MONROE, La. -
Thursday night's game was fun. All wins are good, but when you beat the team
that's historically the best in the conference, especially in their gym, it
feels just a little bit better than usual.
That was the first time the Pioneers
have ever beaten Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena, although the team did
have two victories in the venue during the 2002-03 Sun Belt Tournament against
Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
This win came at the right time.
Because the Hilltoppers are expected to travel Denver next year in DU's final
season in the Sun Belt, there's a pretty good likelihood that was the last time
the Pioneers will play in Bowling Green, Ky.
Spirits were high right after the
game, although everyone had to hustle and get out of the arena because we had a
flight to catch. The team dined on sandwiches, chips and cookies on the bus from
the arena to the Bowling Green Regional Airport.
Normally, the Pioneers travel on
commercial airlines, but because there was only one day between games and it's
pretty difficult to get from Southern Kentucky to Northern Louisiana, the team
loaded onto a prop jet for a 90 minute flight south.
After a short ride from the Monroe
Regional Airport, the team arrived at the hotel around midnight, and everyone
headed to bed.
Louisiana-Monroe has been in the Sun
Belt Conference since 2006-07, so the team has traveled here six times. The
first year, we stayed near the local mall, but when we returned the next week
for the first round of the SBC Tournament, we moved to a hotel in West Monroe.
We've stayed at this hotel ever since.
There's not a whole lot around the
hotel, except an agricultural convention center, a John Deere dealership, and
what looks to be a nice miniature golf course. That golf course has been an
on-going joke, because during all four previous trips, it's been closed. I was
prepared to make a joke about it here, but when I ran by yesterday, the sign was
flashing "Open." Not that there were any cars parked in front. Or that we'll be
going there anywhere.
Yesterday was pretty standard for an
off-day on the road. The team slept in a bit before heading to the lobby for
breakfast. At 1 p.m., everyone loaded on the bus and went to the ULM Rec Center
for a 2.5 hour practice after which sandwiches were available. At 7 p.m.,
everyone headed to dinner.
It's a 1 p.m. tip time today, so
shoot around is much earlier than usual - 8 a.m. The guys were knocking some
cobwebs off as they headed to the bus, but Chase Hallam said he
preferred afternoon games, and Trevor Noonan added, "I just
like getting home right after the game."
The Pioneers are expected to land
sometime this evening.
Television:
Don't forget that this afternoon's game will be shown live on the Sun Belt
Network, which is available on ESPN3 and ESPN's Full Court Package.
About
Louisiana-Monroe: There are eight schools in the University of
Louisiana System, including ULM and Louisiana-Lafayette, which are both in the
Sun Belt Conference.
Formerly named Northeast Louisiana,
Louisiana-Monroe has just over 9,000 students. Unfortunately, ULM doesn't have
an exhaustive list of famous alumni, although I recently discovered former San
Diego Charger Stan Humphries and former Denver Bronco Bubby Brister attended
when it was Northeast Louisiana, so here's a repeat from a blog two years
ago:
Recently Monroe, La., has found a
name for itself on the HBO show "True Blood." While we have not run across any
vampires, we can tell you that ULM is the alma mater of country singer Tim
McGraw, baseball All-Stars Ben Sheets and Chuck Finley, and Breaux Greer. Who is
Breaux Greer, you ask? That would be Hurricane from American Gladiators. According
to the NBC website, "Run for cover as fast as you can whenever Hurricane
blows into Gladiator Arena. Appearing without warning and striking with enough
energy to blow down a mountain, those contenders unlucky enough to cross his
path will experience a truly perfect storm of sheer athletic prowess and
destructive Gladiator instinct." With the potential for a storm like that, the risk of vampires appears
considerably less fearsome. (Thanks to former ULM sports information director
Jeff Hendrix for providing that vital piece of information.)
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular
season only - 8
Total Mileage by Air,
regular season only - 6,719
Total Mileage by Air,
including Spain - 16,962
Total Mileage by Bus,
regular season only - 872
Total Mileage by Bus,
including Spain - 2,432
Total Number of
Hotels - 6
Total Number of
Different Airports - 7
Total Number of Airline
Delays - 0
Total Number of
Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags
Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Times
the Miniature Golf Course has been open in DU's Five Trips to Monroe-
1
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Western Kentucky - 1/6/11
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The
Pioneers are back on the road after a nice, long stretch in the
comforts of Colorado. After practice at Hamilton Gym yesterday morning,
the team flew to Nashville and bused the 90 minutes or so north to
Bowling Green, Ky.
