JONESBORO, Ark. - The University of Denver's Sun Belt
Conference Farewell Tour has begun.
After practicing at DU yesterday, the
team loaded a bus and started the trek to Jonesboro, Ark. It wasn't the
smoothest trip to date. The flight was delayed. Two bags got stuck on a
conveyer belt in the Little Rock Airport, causing an hour-long delay. And the
overall process of getting here, including the two-hour bus drive from Little
Rock, is not exactly easy.
However, the team arrived safely,
checked into a comfortable hotel and ate some dinner before heading to their
rooms for the night. It's hard to ask for much more, although a win tonight
would help set the tone for the rest of the road trip.
This is one of the stranger trips in
the Belt. After tonight's game, the Pioneers will load back on the bus and
travel to Memphis for the night. Tomorrow morning, they catch a flight to
Atlanta and onward to Mobile, Alabama.
Speaking of Mobile, a
lot of people in Jonesboro may have similar travel plans as the
Pioneers. The Arkansas State football team, which won the
co-championship in the Sun Belt West Division, is playing in Mobile, as
well, facing Northern Illinois in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Sunday.
It will be a big weekend in Mobile,
and DU fans can get a taste of it by watching the Pioneers vs. South Alabama on
ESPN3.com or the ESPN Full Court package on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MT.
About Jonesboro - My apologies to loyal
readers for a rerun, but last year's description of Jonesboro seemed to capture
the town, so here it is again:
Arkansas State is about two hours northeast of
Little Rock. The bus drives through bigger sounding towns like Jacksonville,
Austin and Newport, but it's not exactly like Florida, Texas or Oregon.
The town of Weiner won a state bowling championship,
according to a few signs scattered around the town of 719.
Jonesboro is located in Craighead County and was
founded on Feb. 19, 1859, when a farmer named Fergus Snoddy donated 15 acres of
his land for what became downtown Jonesboro.
According to the town's website, "Jonesboro was named
after William A. Jones for his support of the legislative act creating the
county. The county, itself, received its name through a practical joke. Senator
Thomas B. Craighead, who represented Crittenden and Mississippi counties, was
against the formation of the county and campaigned actively against it. Senator
Jones waited until a day when Craighead was absent to call for a vote on the
act. Senator Craighead didn't know anything about it until he got back and
found that the county had been named for him."
The first two courthouses in town burned to the
ground, the second of which started during a barroom brawl in 1878, but the
third is still used.
Arkansas State University was founded in 1909 as a
regional agricultural school. Among the people who have walked the campus are
1984 Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner and Rodger Bumpass, whose voice can be heard in
countless cartoons and movies, most notably as Squidward on SpongeBob
SquarePants.
Finally, since it's been a few years since we
mentioned it, and it was a favorite blog reference, here is an excerpt from the 2009 trip to Jonesboro:
Thanks to loyal reader Steve Honda, we learned this
week that Jonesboro was once the home to Bartleby Clown College. Apparently
from 1952-59, the clown college operated in Jonesboro, which was convenient due
to its many railroad connections. According to Wikipedia, which of course is
the leading resource for clown college information, "The loss of Arkansas [sic]
only clown college disappointed many in the industry." There was no
clarification about whether that was the clown industry or the clown teaching
industry.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 9
Total Mileage by Air - 5,450
Total Mileage by Bus - 768
Total
Number of Hotels - 5
Total
Number of Different Airports - 7
Total
Number of Airline Delays - 4
Total
Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total
Number of Bags Lost - 4
Total
Number of Bags Lost Found an Hour Later - 2
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Northern Colorado - 12/15/11
DENVER -
A few people expressed their disappointment that yesterday's road game did not
feature a blog. So Pioneer Pete, David Kummer and anyone else looking for a
blog yesterday, this one is for you.
The normal road game for the Pioneers features a midmorning breakfast, a light shoot around in the opponent's arena, chicken and pasta around 3 p.m., and a whole lot of rest time in hotel rooms.
With yesterday's game being just up the road in Greeley, Colo., the team stayed on campus until nearly 4 p.m., just after the pregame meal, before loading the bus and riding about an hour north to Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
While the Pioneers did not play their best basketball during the first half, redshirt sophomore Blake Foeman came off the bench and provided some much needed energy to the team.
