ORDINO, Andorra - The
Pioneers ate an early breakfast before heading four hours up to the
Pyrenees and into Andorra, a tiny country that's bordered by Spain and
France.
The
team is staying at Anyós Park Resort, nestled high above Andorra La
Vella and Escaldes-Engordany, the biggest towns in this country of about
80,000 people. The area is somewhat similar to Vail with a large valley
running between mountains. The temperature is just about perfect.
An
early arrival gave the players and coaches a bit of free time to enjoy
the pools and other amenities at the resort. As usual, four hours before
game time meant pasta and chicken, as Kyle Lewis pointed out in his blog a few days ago.
Tonight's
venue proved a little difficult to find, but after some searching and
creative driving by the bus driver - which involved head coach Joe Scott and his father, Bob, jumping out to direct traffic with arms waving - we found what appears to be a newly constructed gym.
This
is the first time we've seen the new court setup with a wide,
rectangular lane and a farther three-point line. FIBA made those changes
for this upcoming season, but the previous gyms had not changed their
paint yet.
Cajasol
Sevilla, tonight's opponent, is the highest ranked team that Denver
will play. However, when the tour guide mentioned some of Cajasol's
players, Scott turned around and asked the team if it mattered who they
were playing. The response was a resounding, "No," with Kyle adding,
"The only name we care about is the one across the front of our
jerseys."
Cajasol
Sevilla requested a closed game, meaning the only people here cheering
will be wearing Denver colors. Does that make this a home game?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Barcelona - 8/29/10
BARCELONA, Spain - After a great win last night, the Pioneers headed out immediately from the gym, got on a bus and headed out of the Pyrenees on their way to Barcelona.
We went down the opposite side of town, where the road was a little less frightening, and after about 90 minutes we stopped by the roadside to eat some sandwiches. The bus rolled into the hotel in Barcelona around midnight, and the tired crew headed to their rooms.
After a two-hour tour of Barcelona and a lunch buffet, we headed to Sitges, a beach town about 30 minutes southwest of the city.
It did not take long once the bus stopped for all the players to head straight for the water. Justin Coughlin had been to the beach just once in his life prior to today, and he seemed to especially enjoy himself, which was nice because he was feeling under the weather for the first few days of the trip.
A few people tried body surfing (Head Coach Joe Scott appeared to really know what he was doing), and everyone enjoyed time in the water and walking along the beach.
Tonight, everyone will jump back on the bus for dinner in downtown Barcelona before a good night's sleep. We leave bright and early tomorrow for Andorra, where the team will take on Cajasol Sevilla, one of the best professional teams in Spain.
Edu!: Our best wishes go out to Nate Rohnert, who signed his first professional contract yesterday. Rohnert, a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference First Team selection with the Pioneers from 2006-10, will play in Estonia this season for Tartu Rock.
It sounds like a great opportunity for Nate, especially since it's a FIBA EuroCup team. That means he'll be traveling and playing all over Europe.
It seems that Nate already left Denver to start his new career in Eastern Europe. Good luck, Nate.
We went down the opposite side of town, where the road was a little less frightening, and after about 90 minutes we stopped by the roadside to eat some sandwiches. The bus rolled into the hotel in Barcelona around midnight, and the tired crew headed to their rooms.
After a two-hour tour of Barcelona and a lunch buffet, we headed to Sitges, a beach town about 30 minutes southwest of the city.
It did not take long once the bus stopped for all the players to head straight for the water. Justin Coughlin had been to the beach just once in his life prior to today, and he seemed to especially enjoy himself, which was nice because he was feeling under the weather for the first few days of the trip.
A few people tried body surfing (Head Coach Joe Scott appeared to really know what he was doing), and everyone enjoyed time in the water and walking along the beach.
Tonight, everyone will jump back on the bus for dinner in downtown Barcelona before a good night's sleep. We leave bright and early tomorrow for Andorra, where the team will take on Cajasol Sevilla, one of the best professional teams in Spain.
Edu!: Our best wishes go out to Nate Rohnert, who signed his first professional contract yesterday. Rohnert, a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference First Team selection with the Pioneers from 2006-10, will play in Estonia this season for Tartu Rock.
It sounds like a great opportunity for Nate, especially since it's a FIBA EuroCup team. That means he'll be traveling and playing all over Europe.
