DENVER - The Pioneers will have some adjusting to do that goes beyond the eight-hour time change, when they head to Spain next week.
Denver will be playing its six games using the international rules set by FIBA, basketball's world governing body.
In
a nutshell, that means the games will be played more like the NBA, but
some of the subtle differences could make the games a little more
interesting for a team like Denver.
These are the basic difference, according to USA Basketball:
1. Instead of two 20-minute halves, there will be four 10-minute quarters.
2.
The international court is a little more than two feet shorter and a
foot narrower (91 feet, 10 inches long by 49 feet, 2.5 inches wide).
3. The shot clock will be 24 seconds, instead of 35 with NCAA rules.
4.
The three-point line will be 22 feet, 1.7 inches (compared to 20 feet, 9
inches in college), which FIBA actually moved about 1.5 feet farther
back this year, making it almost exactly half the distance between the
NCAA and NBA (23 feet, 9 inches) distances.
5. Back court violations occur after eight seconds, two less than in college games.
6.
Two bonus free throws are given on and after the fifth team foul per
quarter. In college basketball, it's a one-and-one from the seventh to
ninth team foul per half, and two free throws after that.
7. Only three defensive players are allowed on the free throw lane, one less than NCAA rules.
8. Jump balls are used for tie-ups, as opposed to alternating possession. The two players involved take the jump ball.
9.
Players are allowed to touch the ball on and above the cylinder once it
has touched the rim. Both the NCAA and NBA consider it goaltending.
10.
Each team gets two 60-second timeout in the first two periods and three
timeouts in the third and fourth quarter. In college, teams have four
30-second and one 60-second timeout per game (in addition to media
timeouts at the first stoppage after every fourth minute).
11. Only the coaches can call timeout. NCAA rules allow the head coach or any player on the court to call timeout.
12.
While the lane in international competitions used to be a trapezoid,
FIBA changed it to a rectangle this year. However, that rectangle is 15
feet, 8 inches, which is almost four feet wider than the lane in the
NCAA.
Of those 12 differences, a couple seem to jump out, especially the 24-second clock, but head coach Joe Scott says the team will adapt to the rules within Denver's system.
"To
us, it really doesn't matter. We're not going over there to play the
24-second clock and FIBA rules," Scott said. "We're going over to be
good at our offense and be good at our defense, show that we're more
physical, box out and take care of the basketball. I don't care if
there's a 24-second clock. That's how we approach it."
Scott
has been on similar trips with other teams. Scott was an assistant
coach at Princeton, when the Tigers went to Italy before the 1997-98
season, and he was the head coach at Air Force, which went to Sweden and
Denmark prior to the 2003-04 season.
"I'm
more concerned about the little differences, like the refs don't touch
the ball out of bounds on the sideline, and if you don't know those
rules, you can give up easy points," Scott said. "The other one is that
traveling is different over there. It's called completely differently
than here. You're going to hear a lot of 'pasos,' which means 'steps' in
Spanish. When I was in Italy, we heard a lot of 'passi,' steps in
Italian. There are certain things that we teach here that aren't walks,
but they're traveling violations over there. And there are certain
things that are walks over here, but they aren't walks over there. You
can't worry about that stuff. You've got to be good at your offense, be
good at your defense. Over the course of six games, we'll learn pasos.
We can't let it affect us. 'It got called a walk? OK, let's run back and
keep them from scoring.' In the end, that's the right way to approach
it, because it puts the responsibility on you to be good at what you do,
and don't worry about refs or rule changes or anything like that. Be
good at the things we've been working on. Make the things we've been
working on show up when we go over there and play."
When
he was reminded that there would be a jump ball whenever a ball was
tied up, Scott smiled. "That's old school. That's the way they did it
when I was playing," Scott said. "That's just the way that it goes. We
have a jump ball to start every single game, so it's not something
completely new. Those aren't big deals. It's just basketball."
In the end, Scott says the differences in rules are comparable to different styles that Denver's opponents play.
"We're
going to do what we do. That's why we're going: to get good at what we
do," Scott said. "We're not going just so we can face Spanish
professional teams. We're going to play basketball the way we play and
to get good at the way we play. It's what we do and how we do it. And we
do it all the time."