Sometimes a player makes a big contribution to a win, even if the stat sheet doesn't necessarily show it.
That was the case with Foeman last night, which is why he more than doubled his previous career high in minutes played. Foeman had never played more than 11 minutes in a game. Last night, he played 23.
Foeman had five points, a couple of rebounds and assists, and a block. He also took a charge and did not have a turnover, while providing good perimeter defense. Foeman works hard during practice and keeps getting better. His contributions, especially last night, should not go overlooked.
Something to Talk About: It's nice to see media around the state and the country taking notice of Denver's 7-2 start.
In addition to superblogger Brendan Loy, who writes a nice blog called Mile High Mids and also contributes to MidMajority.com, some of the national writers are starting to take notice.
If you missed it, Myron Medcalf had a great story about the Pioneers on ESPN.com last week, a few days after Jeff Eisneberg called Denver a team to watch in a story on Yahoo! Sports.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi published his first Bracketology of the season, saying DU is a No. 14 seed and would face No. 3 seed Kansas in Omaha, Neb., if the season ended today.
And yesterday, former Pioneer great Nate Rohnert (from his computer France) was talking to ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla on Twitter about this year's Denver team:
franfraschilla: My favorite stat so far: 6-2 Denver dead last (No. 345) in Offensive Rebounding % at 20%. Good news is they rarely give up fast break hoops!
naterohnert: @franfraschilla i think its because they never miss
franfraschilla: @naterohnert Guys like you were perfect for the offense. You still in Estonia?
franfraschilla: Former DU Pioneer star @naterohnert retweeting my stuff. He made great use of that Princeton offense! You still in Estonia?
naterohnert: @franfraschilla I'm in France now... DU will win the sun belt this year
franfraschilla: They're are a solid team with 3 Dallas kids I saw in HS a lot!
Finally, if you didn't see it, the Pioneers are ranked No. 23 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25.
Don't forget, Denver returns to Magness Arena to face future Western Athletic Conference rival Boise State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT. Tickets are still available for $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
See you at Magness Arena on Saturday.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 584
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Venues with Giant, Inflatable Animals - 1 (a 30-foot Bear at UNC)
The normal road game for the Pioneers features a midmorning breakfast, a light shoot around in the opponent's arena, chicken and pasta around 3 p.m., and a whole lot of rest time in hotel rooms.
With yesterday's game being just up the road in Greeley, Colo., the team stayed on campus until nearly 4 p.m., just after the pregame meal, before loading the bus and riding about an hour north to Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
While the Pioneers did not play their best basketball during the first half, redshirt sophomore Blake Foeman came off the bench and provided some much needed energy to the team.
Sometimes a player makes a big contribution to a win, even if the stat sheet doesn't necessarily show it.
That was the case with Foeman last night, which is why he more than doubled his previous career high in minutes played. Foeman had never played more than 11 minutes in a game. Last night, he played 23.
Foeman had five points, a couple of rebounds and assists, and a block. He also took a charge and did not have a turnover, while providing good perimeter defense. Foeman works hard during practice and keeps getting better. His contributions, especially last night, should not go overlooked.
Something to Talk About: It's nice to see media around the state and the country taking notice of Denver's 7-2 start.
In addition to superblogger Brendan Loy, who writes a nice blog called Mile High Mids and also contributes to MidMajority.com, some of the national writers are starting to take notice.
If you missed it, Myron Medcalf had a great story about the Pioneers on ESPN.com last week, a few days after Jeff Eisneberg called Denver a team to watch in a story on Yahoo! Sports.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi published his first Bracketology of the season, saying DU is a No. 14 seed and would face No. 3 seed Kansas in Omaha, Neb., if the season ended today.
And yesterday, former Pioneer great Nate Rohnert (from his computer France) was talking to ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla on Twitter about this year's Denver team:
franfraschilla: My favorite stat so far: 6-2 Denver dead last (No. 345) in Offensive Rebounding % at 20%. Good news is they rarely give up fast break hoops!
naterohnert: @franfraschilla i think its because they never miss
franfraschilla: @naterohnert Guys like you were perfect for the offense. You still in Estonia?
franfraschilla: Former DU Pioneer star @naterohnert retweeting my stuff. He made great use of that Princeton offense! You still in Estonia?
naterohnert: @franfraschilla I'm in France now... DU will win the sun belt this year
franfraschilla: They're are a solid team with 3 Dallas kids I saw in HS a lot!
