campus of Lynn University, due to the Republican Presidential Debates being held at Florida Atlantic.
In addition to a Foeman contingent, the Pioneers are expecting to see a few more familiar faces in the stands tonight. The parents of Rob Lewismade this final regular season trip in the Sun Belt Conference, as did the parents of Chase Hallam and Travis Hallam, and the parents of head coach Joe Scott spend their winters nearby.
Getting Back from Lafayette - In case you missed it from the various Twitter feeds reporting the situation, the Pioneers were a little concerned about getting back to Denver after playing at Louisiana-Lafayette last Thursday.
With the snow storm raging in Colorado, a lot of flights in and out of DIA were being canceled. The team didn't have a lot of options other than flying from Lafayette to Dallas-Fort Worth and hoping to make it home.
When the team approached the gate, there was a surprise waiting. Middle Tennessee, which was also flying to Denver for the game against the Pioneers, was on the same flight.
Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg did a nice job of capturing the somewhatawkward situation.
Needless to say, both teams ended up making it to arguably the most exciting basketball game in Magness Arena history.
The players (and everyone else in the DU Athletics Department) were ecstatic about the atmosphere surrounding the game and remain thankful for everyone that put in so much hard work to make it great.
It was exciting to have ESPN2 in the building, but it was even nicer to see so many fans having such a good time.
About Florida Atlantic - Sports fans will recognize a couple of head coaches at FAU. Men's basketball coach Mike Jarvis guided Boston University, George Washington and St. John's to the NCAA Tournament before taking over the Owls three seasons ago.
And until December, Howard Schnellenberger roamed the sidelines as football head coach. Schnellenberger guided the Miami Hurricanes to the 1983 national title and served as offensive coordinator for the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Florida Atlantic was founded in 1964 and now has about 28,000 students. As a fairly young university, there is not an overwhelming list of notable alumni. However, Don Brewer, the drummer and founding member of Grand Funk Railroad, received a degree from here in 1990.
More Restaurants - Friend of the Blog Jason Plotkin wrote in to suggest a restaurant we omitted from the Best in the Belt Restaurant list.
The Pioneers practiced early Wednesday morning before heading to DIA for the four-hour flight to Fort Lauderdale.
For most of us, it was an ordinary flight, but freshman Royce O'Nealewas thrilled to catch a glimpse of the ocean and beach for the first time as the plane descended.
This trip also marks the first (and possibly only) chance that redshirt sophomore Blake Foeman will play in front of his hometown crowd.
Foeman grew up about 45 southwest of FAU in Weston, Fla. As a high school senior, Foeman attended the only game DU previously played in FAU Arena in 2009.
The Pioneers have actually traveled to play the Owls twice, but their first game during Joe Scott's first season in 2007-08 was played across town at the Count & Countess de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center on the campus of Lynn University, due to the Republican Presidential Debates being held at Florida Atlantic.
In addition to a Foeman contingent, the Pioneers are expecting to see a few more familiar faces in the stands tonight. The parents of Rob Lewismade this final regular season trip in the Sun Belt Conference, as did the parents of Chase Hallam and Travis Hallam, and the parents of head coach Joe Scott spend their winters nearby.
Getting Back from Lafayette - In case you missed it from the various Twitter feeds reporting the situation, the Pioneers were a little concerned about getting back to Denver after playing at Louisiana-Lafayette last Thursday.
With the snow storm raging in Colorado, a lot of flights in and out of DIA were being canceled. The team didn't have a lot of options other than flying from Lafayette to Dallas-Fort Worth and hoping to make it home.
When the team approached the gate, there was a surprise waiting. Middle Tennessee, which was also flying to Denver for the game against the Pioneers, was on the same flight.
Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg did a nice job of capturing the somewhatawkward situation.
Needless to say, both teams ended up making it to arguably the most exciting basketball game in Magness Arena history.
The players (and everyone else in the DU Athletics Department) were ecstatic about the atmosphere surrounding the game and remain thankful for everyone that put in so much hard work to make it great.
