Yesterday’s announcement that now former basketball head coach Jeff Wulbrun and the University of Denver “mutually agreed part ways” lacked transparency and context. Wulbrun was placed on leave on February 21 for what, at the time, appeared to be a serious and urgent reason. The players we spoke to in the following weeks, under the condition of anonymity so they could freely share their thoughts, could not identify any student safety issues, patterns, or events that would warrant such action on DU’s part.

Multiple sources close to the program and situation found no evidence of an investigation or credible charges leveled against Wulbrun. A non-disclosure agreement was likely signed between DU and the former coach so we will almost certainly never know what led to Wulbrun’s departure. But what we can state is that Wulbrun’s program priorities were often likely at odds with the athletic department’s priorities and probably contributed to the decision to place him on leave and, ultimately, the mutual parting of ways.

Wulbrun was hired with much fanfare by former Athletic Director Karlton Creech in March 2021. Hailed as ‘Our Time’ by trustees and administrators, Wulbrun was assured that DU was going to commit to rebuilding one of the worst basketball teams in the nation. Over the next few years, DU administrators even reportedly toyed with potential membership in the basketball-centric West Coast Conference.

While under-resourced, even by Summit League standards, Wulbrun improved his team for three consecutive seasons, capped by last season’s trip to the Summit League Championship game – a 76-68 loss to South Dakota State – behind 2023-24’s NCAA regular-season scoring leader Tommy Bruner.

Multiple sources close to the program confirmed Wulbrun’s periodic frustration as early promises of DU financial investment in the program – things like facilities, coaches, meals, student-athlete support services & accommodations – were left unfulfilled as the University, like most, emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic in a difficult financial position.

In the time since, Wulbrun seemed resigned to the shift in athletic department priorities, particularly the early promises of financial support. He was excited about this season’s team, despite major injuries, and looked forward to coaching a full squad in this season’s Summit League Tournament. He was also looking forward to what was shaping up to be an outstanding incoming class for 2025-26.

Off the court, Wulbrun’s teams excelled in the classroom as one of the highest academic-achieving squads in all of Division I. His motto, “achieving excellence in everything we do” was more than a hollow slogan.

This season, despite the terrible injury luck and Tymo Sternicki’s poorly-timed departure back to Poland, Wulbrun finally had a relatively healthy squad and seemed to be peaking in mid-February, gearing up for another Summit League Tournament run. Wulbrun told supporters he was excited by the prospect of his team’s development, a growing NIL war chest ($150k+), and the growth and potential of his young squad that included five freshmen. Despite all of the adversity he faced this season, he told program insiders that he wanted an extension beyond the two years remaining on his contract.

Following Creech’s departure at the end of the 2021-22 academic year, Josh Berlo was hired as DU Athletic Director in June. He arrived at DU from the University of Minnesota Duluth during a period of massive budget-cutting across the University. The athletic department, for its part, likely suffered some of the largest and deepest cuts. Berlo also inherited Creech’s unmet commitments to Wulbrun’s program but the commitments nevertheless remained unfulfilled. It’s fair to wonder whether this contributed to additional unease in the working relationship between Berlo and Wulbrun.

Of course, larger financial issues were at play as the University faced an $11 million budget deficit this academic year due to an enrollment shortfall. Add in the changing landscape of collegiate athletics – NIL, the ever-evolving transfer portal, and the oft-reported NCAA settlement issues to name just a few – to a DU-centric clash of athletic program priorities, where other, more niche DU programs are better-resourced to compete for national relevance, and you can easily see how Wulbrun’s program could get left behind, fair or not.

During his first three seasons, Wulbrun was beset with staff and assistant coach turnover, likely due to budgetary shortfalls and cuts. Every year, student-athletes had to adapt to different assistant coaches and styles – never easy for a program seeking a modicum of consistency. Wulbrun was a tough but honest taskmaster with the pressure of turning around a historically moribund program. However, Wulbrun had assembled his most experienced staff this season – they were tough and old-school in their approach. Despite the obvious experience on this year’s staff, we were told that some players were frustrated with another round of changes that yet again brought new coaching styles into the fold.  Like almost all mid-major programs these days, it is much harder to sustain excellence with players and coaches in the revolving door that is collegiate athletics in 2025.

Wulbrun’s leave was announced the week of February 17th and came with great urgency and shock. On Wednesday of that week, DU defeated Oral Roberts, 71-60. Following the win, DU posted an optimistic Tweet with a quote from Wulbrun: “There isn’t a coach in the country that is more optimistic and excited about their team than I am right now.“

Jeff Wulbrun made this comment Wednesday. Now, per a statement from the school, he’s on leave for the remainder of the season. No reasoning for that move is included. Shammond Williams named interim head coach. https://t.co/CaF9dTSM5P

— Jay Elsen – Midco Sports (@ElsenMidco) February 21, 2025

Two days later, on Friday, February 21st, according to our sources, several members of the DU athletic department staff – not including Berlo – met with the players and told them Wulbrun had been placed on leave – and that it was “not health-related.” That same day, DU followed that meeting with the announcement that stated Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun would be on leave “for the remainder of the season” with no reason given. 

The following week, I wrote to Athletic Director Josh Berlo regarding the leave and Berlo’s response was, “No change in leadership is anticipated for next season.” I took this as an optimistic statement on Wulbrun’s future, yet Berlo’s wording left him and DU plenty of wiggle room to go in a different direction.