Finally, if you didn't see it, the Pioneers are ranked No. 23 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25.
Don't forget, Denver returns to Magness Arena to face future Western Athletic Conference rival Boise State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT. Tickets are still available for $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
See you at Magness Arena on Saturday.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 584
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Venues with Giant, Inflatable Animals - 1 (a 30-foot Bear at UNC)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Iona - 12/6/11
DENVER -
It's an exciting time to be a Pioneer.
Denver is 6-1 for the first time since returning to NCAA Division I. In fact, excluding DU's time in NAIA and Division II from 1979-98, this is the best start for the Pioneers since opening 6-0 in 1942-43. DU also started 6-1 in 1940-41, 7-1 in 1930 and enjoyed an 8-0 season in 1915 (prior to 1931-32, seasons were played starting in January).
Of course, the biggest challenge of the season might be this Wednesday, when Iona College (6-1) travels to the Mile High City.
"Iona has a rich basketball tradition. Jim Valvano was a coach there, and Jeff Ruland was a pro, and they went to the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago," DU head coach Joe Scott said. "Most importantly, though, everyone in the country seems to be talking about them and have been since the beginning of the year. They're one of the top five - or maybe top three - mid-majors in the country. Both teams are 6-1, so you couldn't ask for a better game for our program. We're going to be ready for the challenge and embrace it."
Historically, as Coach Scott alluded to, Iona was coached by the legendary Jim Valvano before he left and eventually won the NCAA title with North Carolina State, and the Gaels have won seven MAAC championships and advanced to eight NCAA Tournaments.
It's this year's Gaels, however, that have created a buzz around New Rochelle, N.Y., just as the Pioneers have started to do around Denver.
In ESPN's Mid-Major Power 15, the Gaels are ranked No. 6 and the Pioneers are No. 7. Additionally, Iona is ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major Top 25.
Iona's offense is leading the nation with 92.0 points per game and 22.6 assists per game. Gaels point guard Scott Machado is leading the way in that category with an eye-popping 11.4 assists per game, the best mark in the nation.
The Pioneers, on the other hand, have held opponents to just 58.4 points per game and are leading the NCAA with an 83.2 free throw percentage.
Breaking the numbers down even more, according to ESPN.com, Denver and Iona rank 18th and 20th, respectively, in adjusted field goal percentage, which gives added weight to three-pointers. According to KenPom.com, the Pioneers are the sixth-most unselfish team in the nation, racking up assists on 68.6 percent of their field goals made, while Iona is 12th at 65.8 percent of its field goals made.
Both teams are 6-1. Denver's sole loss came at then-No. 18 California, and the Gaels only defeat was a 91-90 nail-biter to Purdue in their season opener in the Puerto Rico Tip Off.
And both teams have notable wins. DU beat Saint Mary's 70-58 and snapping Utah State's 33-game home winning streak with a 67-54 victory. Iona took down Maryland 89-63 in Puerto Rico and Saint Joseph's 104-99 in double overtime.
Mike Glover leads Iona in scoring and rebounding with 19.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while Arizona transfer Lamont "MoMo" Jones is adding 14.3 points per game.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday's matchup. Men's basketball individual game tickets range from $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 453
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Denver is 6-1 for the first time since returning to NCAA Division I. In fact, excluding DU's time in NAIA and Division II from 1979-98, this is the best start for the Pioneers since opening 6-0 in 1942-43. DU also started 6-1 in 1940-41, 7-1 in 1930 and enjoyed an 8-0 season in 1915 (prior to 1931-32, seasons were played starting in January).
Of course, the biggest challenge of the season might be this Wednesday, when Iona College (6-1) travels to the Mile High City.