Random Notes: At
the end of each practice, one player is chosen to shoot two free
throws. If he makes them, practice is over. If he misses either, the
players have to run five-man fast break drills (Denver's version of wind
sprints). Freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) stepped to the line for the first time today and buried them both, much to the relief of the other players.
After
several hours of working hard every day since Tuesday, the Pioneers
have tomorrow off before their final two pre-Spain practices on Sunday
and Monday.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Spain Practice No. 7 - 8/19/10
DENVER - Junior Travis Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) and sophomore Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) went home to Texas after summer classes ended in early July.
When asked if they had any fun, both brothers gave the same reply: "All we did was work out and play pickup games."
For five weeks, they woke up and went straight to the gym, where they would lift weights for an hour and follow it up with a run that was "hard enough that there's no doubt we're in shape right now." Needing a little basketball, they would spend the rest of the afternoon playing pickup games at nearby SMU, which has a reputation for being a hot spot on the Dallas basketball scene.
"It was good having a teammate to help push me," Travis said of his brother. "There are always going to be days when you just want to take it easy, but having him there means there's always someone making sure I'm accountable. And I do the same for him."
The Hallams, like most NCAA Division I student-athletes, are highly competitive on their own, but when you add sibling rivalry to the equation both brothers feed off each other.
"Chase is more competitive than I am, so he's always got to try to beat me in whatever we do," Travis said. "If I add more weight, he's got to add more weight. If I pick up the pace on a run, he's going to try to beat me."
Chase was asked about being the more competitive of the two, and his eyebrows shot up. "Travis doesn't like to admit it, but he's just as competitive as me," the younger Hallam said. "We both know that we can make each other better, and that's what we want to help the team."
The brothers consider themselves opposites with the outgoing Chase tending to have several people around him all the time, and Travis often seeking deeper, one-on-one conversations.
However, when they get on the court, each Hallam knows his brother's game almost as well as his own, and both are aware that constant energy is a major key to each of their efforts. Their all-out hustle and toughness has sparked two of the better nicknames on the team, as the always pesky Travis is "The Tick," and Chase is simply "The Machine."
Travis and Chase also share an overriding belief about the future: it's going to be a good year.
When asked if they had any fun, both brothers gave the same reply: "All we did was work out and play pickup games."
For five weeks, they woke up and went straight to the gym, where they would lift weights for an hour and follow it up with a run that was "hard enough that there's no doubt we're in shape right now." Needing a little basketball, they would spend the rest of the afternoon playing pickup games at nearby SMU, which has a reputation for being a hot spot on the Dallas basketball scene.
"It was good having a teammate to help push me," Travis said of his brother. "There are always going to be days when you just want to take it easy, but having him there means there's always someone making sure I'm accountable. And I do the same for him."
The Hallams, like most NCAA Division I student-athletes, are highly competitive on their own, but when you add sibling rivalry to the equation both brothers feed off each other.
"Chase is more competitive than I am, so he's always got to try to beat me in whatever we do," Travis said. "If I add more weight, he's got to add more weight. If I pick up the pace on a run, he's going to try to beat me."
Chase was asked about being the more competitive of the two, and his eyebrows shot up. "Travis doesn't like to admit it, but he's just as competitive as me," the younger Hallam said. "We both know that we can make each other better, and that's what we want to help the team."
The brothers consider themselves opposites with the outgoing Chase tending to have several people around him all the time, and Travis often seeking deeper, one-on-one conversations.
However, when they get on the court, each Hallam knows his brother's game almost as well as his own, and both are aware that constant energy is a major key to each of their efforts. Their all-out hustle and toughness has sparked two of the better nicknames on the team, as the always pesky Travis is "The Tick," and Chase is simply "The Machine."
Travis and Chase also share an overriding belief about the future: it's going to be a good year.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Summer Internships - 8/18/10
DENVER - When June rolls around, most students around the University of Denver scatter to enjoy a summer break. The Denver basketball players, on the other hand, stick around campus, attend summer classes and play countless games of basketball against each other.
A few of the players also use the summer to prepare them to go pro (as they say in the NCAA advertisements) in something other than sports.
Seniors Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.), Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Andrew Hooper(Lakewood, Colo.) all spent their summer completing internships, preparing for successful careers once their playing days are finished.