It seems that Nate already left Denver to start his new career in Eastern Europe. Good luck, Nate.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Lobe Huesca - 8/28/10
BENASQUE, Spain - Yesterday and today involved a lot of driving.
As Kyle Lewis mentioned in his blog yesterday, the bus pulled out of Madrid on Friday morning for an hour-long trip to Toledo, where the team spent a few hours exploring.
After that, everyone returned to the bus for a four-hour trip to Zaragoza. There was plenty of free time for dinner and seeing the sights of Zaragoza's narrow, winding streets and alleyways.
Today's drive took the team through Huesca on our way to the Pyrenees. Tonight's opponent, CB Penas Huesca, is holding its training camp in Benasque, a small ski town, so that's where the game will be.
A few people have questioned whether CB Penas Huesca might be trying to take advantage of high-altitude training, thinking it might help tonight. Needless to say, the guys from 5280 feet above sea level aren't very intimidated to play in thin air. Besides, Benasque is still about 1,500 feet lower than Denver.
Most of the drives prior to today took us through areas that were somewhat reminiscent of the Midwest, although the lack of water in the area makes it seem a bit more barren.
Today's drive took a significant change about 90 minutes in, when the bus started winding through mountain roads with long tunnels cut straight through the rock. We passed a turquoise alpine lake that immediately caused nearly every player to move to the right side of the bus and start snapping pictures.
Needless to say, the drive today was beautiful, much more like Colorado or Alaska than what we had seen in the past few days.
The road we are currently on is allegedly two lanes, but there's sure not a lot of room, and those of us on the left side of the bus are getting some pretty clear shots straight down to the river flowing below.
We have passed a few cars, which involved both the car and the bus stopping before the car cautiously maneuvers around us, and there have been a few hairpin turns that required the bus driver to honk his horn to warn potential traffic coming toward us.
Things got a little more eye-opening when another bus had to pass us. Two things made it a little better for us: (1) the other bus' driver was outstanding as she literally passed within inches of us, and (2) we were on the mountain side, while the other bus was flirting with the guardrail.
The Spanish basketball leagues are split into several divisions, and CB Penas Huesca is a Second Division team, while Real Canoe was in the Fourth Division. Honestly, we don't know much about tonight's opponent, although we did hear that they signed an American yesterday. The only thing we can confirm at the moment is that the American is not Nate Rohnert, who will hopefully be heading over to Europe to begin his professional career soon.
Thanks for Reading: Blog reader Tom Douglis sent us a note a couple days ago, asking some good questions. While we already responded to Tom directly, but some other readers might be interested in hearing some of the answers, too.
We posted several photographs that Hooper has taken, and we will continue to do so throughout the trip. As you will see if you check out his online photo galleries, you'll notice that in addition to many pictures of his teammates and local attractions, Hooper loves to capture creative graffiti.
Fortunately for Hooper (and the rest of us), Spain has no shortage of material for him to shoot.
As Kyle Lewis mentioned in his blog yesterday, the bus pulled out of Madrid on Friday morning for an hour-long trip to Toledo, where the team spent a few hours exploring.
After that, everyone returned to the bus for a four-hour trip to Zaragoza. There was plenty of free time for dinner and seeing the sights of Zaragoza's narrow, winding streets and alleyways.
Today's drive took the team through Huesca on our way to the Pyrenees. Tonight's opponent, CB Penas Huesca, is holding its training camp in Benasque, a small ski town, so that's where the game will be.
A few people have questioned whether CB Penas Huesca might be trying to take advantage of high-altitude training, thinking it might help tonight. Needless to say, the guys from 5280 feet above sea level aren't very intimidated to play in thin air. Besides, Benasque is still about 1,500 feet lower than Denver.
Most of the drives prior to today took us through areas that were somewhat reminiscent of the Midwest, although the lack of water in the area makes it seem a bit more barren.
Today's drive took a significant change about 90 minutes in, when the bus started winding through mountain roads with long tunnels cut straight through the rock. We passed a turquoise alpine lake that immediately caused nearly every player to move to the right side of the bus and start snapping pictures.
Needless to say, the drive today was beautiful, much more like Colorado or Alaska than what we had seen in the past few days.
The road we are currently on is allegedly two lanes, but there's sure not a lot of room, and those of us on the left side of the bus are getting some pretty clear shots straight down to the river flowing below.