"Iona has a rich basketball tradition. Jim Valvano was a coach there, and Jeff Ruland was a pro, and they went to the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago," DU head coach Joe Scott said. "Most importantly, though, everyone in the country seems to be talking about them and have been since the beginning of the year. They're one of the top five - or maybe top three - mid-majors in the country. Both teams are 6-1, so you couldn't ask for a better game for our program. We're going to be ready for the challenge and embrace it."
Historically, as Coach Scott alluded to, Iona was coached by the legendary Jim Valvano before he left and eventually won the NCAA title with North Carolina State, and the Gaels have won seven MAAC championships and advanced to eight NCAA Tournaments.
It's this year's Gaels, however, that have created a buzz around New Rochelle, N.Y., just as the Pioneers have started to do around Denver.
In ESPN's Mid-Major Power 15, the Gaels are ranked No. 6 and the Pioneers are No. 7. Additionally, Iona is ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major Top 25.
Iona's offense is leading the nation with 92.0 points per game and 22.6 assists per game. Gaels point guard Scott Machado is leading the way in that category with an eye-popping 11.4 assists per game, the best mark in the nation.
The Pioneers, on the other hand, have held opponents to just 58.4 points per game and are leading the NCAA with an 83.2 free throw percentage.
Breaking the numbers down even more, according to ESPN.com, Denver and Iona rank 18th and 20th, respectively, in adjusted field goal percentage, which gives added weight to three-pointers. According to KenPom.com, the Pioneers are the sixth-most unselfish team in the nation, racking up assists on 68.6 percent of their field goals made, while Iona is 12th at 65.8 percent of its field goals made.
Both teams are 6-1. Denver's sole loss came at then-No. 18 California, and the Gaels only defeat was a 91-90 nail-biter to Purdue in their season opener in the Puerto Rico Tip Off.
And both teams have notable wins. DU beat Saint Mary's 70-58 and snapping Utah State's 33-game home winning streak with a 67-54 victory. Iona took down Maryland 89-63 in Puerto Rico and Saint Joseph's 104-99 in double overtime.
Mike Glover leads Iona in scoring and rebounding with 19.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while Arizona transfer Lamont "MoMo" Jones is adding 14.3 points per game.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday's matchup. Men's basketball individual game tickets range from $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 453
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Utah State - 11/30/11
LOGAN, Utah - It's
a cool, brisk morning in Northern Utah, but the Pioneers are warming up in the
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, getting ready for tonight's game against Utah State.
The players have a sour taste in their mouths after the Cal loss, but they've got another big challenge tonight.
The Aggies have been one of the best teams in the nation over the last 10 years, and when they play at home, they've been nearly unstoppable. USU has won 33-straight games at the Spectrum, trailing only Duke (40) and Kentucky (37) for the longest home winning streaks in the NCAA. Utah State's last home loss was against Saint Mary's on Dec. 5, 2009, and the only other home loss in the Aggies' last 87 games was against Fresno State on March 3, 2007.
Overall, USU is one of only three teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last 12 seasons, matching only Gonzaga and Kansas, and averaging 25.8 wins per season.
However, the Aggies return only four letterwinners and one starter from last year, and this Denver team is ready.
They haven't played often in recent years, aside from last year's meeting at Magness Arena, but DU has played Utah State 88 times. Only Colorado State (158), Wyoming (143), Northern Colorado (113) and Colorado School of Mines (97) have played Denver more than the Aggies.
The guys better get used to this place, though, since DU will be joining Utah State in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) next season. Essentially, this marks the first unofficial road trip in the WAC.
Since none of the DU players have been to this arena before, they probably won't notice, but the Spectrum will likely be without one of the most well-known fans in college basketball. According to sources close to the Utah State athletic department, it seems that "Wild Bill" has hung up his hula skirt and will no longer be distracting opposing free throw shooters in the second half.
That, of course, is not to say the Aggies fans will be any more hospitable to the Pioneers this evening. When Brigham Young rolled into town, this is what the welcoming committee looked like:
Once the Pioneers finish shootaround this morning, they will head back to the hotel to rest up, eat a pregame meal of chicken and pasta, and rest a little more before heading back for tonight's game. Should be an exciting one.
About Utah State - USU is located in Logan, which is about two hours north of Salt Lake City. The campus is on a hill, giving spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains in almost every direction.