For the second-straight summer, Kyle Lewis worked for Lazarus Investment Partners, and Rob Lewis was at Ryan Financial. Hooper honed his graphic design skills while working at Portaviola Design in Lakewood.
Kyle worked primarily with Lazarus Chief Investment Officer Justin Borus, who invests in companies with a market cap of $250 million or less. Borus invests in companies that struggled and lost stock value after a period of success, and he attempts to help turn around those companies.
"I was basically a junior analyst," said Kyle, who used screening tools to research potential companies in which Lazarus could invest. "I screened different companies, whether it was a gold company or one that had a new innovation, whatever the market was feeding off at the time. You can throw those values into the screening software and see which companies come up that are at $250 million or less, and then research them. He invested in two of the companies that I showed him this summer, and both made a positive return, so it was a good summer."
Kyle's duties progressed this year, partially because he was returning to Lazarus after working there last year, but also because the economy was improving.
"Since last year, (Borus) hired an investor relations guy, who is involved in all the marketing, and also a controller," Kyle said. "I was involved with both of those guys, helping with the marketing material. I actually had to make analyst reports that go out to investors within the company as well as potential investors. I was a lot more involved this summer. It was necessarily about raising more capital last year; it was more about investing while the market was still beat up. This summer is was more about raising capital and investing at the same time, so I was on both sides of things."
For the second summer, Rob once again donned a coat and tie and headed to Ryan Financial, but he too found his role increasing in responsibility.
"I was preparing some reports on my own. Last summer, I was more behind the scenes," Rob said. "I was helping to prepare client reports when they would come in, looking at their accounts to see how they were doing. I would do a general market overview. Other than that, I did a lot of operations, trying to manage the accounts and clean up some stuff. They just switched to a new software program, so I helped them work through that transition. I also sat in on a lot of meetings, which was great to see the interactions within the business world."
While many DU student-athletes study in the business school, like Rob and Kyle, Hooper has always felt more at home in an art studio, where his creativity helps him excel. Therefore, he landed an internship that made sense for his career path.
"I worked with Gretchen Lehman from Portaviola Design," Hooper said. "She has an independent graphic design firm down in Highlands Ranch. It was a great opportunity to work with a freelance graphic designer, because that's what I ultimately want to do after college."
Hooper spent the majority of the summer in front of a computer, designing everything from letterheads to business portfolios to a label that Lehman planned to use as a create way to court new clients.
"Overall, I think it helped me a ton. I have connections already from her, and I've already gotten some freelance work on my own," Hooper said. "I'm more comfortable doing other design elements, as opposed to using one computer program or another. It's helped me a lot already, and I think it will continue to help."
Happy Birthday: Two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and former Denver guard Nate Rohnert is celebrating his birthday today.
A few of the players also use the summer to prepare them to go pro (as they say in the NCAA advertisements) in something other than sports.
Seniors Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.), Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Andrew Hooper(Lakewood, Colo.) all spent their summer completing internships, preparing for successful careers once their playing days are finished.
For the second-straight summer, Kyle Lewis worked for Lazarus Investment Partners, and Rob Lewis was at Ryan Financial. Hooper honed his graphic design skills while working at Portaviola Design in Lakewood.
Kyle worked primarily with Lazarus Chief Investment Officer Justin Borus, who invests in companies with a market cap of $250 million or less. Borus invests in companies that struggled and lost stock value after a period of success, and he attempts to help turn around those companies.
"I was basically a junior analyst," said Kyle, who used screening tools to research potential companies in which Lazarus could invest. "I screened different companies, whether it was a gold company or one that had a new innovation, whatever the market was feeding off at the time. You can throw those values into the screening software and see which companies come up that are at $250 million or less, and then research them. He invested in two of the companies that I showed him this summer, and both made a positive return, so it was a good summer."
Kyle's duties progressed this year, partially because he was returning to Lazarus after working there last year, but also because the economy was improving.
"Since last year, (Borus) hired an investor relations guy, who is involved in all the marketing, and also a controller," Kyle said. "I was involved with both of those guys, helping with the marketing material. I actually had to make analyst reports that go out to investors within the company as well as potential investors. I was a lot more involved this summer. It was necessarily about raising more capital last year; it was more about investing while the market was still beat up. This summer is was more about raising capital and investing at the same time, so I was on both sides of things."