We have passed a few cars, which involved both the car and the bus stopping before the car cautiously maneuvers around us, and there have been a few hairpin turns that required the bus driver to honk his horn to warn potential traffic coming toward us.
Things got a little more eye-opening when another bus had to pass us. Two things made it a little better for us: (1) the other bus' driver was outstanding as she literally passed within inches of us, and (2) we were on the mountain side, while the other bus was flirting with the guardrail.
The Spanish basketball leagues are split into several divisions, and CB Penas Huesca is a Second Division team, while Real Canoe was in the Fourth Division. Honestly, we don't know much about tonight's opponent, although we did hear that they signed an American yesterday. The only thing we can confirm at the moment is that the American is not Nate Rohnert, who will hopefully be heading over to Europe to begin his professional career soon.
Thanks for Reading: Blog reader Tom Douglis sent us a note a couple days ago, asking some good questions. While we already responded to Tom directly, but some other readers might be interested in hearing some of the answers, too.
- Please show us some Spain as well as the gyms! - After a few technical difficulties in the first few days, Mitch Hyder, the Voice of the Pioneers, has already put together and posted a couple of great video packages that are available on the website, and he plans to do more throughout the trip.
- Can box scores be posted online? - Although they kept stats at the game against Real Canoe, the box score they gave us was handwritten and needed a code breaker to interpret it. We are trying to keep basic stats for the Pioneers, but they may not be 100 percent accurate.
- Casajol Sevilla's website lists our game as a "Closed Door Training." Will it be a scrimmage or a full game? - All six games will be full games, although it would seem that one will have a limited audience that likely will comprise our travel party.
We posted several photographs that Hooper has taken, and we will continue to do so throughout the trip. As you will see if you check out his online photo galleries, you'll notice that in addition to many pictures of his teammates and local attractions, Hooper loves to capture creative graffiti.
Fortunately for Hooper (and the rest of us), Spain has no shortage of material for him to shoot.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Real Canoe - 8/26/10
MADRID, Spain - Forward Blake Foeman looked up as he was tying his shoes before shoot around this morning.
"I think this is where basketball was invented," Foeman said, smiling.
Andrew Hooper looked around, handed someone his iPhone and begged him to take photos so that Hooper could Tweet them later.
The home court of Real Canoe N.C. gives new meaning to hardwoods. The gym looks like it's straight out of Hickory High.
The floor is hardwood, more like what you might see on a ship than in most American arenas. In fact,Alex Pickert suggested the wood may have come from three Spanish ships: Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
There are seven cement rows that make up the spectator area above the court. The team benches appear to be actual wooden benches bolted to the brick wall behind them. Just outside, people are lounging around a swimming pool, enjoying the warm Spanish sun. But there are no peach baskets hanging at each - just the standard rims with nets hanging down.
As Coach Norman Dale might say, "The rims are 10 feet. The free throw line is 15 feet. Gentlemen, I think you'll discover these dimensions are just like our gym back in Hickory (or Denver)."
So, after a good night's sleep last night, the Pioneers are ready to go tonight.
None of us know much about tonight's opponent, Real Canoe NC, so nobody really knows what to expect.
As Denver head coach Joe Scott has said repeatedly, though, the Pioneers came over to play Denver Basketball, so it doesn't really matter who the opponent is.
Technical Difficulties: Trainer Pat Hoxsey was overheard talking about watching the news when he woke up this morning. Apparently, he watched the Spanish version because he couldn't figure out the Spanish remote control.
"I think this is where basketball was invented," Foeman said, smiling.
Andrew Hooper looked around, handed someone his iPhone and begged him to take photos so that Hooper could Tweet them later.
The home court of Real Canoe N.C. gives new meaning to hardwoods. The gym looks like it's straight out of Hickory High.
The floor is hardwood, more like what you might see on a ship than in most American arenas. In fact,Alex Pickert suggested the wood may have come from three Spanish ships: Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
There are seven cement rows that make up the spectator area above the court. The team benches appear to be actual wooden benches bolted to the brick wall behind them. Just outside, people are lounging around a swimming pool, enjoying the warm Spanish sun. But there are no peach baskets hanging at each - just the standard rims with nets hanging down.
As Coach Norman Dale might say, "The rims are 10 feet. The free throw line is 15 feet. Gentlemen, I think you'll discover these dimensions are just like our gym back in Hickory (or Denver)."