National Football League Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1962 but opted to play his entire 15-year career with the Rams, is probably the most notable alumni of Utah State.
On the political front, United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also went to college in Logan.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 7
Total Mileage by Air - 4,300
Total Mileage by Bus - 347
Total Number of Hotels - 3
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
The players have a sour taste in their mouths after the Cal loss, but they've got another big challenge tonight.
The Aggies have been one of the best teams in the nation over the last 10 years, and when they play at home, they've been nearly unstoppable. USU has won 33-straight games at the Spectrum, trailing only Duke (40) and Kentucky (37) for the longest home winning streaks in the NCAA. Utah State's last home loss was against Saint Mary's on Dec. 5, 2009, and the only other home loss in the Aggies' last 87 games was against Fresno State on March 3, 2007.
Overall, USU is one of only three teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last 12 seasons, matching only Gonzaga and Kansas, and averaging 25.8 wins per season.
However, the Aggies return only four letterwinners and one starter from last year, and this Denver team is ready.
They haven't played often in recent years, aside from last year's meeting at Magness Arena, but DU has played Utah State 88 times. Only Colorado State (158), Wyoming (143), Northern Colorado (113) and Colorado School of Mines (97) have played Denver more than the Aggies.
The guys better get used to this place, though, since DU will be joining Utah State in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) next season. Essentially, this marks the first unofficial road trip in the WAC.
Since none of the DU players have been to this arena before, they probably won't notice, but the Spectrum will likely be without one of the most well-known fans in college basketball. According to sources close to the Utah State athletic department, it seems that "Wild Bill" has hung up his hula skirt and will no longer be distracting opposing free throw shooters in the second half.
That, of course, is not to say the Aggies fans will be any more hospitable to the Pioneers this evening. When Brigham Young rolled into town, this is what the welcoming committee looked like:
Once the Pioneers finish shootaround this morning, they will head back to the hotel to rest up, eat a pregame meal of chicken and pasta, and rest a little more before heading back for tonight's game. Should be an exciting one.
About Utah State - USU is located in Logan, which is about two hours north of Salt Lake City. The campus is on a hill, giving spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains in almost every direction.
National Football League Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1962 but opted to play his entire 15-year career with the Rams, is probably the most notable alumni of Utah State.
On the political front, United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also went to college in Logan.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 7
Total Mileage by Air - 4,300
Total Mileage by Bus - 347
Total Number of Hotels - 3
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Saturday, November 26, 2011
California - 11/26/11
BERKELEY, Calif. -
The Pioneers celebrated Thanksgiving with a 4-0 record, which certainly gave
the players, coaches and fans plenty to be thankful for.
The team has a challenge in front of them today, heading to Haas Pavilion to take on Cal, which is ranked No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Poll. This is just the second time that DU has faced a ranked opponent since returning to NCAA Division I in 1998-99. The Pioneers faced No. 10 Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 2003.
Today's game is especially exciting for a couple of senior from this area. Brian Stafford is from just up the road in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Alex Pickert grew up about 90 minutes southwest of here in Carmel, Calif.
Both players have a contingent coming, but Stafford's group of around 30 could be a little bit torn. Stafford's dad, Pete, was Cal's backup quarterback during the "Band Game," when the Golden Bears beat John Elway-led Stanford with the Cardinal's band on the field. Sally, his mother, was an All-American hurdler on the Cal track and field team. His grandfather, Dave, was a member of Cal's 1959 NCAA champion basketball team, which beat Jerry West and West Virginia in the title game.
When asked whether his family was cheering for the Pioneers today, Stafford just smiled sheepishly.
The team flew in Friday afternoon. It was an easy flight into Oakland, and everyone had a couple hours to relax before dinner across the street from the hotel.
There are a few significant differences from the usual routine when playing an afternoon game. The most noticeable today was that the team did not go to the gym to shoot around this morning, meaning the first time most of these players will ever put up a shot at Haas Pavilion will be when the team arrives around 12:30 p.m.
The other major difference is the pregame meal. Generally, the Pioneers dine on what former guard Kyle Lewis used to lovingly refer to as "Coach Scott's chicken and pasta," consisting of, surprisingly, chicken and pasta, about four hours before every game.
