DU Basketball fans who wanted a head coach who wears designer suits, posts locker room slogans, and chases highly rated three-star recruits will be sorely disappointed. New head coach Tim Bergstraser is a meat-and-potatoes coach who sees unheralded tough, scrappy, high basketball IQ-type players as the face of his Denver Pioneers. In Bergstraser, DU has a plain-spoken frontman who is a basketball lifer. He states his case simply: “I love basketball.”

He can be addressed by any number of names – Coach Bergstraser, Berg, and Coach Bergy. “It’s easier to say Bergy – easier to spell”, smiled Bergstrasser as we sat down for a season preview.

What you see is what you get from a head coach who values the same characteristics in his players that he exhibited as an undersized (6’5″) Division II center at St. Cloud State.

His path up the coaching ladder was far from calculated or even planned – “I didn’t know what the heck I would do with my life. I was a stubborn knucklehead – just playing basketball (at St. Cloud State). All I cared about was basketball. I didn’t have my priorities set. After my ACL injuries hit, I had to get ready for what was next in my life. I jumped into coaching as a graduate assistant at St. Cloud State. I’m obsessed with basketball,” Bergstraser said with a smile. “I didn’t know what else I could be good at.“

Before becoming the head coach at DU, he had spells as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, MSU Moorhead, and Quincy University, and as a graduate assistant back at MSUM as he moved up the AAU, D3, and D2 coaching ladder. At MSUM, he was an assistant coach for four seasons and was eventually named head coach for the last three seasons.

Bergstraser was well aware of the pros and cons of the Denver job. He started our discussion by addressing the open position he filled. “I’m never going to be one to hope that someone gets fired or replaced – it is life-changing.” Nor is he intimidated by the path in front of his program. “There are obstacles here – there are obstacles everywhere you go – no matter what school, what level – there is some sort of an obstacle,” he said. “It’s not going to deter us from success.

“I’ve heard more negative than positive (about Denver basketball) before I got the job. After taking the job, I believe we can do what we need to do to flip the focus of this program. My vision is that it is going to happen. It may not be pretty right away. We need everybody in the program to be on board, to believe in what we do. When people see how we operate as a program, people are going to want to be a part of it. The negativity? I have so much belief in these players and this program – all the external noise doesn’t bother me.”

Prior to accepting the job at DU, Bergstraser completed three successful seasons as a head coach in Moorhead, Minnesota, building a sterling 75-22 overall record, including a trip to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen in 2024-25.

“I’ve always said, ‘if the Denver job ever opened up, that would be a cool place to be’. I fully believe this is a place where you can come and win,” Bergstraser insisted. “Me and my wife Ashley (and three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son) have always wanted to be in Colorado. It’s been a goal of ours. Who wouldn’t want to live in Denver? Let’s stick our name in the hat and see what happens, and try to convince these guys that I am the guy for the job.”

While Bergstraser had an initial interest in DU, a trip to the campus and meeting the athletic department staff sealed the deal. “If I came here and saw that I thought we could not have success, I would have stayed at MSUM.”

His belief in DU and Denver will extend to his recruiting approach as well. “We have to sell players to come here. I am comfortable we can sell (this University) to players who are really good at basketball.”

He is focused on developing his raw but experienced team. “I’m not a goal guy, to be honest,” he said. “I’m not going to put a thing on the wall that says 20 wins. I’m a day-to-day guy. I’m big on stacking days. I don’t try to look too far ahead. Be as prepared as possible. That’s who I am. I pray on it all the time to guide me to coach these guys hard and put together the pieces, get them ready to play for each other. Ultimately, I want people to look at the DU program and have respect for it.”

His philosophy on growing the program is simple: “Support will come when people see how stinkin’ hard we play. We are going to play the right way on both sides of the ball. Above all, we are going to compete and play disciplined.”

And what does he say to the skeptics who believe the program needed to recruit more high-profile players?

“In order to win championships at the D2 level (at MSUM), we had to recruit DI players,” he said. “We can compete [with our players] at our D1 mid-major level.”

The big question, though, is can this chapter of Denver basketball overcome the struggles of past DU teams to achieve success?