Kyle Lewis and Rob Lewis are the only players who have been here before, so the rest of the team gets to experience the most historic venue in the Sun Belt Conference for the first time.
WKU is the only current Sun Belt Conference team with a Final Four banner hanging in its rafters (although the NCAA later vacated the Hilltoppers' 1971 run through the Tournament), and it is without question the SBC team with the most success.
The Hilltoppers have been to the NCAA Tournament 21 times, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and a trip to the Second Round in 2009. The team has had 38 players named All-American, and none of WKU's coaches has ever had a losing record.
E.A. Diddle, the namesake of WKU's arena, coached his teams to 759 win from 1922-64. Among the coaches to follow Diddle were Gene Keady, who went on to legendary status as head coach at Purdue, and Clem Haskins, who coached Minnesota to a Final Four (and was also an All-American while playing for WKU).
Below the multiple banners spouting WKU's success, the Pioneers are running through their shoot around, preparing for tonight's game.
Shootarounds tend to start the same way with shooting and full court team layup drills. About halfway through the hour long practice, associate head coach Mike McKee pulls a small piece of paper out of his pocket. It's got small, meticulous writing covering the front and back, showing the scouting report for the night's game.
The Pioneers work on plays that the opponent will run with the second team playing the role of Western Kentucky, in this case. For the final few minutes, McKee and the rest of the coaches go over each of the players on the other team, emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses.
For those of us who have the privilege of hearing the scouting report, we get to see just how good McKee and the rest of the coaches are at scouting these teams.
About Western Kentucky: Because we play these conference teams every year, I sometimes repeat myself in this blog, so please forgive me if some of this is repetitive.
However, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've reported that among WKU's many notable alumni, football player Rod Smart was a Hilltopper. Who's that, you ask? You might remember him better from his name in the XFL, HeHateMe.
Other alums include John Carpenter, who directed films like Halloween and Escape from New York; Steve Gorman, the drummer for The Black Crowes; Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennell; and Courney Lee, who currently plays for the Houston Rockets.
According to the ultra-reliable Wikipedia, Western Kentucky was also the alma mater of Mitch McDeere, the protagonist from John Grisham's The Firm.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 7
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 6,188
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 16,431
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 838
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,483
Total Number of Hotels - 5
Total Number of Different Airports - 5
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Kyle Lewis and Rob Lewis are the only players who have been here before, so the rest of the team gets to experience the most historic venue in the Sun Belt Conference for the first time.
WKU is the only current Sun Belt Conference team with a Final Four banner hanging in its rafters (although the NCAA later vacated the Hilltoppers' 1971 run through the Tournament), and it is without question the SBC team with the most success.
The Hilltoppers have been to the NCAA Tournament 21 times, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and a trip to the Second Round in 2009. The team has had 38 players named All-American, and none of WKU's coaches has ever had a losing record.
E.A. Diddle, the namesake of WKU's arena, coached his teams to 759 win from 1922-64. Among the coaches to follow Diddle were Gene Keady, who went on to legendary status as head coach at Purdue, and Clem Haskins, who coached Minnesota to a Final Four (and was also an All-American while playing for WKU).
Below the multiple banners spouting WKU's success, the Pioneers are running through their shoot around, preparing for tonight's game.
Shootarounds tend to start the same way with shooting and full court team layup drills. About halfway through the hour long practice, associate head coach Mike McKee pulls a small piece of paper out of his pocket. It's got small, meticulous writing covering the front and back, showing the scouting report for the night's game.
The Pioneers work on plays that the opponent will run with the second team playing the role of Western Kentucky, in this case. For the final few minutes, McKee and the rest of the coaches go over each of the players on the other team, emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses.
For those of us who have the privilege of hearing the scouting report, we get to see just how good McKee and the rest of the coaches are at scouting these teams.
About Western Kentucky: Because we play these conference teams every year, I sometimes repeat myself in this blog, so please forgive me if some of this is repetitive.
However, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've reported that among WKU's many notable alumni, football player Rod Smart was a Hilltopper. Who's that, you ask? You might remember him better from his name in the XFL, HeHateMe.
Other alums include John Carpenter, who directed films like Halloween and Escape from New York; Steve Gorman, the drummer for The Black Crowes; Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennell; and Courney Lee, who currently plays for the Houston Rockets.
According to the ultra-reliable Wikipedia, Western Kentucky was also the alma mater of Mitch McDeere, the protagonist from John Grisham's The Firm.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 7
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 6,188
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 16,431
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 838
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,483
Total Number of Hotels - 5
Total Number of Different Airports - 5
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Wyoming - 12/14/10
LARAMIE, Wyo. - After
a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and pancakes at the Ritchie
Center, the Pioneers piled into a bus and took the 2-3 hour trip to
Laramie, Wyo., this morning.
Normally, the team arrives a day early and settles in, but the coaches decided to mix things up a little on this trip, and nobody in the travel party complained too much about sleeping in their own beds instead of a hotel room in Wyoming.
Of course, it did seem a little strange when we checked into the hotel a few blocks from the arena, knowing we were going to check out right before heading back over for the game.
Senior Rob Lewis walked into Arena-Auditorium a few minutes ago, looked up at the banners in the rafters and said, "National champions? Who knew?"
Yes, the Cowboys won the NCAA title in 1943, when they were led by a 5-foot-10 guard named Kenny Sailors. Not a lot of people would recognize the name, which is too bad. In addition to being the College Basketball Player of the Year twice, an All-American three times and the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Sailors changed the course of basketball.
Sailors is credited with inventing the jump shot.
It seems that while growing up, Bud Sailors towered about seven inches taller than younger brother Kenny, so Kenny had to figure out a way to score during games of one-on-one in the driveway. To Bud's surprise, Kenny leaped and sent a jump shot flying through the air.
As the Pioneers fire up shots during shoot around, they have Kenny Sailors to thank for making it considerably easier.
About Wyoming: In addition to Sailors, who played five seasons in the NBA, the basketball world probably recognizes a few other names in Wyoming history.
NBA All-Star Theo Ratliff is in his 16th professional season, currently playing for the Lakers, which by the way is owned by Wyoming grad Jerry Buss.
Denver baseball fans might remember Art Howe, who served as the Rockies first base and hitting coach in 1995 when Colorado won the Wild Card, is a former Cowboy. Another Wyoming alum
Hall of Fame baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby, who received an honorary doctorate from Wyoming and is an avid supporter of the Cowboys, was covering the Rockies that year (and every other since their inception). Most recently, Ringolsby has been working with our friends at FSN Rocky Mountain, including Jeff Huson. Guess where he went to college.
Finally, the late legendary sportscaster Curt Gowdy not only graduated from Wyoming, but he was a three-year letterwinner in both basketball and tennis.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 6
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 5,166
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 15,409
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 568
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,213
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Nights Spent in Wyoming - 0
Normally, the team arrives a day early and settles in, but the coaches decided to mix things up a little on this trip, and nobody in the travel party complained too much about sleeping in their own beds instead of a hotel room in Wyoming.
Of course, it did seem a little strange when we checked into the hotel a few blocks from the arena, knowing we were going to check out right before heading back over for the game.
Senior Rob Lewis walked into Arena-Auditorium a few minutes ago, looked up at the banners in the rafters and said, "National champions? Who knew?"
Yes, the Cowboys won the NCAA title in 1943, when they were led by a 5-foot-10 guard named Kenny Sailors. Not a lot of people would recognize the name, which is too bad. In addition to being the College Basketball Player of the Year twice, an All-American three times and the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Sailors changed the course of basketball.
Sailors is credited with inventing the jump shot.
It seems that while growing up, Bud Sailors towered about seven inches taller than younger brother Kenny, so Kenny had to figure out a way to score during games of one-on-one in the driveway. To Bud's surprise, Kenny leaped and sent a jump shot flying through the air.
As the Pioneers fire up shots during shoot around, they have Kenny Sailors to thank for making it considerably easier.
