DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program has tabbed Azusa Pacific's B.J. Porter an assistant coach to round out its staff, head coach Jeff Wulbrun announced on Tuesday.
"I am so excited to welcome BJ Porter to our coaching staff," Wulbrun said. "In assistant coaches I look for excellent teachers of the game and men who take pride in being mentors and role models to the young people in our program. BJ has all those qualities. He is a man of high character and integrity, and reflects all our core values in his daily life. He has tremendous experience in the college game and has always achieved a high level of success everywhere he's been. He is a proven national recruiter with a great network of contacts and was highly recommended by people I respect in the game. He was an excellent college player and will give our program tremendous energy. I am confident he will immediately connect with our players."
Porter recently completed his fourth season as an assistant coach at Azusa Pacific, the program he played his final two seasons of college basketball for before graduating in 2013. In his first season with the Cougars, APU finished 25-4 and 20-2 in the PacWest, a stretch that included a 20-game winning streak to close out the regular season. In his four years, the Cougars had three 20-win seasons and finished with a 73-29 overall record, including 55-16 in conference play. In his collegiate coaching career as a whole, Porter is 127-94 and 86-43 in league contests.
"My family and I are extremely blessed and honored to be joining Coach Wulbrun at the University of Denver," Porter said. "Working alongside Coach Wulbrun and the rest of the staff is something that I'm really excited about and I look forward to getting on campus and getting right to work. I love the vision and the culture that he has set for the program, and I look forward to helping continue to build it."
Before returning to Azusa Pacific, Porter spent the previous two seasons as a women's basketball assistant at Utah Valley (2018-19) and Pepperdine (2017-18).
During the 2016-17 season, Porter was the head men's basketball coach at the University of Antelope Valley (Lancaster, Calif.). In his season in-charge at UAV, he led the Marauder's to their first ever Cal Pac Conference postseason birth. He helped develop an NAIA All-American, a conference defensive player of the year, two first team all-conference selections and one second team all-conference pick. Porter was also at UAV the season before as an assistant.
Porter began his coaching career in 2014-15 as the head girls basketball coach at Layton Christian Academy, a private high school located in Layton, Utah. Porter lead LCA to a regional championship, despite the program only winning two games over the two years prior to his arrival.
Denver's newest assistant played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Portland and Weber State before transferring to Azusa Pacific for his final two seasons of eligibility. In just two seasons at APU, Porter made 151 three-pointers, which places him seventh all-time in career three-pointers. In his senior season, he averaged 14.7 points per game, leading the Cougars in minutes played and three-pointers made, while also receiving All-PacWest and all-region honors. After his collegiate career, he spent one season playing professionally in Mexico, with the Mineros de Parral.
Porter is married to Katrina (Oviedo), who played four years of softball at Azusa Pacific, and the couple has one daughter, Tatum, and a son, RJ.
The 2023-24 Pioneers:
2022-23 Summit League All-Newcomer Team pick Tommy Bruner returns as the leading scorer for the Pioneers, averaging 15.9 point, 4.2 assists and 2.8 boards a year ago. Touko Tainamo was the third of five Pioneers that averaged double figures last season, pouring in 10.6 points and pulling in 6.4 rebounds per game. Denver brings seven newcomers to the program heading into the 2023-24 season, including a pair of true freshmen.
"I think our fans will see a hard playing and exciting team with excellent three-point shooting, unselfish play and a focus and intensity on the defensive end." Wulbrun said.
In addition to its attendance, Denver will look to continue its climb in wins under Wulbrun, taking the program from two wins the season before his arrival to 11 in his first campaign and 15 in the 2022-23 slate.
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