For the second summer, Rob once again donned a coat and tie and headed to Ryan Financial, but he too found his role increasing in responsibility.
"I was preparing some reports on my own. Last summer, I was more behind the scenes," Rob said. "I was helping to prepare client reports when they would come in, looking at their accounts to see how they were doing. I would do a general market overview. Other than that, I did a lot of operations, trying to manage the accounts and clean up some stuff. They just switched to a new software program, so I helped them work through that transition. I also sat in on a lot of meetings, which was great to see the interactions within the business world."
While many DU student-athletes study in the business school, like Rob and Kyle, Hooper has always felt more at home in an art studio, where his creativity helps him excel. Therefore, he landed an internship that made sense for his career path.
"I worked with Gretchen Lehman from Portaviola Design," Hooper said. "She has an independent graphic design firm down in Highlands Ranch. It was a great opportunity to work with a freelance graphic designer, because that's what I ultimately want to do after college."
Hooper spent the majority of the summer in front of a computer, designing everything from letterheads to business portfolios to a label that Lehman planned to use as a create way to court new clients.
"Overall, I think it helped me a ton. I have connections already from her, and I've already gotten some freelance work on my own," Hooper said. "I'm more comfortable doing other design elements, as opposed to using one computer program or another. It's helped me a lot already, and I think it will continue to help."
Happy Birthday: Two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and former Denver guard Nate Rohnert is celebrating his birthday today.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Spain Practice No. 5 - 8/17/10
DENVER - The Pioneers returned to the court after taking yesterday off, while the coaches held the Joe Scott Elite Camp. This practice marked the fifth of the team's 10 allowed by the NCAA.
Transfer Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.) will make his unofficial Denver basketball debut on DU's 13-day, six-game tour of Spain. Noonan has been practicing with the team for a year but could not play in 2009-10 due to NCAA transfer rules.
"The big thing for Trevor on this trip is just integrating him into the team," head coach Joe Scott said.
The coaches expect the six games in Spain to ease Noonan's transition into the Denver system, knowing that there is a significant difference between participating in practice and playing in games.
"He's been getting a lot of attention from the coaches, and we're working to make sure he's on the same level as Brian Stafford and Chase Hallam and the rest of the guys who played last season," Scott said. "Trevor has spent the past year just practicing, so these six games in Spain will help make November 10 feel like January 15 for him."
Noonan is a 6-9, 225-pound forward with soft hands, good passing skills and a long-range shooting touch. He transferred to DU after one year at Air Force, where he averaged 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in limited minutes during 25 games with the Falcons.
"This is going to be the biggest team we've had here," Scott said. "We're going to have two 6-9 guys and two 6-4 guys, and there is competition for the fifth spot."
Adding Noonan to the roster also offers Scott and his coaching staff more options with their other two 6-9 players: Andrew Hooper and Justin Coughlin, whose primary position likely will switch from center to forward.
"Noonan brings a very important skill set to a basketball team," Scott said. "He's big and strong, but he can still pass and shoot. So that gives us more options. We have some different guys now that can do different things. It just puts us in a position to do what we want to do, which is just keep getting better."
Noonan grew up in nearby Broomfield, Colo., where he scored 18.6 points and pulled down 13.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Legacy High School, and he is excited to show Denver fans what he can do.
"I'm just excited to get out on that court and play again," Noonan said. "Being in a game that matters and having people count on me, I can't wait for that feeling again."
Happy Birthday: Assistant coach A.J. Kuhle is celebrating his birthday today.
Transfer Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.) will make his unofficial Denver basketball debut on DU's 13-day, six-game tour of Spain. Noonan has been practicing with the team for a year but could not play in 2009-10 due to NCAA transfer rules.
"The big thing for Trevor on this trip is just integrating him into the team," head coach Joe Scott said.
The coaches expect the six games in Spain to ease Noonan's transition into the Denver system, knowing that there is a significant difference between participating in practice and playing in games.
"He's been getting a lot of attention from the coaches, and we're working to make sure he's on the same level as Brian Stafford and Chase Hallam and the rest of the guys who played last season," Scott said. "Trevor has spent the past year just practicing, so these six games in Spain will help make November 10 feel like January 15 for him."