About Wyoming: In addition to Sailors, who played five seasons in the NBA, the basketball world probably recognizes a few other names in Wyoming history.
NBA All-Star Theo Ratliff is in his 16th professional season, currently playing for the Lakers, which by the way is owned by Wyoming grad Jerry Buss.
Denver baseball fans might remember Art Howe, who served as the Rockies first base and hitting coach in 1995 when Colorado won the Wild Card, is a former Cowboy. Another Wyoming alum
Hall of Fame baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby, who received an honorary doctorate from Wyoming and is an avid supporter of the Cowboys, was covering the Rockies that year (and every other since their inception). Most recently, Ringolsby has been working with our friends at FSN Rocky Mountain, including Jeff Huson. Guess where he went to college.
Finally, the late legendary sportscaster Curt Gowdy not only graduated from Wyoming, but he was a three-year letterwinner in both basketball and tennis.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 6
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 5,166
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 15,409
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 568
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,213
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Nights Spent in Wyoming - 0
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Portland - 12/11/10
DENVER - Wednesday night's game was a challenge, and St. Mary's proved why the Gaels were a Sweet 16 team in last year's NCAA Tournament.
The team was dragging a little early on Thursday morning until Santa Claus himself made an appearance.
The players and coaches were waiting for their plane at the Oakland Airport. Near the gate, Santa sat posing for photos with travelers of all ages, and a few of the players made jokes about going up and posing with him.
About 15 minutes later, as everyone was still waiting for the flight, Santa approached and insisted that the team join him for a picture. It took a little prodding from some of the guys, but not a whole lot. Even head coach Joe Scott got a smile on his face when Santa asked where the coach was. Scott shrugged and took his place on a stool in front.
Leave it to Santa to make everyone's day just a little brighter.
About Portland: The Pioneers take on another West Coast Conference team on Saturday, when the Portland Pilots come to town. The team is led by Preseason All-WCC selection Jared Stohl, who has 14.7 points per game. The Pilots also are getting a double-double out of Luke Sikma, who father Jack was a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks.
UP is ranked No. 13 on the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, and the Pilots are 7-3 with losses to Kentucky, Washington State and Washington, two of which are ranked and the other is getting votes in the polls.
Portland has produced a fair number of professional soccer players, notably Kasey Keller and Conor Casey, who was named MLS Cup Most Valuable Player after scoring the game-tying goal for the Colorado Rapids in the championship game.
Other alumni of UP include former Major League journeyman catcher Tom Lampkin, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Nunal Nayyar from "The Big Bang Theory."
The team was dragging a little early on Thursday morning until Santa Claus himself made an appearance.
The players and coaches were waiting for their plane at the Oakland Airport. Near the gate, Santa sat posing for photos with travelers of all ages, and a few of the players made jokes about going up and posing with him.
About 15 minutes later, as everyone was still waiting for the flight, Santa approached and insisted that the team join him for a picture. It took a little prodding from some of the guys, but not a whole lot. Even head coach Joe Scott got a smile on his face when Santa asked where the coach was. Scott shrugged and took his place on a stool in front.
Leave it to Santa to make everyone's day just a little brighter.
About Portland: The Pioneers take on another West Coast Conference team on Saturday, when the Portland Pilots come to town. The team is led by Preseason All-WCC selection Jared Stohl, who has 14.7 points per game. The Pilots also are getting a double-double out of Luke Sikma, who father Jack was a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks.
UP is ranked No. 13 on the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, and the Pilots are 7-3 with losses to Kentucky, Washington State and Washington, two of which are ranked and the other is getting votes in the polls.
Portland has produced a fair number of professional soccer players, notably Kasey Keller and Conor Casey, who was named MLS Cup Most Valuable Player after scoring the game-tying goal for the Colorado Rapids in the championship game.
Other alumni of UP include former Major League journeyman catcher Tom Lampkin, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Nunal Nayyar from "The Big Bang Theory."
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 6
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 5,166
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 15,409
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 413
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,163
Total Number of Hotels - 3
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Team Pictures with Santa - 1
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
St. Mary's - 12/8/10
MORAGA, Calif. - As
we were driving through the drizzling rain in the hills of Northern
California on our way to McKeon Pavilion, the bus ride brought back a
few memories of Spain. Fortunately, despite the winding roads around the
St. Mary's campus, they were all two lanes and the bus could drive
through (non-hairpin) turns without blasting a warning honk.
