Denver

[Censored by Laurie]

The biggest turn-around season may come in Colorado. New head coach Joe Scott brings a foreign concept to the Sun Belt...defense. Scott comes to Denver from a Princeton team that led the nation in scoring defense last season. Prior to his three season stint in the Ivy League, Scott was the head man at Air Force and took the Falcons to their first NCAA appearance in 42 years in 2004. Between 2000 and 2003, Scott's Falcon's led the nation in scoring defense. Scott teaches a patient offense and intense, fundamental defense. While Scott has his hands full with a Pioneer team that won 4 games last season, finishing dead last in the SBC...the new coach inherits a team of solid role players and one potential star that should fit his system well...and it may not take long to see a dramatic improvement.

Projected Starters

• PG. Tyler Bullock 6'1" 190 Soph.
• SG. Nate Rohnert 6'5" 205 Soph.
• SF. David Kummer 6'6" 210 Sr.
• PF. Joe Jackson 6'4" 220 Jr.
• C. Adam Tanner 6'8" 230 Sr.

Frontcourt: Scott's five out motion offense doesn't require a traditional big man like Denver had two seasons ago in Yemi Nicholson...in fact it can be a bit of a liability. Scotts attack prefers bigs who can stretch a defense with their shooting ability and move well with in the offense. Senior Adam Tanner (6'8" 230) may be the ideal post for Scott. Tanner appeared in 22 games last season, starting 17, and contributed a solid 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Perhaps what excites Scott the most, is that Tanner shot 50 % from three point land (19 of 38) and will be asked to expand his offensive role. Joining Tanner up front will be Joe Jackson (6'4" 220 Jr.). Jackson is undersized for his position, but is a bruising rebounder 3.9 rpg) and a capable scorer (7.4 ppg) inside...dropping a season high 21 on FAU and scoring more than 15 on three other occasions. David Kummer (6'6" 210 Sr.) returns to the Pioneers after missing all of last season due to injury. Kummer is a solid outside shooter and aggressive perimeter defender. In 2005-2006, Kummer posted his best game against league champion South Alabama, falling a board shy of a double-double (15pts, 9rbs). Should Scott reach a point where he needs a brick wall for a few minutes...Chris Timms (6'9" 255 Sr.) is a nice luxury. The Englishman averaged 2.6 points and 2 rebounds for the Pioneers and while he may not fit well in Scott's motion, you can't coach size. The depth of the frontcourt however will be freshmen. The most highly touted of the group is Andrew Hooper (6'9" 200). Hooper was listed as a three star recruit on Rivals out of the Denver area and is known as a defensive specialist, averaging nearly 6 blocks and more than 12 boards per game. Hooper was also named all-conference both his junior and senior years in track...setting a personal best of 45 feet, 3 1/2 inches in the triple jump. Rob Lewis (6'7" 212) has the best incoming statistics (27.7ppg, 15.8 rpg) of any of the newcomers, however he also has the biggest adjustment to D-1 basketball from a 2A high school. Anthony Porch (6'5" 195), brother of the graduated Antonio Porch (9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg last season for Denver), rounds out the front court.

Backcourt: The brightest spot in an otherwise dark 2006-07 campaign was without a doubt Tyler Bullock (6'1" 185 Soph.). Bullock stepped in and started every game as a true freshman, averaging 11 points, good for second on the team behind the departed DeShawn Walker (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg). If Bullock is to become the featured scorer in Joe Scott's offense, he will have to improve upon his 36% three point shooting, however his 44.5% field goal percentage was tops on the team. Complimenting Bullock will be fellow second-year man Nate Rohnert (6'5" 205). Rohnert was a key sixth man last season, making no starts but appearing in 27 games and averaging 4.2 points off the bench. Rohnert is capable of the big scoring game, setting a career high with 17 against Western Kentucky. Rohnert was a hesitant shooter in his debut year, but should look for his offense more with Walker and guard Alex Cox (6'2" 200) now gone. The importance of true-freshman Kyle Lewis (5'11", 145) needs special attention. Lewis was the Colorado state 3A player of the year, but not considered a top-tiered recruit. Lewis is the only capable back-up at the point to Tyler Bullock, who himself is not a true point, and if Lewis is in over his head, Bullock could be very tired towards the end of the season. Myke Lattimore (6'4" 205 Sr.) missed the second half of last season with a stress fracture and his defense and athleticism will be of great value to Scott. Spring, Texas native Kelvin Mitchell (6'5" 195 Fr.) prepped last season at the Air Force Academy and will provide depth in the Pioneer backcourt.