“Obviously, I want to compete for a championship,” Bergstraser said. “We have a lot of things to do before those opportunities come. There are 31 games in our regular season schedule – it’s unpredictable. You never know what is going to come. If I could forecast what people will see at the end of this season, DU basketball will be on the map. There is a different brand and style of play that attracts fans. Overall, our players will compete and be nasty competitors. They’ll do it the right way – great in the classroom and respect for others. That’s how I want the program to be looked at.”

Bergstraser came to DU with his former assistant, Spenser Bland (associate head coach) and four players. “That was part of my decision,” said Bergstraser. “There was no hesitation to ask them to come with us to Denver – and they didn’t hesitate. That means a lot to me. If Spenser didn’t want to come, I might have stayed [at MSU-Moorhead]. Or, at least thought hard about taking the job. It’s made me comfortable in the transition, knowing that I have guys who understand how I operate as a coach. They know how I tick, the standards.”

With only one player returning with significant playing time in senior Josh Lee, Bergstraser has been impressed when coaching his reconfigured squad that has taken shape just since April.

“I want this to be a ‘players-led’ team – those are the most successful teams,” he said. “That’s the way I want this team to be. They must be humble, compete their tails off, and be tough as nails. They have a solid basketball skill set – it’s a pretty dang good combination. The new guys have jumped right on board with each other and the staff. It’s been pretty fun to see. There’s been no tug or pull or animosity. These new guys play pretty good dang basketball, they’re good dudes. They’re fun to be around. If I didn’t think they were good enough, I would not have brought them on board. They’re good basketball players.”

Bergstraser will be counting on four of his former players to bring his vision to the floor. They will bring “discipline, skill, toughness and a massive sense of humility,” according to Bergstraser. “They know the little things that go into winning because they have been through it at a very high level. You can tell guys who have been a part of winning before. They appreciate winning, and they don’t take it for granted. That’s the way these guys operate. Some of the newer guys we recruited have needed more tug-and-pull, but they are bought in now.”

The coach has a clear view of how his team will operate on the floor. “I want us to play tough, hard-nosed basketball. These guys care and are doing whatever it takes to win – whether we win or not. That’s going to attract people to the basketball game. The size and athleticism are different than last year’s team. Certain positions maybe we’re a little bit shorter, but the mobility, athleticism, and skill – that’s the combination I have always liked in a player. If you look at the overall size of our team, it’s a pretty big team – on top of the athleticism. We have an older team, a lot of veterans with four grad transfers, seven transfers in total, minus MSU-M guys – 11 in total.”

His sideline demeanor is likely to display a mix of emotions. “Some people say I am calm – I don’t think I am. The ‘hay is in the barn’ so to speak (once a game starts). Once the ball goes up, I try to be calm – sometimes the refs may flip my switch, I’m going to get after our guys because it’s who I am. I want to get out there but I’m on the sidelines – that’s my way of competing. I’m going to coach them hard. I’m a passionate guy – I want to win just as bad as they do. I treat this like a war. When that ball goes up, it is a war mindset. I think our team is going to be the same way.

“Coach Bland handles our entire offense. It’s very easy for me to suggest ideas like, ‘let’s make sure this guy gets the ball.’  He handles everything so that allows me to be a better coach. I don’t have to worry about that side of the ball. I don’t have to overthink. Having that combination with Coach Bland has been fun for me.

Bergstraser’s preferred style of play is simple and straightforward: “Offensively, take care of the stinkin’ basketball. We will push the tempo, but we will not be a crazy transition team. We’ll take what teams give us. I want a lot of our players touching the ball. Create advantages for each other – inside-out and outside-in. We have the size, athleticism, and skill on our roster to ping that ball around with everybody touching it.

“Defensively, we’re not going to stop everybody. We will have a physical presence – these guys care about getting stops. They take pride in getting stops – when they get scored on during a game, it’s not OK. There will be games when it looks like we played poor defense – that’s natural. We are going to care about that side of the ball.”

Bergstraser’s eyes light up when he talks about his back court, though. “We have a handful of really good guards. With Carson Johnson (second team All-Summit League Preseason), we knew how stinkin’ good he was. Carson was a freshman last year (at MSUM). He is special. You appreciate it when you have him, a gamer – not afraid to hit the big shots, not afraid of the moment. He puts in so much time off the court – 4.0 student. Relentless competitor. Fans are going to love watching Carson Johnson. He can go off for 15-20 points pretty quickly. He is going to attract a lot of attention from defenses. It’s going to be new for him with bigger, stronger athletes. People are going to want to come watch him because he is that good.