However, since today's pregame was midmorning, the players and coaches ate scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes.
About Cal - Obviously, Cal is pretty well know, whether it be as the top public university or fairly well known protests over the years.
As mentioned before, the Golden Bears won the 1959 national title in basketball under the guidance of legendary head coach Pete Newell.
Not surprisingly, this campus just north of Oakland has drawn a number of notable alumni. The basketball team has turned out a few standout point guards named Kevin Johnson (currently the mayor of Sacramento, Calif.) and Jason Kidd, as well as Tony Gonzalez, who is known better as an All-Pro tight end but also played just after Kidd on the Golden Bears basketball team.
Olympians Matt Biondi, Natalie Coughlin and Jonny Moseley were Golden Bears, as were authors Jack London and Beverly Cleary.
From the music industry, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz and Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh all attended Cal.
Since we're in California, we can't ignore Hollywood. Cal can boast stars such as Gregory Peck, Jerry Mathers and Bill Bixby. Perhaps not as well known, but John Cho from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in Goonies; and American Idol contestant William Hung also went to Cal.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 5
Total Mileage by Air - 2,953
Total Mileage by Bus - 157
Total Number of Hotels - 2
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Stafford and Pickert's Friends & Family at the Game - 40+
The team has a challenge in front of them today, heading to Haas Pavilion to take on Cal, which is ranked No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Poll. This is just the second time that DU has faced a ranked opponent since returning to NCAA Division I in 1998-99. The Pioneers faced No. 10 Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 2003.
Today's game is especially exciting for a couple of senior from this area. Brian Stafford is from just up the road in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Alex Pickert grew up about 90 minutes southwest of here in Carmel, Calif.
Both players have a contingent coming, but Stafford's group of around 30 could be a little bit torn. Stafford's dad, Pete, was Cal's backup quarterback during the "Band Game," when the Golden Bears beat John Elway-led Stanford with the Cardinal's band on the field. Sally, his mother, was an All-American hurdler on the Cal track and field team. His grandfather, Dave, was a member of Cal's 1959 NCAA champion basketball team, which beat Jerry West and West Virginia in the title game.
When asked whether his family was cheering for the Pioneers today, Stafford just smiled sheepishly.
The team flew in Friday afternoon. It was an easy flight into Oakland, and everyone had a couple hours to relax before dinner across the street from the hotel.
There are a few significant differences from the usual routine when playing an afternoon game. The most noticeable today was that the team did not go to the gym to shoot around this morning, meaning the first time most of these players will ever put up a shot at Haas Pavilion will be when the team arrives around 12:30 p.m.
The other major difference is the pregame meal. Generally, the Pioneers dine on what former guard Kyle Lewis used to lovingly refer to as "Coach Scott's chicken and pasta," consisting of, surprisingly, chicken and pasta, about four hours before every game.
However, since today's pregame was midmorning, the players and coaches ate scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes.
About Cal - Obviously, Cal is pretty well know, whether it be as the top public university or fairly well known protests over the years.
As mentioned before, the Golden Bears won the 1959 national title in basketball under the guidance of legendary head coach Pete Newell.
Not surprisingly, this campus just north of Oakland has drawn a number of notable alumni. The basketball team has turned out a few standout point guards named Kevin Johnson (currently the mayor of Sacramento, Calif.) and Jason Kidd, as well as Tony Gonzalez, who is known better as an All-Pro tight end but also played just after Kidd on the Golden Bears basketball team.
Olympians Matt Biondi, Natalie Coughlin and Jonny Moseley were Golden Bears, as were authors Jack London and Beverly Cleary.
From the music industry, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz and Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh all attended Cal.
Since we're in California, we can't ignore Hollywood. Cal can boast stars such as Gregory Peck, Jerry Mathers and Bill Bixby. Perhaps not as well known, but John Cho from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in Goonies; and American Idol contestant William Hung also went to Cal.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 5
Total Mileage by Air - 2,953
Total Mileage by Bus - 157
Total Number of Hotels - 2
Total Number of Different Airports - 4
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Stafford and Pickert's Friends & Family at the Game - 40+
Monday, November 14, 2011
Texas A&M Corpus Christi - 11/14/11
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas
- We're on the road again, and it's nice to be back out here because it
means basketball season is underway.