Noonan is a 6-9, 225-pound forward with soft hands, good passing skills and a long-range shooting touch. He transferred to DU after one year at Air Force, where he averaged 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in limited minutes during 25 games with the Falcons.
"This is going to be the biggest team we've had here," Scott said. "We're going to have two 6-9 guys and two 6-4 guys, and there is competition for the fifth spot."
Adding Noonan to the roster also offers Scott and his coaching staff more options with their other two 6-9 players: Andrew Hooper and Justin Coughlin, whose primary position likely will switch from center to forward.
"Noonan brings a very important skill set to a basketball team," Scott said. "He's big and strong, but he can still pass and shoot. So that gives us more options. We have some different guys now that can do different things. It just puts us in a position to do what we want to do, which is just keep getting better."
Noonan grew up in nearby Broomfield, Colo., where he scored 18.6 points and pulled down 13.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Legacy High School, and he is excited to show Denver fans what he can do.
"I'm just excited to get out on that court and play again," Noonan said. "Being in a game that matters and having people count on me, I can't wait for that feeling again."
Happy Birthday: Assistant coach A.J. Kuhle is celebrating his birthday today.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Basketball and Barbeque - 8/14/10
DENVER - Several
fans and former players joined the University of Denver men's
basketball coaches and team today for practice and a barbeque.
Those in attendance at the practice got a sample of what the coaches and players do every day, including a number of drills and work on offensive plays.
Head coach Joe Scott thanked everyone for coming and gave them a preview of the team's upcoming trip to Spain. Scott also emphasized that the growth of support among former players and fans during the past three years has helped Denver basketball improve as a program.
Among those in attendance were Doug Price, the second leading scorer in Pioneers' history with 1,830 career points from 1992-97, and Matt Teahan, who owns the single-season scoring record with 659 points (25.3 per game) in 1978-79.
Other former players joining the festivities were Stan Adams (Class of 1986), Dan Cramer (1973), Steve Fink (1992), Mike Gallagher (1980), Bill Jones (1971), David Kummer (2008), Gene Steinke (1948),Darryle Wyman (1991) and Jeff Wittebort (1979).
The newest members of Denver men's basketball alumni also joined the group: Nate Rohnert and Tom Chott, who both graduated in June 2010.
Rockies on FSN: Don't forget to watch tonight, when head coach Joe Scott will be a featured guest in the FSN Rocky Mountain television booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson at Coors Field. Scott will visit the FSN television booth during the third inning of the Colorado Rockies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch for the Rockies and Brewers tilt is slated for 6:10 p.m. MT.
Those in attendance at the practice got a sample of what the coaches and players do every day, including a number of drills and work on offensive plays.
Head coach Joe Scott thanked everyone for coming and gave them a preview of the team's upcoming trip to Spain. Scott also emphasized that the growth of support among former players and fans during the past three years has helped Denver basketball improve as a program.
Among those in attendance were Doug Price, the second leading scorer in Pioneers' history with 1,830 career points from 1992-97, and Matt Teahan, who owns the single-season scoring record with 659 points (25.3 per game) in 1978-79.
Other former players joining the festivities were Stan Adams (Class of 1986), Dan Cramer (1973), Steve Fink (1992), Mike Gallagher (1980), Bill Jones (1971), David Kummer (2008), Gene Steinke (1948),Darryle Wyman (1991) and Jeff Wittebort (1979).
The newest members of Denver men's basketball alumni also joined the group: Nate Rohnert and Tom Chott, who both graduated in June 2010.
Rockies on FSN: Don't forget to watch tonight, when head coach Joe Scott will be a featured guest in the FSN Rocky Mountain television booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson at Coors Field. Scott will visit the FSN television booth during the third inning of the Colorado Rockies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch for the Rockies and Brewers tilt is slated for 6:10 p.m. MT.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Spain Practice No. 2 - 8/13/10
DENVER - Early every year, Denver basketball fans around the program will stop by practice and say something along the lines of "I can't believe (fill in the player) is an upperclassman." This year is no different with seniors Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.). The duo arrived at Denver four years ago, the same year as head coach Joe Scott and his staff, and both already have stepped into bigger leadership roles this season. Kyle talks a little about the first two days of practice in the video below.