Even so, Mitch Hyder commented that he was happy to work at Denver and not a place that might cause motion sickness every time he drove to campus, like this one.
St. Mary's is about 30 minutes north and a little bit west of Oakland, and the team bus drove through some of the legendary California freeway traffic on the way to the hotel in Walnut Creek. If that town sounds familiar to Pioneer fans, it's because it's part of junior guard Brian Stafford's introduction.
Stafford grew up on Walnut Creek and still calls it home. During a break last summer, Stafford returned home and played pickup games with St. Mary's players and some other players who live in the surrounding area. Head coach Joe Scott and the rest of the Pioneers are hoping Stafford's familiarity with the court and the rims will translate into success during tonight's game.
It's probably safe to say the 50 or so friends of family that are coming to watch Stafford are hoping the same thing. Junior guard Alex Pickert, who grew up in Carmel, Calif., a great town a couple hours down the coast in the shadows of Pebble Beach Golf Course, rounded up a few tickets for his family and friends, too. Rounding out the Denver connection to the area, assistant coach A.J. Kuhle is from just up the road in Concord, Calif.
Rumor has it that an impressive number of Denver alumni are planning to attend the game, as well, and based on the size of this gym - which lists a capacity of 3,500 but appears much smaller - the percentage of DU fans to Gaels fans might be significant.
For those unable to attend the game in Northern California, the live video stream will be available onPioneer Vision, although it will use St. Mary's commentators.
About St. Mary's: College basketball fans are sure to recognize St. Mary's, which has had some great seasons in recent years, including a run to the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament.
Names like Patrick Mills and Omar Samhan became popular, as the Gaels became a major contender of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference played deep into March. (Side note: The first 2,000 fans tonight will receive an Omar Samhan bobblehead.)
But St. Mary's had some pretty good teams in the past. There's a banner hanging in McKeon Pavilion for the 1958-59 team, which went all the way to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. They lost one game shy of the Final Four to eventual national champion California, who had a player named Dave Stafford on its roster. Yes, that's Brian's grandfather.
Our good friend Brendan Loy, who started a blog about the Denver basketball team called Pioneer Pulse, pointed us Mid-Majority's "State of the Other 25," which ranks the top Mid-Major basketball teams in the nation.
As of yesterday, they had St. Mary's ranked No. 1, pointing to strong wins against St. John's and Texas Tech. They also pointed out that the Gaels are shooting better than 50 percent and is getting 1.23 points for every shot they take.
What's a Gael?: As shoot around was starting, senior forward Rob Lewis leaned over and asked, "What the heck is a Gael anyway?" A few of us kind of laughed and then realized that we weren't totally sure either. We were pretty sure it was some sort of Irish warrior. So we went to www.smcgaels.com to find out:
"The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which spread from Ireland to Scotland and the Isle of Man. Their language is of the Gaelic (Goidelic) family, a division of Insular Celtic languages. The word in English was adopted in 1810 from Scottish Gaelic Gaidheal (compare Irish Gaedhealg and Old Irish Goídeleg) to designate a Highlander (OED). Gael or Goídeleg was first used as a collective term to describe people from Ireland; it is thought to have come from Welsh Gwyddel (Old Welsh Goídel), originally "raider", now "Irish person". Many people who do not speak Gaelic consider themselves to be 'Gaels' in a broader sense because of their ancestry and heritage."
Where There's Smoke: This morning's shoot around was going great until a shrill fire alarm blasted throughout the gym. Despite the faint smell of smoke, it was a false alarm, and the players and coaches did their best to ignore it. Maybe it will work as a drill to drown out the hostile crowd this evening.
Travel Partners?: As the Pioneers were heading to baggage claim yesterday, the men's basketball team from San Diego State exited their flight a few gates away. The Aztecs will take on Cal tonight in Berkeley.
Happy Birthday: Redshirt freshman forward Blake Foeman is celebrating his 20th birthday today.