The Pioneers flew through Dallas yesterday before catching a connection to Corpus Christi. One of the great things about traveling together as a group of about 20-25 people is that, aside from director of basketball operations John Fitzgerald who expertly arranges just about everything, we rarely have to worry about the challenges of travel.
Yesterday, however, there was a slight concern when both senior Alex Pickert and freshman Jake Logan were standing by the ticket counter without a seat assignment, and the airline representative was adamant that someone on the flight was not going to make it to Corpus Christi last night.
Pickert remained calm and looked almost like he wouldn't mind a night to himself in Dallas (not to mention getting his hands on the travel vouchers being offered).
Logan, however, was in his first collegiate road trip and seemed more than a little uncomfortable with the thought of breaking away from his teammates.
Fortunately, everyone from the team ended up on the plane, and it was smooth sailing toward the Gulf Coast.
We arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. and headed straight to dinner before the team turned in early for a good night's sleep.
About Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - The Pioneers are shooting around in American Bank Center this morning. It's a nice facility that opened in 2004 and holds a little more than 8,100, but seems quite a bit more intimate.
The arena is right on the edge of the water. In fact, the U.S.S. Lexington aircraft carrier is docked just outside one of the arena entrances.
TAMUCC's actual campus is down the road a few miles, while the arena sits at the edge of downtown Corpus Christi. About 10,200 students go to the school.
While we are sure many of their past students have gone on to great things, their list of notable alumni is limited.
In fact, during the 2008 NCAA Tournament in 2008, the Louisville Courier-Journal had a mock bracket of the participating schools' most famous alumni. In the first round, Wisconsin (Tom Wopat) beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nobody).
That's a bit of a stretch. According to sources, former TAMUCC golfer Liza Mucheru-Wisner finished third on the Apprentice last year, and Eva Longoria briefly went to the school before graduating elsewhere.
While it has little to nothing to do with TAMUCC, Corpus Christi is where Whataburger was founded in 1950. Although that fact may not excite many people in Denver, which does not have any franchises, there was a sparkle in Chase Hallam's eyes when he referred to it yesterday. There's probably a decent chance that Chase ends up with a Whataburger at some point while the team is here.
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright: It's appropriate that the Pioneers' first road trip of the year is to the Lone Star State. Five players - Cam Griffin, Chase Hallam, Travis Hallam, Royce O'Neale and Chris Udofia - all came from Texas.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 2
Total Mileage by Air - 998
Total Mileage by Bus - 49
Total Number of Hotels - 1
Total Number of Different Airports - 3
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Bumped Passengers - 0, but barely
The Pioneers flew through Dallas yesterday before catching a connection to Corpus Christi. One of the great things about traveling together as a group of about 20-25 people is that, aside from director of basketball operations John Fitzgerald who expertly arranges just about everything, we rarely have to worry about the challenges of travel.
Yesterday, however, there was a slight concern when both senior Alex Pickert and freshman Jake Logan were standing by the ticket counter without a seat assignment, and the airline representative was adamant that someone on the flight was not going to make it to Corpus Christi last night.
Pickert remained calm and looked almost like he wouldn't mind a night to himself in Dallas (not to mention getting his hands on the travel vouchers being offered).
Logan, however, was in his first collegiate road trip and seemed more than a little uncomfortable with the thought of breaking away from his teammates.
Fortunately, everyone from the team ended up on the plane, and it was smooth sailing toward the Gulf Coast.
We arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. and headed straight to dinner before the team turned in early for a good night's sleep.
About Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - The Pioneers are shooting around in American Bank Center this morning. It's a nice facility that opened in 2004 and holds a little more than 8,100, but seems quite a bit more intimate.
The arena is right on the edge of the water. In fact, the U.S.S. Lexington aircraft carrier is docked just outside one of the arena entrances.
TAMUCC's actual campus is down the road a few miles, while the arena sits at the edge of downtown Corpus Christi. About 10,200 students go to the school.
While we are sure many of their past students have gone on to great things, their list of notable alumni is limited.
In fact, during the 2008 NCAA Tournament in 2008, the Louisville Courier-Journal had a mock bracket of the participating schools' most famous alumni. In the first round, Wisconsin (Tom Wopat) beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nobody).