Two years ago, a lot was made of the Pioneers' youth, which was appropriate since they were the youngest team in the country. Looking at the court during practice today, the team looks grown up and confident.
One of the drills each day is to line up and shoot three-pointers. Each person shoots, grabs his own rebound and fires a pass to someone on the elbow, and he passes again to the shooter. They shoot from the top of the key for the first minute, move to a corner for a minute, and then return to the top before finishing in the other corner. The magic number in the drill is 80 makes, and the first time they did the drill today, they nailed 86 shots with everyone drilling shot after shot.
Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) took an elbow to the nose early and missed some practice time. Hooper's absence gave freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) a chance to play center. According to Coach Scott, it should work nicely because center is the easiest position to learn in Denver's system, but it also will give Udofia the chance to learn the entire system quickly.
While nobody is going to pick up the offense quickly, Udofia seems to be doing a good job absorbing a lot of information from the coaches and his teammates and applying it on the court.
Overall, it was a good practice, and Scott even ended it after two hours, which is a little shorter than usual.
Tanner Update: Former Pioneer Adam Tanner sent a note from Australia last week. It's always great to hear from the Tanner crew from Down Under.
Tanner played two years at DU including one season under Joe Scott in 2007-08, when he led the team in scoring and assists as the starting center.
After a year in the NBL, Australia's top professional league, with the New Zealand Breakers, Tanner is now playing in the offseason league with the Bendigo Braves, about 1.5 hours from Tanner's native Melbourne.
According to Tanner, it's the second-tier league behind the NBL, and although it is pays, it only requires a few days of practice per week in addition to a couple games each weekend.
In his spare time, Tanner has returned to school to become a teacher. Once he graduates in October, he will teach either primary school or high school business classes.
Rockies on FSN: Head coach Joe Scott will be a featured guest in the FSN Rocky Mountain television booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson at Coors Field on Saturday, Aug. 14. Scott will visit the FSN television booth during the third inning of the Colorado Rockies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch for the Rockies and Brewers tilt is slated for 6:10 p.m. MT. .
New Arrival: Congratulations to Denver team surgeon Michelle Wolcott, who gave birth to son Henry David Wolcott this morning. The family is doing great.
Two years ago, a lot was made of the Pioneers' youth, which was appropriate since they were the youngest team in the country. Looking at the court during practice today, the team looks grown up and confident.
One of the drills each day is to line up and shoot three-pointers. Each person shoots, grabs his own rebound and fires a pass to someone on the elbow, and he passes again to the shooter. They shoot from the top of the key for the first minute, move to a corner for a minute, and then return to the top before finishing in the other corner. The magic number in the drill is 80 makes, and the first time they did the drill today, they nailed 86 shots with everyone drilling shot after shot.
Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) took an elbow to the nose early and missed some practice time. Hooper's absence gave freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) a chance to play center. According to Coach Scott, it should work nicely because center is the easiest position to learn in Denver's system, but it also will give Udofia the chance to learn the entire system quickly.
While nobody is going to pick up the offense quickly, Udofia seems to be doing a good job absorbing a lot of information from the coaches and his teammates and applying it on the court.
Overall, it was a good practice, and Scott even ended it after two hours, which is a little shorter than usual.
Tanner Update: Former Pioneer Adam Tanner sent a note from Australia last week. It's always great to hear from the Tanner crew from Down Under.
Tanner played two years at DU including one season under Joe Scott in 2007-08, when he led the team in scoring and assists as the starting center.
After a year in the NBL, Australia's top professional league, with the New Zealand Breakers, Tanner is now playing in the offseason league with the Bendigo Braves, about 1.5 hours from Tanner's native Melbourne.
According to Tanner, it's the second-tier league behind the NBL, and although it is pays, it only requires a few days of practice per week in addition to a couple games each weekend.
In his spare time, Tanner has returned to school to become a teacher. Once he graduates in October, he will teach either primary school or high school business classes.
Rockies on FSN: Head coach Joe Scott will be a featured guest in the FSN Rocky Mountain television booth with Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson at Coors Field on Saturday, Aug. 14. Scott will visit the FSN television booth during the third inning of the Colorado Rockies' game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch for the Rockies and Brewers tilt is slated for 6:10 p.m. MT. .