Back in the Bay: Denver radio voice Mitch Hyder and I landed at the Oakland airport for the third time in as many Pioneer road trips this season. Although we normally travel with the team, extenuating circumstances forced us to fly through San Francisco coming back from Eugene, Ore., and on our way to Boise, Idaho.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 5
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 4,209
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 14,452
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 351
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,101
Total Number of Hotels - 3
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Fire Alarms Ignored During Practice - 1
Even so, Mitch Hyder commented that he was happy to work at Denver and not a place that might cause motion sickness every time he drove to campus, like this one.
St. Mary's is about 30 minutes north and a little bit west of Oakland, and the team bus drove through some of the legendary California freeway traffic on the way to the hotel in Walnut Creek. If that town sounds familiar to Pioneer fans, it's because it's part of junior guard Brian Stafford's introduction.
Stafford grew up on Walnut Creek and still calls it home. During a break last summer, Stafford returned home and played pickup games with St. Mary's players and some other players who live in the surrounding area. Head coach Joe Scott and the rest of the Pioneers are hoping Stafford's familiarity with the court and the rims will translate into success during tonight's game.
It's probably safe to say the 50 or so friends of family that are coming to watch Stafford are hoping the same thing. Junior guard Alex Pickert, who grew up in Carmel, Calif., a great town a couple hours down the coast in the shadows of Pebble Beach Golf Course, rounded up a few tickets for his family and friends, too. Rounding out the Denver connection to the area, assistant coach A.J. Kuhle is from just up the road in Concord, Calif.
Rumor has it that an impressive number of Denver alumni are planning to attend the game, as well, and based on the size of this gym - which lists a capacity of 3,500 but appears much smaller - the percentage of DU fans to Gaels fans might be significant.
For those unable to attend the game in Northern California, the live video stream will be available onPioneer Vision, although it will use St. Mary's commentators.
About St. Mary's: College basketball fans are sure to recognize St. Mary's, which has had some great seasons in recent years, including a run to the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament.
Names like Patrick Mills and Omar Samhan became popular, as the Gaels became a major contender of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference played deep into March. (Side note: The first 2,000 fans tonight will receive an Omar Samhan bobblehead.)
But St. Mary's had some pretty good teams in the past. There's a banner hanging in McKeon Pavilion for the 1958-59 team, which went all the way to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. They lost one game shy of the Final Four to eventual national champion California, who had a player named Dave Stafford on its roster. Yes, that's Brian's grandfather.
Our good friend Brendan Loy, who started a blog about the Denver basketball team called Pioneer Pulse, pointed us Mid-Majority's "State of the Other 25," which ranks the top Mid-Major basketball teams in the nation.
As of yesterday, they had St. Mary's ranked No. 1, pointing to strong wins against St. John's and Texas Tech. They also pointed out that the Gaels are shooting better than 50 percent and is getting 1.23 points for every shot they take.
What's a Gael?: As shoot around was starting, senior forward Rob Lewis leaned over and asked, "What the heck is a Gael anyway?" A few of us kind of laughed and then realized that we weren't totally sure either. We were pretty sure it was some sort of Irish warrior. So we went to www.smcgaels.com to find out:
"The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which spread from Ireland to Scotland and the Isle of Man. Their language is of the Gaelic (Goidelic) family, a division of Insular Celtic languages. The word in English was adopted in 1810 from Scottish Gaelic Gaidheal (compare Irish Gaedhealg and Old Irish Goídeleg) to designate a Highlander (OED). Gael or Goídeleg was first used as a collective term to describe people from Ireland; it is thought to have come from Welsh Gwyddel (Old Welsh Goídel), originally "raider", now "Irish person". Many people who do not speak Gaelic consider themselves to be 'Gaels' in a broader sense because of their ancestry and heritage."
Where There's Smoke: This morning's shoot around was going great until a shrill fire alarm blasted throughout the gym. Despite the faint smell of smoke, it was a false alarm, and the players and coaches did their best to ignore it. Maybe it will work as a drill to drown out the hostile crowd this evening.
Travel Partners?: As the Pioneers were heading to baggage claim yesterday, the men's basketball team from San Diego State exited their flight a few gates away. The Aztecs will take on Cal tonight in Berkeley.
Happy Birthday: Redshirt freshman forward Blake Foeman is celebrating his 20th birthday today.