So, after a good night's sleep last night, the Pioneers are ready to go tonight.
None of us know much about tonight's opponent, Real Canoe NC, so nobody really knows what to expect.
As Denver head coach Joe Scott has said repeatedly, though, the Pioneers came over to play Denver Basketball, so it doesn't really matter who the opponent is.
Technical Difficulties: Trainer Pat Hoxsey was overheard talking about watching the news when he woke up this morning. Apparently, he watched the Spanish version because he couldn't figure out the Spanish remote control.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Bienvenido a España - 8/25/10
MADRID, Spain - After a long 16 hours of traveling, the University of Denver men's basketball team landed in Madrid on Wednesday morning.
The flights were long and crowded, but aside from a short delay in Dallas, everything went smoothly on the way over. Of course, Trevor Noonan and Justin Coughlin might disagree a bit, considering the 6-9 giants were crammed next to each other on the nine-plus hour flight from DFW to Madrid. They basically had to fold themselves like origami, making for sporadic sleep at best. A young child in front of them had a good time staring at Coughlin and sporadically screaming, which added to the fun.
There were certainly no complaints once we landed. Everyone was tired but very excited to see what Spain had to offer. Nobody in the travel party has been to Spain before.
In fact, only four of the 12 players had ever traveled outside the United States prior to this trip, and only Tyler Thalken and Alex Pickert had been to Europe (Kyle Lewis took a trip to Mexico, and Blake Foeman had been to the Caribbean).
The team was met at Aeropuerto Madrid-Barajas by representatives of Harvard Sports Management Group, which made the arrangements for the trip.
We took a driving tour of Madrid, which Mitch Hyder has highlighted in a video package (which will be posted soon), followed by a lunch buffet.
The food was good, although there were a few surprises, which can always be expected in a foreign country. Some of the players were a little surprised when the soup (Gazpacho) was cold and even more shocked when the pudding-like dish turned out to be some sort of seafood with cheese.
Anyone who has traveled abroad recognizes that adjustments are required. Fortunately for the players, head coach Joe Scott warned them that they might have to put their key card in a slot inside the room in order for the lights to work. Of course, it still took some people a few minutes to figure it out since the slot is hidden behind the door when it's open.
Among the other differences from the U.S. were the "doggie door," or second door halfway back in the bus that is slightly shorter and more narrow than the regular door up front, and escalators that only work when someone is actually standing on them (saving energy). The hotel rooms also feature bidets, which may require further explanation for some in the travel party.
The team plays its first game tomorrow against Real Canoe here in Spain.
The flights were long and crowded, but aside from a short delay in Dallas, everything went smoothly on the way over. Of course, Trevor Noonan and Justin Coughlin might disagree a bit, considering the 6-9 giants were crammed next to each other on the nine-plus hour flight from DFW to Madrid. They basically had to fold themselves like origami, making for sporadic sleep at best. A young child in front of them had a good time staring at Coughlin and sporadically screaming, which added to the fun.
There were certainly no complaints once we landed. Everyone was tired but very excited to see what Spain had to offer. Nobody in the travel party has been to Spain before.
In fact, only four of the 12 players had ever traveled outside the United States prior to this trip, and only Tyler Thalken and Alex Pickert had been to Europe (Kyle Lewis took a trip to Mexico, and Blake Foeman had been to the Caribbean).
The team was met at Aeropuerto Madrid-Barajas by representatives of Harvard Sports Management Group, which made the arrangements for the trip.
We took a driving tour of Madrid, which Mitch Hyder has highlighted in a video package (which will be posted soon), followed by a lunch buffet.
The food was good, although there were a few surprises, which can always be expected in a foreign country. Some of the players were a little surprised when the soup (Gazpacho) was cold and even more shocked when the pudding-like dish turned out to be some sort of seafood with cheese.
Anyone who has traveled abroad recognizes that adjustments are required. Fortunately for the players, head coach Joe Scott warned them that they might have to put their key card in a slot inside the room in order for the lights to work. Of course, it still took some people a few minutes to figure it out since the slot is hidden behind the door when it's open.
Among the other differences from the U.S. were the "doggie door," or second door halfway back in the bus that is slightly shorter and more narrow than the regular door up front, and escalators that only work when someone is actually standing on them (saving energy). The hotel rooms also feature bidets, which may require further explanation for some in the travel party.
