HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The Pioneers are in Hot Springs, Ark., exactly where they want to be.
Denver beat South
Alabama last night and heads into the semifinals against Western
Kentucky tonight. It was a strange day yesterday, as DU was the only
higher seed to advance.
The team actually headed
down on Friday afternoon, stayed in Little Rock that night and
practiced at UALR on Saturday morning before making the hour-long drive
to Hot Springs.
The players and coaches
were in good spirits during the trip. The Pioneers generally travel in
khakis and polos, or the equivilant, so when freshman forward Marcus Byrd walked to the bus wearing a tie, head coach Joe Scott asked him what he was doing.
"Looking good, Coach," was Byrd's smiling reply, and he kept walking onto the bus.
When you travel as much
as we do, you expect to run into hiccups every once in a while.
Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often, but both junior guard Chase Hallam and trainer Pat Hoxsey spent
a little extra time clearing security at DIA. Hallam is wearing a back
brace, which required some extra screening. With as many medical
supplies as Hoxsey carries, it's surprising he doesn't get pulled aside
more often. This time, it was a thorough screening, but he just made the
flight.
The Sun Belt Tournament
makes things a little different for the participants. Since so many
teams are playing in one place, practice times are often a little
creative, and the teams do what they can. Generally on the road, the
team heads to whatever court they're going to play on and shoots around
for an hour or so.
This morning, like
yesterday, the Pioneers went to the arena, where they were allowed
exactly 20 minutes to shoot around. The moment the first player walked
on the court, the timer starter, and right when the buzzer sounded,
everyone was ushered out.
Everyone returned to a
nice breakfast at the hotel, and in a few hours they will load back onto
the bus and ride to a local high school to work out for another hour.
About Hot Springs - It seems like we've covered everything in Hot Springs over the past four years.
Of course, it's the
boyhood home of Bill Clinton, and it has numerous bath houses that
utilize the natural hot springs (hence the name). And there's a horse
track a few miles down the road.
It's also in the middle
of Hot Springs National Park, filled with trails throughout the
surrounding hills. According to the local Chamber of Commerce, "In 1832,
President Andrew Jackson made Hot Springs the first Federal
Reservation. It was the first piece of America protected for future
generations. Hot Springs was, in essence, America's first national
park."
Walking through town, it's nearly impossible to ignore the gangster influence of the town in the early 20th century.
From the Gangster Museum, complete with an "escape tunnel", to the Ohio
Club, where Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel were known to gamble and
enjoy libations during Prohibition, there are references to gangsters
just about everywhere along Central Avenue.
In fact, the Pioneers
have stayed every year at the Arlington Hotel, a favorite of Al Capone,
who was known for booking the entire fourth floor when he would come to
visit.
These days, the town is considerably tamer with more family-friendly entertainment.
And Hot Springs does an
excellent job of hosting the Sun Belt Tournament. This is the last one
for the Pioneers, as the team moves on to the Western Athletic
Conference (WAC) next season. That postseason tournament is played in
Las Vegas.
While it's exciting to
think about playing there next year, everyone with the Pioneers are
enjoying their time in Hot Springs and their final days in the Sun Belt
Conference.
Denver's goal is
obvious, and the Pioneers will be playing tonight for the priviledge of
staying in Hot Springs for one more day. Right where they want to be.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 29
Total Mileage by Air - 17,161
Total Mileage by Bus - 1, 543
Total Number of Hotels - 16
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 Extra Pat Downs This Trip - 2