It was exciting to have ESPN2 in the building, but it was even nicer to see so many fans having such a good time.
About Florida Atlantic - Sports fans will recognize a couple of head coaches at FAU. Men's basketball coach Mike Jarvis guided Boston University, George Washington and St. John's to the NCAA Tournament before taking over the Owls three seasons ago.
And until December, Howard Schnellenberger roamed the sidelines as football head coach. Schnellenberger guided the Miami Hurricanes to the 1983 national title and served as offensive coordinator for the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Florida Atlantic was founded in 1964 and now has about 28,000 students. As a fairly young university, there is not an overwhelming list of notable alumni. However, Don Brewer, the drummer and founding member of Grand Funk Railroad, received a degree from here in 1990.
More Restaurants - Friend of the Blog Jason Plotkin wrote in to suggest a restaurant we omitted from the Best in the Belt Restaurant list.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Louisiana-Lafayette - 2/2/12
LAFAYETTE, La. - The number of road trips in the Sun Belt
Conference is quickly dwindling for the Pioneers.
As the team waited through a two-hour layover in Houston yesterday, someone commented that this likely was our last trip to Louisiana for the foreseeable future.
But while DU's entrance to the WAC is just around the corner, the Pioneers are focused on finishing their time in the Sun Belt in the right way.
The team is going through shoot around in the CAJUNDOME right now. DU has had some battles with the Ragin' Cajuns here with the last five being decided by seven points or less, including two of the last three in overtime.
The returning players all remember watching the ball hitting every part of the basket except the bottom of the net after a tip attempt at the buzzer last season. It would have been an unbelievable play, but instead the game went to overtime.
The Pioneers will look to turn the tables tonight in their last trip to Lafayette.
About Louisiana-Lafayette - This blog ruffled a few feathers around here last year. Rumor has it that Jay Walker, the iconic voice of the Ragin' Cajuns, directed fans to it and they took offense to a few things that were not meant to offend.
It seems that a few people were most upset that Richard Simmons was called the most famous alumnus of this fine institution.
One creative reader was so enraged about the Simmons reference that he responded, "I will never forgive you for that...I hope an ornery bear gets loose in your garage, sir."
My hope was that those readers might provide me with ULL alumni that are more famous than Simmons, who seems to have done a lot of good work encouraging people to become healthier over the years.
Unfortunately, nobody could do better than former Yankee great Ron Guidry, Dorito girl Ali Landry or Houston Texans quarterback Jake Delhomme. Certainly, all are noteworthy but perhaps not as famous as the exercise guru.
The city of Lafayette has some good things going for it, including some of the best restaurants in the Sun Belt Conference, which leads us to a question that "The Voice of the Pioneers," Mitch Hyder, received during the last Joe Scott Radio Show but did not have time to answer during the show.
With the last run through the Sun Belt, I know that Mitch is spending extra time in the Sun Belt cities calling the men's and women's games. Is there a restaurant in the Sun Belt that he will miss when we move to the WAC? - Tim Thompson, DU '77
It's a great question, and Hyder, trainer Pat Hoxsey and I discussed it last night as we ate at what we all agreed was our favorite.
The Blue Dog Café in Lafayette is a couple blocks away from the hotel we always stay at. The Cajun food, especially the seafood, is outstanding and the restaurant is packed with George Rodrigue's coloraful paintings of - you guessed it - a blue dog.
To be fair, this question would be completely different if you asked the players, who almost always eat at either the hotel or in chain restaurants, like Outback Steakhouse last night.
For Hyder and Company, here are the top five. Keep in mind, these are limited to places we have actually been, so there very well could be better ones out there (we have heard that Prejean's in Lafayette is incredible, too).