Back in the Bay: Denver radio voice Mitch Hyder and I landed at the Oakland airport for the third time in as many Pioneer road trips this season. Although we normally travel with the team, extenuating circumstances forced us to fly through San Francisco coming back from Eugene, Ore., and on our way to Boise, Idaho.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 5
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 4,209
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 14,452
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 351
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,101
Total Number of Hotels - 3
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Fire Alarms Ignored During Practice - 1
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Boise State - 11/27/10
BOISE, Idaho - It's a snowy day in Idaho, which of course is no real surprise to anyone.
Of course, the cloud cover seems appropriate, based on this town's disappointment at the Boise State football team's loss at Nevada last night.
The Pioneers are hoping to extend the Broncos fans' disappointment to the hardwood tonight at Taco Bell Arena.
Like many schools, Boise State built most of their athletic venues in a close proximity to one another. Unlike most schools, though, the Broncos put their complex near the corner of University and Denver streets. Hopefully, that's a good omen on Saturday night.
While Boise State may be better known for the blue turf in its football stadium, Taco Bell Arena has some of its own lore.
Taco Bell Arena has hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament seven times. You might remember a few of those games, although if you're a Big 12 fan you may not want to:
A Sort of Homecoming: DU trainer extraordinaire Pat Hoxsey has returned to his roots this weekend. Hoxsey grew up in nearby Payette, Idaho, and graduated from Boise State in 1991.
Hoxsey, who has helped keep the Pioneers healthy for the past 15 years, enjoyed leftovers from Thanksgiving with his parents, sister and niece.
For a guy who has spent the past 15 Thanksgiving weekends with his basketball family, Hoxsey was thankful that fortuitous scheduling meant he could spend some time this weekend with his family.
Granted, the football score might have made the night a little less festive.
Famous Broncos: In addition to Hoxsey, Boise State is the alma mater to a few more people you may have heard of, including Coby Karl, who is both third on the Broncos' all-time scoring list and the son of Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl; Earl Boen, who has been in everything from Spiderman to Terminator to the World of Warcraft video game; and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Wilcox, who also happened to be roommates with Gary Hoxsey, Pat's father.
Since We're in Boise, Seems Like We Should Mention Football: Yes, the Boise State football team is once again flirting with the top of the polls, and the blue turf of the football field is just steps from Taco Bell Arena.
But we're Denver. And for 50 years, we've been doing just fine without football. In fact, Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of DU's final football game. On Nov. 24, 1960, the Pioneers beat Colorado State 21-12 at Hilltop Stadium in front of a crowd of 6,927. DU announced a few months later that they would be dropping football.
Thanks to our friend (and season ticket holder) Steve Fisher in the Penrose Library for that tidbit.
Exactly how well has Denver done without football? For the past three years, Denver has won the NCAA Division I-AAA (schools that don't have football) Director's Cup, which is awarded to the top athletic department based on the success of its teams in all NCAA sports.
Happy Birthday: We would like to send a very happy birthday out to redshirt sophomore Trevor Noonan, who turns 21 years old today.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 3
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 2,603
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 12,846
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 156
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 1,907
Total Number of Hotels - 2
Total Number of Different Airports - 3
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Trips the Radio Voice and SID Have Flown Through San Francisco While the Team Flew Direct - 2
Of course, the cloud cover seems appropriate, based on this town's disappointment at the Boise State football team's loss at Nevada last night.
The Pioneers are hoping to extend the Broncos fans' disappointment to the hardwood tonight at Taco Bell Arena.
Like many schools, Boise State built most of their athletic venues in a close proximity to one another. Unlike most schools, though, the Broncos put their complex near the corner of University and Denver streets. Hopefully, that's a good omen on Saturday night.While Boise State may be better known for the blue turf in its football stadium, Taco Bell Arena has some of its own lore.
Taco Bell Arena has hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament seven times. You might remember a few of those games, although if you're a Big 12 fan you may not want to:
- In 1995, UCLA's Tyus Edney went coast-to-coast in 4.8 seconds for a layup at the buzzer that that knocked off Missouri en route to the Bruins' NCAA title.