That's a bit of a stretch. According to sources, former TAMUCC golfer Liza Mucheru-Wisner finished third on the Apprentice last year, and Eva Longoria briefly went to the school before graduating elsewhere.
While it has little to nothing to do with TAMUCC, Corpus Christi is where Whataburger was founded in 1950. Although that fact may not excite many people in Denver, which does not have any franchises, there was a sparkle in Chase Hallam's eyes when he referred to it yesterday. There's probably a decent chance that Chase ends up with a Whataburger at some point while the team is here.
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright: It's appropriate that the Pioneers' first road trip of the year is to the Lone Star State. Five players - Cam Griffin, Chase Hallam, Travis Hallam, Royce O'Neale and Chris Udofia - all came from Texas.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 2
Total Mileage by Air - 998
Total Mileage by Bus - 49
Total Number of Hotels - 1
Total Number of Different Airports - 3
Total Number of Airline Delays - 1
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total Number of Bumped Passengers - 0, but barely
Friday, October 14, 2011
First Practice - 10/14/11
DENVER - It's the
ides of October, which can only mean one thing. That's right, college
basketball practice started Friday at 5 p.m. MT.
The Pioneers hit the courts in Gates Fieldhouse inside the Ritchie Center. Some teams perform skits and sing songs, but Denver is all about the basketball, and there's something peaceful about just having the players, the coaches and the court. By 5:01 p.m. the team was at full speed.
The freshmen have a lot to learn, but they look as though the older guys have done a great job of preparing them for this practice. In fact, Royce O'Neale just broke down low past a couple of upperclassmen and got a layup.
Followers of the program no doubt noticed the absence of Rob Lewis in a Denver jersey last year. Well, he's back on the court tonight and looking like he's ready to make up for lost time.
After a few individual drills - layups, three-point shooting and fast breaks - the teams split into five-on-five for full court team drills.
Head coach Joe Scott appears to be in midseason form, coaching each player and making suggestions about how to perfect each cut, pass and drive. Every player and coach on this team is very upfront and vocal about wanting to improve each and every day.
The facilities at DU are outstanding. The normal practice facilities are Hamilton Gymnasium, where there are three full basketball courts. However, since there's a volleyball game tonight, the team is in Gates, which is a great alternative with two full courts. In fact, one of the actual courts used to be in Magness Arena before the team got a new one a few years ago.
A little over halfway through practice, the team is split up on both courts, so half the team is working two different aspects of the Denver offense. In a while, the players will switch sides in order to get everyone familiar with it.
One thing is clear this evening: everyone in this program is happy that practices have started, and the countdown is on for the first game on November 11.
The Pioneers hit the courts in Gates Fieldhouse inside the Ritchie Center. Some teams perform skits and sing songs, but Denver is all about the basketball, and there's something peaceful about just having the players, the coaches and the court. By 5:01 p.m. the team was at full speed.
The freshmen have a lot to learn, but they look as though the older guys have done a great job of preparing them for this practice. In fact, Royce O'Neale just broke down low past a couple of upperclassmen and got a layup.
Followers of the program no doubt noticed the absence of Rob Lewis in a Denver jersey last year. Well, he's back on the court tonight and looking like he's ready to make up for lost time.
After a few individual drills - layups, three-point shooting and fast breaks - the teams split into five-on-five for full court team drills.
Head coach Joe Scott appears to be in midseason form, coaching each player and making suggestions about how to perfect each cut, pass and drive. Every player and coach on this team is very upfront and vocal about wanting to improve each and every day.
The facilities at DU are outstanding. The normal practice facilities are Hamilton Gymnasium, where there are three full basketball courts. However, since there's a volleyball game tonight, the team is in Gates, which is a great alternative with two full courts. In fact, one of the actual courts used to be in Magness Arena before the team got a new one a few years ago.
A little over halfway through practice, the team is split up on both courts, so half the team is working two different aspects of the Denver offense. In a while, the players will switch sides in order to get everyone familiar with it.
One thing is clear this evening: everyone in this program is happy that practices have started, and the countdown is on for the first game on November 11.
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