Saturday morning, former DU men’s basketball bench boss Joe Scott was suspended indefinitely by the Air Force Academy pending an investigation into his treatment of cadet-athletes. The Falcons were 3-14 this season, losing by an average of 28.3 points. In his two stints at the helm, Scott had a 97-183 overall record. The team had also been reeling from defections from the team, most recently outstanding sophomore guard Kyle Marshall.
Scott guided the Pioneers as head coach and directed the Princeton Offense for nine years with a record of 146-132 from 2007 to 2016. He was both hired and fired by then athletic director Peg Bradley-Doppes. A former assistant coach during Scott’s Denver and AFA tenure, Jon Jordan, will take over the reins in Scott’s absence at AFA.
The volatile Scott was known as much for his short fuse as the back-door cuts he coached under the Pete Carril-inspired offense. A turnover, a missed assignment, or a poor shot resulted in an immediate seat on the bench. Officials were not immune from Scott’s wrath, either. No doubt, Scott could coach hoops, but his prickly personality eventually got under the skin of his players, administrators, and fans alike. Despite being on a short leash during his final seasons at DU, his histrionics and short fuse could not be contained, and his public actions finally drove the administration to pull the plug.
Now, with the pending investigation, Scott is facing a similar fate in the Springs.
Joe is a jerk. Because he always had a nice crease in his pants, maybe he should have been a tailor.
Smart guy. Loved the Princeton offense (when it was turned up a little) but there’s no way I would want to play for a guy with that short fuse and constant criticism. Can’t imagine he was/is very fun to play for.
I’ve noticed that DU hasn’t had Air Force on its men’s basketball schedule recently! That photo you used looks pretty scary.
DU did hold several closed scrimmages with AFA over the past few years. It will be interesting if they become a more regular nonconference opponent in the future.
Sad for Joe. Smart, interesting, capable coach who was built for the previous Bobby Knight age of basketball .
Unfortunate for all involved. Have to wonder if this is the end of the road for him as a head coach.
Anyone who ever saw Scott on the court during his time here at DU knows he is super intense and demanding, perhaps to a fault. Whether or not that approach and style works with today’s student-athletes is up for debate, but the fact that this Air Force team has had key players leaving the program says it all in my opinion.
I get that he was our old coach, but curious as to why this article is on here, but a current Pio is named Summit League Peak Performer of the Week and there is nothing.
We don’t have a big staff so we have to make a call on what to write about and provide a POV. DU men’s basketball covered that on Twitter.
If you want to join our writing staff, drop us a note. Always looking for more writers. (Not being snarky – we really could use more writers.)