Denver men’s basketball added size, skill, and defense to bolster the team’s front line for the 2024-25 season. The 6’9″ Tymoteusz (Tymo) Sternicki is a skilled power forward from Poland. He should slide nicely into the spot of recently departed Touko Tainamo, along with 6’8″ senior Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente, giving the Pios quality depth at that position.

Sternicki, a member of the Polish National Team, is said to be a two-way player, agile and athletic. He can score in the paint and, like many Euro players, can find twine from outside. He also looks to be an improvement on the defensive end, where Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun has said he is putting tremendous focus and attention on this offseason. He has long arms, moves his feet well, and is capable of swatting penetrating players’ shots, and guarding nearly any position on the floor, 1 through 5. He is the fifth leading scorer in the Polish U20 league, scoring 21.5 ppg, and ranks second in steals in the league.

At a recent Euro Adidas Next Generation Tournament, he was recognized for his offensive and defensive play and named one of the most intriguing players according to Eurohoops Scouting. He is playing and training with the Polish U18 National Team this summer before matriculating to DU in the fall. Tymo should be an excellent complement around the paint with the rapidly improving 7’0″ Isaiah Carr who is set up for a transformational season. Silky 6’7″ graduate student Isaiah Addo-Ankrah adds clutch shooting on the perimeter to form a formidable front line with the addition of Sternicki.

Two front-line wild cards remain for Wulbrun and Company. First, incoming freshman forward 6’5″ Josh Pickett graduated from high school early and appeared on campus three months ago. He has been wowing coaches with his toughness, physicality, and competitive spirit, three areas that Wulbrun said were the focus of spring workouts. He could be a very valuable contributor this season with his ability to play and guard multiple positions.

Second, the Pioneers are holding one final open scholarship. Wulbrun is tight-lipped but smiles when asked if he is going to use his last card on another big man. If they find another quality big man, Denver will be poised to make another run at the coveted first-ever NCAA Tournament bid this season, but the world of NIL and bidding wars will make this a challenging ‘get’.

Additionally, new JUCO transfer Nicholas Shogbonyo averaged 21 points per game in junior college and is said to be a shutdown defender. Shogbonyo heated up the nets, landing 45% of his three-point attempts last season. Add skilled 6’6″ freshmen guards Jon Mani and 6’2″ point guard Sebastian Akins to come in this summer and compete for minutes, along with the return and continued development of defensive-minded Josh Lee and third-year Pio Ben Bowen.  Of course, a lot of the enthusiasm for this year’s team is generated by the solid point guard play of freshman DeAndre Craig, who ended the season averaging 15 points per game in Denver’s three Summit League Tournament games to end the season. If DU adds the right big, it could be Wulbrun’s deepest and best defensive team as he enters his fourth season. Wulbrun is the only head coach at Denver to improve win totals in each of his first three seasons.

The new-look Pioneers will also have some new faces on the bench. New assistant coach Bill Peterson is a huge addition to the Crimson & Gold staff. He joins the Pioneers after spending seven seasons at Baylor under Scott Drew, where he was part of the staff that won the 2021 national championship. He also brings 11 years of NBA experience with player development his specialty. Landing Peterson is a bit like Denver Men’s Lacrosse head coach Matt Brown landing David Metzbower from UNC.

Another new assistant, Curran Walsh, comes to the Mile High City after three seasons at Utah and before that Utah State as Director of Operations and Director of Development, respectively. Originally from the state of Illinois, he has worked under outstanding coaches like Craig Smith and Mike Dunlop in his prior roles. Walsh will also bring key major conference experience to the Pioneer staff in his first full-time assistant coaching gig.  Wulbrun has said publicly that he has examined every component of his program carefully in an attempt to continue the Pios’ upward trend and pursuit of the school’s first NCAA Tournament bid in men’s basketball.

Over two thousand players hit the transfer portal this season. The Pioneers only lost three players via the transfer portal, the lowest in the Summit League. Oral Roberts had seven portal departures,  South Dakota and Omaha had six each, South Dakota State and North Dakota State each had five, along with North Dakota and St. Thomas with four. Looking across the Summit League, many of the roster transferees include top players. All this movement opens the door for DU with a solid mix of returning players, freshmen (3), an experienced JUCO transfer (1), and international player(s) who can hit the hardwood running this fall.

The arrow is continuing to point up for next season, following a Summit League championship appearance last season. We will keep you updated on any other changes to the roster or staff as Wulbrun continues putting the final touches on his staff and roster.