On February 26th, several days later, national college basketball insider Jeff Goodman tweeted the same message:

Denver athletic director Josh Berlo to @TheFieldOf68 on Jeff Wulbrun’s status:

“We are NOT seeking a new head coach, and no change is planned for next season,” Berlo told @TheFieldOf68.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 26, 2025

After nearly four weeks with no resolution, on Saturday, March 15th, I requested a meeting with Berlo to discuss the status of the program and to receive authorization to speak to coach Wulbrun. With no response, it was fair to assume the University had muzzled Wulbrun during his leave and he was not allowed to respond to DU stakeholder inquiries. It was also common knowledge that Wulbrun had retained DU alumnus, donor, and basketball sponsor Michael Burg of the Burg Simpson Law Firm (we were told that Burg Simpson has also pulled all basketball advertising) so the University was now on the defensive.

Immediately following the leave announcement, Denver basketball players attempted to recall all the possible events from the week of the ORU win that could have caused the urgent leave. A few players did recall an incident (players told us they had viewed a video of it) and thought nothing of it at the time.

Preparing for the Oral Roberts game the week of January 20th, Wulbrun was reportedly directing the DU offense, focusing on ball screens. According to multiple players, Wulbrun turned around and collided with a DU player – knocking the player to the floor. Wulbrun reportedly extended his hand to the player, who quickly returned to his feet and practice resumed. It was not a push or shove, according to the witnesses we talked to.

Several DU players told me that they “thought nothing of it.” The players we talked to have also cited no witnessed history of angry physical interactions between Wulbrun and his players during Wulbrun’s coaching tenure. In fact, according to multiple sources, the player who collided with Wulbrun went to Berlo’s office the following week, after the leave was announced, and told Berlo that the incident was an “accident” and there was no ill intent. If that incident was, in fact, the issue, it should have been resolved within a week of the incident.

Could there be another issue that no one we spoke to knows about? Possibly, but there is no evidence or pattern of behavior that we could uncover from multiple sources with intimate knowledge of Wulbrun’s conduct during his entire coaching tenure at DU. A season-ending leave in the stretch run of a season characterized best by terrible injury luck would most likely have to have been caused by a sudden, substantial event or a pattern of events.

When reached for comment, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo said, “DU and Coach Wulbrun have mutually agreed to part ways. We’re appreciative of Coach Wulbrun’s effort and commitment the past four seasons. We are also optimistic about the next chapter of the program.“

Over the month following the leave announcement, players and program stakeholders reportedly remained in the dark with no formal contact or communication from the DU administration. Multiple players have told us that during Wulbrun’s leave, no one within the athletic department met with the players directly regarding the incident, their emotional health, or their future. And as you might expect, players are evaluating their options. The transfer portal opens next Monday and DU’s Summit League Freshman of the Year Sebastian Akins has already announced his intention to enter it. More players will likely follow.

If this leave was not about player safety or an infraction of some sort, fans are left to speculate and fill in the blanks. The unfortunate timing, without public explanation, has perhaps maximized the damage to Wulbrun’s reputation in the coaching community and likely tarnished the credibility of DU’s own athletic department. Speculation has run rampant over the last month as insiders have been unable to logically identify reasons for the leave.

Make no mistake, being publicly placed on leave for the stretch run of the regular season and playoffs poses issues for a veteran coach. And, to top it off, it surely damaged the psyche of a team heading into the playoffs as they were easily dispatched by St. Thomas (Minn.) University in the opening round of the conference tournament. Add weeks of non-communication between the athletic department and student-athletes following the season’s end and the portal is quickly awaiting a DU exodus. One veteran player flatly told LetsGoDU about the current situation, “It’s embarrassing.”

It would be extremely disappointing if future evidence suggests Wulbrun’s leave was orchestrated to avoid DU’s remaining two-year contract obligation to Wulbrun and ultimately get him to quit so they could replace him with a cheaper, more malleable option. We know of several instances in which DU Athletics has replaced other well-regarded coaches under the cloak of an NDA, albeit under different circumstances,  leaving them unable to speak about the details of their departure.

If this “mutual agreement” sounds like a legal settlement in the making, you are not alone. Donors and fans have already told us they are evaluating their commitment to the program as the situation shifts from shock to raw frustration and anger about Wulbrun’s departure.

To be clear, Berlo and University administration have every right to hire (and fire) the coaches of their choice. And fans can respond accordingly. However, the awkward timing of Wulbrun’s departure and the lengthy delay with no public explanation about the nature of his leave created an unnecessary mess. The subsequent foot-dragging, right or wrong, may have caused the greatest damage of all. 

This “parting of ways” comes without explanation and both parties, Wulbrun and DU, have been damaged publicly. It also hurts the credibility and support that Denver Men’s Basketball developed over the past four years. The Crimson & Gold NIL collective, encouraged by Wulbrun, is likely in tatters. As it stands now, student-athletes and fans are caught in the crossfire and another bleak chapter is added to DU Men’s Basketball’s troubled legacy.

Said one longtime DU basketball fan, “I want Coach Wulbrun back but why would he want to come back under these conditions? The program has become an unmitigated disaster.”

Wulbrun is gone. Now, DU must own it.

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Part 2 will be posted tomorrow and discusses the impact of Wulbrun’s departure on DU and the men’s basketball program.