The University of Denver has hired veteran assistant coach Jeff Wulbrun from Stanford to guide the Denver Pioneer basketball program. We will have more on this breaking news after we attend Wulbrun’s press conference this afternoon at 2:00 pm MT. Our initial reaction to the hire is extremely positive as Wulbrun appears to have a breadth of experience and may provide a much-needed steady hand to a program in flux.
For die-hard Denver Pioneer fans, this week has been excruciating. Our sub-.500 hockey team did not get a bid to the NCAA Tournament and it’s also frustrating to watch basketball’s March Madness as Oral Roberts from the Summit League defeats both Ohio State and Florida, North Texas bounces Purdue and little Loyola-Chicago defeats #1 seed Illinois. It is all so distant – and disappointing. In one example, hockey, you have confidence that they will get back to the NCAA tournament soon. As for DU basketball, the answer feels more like never, especially to a long-suffering fan base. Continue reading AD Creech Needs a Bold, Visionary Hoops Coach for DU→
You might be surprised that one Summit League coach, Dave Richman from North Dakota State, had no prior head coach experience before joining the Bison. He worked his way up to an assistant role with his alma mater before getting the job. The highest level of head coaching experience by two other current Summit League coaches was high school. Each of the three had extensive experience as assistants, while two Summit League coaches had led DI programs in the past. One, Rob Jeter from Western Illinois, has even made two NCAA D1 Tournament appearances as head coach for UW-Milwaukee. UMKC’s Billy Donlon won 20+ games his last three seasons at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio Paul Sather (North Dakota), Darren Hanson (Omaha) and Todd Lee (South Dakota) came from the NCAA D2 ranks. The common thread for Summit League coaches is broad coaching experience working for a variety of distinguished head coaches and a significant level of success before their current assignment.
Tim Healy is a regular contributor to LetsGoDU on collegiate skiing
Nordic Freestyle concluded the final day of the NCAA Skiing Championships at Jackson Nordic Center. While DU did not win their 25th National Team Championship, they did come home with one individual national championship and nine All-American designations. Denver finished the NCAA’s in 3rd place for the overall NCAA Team Championship, trailing Champion Utah and Colorado for the title. Denver was the top alpine scoring team in the championships. Continue reading Denver Finishes Third at NCAA Skiing Championships→
Tim Healy is a regular contributor to LetsGoDU on collegiate skiing
DU’s Amelia Smart torched her first slalom run to set up a dominant performance today to earn the slalom National Championship at Cooper Mountain, New Hampshire. This win made Smart a three-time NCAA individual National Champion in slalom (2) and giant slalom (1) along with being a five-time All-Americans (4 in slalom, 1 in giant slalom). What a way to end a career as one of Denver’s best-ever athletes! Continue reading Day 3 – Amelia Smart Captures Slalom National Championship→
Tim Healy is a regular contributor to LetsGoDU on collegiate skiing
Today’s NCAA skiing championships centered on the men’s 10k and women’s 5K Nordic Classic at the Jackson Nordic Center in Jackson, N.H. DU’s main rivals from the west had a big day and DU’s hopes for a 25th NCAA Team Championship melted, along with the snow. Continue reading Day 2 – Good But Not Great Nordic Classic Ends Team Title Hopes→
DU Athletics moved forward at a frenetic pace this past weekend with ten teams taking to the fields, courts and slopes. COVID-19 has compressed several fall and winter sports into the spring season and, with the exception of hockey, most of Denver’s athletic department was in action. Here are the weekend highlights: Continue reading Ten DU Teams Compete in Busy Winter Weekend→