Summary: As a basketball fundamentalist, Joe Scott's coaching style excites me...as a UNT fan, it worries me. Denver returns and Scott recruited the type of players that will fit his system extremely well. Tyler Bullock is on the verge of a breakout season. Four other returning players should contribute between 8 and 12 points...and if one or two of the freshmen, especially Kyle Lewis, prove they can make a consistent contribution, Denver could pose a series threat in the SBC West.

[untgeorge]

Watching Denver should be a lot of fun. Their disciplined style can be very efficient and at the same time test their opponents poise and efficiency. In an earlier day Princeton won a lot of games against opponents with superior talent by breaking down their defense and frustating them at both ends of the court. This style should be well suited for a school like Denver, whose academics make recruiting a lot of big timers very difficult. They will have smart talented people playing within themselves and taxing their opponents.

That having been said they need a year or two to build the squad they want to have. This year look for them to be a spoiler and a very dangerous one at that. They could be a serious challenger in very little time.

[Censored by Laurie]

bump for the purpose of pinning...thanks admins

[UNT_92_Fan]

I already know the guy I support the Pit Crew of heckling.....

[Censored by Laurie]

Thats just too easy.

[UNT_92_Fan]

might he peak early in the season and be too tired for a late push?

[Cooley]

COACH AND PROGRAM

Denver Pioneers

Last Season 4-25 (.138)

Conference Record 3-15 (7th)

Starters Lost/Returning 3/2

Coach Joe Scott (Princeton '87)

Record At School First year

Career Record 89-108 (7 years)

RPI Last 5 years 175-172-103-175-335

Former coach Terry Carroll once said he thought it was possible for Denver to become a basketball program similar to Marquette, Gonzaga or Charlotte. Apparently Carroll's suc-cessor, new Pioneers coach Joe Scott, has a similar vision.

Scott left what many might have thought was his final job, at tradition-rich Princeton, his alma mater no less, to return to Colorado and a program with little in the way of hoops his-tory. He replaces Carroll, who exited early in the middle of his sixth season and left a team bobbing without purpose in his wake. Denver finished 4-25 with an RPI of 335, kept from the bottom only by Northern Colorado.

Scott coached Air Force from 2000-04, leading the Falcons to a 22-7 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. He was chosen Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and promptly left for Princeton to succeed John Thompson III when he took over at Georgetown. Scott served as an assistant at Princeton for eight seasons under Hall of Fame head coach Pete Carril (1992-96) and Bill Carmody (1996-2000). The Tigers posted a 163-61 (.728) record, including three Ivy League titles and five consecutive postseason appearances with Scott as an assistant coach. They averaged 23 wins with Scott serving as Carmody's top assistant coach from 1996-2000.

But Scott wasn't able to go home again. Though he said there was no writing on the wall at Princeton, the former Ivy League power went 38-45 under Scott. Whether he felt con-fined, Scott sees a higher ceiling, if not a longer leash, in the Rocky Mountains. ''We're going to try and build a really good basketball program, one that can sustain itself,'' Scott said. ''I believe the tools are here. It's a great school in a great city, a big media market that's dying for a good college basketball program. ''Denver showed a real interest, a genuine commitment and a high level of understanding of what it takes to be competitive in Division I basketball. We're going to work hard every day to build our program and define the Denver brand of basketball.''

That brand will center around a lot of back cuts and other forms of movement without the ball on offense. While some might think an up-tempo pace would lend itself to a better home-court advantage in the high altitude, Scott says making opponents play defense for long stretches is more demoralizing than running and gunning. ''I think that style wears you out more,'' Scott said. ''The way we play requires unbelievable physical conditioning. And I'm not sure how much of an advantage the altitude is. The guys who get tired in the mountains are the guys who get tired at sea level.''