“Shawn Wysocki, we brought him from MSUM, too. He has had a great preseason, a great summer. He’s long and mobile and can do things off the bounce, at the rim, well above the rim, shoot the ball – a ‘do everything’ guy.

“Logan Kinsey is another one of those guys people are going to appreciate watching. He wants to play hard for the program and his teammates. His basketball IQ is off the charts. Even if he’s not scoring, he’s still impacting the game – defense, rebounding, 50/50 balls. He will be first on the floor after loose balls. Julius Rollins from Western Illinois is big, strong, and athletic – he can shoot the ball, great IQ, understands his level, veteran  – expecting a lot of things from him. They are long and athletic. It’s gonna be fun to coach them – different than what this place has seen.

“Zane Nelson, I recruited him out of D2 (Missouri Western State) as a combo guard – two (scoring ) slash one (ball handling/point) position player. High IQ and he has a scorer’s mentality. J (Josh) Lee has been fun to coach. I heard so many good things about him when I got the job. Once I got to know him, I wanted him to stay. It’s nice to have familiarity with the program and the league. Coorleone Dandridge and Ian Motta are flex wing-forward guys.”

When it comes to the front line, “Jeremiah (Burke) is an NDSU transfer. He is the definition of versatility – a four (power forward) slash five (center/pivot). He’s going to play a different style of game at the five position. It’s going to be up to him to guard and rebound. He can shoot the ball. He can put the ball on the floor. He can manipulate a ball screen. He’s a high-level athlete and can play above the rim. At practice, he is playing with a lot of confidence. He’s fun to watch. Diddier Maleng, a JUCO transfer (South Plains College) is raw but it will take time, like most JUCO players. He has taken some amazing strides in practice. Maleng is 6’8″/6’9″, good athlete, can move, and has a 7’2” wingspan. Once he refines his finishing, defending, rebounding, and he understands how to play, he will be very good.

“Gabe Oldham is another JUCO transfer (Pima CC) is 6’8” – reminds me of me. He plays so hard. His activity. His work ethic – he is going to get garbage buckets. Once he gets the skills rolling, he has a pretty dang good player in our offense.”

With a new team and coaching staff, Bergstraser could be forgiven if he scheduled a soft non-conference schedule. Instead, the team faces an early-season gauntlet on the road (Washington, Colorado State, Arizona, Wyoming, and Tulsa).

“I know a lot of people are betting against us in a lot of these games,” he conceded. “It’s nothing I am going to lose sleep over. We’re excited. We haven’t talked about it with the team. There are a lot of things we need to tighten up today. Let’s not sugarcoat it – it’s a tough schedule. I believe we have the guys to compete, and we’ll see what happens. The only thing for me is we are not timid or have fear going into these games – we’re competing and fighting for every possession. I don’t know what to expect. I’m not going to sit here and estimate what we could be. It’s going to be a great schedule to prepare for the league. Playing so many different styles –  crazy, fun environments. I love being on the road. As a competitor, you want to play in those kinds of places. I’m eager to see how we approach these games – not too high or low. We’re building to be the best team we can be at the end of the year (for the Summit League Conference Tournament). When we start Summit League play, we’ll have seen everything, and it’s time to flip the switch.”

“We are all in,” states Bergstraser. “We are going to pour everything we have into this program and this university.  I’m going to do my best for the guys in this program. Ultimately, we have so much pride in being at the University of Denver, living in Colorado. As a family, we want to see this program have so much success. The University is going to get everything from us – whether it is a great year or a poor year. We’ll give it everything we have – that’s all I can ask (of myself, family, staff, and players).”

When he reflects on the rocky past of Denver basketball, Bergstraser’s thoughts jump instead to ‘what could be.’ “It starts a fire in me,” he said. “I’ve told our staff – nothing is promised. If we do what we believe we can do, this place will be rocking. People want to see this program have success. I can feel it. I want that to happen (for the City and the University of Denver).