DENVER – Coming off consecutive 22-win seasons, the University of Denver men’s basketball program heads into the 2013-14 season with the experience and talent needed to compete for a conference title in DU’s first year in The Summit League.
The Pioneers went 19-3 in the final 22 games of the regular season, claiming a share of the WAC regular season title. Denver earned a No. 3 seed in the National Invitation Tournament, where the Crimson and Gold beat Ohio in the first round for the team’s first-ever win in a national postseason tournament.
“We have a lot of experience back from two-straight 22-win teams,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We may have lost a little bit – and that little was important – but what’s more important is that we have a guy like Chris Udofia back with Brett Olson and Cam Griffin, who were vital parts of both those 22-win seasons. Jalen Love is back after starting on a 22-win team, going to the NIT and winning a postseason game. When you have that type of winning experience back, especially with two juniors and a senior, I think things bode well.”
Denver ranked among the Top 25 in the NCAA last season in assists/turnover ratio (fifth), scoring defense (sixth), turnover margin (eighth), assists per game (ninth), field goal percentage (10th), steals per game (15th) and turnovers per game (25th). No other team in the nation ranked in the Top 25 in field goal percentage, assists and steals.
RETURNERS
Leading the way for the Pioneers once again is senior Chris Udofia, who has been voted first team all-conference and all-defensive team each of the last two years. Denver’s team captain for the second-straight season, Udofia ranked 34th in the nation and third in the WAC in blocked shots (2.34 per game), and ranked second in the WAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.81), fourth in steals (1.62), fifth in field goal percentage (.516), and ninth in both scoring (13.3) and assists (3.28 per game).
“Chris obviously is a very good college basketball player,” Scott said. “His greatest strengths are his versatility and his head. He’s a really sharp kid. He’s a really focused kid. He’s a really disciplined team-oriented kid. That’s why you’ve seen so much improvement over the time that he’s been here.”
Although it may seem counterintuitive for a player who was ninth in the WAC in scoring last year, the challenge for Udofia will be to maintain his well-rounded game without trying to take on too much from a scoring perspective. Udofia scored at least 20 points five times last season, but DU went just 2-3 in those games.
“When he gets 15 points and throws five assists with one turnover and blocks three shots, we win. Chris can do all of those things and stuff a stat sheet, but he also understands that it’s about the team,” Scott said. “His scoring average dropped last year (from the previous season), but our team got so much better. His assist-to-turnover ratio was nearly 2:1 with 105 assists, and he’s shooting 55 or 60 percent from two-point range. It’s rare when you get a kid who can do all of those things but then is able to zero in on the things that are going to make the team be the best it can be. As he’s improved so much so has our team and program.”
After being selected to the All-WAC Third Team last year, junior Brett Olson returns to the point guard spot. Olson steadily improved as the season progressed last year, raising his field goal percentage nearly 10 percent and three-point percentage by eight percent during conference play. Likewise, he nearly tripled his nonconference assist totals during WAC play while turning the ball over only 21 times during those 18 games.
“When you look at what Brett has done in league play, both as a freshman and sophomore, it’s kind of mind-boggling to look at his assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage,” Scott said. “When you get a guy like that back as a junior in a lead guard position and couple that with Udofia, you’ve got what I consider the most important things in college basketball. The key for Brett is whether he’s going to be able to start the season at the level he was at all of league play last year. If he can do that, we’re going to be in pretty good shape.”
The quick maturation of Jalen Love last season cannot be overlooked. The freshman joined the starting lineup seven games into last season, and the Pioneers responded by going 20-4 with Love among the starting five.
Additionally, Cam Griffin flourished in his role as sixth man, sparking the Pioneers with energy off the bench and providing a lockdown defense that resulted in 47 steals by Griffin.
“What Jalen and Cam give us is really good guard play, especially when you combine them with Brett Olson,” Scott said. “These are three guys who can all handle the ball and have good athleticism. They’re very good basketball players and decision makers. Any time you can say you have good, experienced guard play in addition to a guy like Udofia, you’ve got the makings of a good basketball team. Now we have to find out who are the best complements to those four guys. That’s what the nonconference this year is all about: the building of this team, knowing that we have a pretty strong nucleus.”
Like last year, a number of players are battling for the fifth starting position, as well as the first spots off the bench. Last season, Denver struggled through a challenging 1-5 start before freshman Love emerged as the final starter, and DU turned its season around.
“We’ve got guys who have been here in Marcus Byrd, Nate Engesser, Bryant Rucker, Dom Samac, Griffin McKenzie and Jake Logan. Any of them could step up and contribute to help this team,” Scott said. “We need that old blood to step up, but the new blood is vital to make the team successful, as well. If you look at the program we have built to this point, we have always had freshmen come in, step up, start, play, be solid contributors, and over six years, we’ve seen the benefit of that. It keeps you going. Those young guys are the ones who are sustaining you three years later. Brett, Chris and Jalen played tons of minutes as freshmen. They’re all examples of that.”
NEWCOMERS
Since Scott arrived, DU has a history of starting freshmen. In fact, during Scott’s seven seasons as head coach, there has been at least one freshman in the starting lineup for the majority of the games. The lone exception was 2010-11, when Udofia – the only freshman – started only four times on a senior-filled squad.