New Arrival: Congratulations to Denver team surgeon Michelle Wolcott, who gave birth to son Henry David Wolcott this morning. The family is doing great.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
First Practice of the Year - 8/12/10
DENVER - Practice
has come early for the University of Denver men's basketball team.
Because the team is heading to Spain for a 13-day, six-game tour later
this month, the Pioneers are allowed 10 practice days before they leave.
Normally teams are limited to a pair of one-hour workouts per week before the official start of practice on Oct. 15. The NCAA permits this type of international trip every four years, but Denver has never taken one.
Seniors Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.) and Andrew Hooper(Lakewood, Colo.); juniors Justin Coughlin (Yuma, Colo.), Travis Hallam (Mesquite, Texas), Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.), Alex Pickert (Carmel, Calif.), Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Colo.) and Tyler Thalken (Tulsa, Okla.); sophomores Blake Foeman (Weston, Fla.) and Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas); and freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) all participated at today's practice.
This team has a lot of experience with juniors and seniors representing 10 of the 13 slots on the roster, and all of the players were enrolled in summer school in June and July, including Udofia in his first official college quarter, so they spent a lot of time in the gym together, working out and playing pick-up games.
The work they put in this summer was apparent, as all of the players looked bigger and stronger, and judging from the relative calmness of the coaching staff, it seems safe to say the players did what they needed to stay in shape since last season. There was a little rust, but it was considerably less than one could rightfully expect at the first practice of the year.
The energy level was high today, and there was excitement in the air. The guys know that these practices will help them prepare to face professional Spanish teams, which in turn will help them this season.
Head coach Joe Scott has been part of two teams that took European tours - Princeton before the 1997-98 season and Air Force in 2003-04 - and both teams were ranked the following season, won their conference titles and played in the NCAA Tournament.
This was the first time that Udofia got to experience a Denver practice, and as the only first-year player, he got a lot of one-on-one coaching today. It's also nice seeing Noonan out there and knowing he is finally eligible after spending last season on the bench as a mandatory redshirt after transferring from Air Force.
As you might expect, the returning players look a lot more confident in the Denver system than they did during first practices the past three seasons, and nearly every player pulled Udofia aside at some point to help explain something or just encourage him.
The Pioneers return to the gym again tomorrow for their second practice.
Normally teams are limited to a pair of one-hour workouts per week before the official start of practice on Oct. 15. The NCAA permits this type of international trip every four years, but Denver has never taken one.
Seniors Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.) and Andrew Hooper(Lakewood, Colo.); juniors Justin Coughlin (Yuma, Colo.), Travis Hallam (Mesquite, Texas), Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.), Alex Pickert (Carmel, Calif.), Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Colo.) and Tyler Thalken (Tulsa, Okla.); sophomores Blake Foeman (Weston, Fla.) and Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas); and freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) all participated at today's practice.
This team has a lot of experience with juniors and seniors representing 10 of the 13 slots on the roster, and all of the players were enrolled in summer school in June and July, including Udofia in his first official college quarter, so they spent a lot of time in the gym together, working out and playing pick-up games.
The work they put in this summer was apparent, as all of the players looked bigger and stronger, and judging from the relative calmness of the coaching staff, it seems safe to say the players did what they needed to stay in shape since last season. There was a little rust, but it was considerably less than one could rightfully expect at the first practice of the year.
The energy level was high today, and there was excitement in the air. The guys know that these practices will help them prepare to face professional Spanish teams, which in turn will help them this season.
Head coach Joe Scott has been part of two teams that took European tours - Princeton before the 1997-98 season and Air Force in 2003-04 - and both teams were ranked the following season, won their conference titles and played in the NCAA Tournament.
This was the first time that Udofia got to experience a Denver practice, and as the only first-year player, he got a lot of one-on-one coaching today. It's also nice seeing Noonan out there and knowing he is finally eligible after spending last season on the bench as a mandatory redshirt after transferring from Air Force.
As you might expect, the returning players look a lot more confident in the Denver system than they did during first practices the past three seasons, and nearly every player pulled Udofia aside at some point to help explain something or just encourage him.
The Pioneers return to the gym again tomorrow for their second practice.
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