Former Players Overseas - 10/24/08

DENVER – The most frequently asked question I got during the offseason was about former DU guard Joe Jackson and why he is not listed on the roster.  For those still wondering, here is the answer.

Joe was a redshirt junior last season, which means he was a senior in school but had one remaining year of eligibility. However, after receiving his business degree from DU in June, Joe decided to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball. I am happy to report that he seems to have found a great opportunity with BC Jyväsklä in Finland. In the preseason, Jackson scored 29 points against a team in Sweden, and a few days later he had 28 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in a game. Pretty good, especially considering that was done in his first four days in Finland. In his first regular season game, Jackson put up 23 points and five rebounds.

Speaking of the pros, Adam Tanner returned home to play. Sort of. The Melbourne native and former DU center is playing in the Australian National Basketball League, but he’s playing across the Tasman Sea for the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland. His playing time has been somewhat limited due to a calf injury, but he reports that he is adjusting to the pro game with help from the veteran players.

After ending last season in the NBA Developmental League with the Austin Aeros, Yemi Nicholson is back in Europe playing for Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in Germany, where he is providing a defensive presence and put up 11 points in a game a few days ago.

First Practice - 10/17/08

DENVER – Tonight at 5 p.m., the 2008-09 basketball season officially started, when the University of Denver Pioneers took the court for their first practice of the season. Second-year head coach Joe Scott opened the session talking to the team, followed by full court layup drills. The players were split into two groups with coaches A.J. Kuhle and Jon Jordan taking one end of the court, and Mike McKee taking the other, while Coach Scott split his time between both ends. Unlike many teams in the country, Coach Scott and his staff rarely have the team do anything without the ball. In other words, the team practices drills by running plays, both offensively and defensively.

With the DU hockey team taking on Wisconsin in Magness Arena and the volleyball team playing in Hamilton Gymnasium, the team had a mini-road trip from the start, even if it was just a few blocks from campus at Denver Christian High School. (Based on the seven state championship banners hanging in the gym, the Crusaders have had a pretty good run over the past few decades.) For a team that is going to find itself on the road for six of the first seven games, perhaps the unusual surroundings could help them prepare for the random gyms in Iowa, Texas, Wyoming and Montana. The gym was not all that unique for one DU player, though. Sophomore Kyle Lewis played high school basketball at Kent Denver, the main rival for Denver Christian, and the two teams split eight games at the venue.

With the youngest team in the nation, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this team early, but it appears that the returning players worked hard with the freshmen over the summer, and the team seems to be better off than last year’s team was a month into the season. And there’s no question that these guys can shoot. Of course, Rob Lewis dunking as I typed that didn’t hurt the team’s shooting percentage tonight. Without the new college three-point line, the players were forced to estimate their shooting range, but a good majority of the shots were pure, straight through the net.

Junior Nate Rohnert, Rob Lewis and Kyle Lewis appear to have taken the initial steps toward leadership, despite their relatively young age. Of course, those three did get quite a bit of experience last year. All three played in every game and were averaging around 30 minutes per game as the season concluded. Sophomore walk-on Nigel Peter-Denman also got time in 17 games and drilled 10-of-16 shots from three-point range. Andrew Hooper got experience practicing with the Pioneers last year as a redshirt, even if he has still not seen his first minute in a college game. After a year with this system, those five look poised to teach the younger players, and those younger players look eager to learn. That may seem like I’m getting ahead of myself – it is the first practice after all – but there is an excitement with this program, because the foundation was set last season and the building process is underway.

Considering the Pioneers could play only seven players at the end of last season after the loss of David Kummer to a broken leg, it is nice seeing four guys standing on the sideline as two groups of five face each other as they go through plays. As usual, practice ended with full court, fast break drills. The players look a little tired after the practice, but it’s the good kind of tired that you only get after a solid workout. They better rebound quickly. Tomorrow’s practice is at 8 a.m.

SBC Media Days - 10/15/08

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Denver men’s basketball head coach Joe Scott and women’s basketball head coach Erik Johnson headed down to the Sun Belt Conference Media Days on Monday and Tuesdays. Consistent with tradition in the SBC, the preseason meeting between coaches and the media was held at the site of this year’s postseason conference tournament, Summit Arena in Hot Springs, which will host the event for the next three years.

The trip started early Monday morning with a 6:05 a.m. flight out of Denver, through Houston and arriving in Little Rock just after noon. After a 60-minute drive through the changing foliage of central Arkansas, we arrived at the hotel. I have had several people ask why the tournament is being held in Hot Springs, a neutral site, instead of a campus site as they have done in years past. We quickly realized that it seems to be the ideal location with a relatively new arena that’s a short walk to a quaint downtown area, and the local residents we encountered were welcoming and friendly.

The coaches jumped right into action on Monday afternoon, filming interviews for the DVD that the conference puts out, a radio interview with Jay Walker that was broadcast live in Lafayette, La.; and a variety of newspaper interviews. The SBC also offered live webcasting on sunbeltsports.org, which was hosted by the Voice of the Pioneers, Mitch Hyder, and filmed by DU video guru Joseph Moreno.

There is a lot of excitement in the Belt this season after sending both South Alabama and Western Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament last year. And the shot by Ty Rogers to win WKU’s First Round game was highly deserving of the Tournament Changing Performance and ESPY awards that it garnered. The conference has added some successful new coaches like Florida Atlantic’s Mike Jarvis, who carried George Washington and St. John’s to the NCAA Tournament, and Arkansas State’s John Brady, who is just three years removed from guiding Louisiana State to the Final Four.

As one of the new coaches in the league, Coach Johnson spoke at a dinner held Monday night, exuding the same excitement that he’s had in the office every day since his arrival at Magness Arena in May. It should also be noted that Johnson is the youngest women’s coach in the Belt. When he gave the talk on Monday night, he was 36. Of course he woke up this morning and was 37. Yes, happy birthday, Coach.

Prior to more interviews and a luncheon on Tuesday, we discovered some nice running trails that run from the downtown area up to an observation tower at the top of a nearby hill. We also found the spring water tap in the middle of town, where people from throughout the area head to fill up water bottles. Apparently the spring water is excellent for making coffee. The town also has what appears to be a fairly large bath house right in the middle of town.

After another couple flights to Houston and finally back home to Denver, Coach Scott and Coach Johnson look forward to the prospect of returning to Hot Springs for the Sun Belt Conference Championships in March. For now, the preseason is winding down. Practice officially can begin on Friday at 5 p.m. for both the men and women, as mandated by the NCAA. And the next time we get on a plane with Coach Scott, we will be heading to Northern Iowa to start the season. It’s only a month away.