The team plays its first game tomorrow against Real Canoe here in Spain.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Final Pre-Spain Practice - 8/23/10
DENVER - The wait is just about over for the Pioneers, who leave for Spain tomorrow morning. Today marks the 10th and final practice day the team is allowed prior to departure, and the players worked as hard as they do every time they hit the court.
The bus pulls out just tomorrow after 10 a.m., and the Pioneers will fly to Dallas before the long flight to Madrid, which lands around 10 a.m. local time the next morning.
The Pioneers will have a day to get acclimated before playing their first of six games on Thursday night against Real Canoe.
"We're looking forward to it," junior guard Brian Stafford said. "It's going to be great opportunity to see how far we've gotten the past couple of years, and I'm looking forward to seeing where we are now going into this year."
While everyone is excited about the trip, head coach Joe Scott took a moment to explain the purpose of taking this team to Spain.
"From a pure basketball standpoint, we're going on this trip to take other step in growing up and being a mature basketball team," Scott said. "In the last three years, we have won more games every year, but we've also lost certain games. We should know by now that every single game is the hardest game we're ever going to play. Every single game, the other team is trying to do the same thing to you: throw you out of the way, bully you, have their way with you from a physical standpoint. We're going on this trip to get a head start on saying, 'We're not going to let that happen to us anymore.' We need to know that every time we step on the court, it's about knowing that's what the game is going to be like and caring so much about being so physical, aggressive and disciplined, and doing it the University of Denver way."
Playing six professional teams should allow the Pioneers to improve from a physical, aggressive and discipline standpoint, and to do so long before the traditional first official practice of the year in mid-October. Playing these games should help create good habits that can then be carried into the season.
"We're taking this team because this team has shown the ability to grow, to stick with it, to fight through some hard times and to get better," Scott said. "As that's gone on, they've shown off the court that it's important to them. They've done a nice job off the court. We've worked hard here to not beat ourselves, on the court or off the court. If you want to take a trip like this, you've got to go with guys that know it's about being honest and being truthful and being good decision makers. Now they're going to learn that when you act that way, this is the type of opportunity you get. When we're over there, we're going to act that way, too."
Fans who have watched the Pioneers during the past three seasons have seen the progress. Since Scott took over a team that won four games the previous season, the Pioneers have constantly improved, going from 11 wins in 2007-08 to 15 wins in 2008-09 and finally to 19 wins last season. Additionally, the Pioneers have excelled in the classroom, combining for a 3.32 grade point average last year.
"These guys have worked hard on the court, and they've worked hard off the court. And we've gotten better," Scott said. "Usually in life when you do things that way, good things come to you. Having the opportunity to go over to Spain with their teammates, whom they like, and play games, see a foreign country and have an experience like that, that's a pretty lucky thing to be able to do. I think they understand that, so we're going to go over there, and we're going to have fun on and off the court."
As for the teams that Denver will face, Spain is known for having one of the top leagues in European basketball, so the coaches and players know each game will provide a good challenge.
"We know we're playing some really good teams," Stafford said. "Spain has one of the best leagues in Europe, and we're going to play two teams from the top league in Spain, so we know we're playing some really good players out there. It will be a good test for us, and we're all looking forward to seeing how well we can do."
Teams in Liga ACB, the Spanish basketball league, are split into divisions. Teams in the lower divisions can move up if they play well, while teams in the upper divisions can move down if they play poorly during a season. In American terms, it's the equivalent of a Triple-A baseball team playing very well one season and taking the spot of a Major League team that struggled during that year.
Usually, the top tier teams do not play touring college teams, but the Pioneers will face a pair of them in Cajasol Sevilla and Lagun Aro Gipuzkoa BC. DU will also face four teams from the second and third divisions.
"We're playing a couple teams that are in the top league," Scott said. "I don't know how we got them to play us, but because our school year starts later, it's a good time to go because it matches up better with their preseason training camps. We got lucky in that regard, and we got lucky that we have a good mix between the divisions. But like I told our guys at the end of practice today, I don't care who we're playing. We need to get to the point where we don't care who we're playing, we don't care who they have and we don't care what their name is. We always walk on the court to play Denver basketball. We're going out there to care about ourselves and to constantly work on that. We're going to go over to Spain, and that's what we're going to do. I know this trip can help prepare us to get better in the areas we have to. It's hard to believe it's here, but we had our practices and we're ready to go. We'll be ready to play our first game on August 26."
