MISSOULA, Mont., Wednesday – I
got a good question this morning: how does a basketball team fit its
legs under the seats of small planes, like the one we flew this morning
from Denver to Missoula? The best answer involves a shoehorn and Crisco
oil. The real answer is never comfortably, especially the taller
players, who sometimes look like accordions when they’re crammed
into the planes. On most flights, the airline representatives are kind
enough avoid sticking the players in middle seats, but on the smaller
planes, none of the seats really work. To make things even less
comfortable, the players generally can’t recline their seats without
smashing the knees of teammates sitting behind them.
The
Missoula airport is an interesting place. It’s got a hunting lodge feel
to it, complete with stuffed bears, elk and mountain lions, including
one that’s in the process of hunting down a mountain goat. Overall, the
trip was uneventful, which is what we want. We got in about 1 p.m.
today, checked into the hotel and then headed straight over to the arena
to practice. Surprisingly, it’s actually nine degrees warmer in
Missoula right now than it is in Denver. It’s a crisp 34 degrees with
clear blue skies. This is the first time most of us have traveled up
here for a game, although Denver did play here in 2003, so trainer Pat
Hoxsey and radio voice Mitch Hyder are repeat visitors. With the giant
grizzly bear logo in the center, Montana’s court is one of the better
looking ones we’ve seen.
Thursday – It’s game day against Montana tonight, and we have learned that Andrew Hooper has a problem with his left Achilles that will keep him out of both games here in Missoula. As a result, it looks like Justin Coughlin
will get his first action in an NCAA Division I game. According to
Coughlin, the moment he walks onto the court, he will become the first
D-I basketball player from the town of Yuma, Colo., in 60 years. While
most of us made it in yesterday, radio voice Mitch Hyder had to fly in
this morning after calling the DU women’s game at Colorado State last
night. Congratulations to Erik Johnson, his staff and his team for a
great win. Hyder wasn’t alone on the flight. In fact, in addition to the
entire Texas-Arlington contingent, the parents of Rob Lewis were on the flight.
Friday – Last
night’s loss was tough. The loss of Hooper certainly hurt us in the
second half, although Montana played really well after the break.
Coughlin ended up starting the game and looked good. The kid is
certainly thin, but he had been doing very well in practice, and his
good instincts showed up during the game. Fellow freshman Travis Hallam
also got 21 minutes of action, four times his previous high, and
drilled a pair of three-pointers as time expired on the shot clock. Brian Stafford,
who has started every game as a freshman, seems to be growing up fast
on the court. He had a pair of steals last night and looked more
comfortable shooting. There is no question that these young players are
going to continue to make freshmen mistakes, but like the rest of the
team they are getting better every day. Obviously, nobody is happy with
the record, but the team’s steady improvement shows great signs as Coach
Scott and his staff build the program for long-term success.
We’ve
got a tough opponent tonight in the Mavericks. They are picked to win
the Southland Conference, ahead of Lamar, which beat us earlier in the
season. They played four neutral site games last year and won three of
them. The one they lost? It was in the NCAA Tournament against Memphis,
which fell in overtime to Kansas in the national championship game. UTA
is picked to win the SLC title this season. To top it off, the Mavericks
have been off since last Saturday and were allowed to watch our game
against Montana last night, two big advantages for them. However, as the
Pioneers run through this morning’s shoot around, the players look
focused and ready for tonight’s game. And, while UTA was 3-1 in neutral
site games last season, DU has not lost on a neutral site since the
2005-06 season. Nobody is giving up home. Everybody knows that this is a
winnable game.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights – 7
Total Mileage Flown – 4,190
Total Bus Miles – 798
Total Number of Hotels – 5
Total Number of Different Airports – 5
Total Number of Airline Delays – 0
Total Number of Bags Lost – 0
Total Number of Airports Filled with Taxidermy – 1 (Missoula)
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