- In 2001, 15th-seeded Hampton upset No. 2 seed Iowa State
A Sort of Homecoming: DU trainer extraordinaire Pat Hoxsey has returned to his roots this weekend. Hoxsey grew up in nearby Payette, Idaho, and graduated from Boise State in 1991.
Hoxsey, who has helped keep the Pioneers healthy for the past 15 years, enjoyed leftovers from Thanksgiving with his parents, sister and niece.
For a guy who has spent the past 15 Thanksgiving weekends with his basketball family, Hoxsey was thankful that fortuitous scheduling meant he could spend some time this weekend with his family.
Granted, the football score might have made the night a little less festive.
Famous Broncos: In addition to Hoxsey, Boise State is the alma mater to a few more people you may have heard of, including Coby Karl, who is both third on the Broncos' all-time scoring list and the son of Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl; Earl Boen, who has been in everything from Spiderman to Terminator to the World of Warcraft video game; and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Wilcox, who also happened to be roommates with Gary Hoxsey, Pat's father.
Since We're in Boise, Seems Like We Should Mention Football: Yes, the Boise State football team is once again flirting with the top of the polls, and the blue turf of the football field is just steps from Taco Bell Arena.
But we're Denver. And for 50 years, we've been doing just fine without football. In fact, Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of DU's final football game. On Nov. 24, 1960, the Pioneers beat Colorado State 21-12 at Hilltop Stadium in front of a crowd of 6,927. DU announced a few months later that they would be dropping football.
Thanks to our friend (and season ticket holder) Steve Fisher in the Penrose Library for that tidbit.
Exactly how well has Denver done without football? For the past three years, Denver has won the NCAA Division I-AAA (schools that don't have football) Director's Cup, which is awarded to the top athletic department based on the success of its teams in all NCAA sports.
Happy Birthday: We would like to send a very happy birthday out to redshirt sophomore Trevor Noonan, who turns 21 years old today.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights, regular season only - 3
Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 2,603
Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 12,846
Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 156
Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 1,907
Total Number of Hotels - 2
Total Number of Different Airports - 3
Total Number of Airline Delays - 0
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 1
Total Number of Trips the Radio Voice and SID Have Flown Through San Francisco While the Team Flew Direct - 2
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Alcorn State - 11/23/10
DENVER - The campus is quieter than usual. Finals are over for the quarter, and most of the students have headed home until January.
Most of the student-athletes are still around, of course, which means the Ritchie Center remains busy. There's always a sigh of relief when everyone can concentrate on getting better on the court without the pressures of exams and essays hanging over them.
The Pioneers are looking to turn things around tomorrow night, when Alcorn State comes to town.
Since it's the night before Thanksgiving, the Pioneers also are giving fans the opportunity to put off cooking for one more day.
You can get a "One Price" ticket for $15 which includes all the concessions you care to eat. The only exclusions are alcohol, bottled drinks and prepackaged candy. Call it an appetizer for Thanksgiving Day. Regular priced tickets are still available, starting at $9.
About Alcorn State: Located southwest of Jackson, Miss., near the Louisiana border, Alcorn State was founded in 1871 and named after James L. Alcorn, who was the governor of Mississippi at the time. Alcorn's most notable alum is Steve McNair, the late quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. However, Alcorn State has also produced Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers; Jesse Smith, who was better known as Justice on American Gladiators; and Michael Clarke Duncan, an actor perhaps best known for starring alongside Tom Hanks in the Green Mile.
Happy Birthday and Thanksgiving: Assistant coach Jon Jordan is celebrating his birthday on Thursday. We would like to send our best wishes and say happy birthday to Coach J.
A Look Ahead: Drew Cannon of BasketballProspectus.com wrote a column on Nov. 12, predicting what college basketball team had the best chance of going undefeated. His answer is surprising. And it's on the Denver schedule:
Trivia question: What team has the highest probability of an undefeated season according to the current kenpom.com projections? Duke? Second place. Ohio State? Kansas State? Gonzaga? Memphis? All wrong. At 1.14 percent, the most likely team to win every game they play before tournament season is Utah State.
The Aggies roll into Magness Arena on Dec. 1, right before Utah State travels to Georgetown. You can get $5 off your ticket to the DU/USU game by showing any Colorado mountain Ski Pass at the Ritchie Center Ticket Office.
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