The bus pulls out just tomorrow after 10 a.m., and the Pioneers will fly to Dallas before the long flight to Madrid, which lands around 10 a.m. local time the next morning.
The Pioneers will have a day to get acclimated before playing their first of six games on Thursday night against Real Canoe.
"We're looking forward to it," junior guard Brian Stafford said. "It's going to be great opportunity to see how far we've gotten the past couple of years, and I'm looking forward to seeing where we are now going into this year."
While everyone is excited about the trip, head coach Joe Scott took a moment to explain the purpose of taking this team to Spain.
"From a pure basketball standpoint, we're going on this trip to take other step in growing up and being a mature basketball team," Scott said. "In the last three years, we have won more games every year, but we've also lost certain games. We should know by now that every single game is the hardest game we're ever going to play. Every single game, the other team is trying to do the same thing to you: throw you out of the way, bully you, have their way with you from a physical standpoint. We're going on this trip to get a head start on saying, 'We're not going to let that happen to us anymore.' We need to know that every time we step on the court, it's about knowing that's what the game is going to be like and caring so much about being so physical, aggressive and disciplined, and doing it the University of Denver way."
Playing six professional teams should allow the Pioneers to improve from a physical, aggressive and discipline standpoint, and to do so long before the traditional first official practice of the year in mid-October. Playing these games should help create good habits that can then be carried into the season.
"We're taking this team because this team has shown the ability to grow, to stick with it, to fight through some hard times and to get better," Scott said. "As that's gone on, they've shown off the court that it's important to them. They've done a nice job off the court. We've worked hard here to not beat ourselves, on the court or off the court. If you want to take a trip like this, you've got to go with guys that know it's about being honest and being truthful and being good decision makers. Now they're going to learn that when you act that way, this is the type of opportunity you get. When we're over there, we're going to act that way, too."
Fans who have watched the Pioneers during the past three seasons have seen the progress. Since Scott took over a team that won four games the previous season, the Pioneers have constantly improved, going from 11 wins in 2007-08 to 15 wins in 2008-09 and finally to 19 wins last season. Additionally, the Pioneers have excelled in the classroom, combining for a 3.32 grade point average last year.
"These guys have worked hard on the court, and they've worked hard off the court. And we've gotten better," Scott said. "Usually in life when you do things that way, good things come to you. Having the opportunity to go over to Spain with their teammates, whom they like, and play games, see a foreign country and have an experience like that, that's a pretty lucky thing to be able to do. I think they understand that, so we're going to go over there, and we're going to have fun on and off the court."
As for the teams that Denver will face, Spain is known for having one of the top leagues in European basketball, so the coaches and players know each game will provide a good challenge.
"We know we're playing some really good teams," Stafford said. "Spain has one of the best leagues in Europe, and we're going to play two teams from the top league in Spain, so we know we're playing some really good players out there. It will be a good test for us, and we're all looking forward to seeing how well we can do."
Teams in Liga ACB, the Spanish basketball league, are split into divisions. Teams in the lower divisions can move up if they play well, while teams in the upper divisions can move down if they play poorly during a season. In American terms, it's the equivalent of a Triple-A baseball team playing very well one season and taking the spot of a Major League team that struggled during that year.
Usually, the top tier teams do not play touring college teams, but the Pioneers will face a pair of them in Cajasol Sevilla and Lagun Aro Gipuzkoa BC. DU will also face four teams from the second and third divisions.
"We're playing a couple teams that are in the top league," Scott said. "I don't know how we got them to play us, but because our school year starts later, it's a good time to go because it matches up better with their preseason training camps. We got lucky in that regard, and we got lucky that we have a good mix between the divisions. But like I told our guys at the end of practice today, I don't care who we're playing. We need to get to the point where we don't care who we're playing, we don't care who they have and we don't care what their name is. We always walk on the court to play Denver basketball. We're going out there to care about ourselves and to constantly work on that. We're going to go over to Spain, and that's what we're going to do. I know this trip can help prepare us to get better in the areas we have to. It's hard to believe it's here, but we had our practices and we're ready to go. We'll be ready to play our first game on August 26."
Friday, August 20, 2010
FIBA Rules - 8/20/10
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.
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.
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