1. Blue Dog Café - Lafayette, La.
2. Omar's 501 Club - Jonesboro, Ark.
3. Roosters BBQ - Denton, Texas
4. Mariah's - Bowling Green, Ky.
5. Rudy's BBQ - Denton, Texas (It's a chain - and there's one in Colorado Springs - but Hyder has to have their turkey every trip to Denton)
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 24
Total Mileage by Air - 11,996
Total Mileage by Bus - 1, 282
Total Number of Hotels - 12
Total Number of Different Airports - 12
Total Number of Airline Delays - 8
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 4
Row Numbers Missing in the Plane From Denver to Houston - 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19
Total Number of Prison Road Crews Spotted Doing Lawn Care in Lafayette - 1
As the team waited through a two-hour layover in Houston yesterday, someone commented that this likely was our last trip to Louisiana for the foreseeable future.
But while DU's entrance to the WAC is just around the corner, the Pioneers are focused on finishing their time in the Sun Belt in the right way.
The team is going through shoot around in the CAJUNDOME right now. DU has had some battles with the Ragin' Cajuns here with the last five being decided by seven points or less, including two of the last three in overtime.
The returning players all remember watching the ball hitting every part of the basket except the bottom of the net after a tip attempt at the buzzer last season. It would have been an unbelievable play, but instead the game went to overtime.
The Pioneers will look to turn the tables tonight in their last trip to Lafayette.
About Louisiana-Lafayette - This blog ruffled a few feathers around here last year. Rumor has it that Jay Walker, the iconic voice of the Ragin' Cajuns, directed fans to it and they took offense to a few things that were not meant to offend.
It seems that a few people were most upset that Richard Simmons was called the most famous alumnus of this fine institution.
One creative reader was so enraged about the Simmons reference that he responded, "I will never forgive you for that...I hope an ornery bear gets loose in your garage, sir."
My hope was that those readers might provide me with ULL alumni that are more famous than Simmons, who seems to have done a lot of good work encouraging people to become healthier over the years.
Unfortunately, nobody could do better than former Yankee great Ron Guidry, Dorito girl Ali Landry or Houston Texans quarterback Jake Delhomme. Certainly, all are noteworthy but perhaps not as famous as the exercise guru.
The city of Lafayette has some good things going for it, including some of the best restaurants in the Sun Belt Conference, which leads us to a question that "The Voice of the Pioneers," Mitch Hyder, received during the last Joe Scott Radio Show but did not have time to answer during the show.
With the last run through the Sun Belt, I know that Mitch is spending extra time in the Sun Belt cities calling the men's and women's games. Is there a restaurant in the Sun Belt that he will miss when we move to the WAC? - Tim Thompson, DU '77
It's a great question, and Hyder, trainer Pat Hoxsey and I discussed it last night as we ate at what we all agreed was our favorite.
The Blue Dog Café in Lafayette is a couple blocks away from the hotel we always stay at. The Cajun food, especially the seafood, is outstanding and the restaurant is packed with George Rodrigue's coloraful paintings of - you guessed it - a blue dog.
To be fair, this question would be completely different if you asked the players, who almost always eat at either the hotel or in chain restaurants, like Outback Steakhouse last night.
For Hyder and Company, here are the top five. Keep in mind, these are limited to places we have actually been, so there very well could be better ones out there (we have heard that Prejean's in Lafayette is incredible, too).
1. Blue Dog Café - Lafayette, La.
2. Omar's 501 Club - Jonesboro, Ark.
3. Roosters BBQ - Denton, Texas
4. Mariah's - Bowling Green, Ky.
5. Rudy's BBQ - Denton, Texas (It's a chain - and there's one in Colorado Springs - but Hyder has to have their turkey every trip to Denton)
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 24
Total Mileage by Air - 11,996
Total Mileage by Bus - 1, 282
Total Number of Hotels - 12
Total Number of Different Airports - 12
Total Number of Airline Delays - 8
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 4
Row Numbers Missing in the Plane From Denver to Houston - 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19
Total Number of Prison Road Crews Spotted Doing Lawn Care in Lafayette - 1
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