Denver must replace four regulars -- leading scorer DaShawn Walker (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Antonio Porch (9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and its two top assist men, Steve Wetrich and Alex Cox. Wetrich left the program after suffering repeated concussions.

The transition will be a fresh start for Scott and Denver. Five of the Pioneers are freshmen. Carroll had signed three early and Scott added two. ''We're going to be even younger in our second year,'' Scott said.

PLAYERS

The leading returning scorer is 6-1 sophomore guard Tyler Bullock (11.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg). Bullock led the Pioneers in steals as a freshman and was third on the team with 33 three-pointers while shooting 36 percent. With no experienced point guard in the program, Scott needs Bullock -- really, all of his players -- to become more versatile. ''Bullock's really an off guard, but he's working hard at developing his dribbling skills,'' Scott said. ''We need gym rats. We want to develop guys who want to be the most funda-mentally sound players they can be. Our guys are going to be great dribblers, shooters and passers.''

Red-shirt sophomore Joe Jackson (7.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg), a 6-4, 220-pound guard, started 12 games last season. He made 36.5 percent of his three-pointers (27-of-74).

Another three-point threat is 6-8, 230-pound junior center Adam Tanner (6.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg). The Australian made 50 percent of his treys (19-38) in his first year out of junior col-lege last season. His range should help stretch opponents and open up more space for backdoor cuts. the other center is also an import, 6-9, 245-pound junior Chris Timms (2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg). The Birmingham, England native started four games last season. Denver should get a lift from the return of 6-6 junior forward David Kummer, who missed last season with a knee injury. Kummer averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds and made 12 starts during his sophomore season in 2005-06. ''I'm very familiar with Kummer,'' Scott said. ''I recruited him when I was at Air Force. He's a very good player. If he's even 90 percent, he's really going to help us.''

Scott is also encouraged by the skills of 6-5 sophomore Nate Rohnert (4.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg). He averaged 12.6 minutes in 27 games as a freshman. ''Rohnert is 6-5 and more athletic than you think,'' Scott said. The only other returning player is 6-5 junior Myke Lattimore (1.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg). He averaged 14 minutes in 10 games last season. One of the three incoming freshmen Scott inherited was 6-9 Andrew Hooper. He averaged around 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as a senior for D'Evelyn High School in Lakewood, Colo. Hooper also finished third in the state in the triple jump.

''He needs to get stronger and tougher,'' Scott said. ''But he is 6-9 and a good athlete. He runs like a deer.'' Another local left behind by the old staff is 5-10 freshman point guard Kyle Lewis. He averaged around 28 points per game while leading Kent Denver to the Class 3A state title game. He might get to play some right away. ''We need a point guard,'' Scott said. ''Kyle Lewis wants to be good; he's competitive. And he can really shoot the basketball.'' Scott's first signee was 6-7 prep forward Rob Lewis out of Colorado Springs. He averaged 27.7 points, 15.8 rebounds and shot 67 percent from the field for Evangelical Christian. He led the state in rebounding and helped his team to the Class 2A state semifinals.

''He has good perimeter skills and he can run,'' Scott said. ''He could develop into a special player.'' Lewis might get a chance to help early, which could also be the case for 6-5 freshman guard Kelvin Mitchell. He averaged 14 points as senior at Spring (Texas) High School be-fore playing at Air Force Prep Academy last season. Scott likes Mitchell's long arms and the way he runs the floor. Trying to rekindle his mountain mojo, Scott has assembled a staff that includes two assistants (Mike McKee and Jon Jordan) and a player (A.J. Kuhle) from his Air Force team that went to the NCAA Tournament in 2004. There's certainly a mountain to climb.

Denver lost 25 games last year and 17 of those were by double digits. The Pioneers were out-rebounded by an average of 5.8 per game and allowed 40.6-percent three-point shoot-ing. And four of the best players on that team will be exchanged for freshmen. Denver fans might have to be as patient as the players who run Scott's deliberate offense. But as Air Force fans can attest, it could lead to the ultimate goal.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT C+

BENCH/DEPTH: C-

FRONTCOURT: C-

INTANGIBLES: B-