The Pioneers welcome three freshmen, who all provide athleticism and a unique set of skills. During the preseason, however, Drick Bernstine began emerging as a candidate for serious playing time.
“Drick’s got the physical tools: he’s 6-7, can handle the ball and he’s a good passer,” Scott said. “The challenge in being a freshman comes down to how quickly can he get consistency in his mental and physical approach? Being ready every day for the challenge. If we can keep seeing the progress we’ve seen, he definitely has a chance to help.
“It’s about understanding your role and being a complementary type player. If Drick can fulfill that role and contribute to the core group of players, he can be a key contributor to this team. From there, we can work on expanding his role in the same fashion we are doing with Jalen this year.”
Fellow freshmen
Duke Douglas and
Dorian Butler bring their own attributes that could also help the Pioneers. Douglas is an athletic guard that Scott compared to a young
Cam Griffin, while Butler’s solid build could provide DU help in the post.
“All three freshmen are on their own continuum, as far as how quickly they’re picking things up and adjusting,” Scott said. “Duke Douglas has the athleticism and the right approach. He definitely shows signs that he is going to be a good player for us one day. It’s a matter of not forcing things and pressing. We just need to let him come along at his own pace. The same can be said for Dorian Butler. Dorian is a little different. He’s 6-6 with a little bit of a wide body. He could give us something that we don’t have, but how quickly is it going to be consistent every day, physically and mentally? That’s the challenge for a freshman. A lot of it’s a maturity thing, which comes from knowing and learning. We like all three, and that bodes well for the future. There’s no question that one of them is going to have to step up and say, ‘Coach, I can contribute something this year.’”
NONCONFERENCE
Denver once again has increased the strength of schedule in the nonconference with up to 15 opponents that participated in the 2013 postseason, including six NCAA Tournament teams, and 11 teams that won at least 20 games last season .
The Pioneers will be tested right from the beginning, opening on the road at Cal, at home against Stanford and in a neutral site against Harvard in the Great Alaska Shootout.
“We had a similar schedule last year, so knowing what those challenges are right out of the gate will hopefully help us,” Scott said. “Our guys can focus on that. Are we going to perform better (than the beginning of last season)? It’s not going to determine our season, but it gives this year’s team a focus point so that we can concentrate on doing something to know that we’re better and more experienced than we were a year ago.”
This season’s slate is also highlighted by home games against Wyoming, Belmont and UC Irvine, and road games at Mercer, Colorado State, UTEP and St. Joseph’s.
“We played well with a challenging nonconference schedule last season, and that is a big reason we had a high RPI and were chosen to play in the NIT,” Scott said. “This year’s schedule is even more demanding, but we know it will help us prepare to compete for a conference title in a very good Summit League.”
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
The Pioneers were picked second in The Summit League preseason poll behind North Dakota State, which returns five seniors to its starting lineup. Every national media outlet seemed to concur that the conference was a two-team race with about half picking the Bison and the other half predicting the Pioneers would take the title.
“This is a good league,” Scott said. “We appreciate the recognition in the preseason because it reflects what we have done in the past. But these are good teams in The Summit League, and we have to go out and prove ourselves every night in order to reach our goals.”
Competition in the league should be fierce, as the Pioneers head into a new conference for the second time in as many years. And Denver is one of four Summit League teams – or half of the conference – that played in the postseason last year.
“I think that our experience last year moving to a new league and competing for a league title is going to help us,” Scott said. “That being said, I know we’re going to be preaching to our players about how good the teams in the Summit League are. Everybody is talking highly of North Dakota State. They return a lot. They won 24 games. They’re obviously a good team and well coached.”
Denver also can’t look past two-time defending Summit League champion, South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits lost All-American Nate Wolters to the NBA, but SDSU won 25 games and returns four seniors, including Preseason All-Summit League first teamer Jordan Dykstra.
“They’ve had success, and any time a team has had success, that helps them maintain the level of where their program is,” Scott said. “There’s no question that they’re going to be a good team.”
Western Illinois, which shared last year’s Summit League regular season title with the Jackrabbits, also has established itself as a contender in the conference. Of course, the Pioneers know that every league game is important and will be hard fought.
“Like always, league play is going to be really hard and challenging,” Scott said. “You’ve got to be ready week in and week out. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Western Illinois, Omaha, IUPUI, Fort Wayne, South Dakota or the teams we’ve already mentioned. You’ve got to have a healthy respect for your opponents, and I think our guys have learned that over the last two years. And we’ve had success. I’m hopeful that we’re going to be able to maintain that level of focus and be ready for league play night in and night out.”
Individual game tickets for men's basketball go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 1 with prices starting at $9 for adults. 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/tickets. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
Group tickets are available for parties of 20 or more for a reduced price. Men's basketball lower bowl group tickets are $7. For more questions or to place a group ticket order, contact Adam Sizemore at adam.sizemore@du.edu or (303) 871-HOOP.
Season tickets for the 2013-14 Denver men’s basketball season are currently on sale with ticket packages start at just $77. For ticket information, please visit DenverPioneers.com or call the Pioneer Basketball Ticket Hotline at (303) 871-HOOP. DU continues its commitment to provide the community with the most affordable and exciting entertainment in the Denver metro area.
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