The Pioneers (11-10, 3-5 Summit), led by hot shooting freshman Thomas Neff and senior Marcus Byrd, took down the South Dakota Coyotes (10-12, 2-6 Summit) 66-52 at Magness Arena. The Pioneers overcame 19 turnovers with 31 rebounds and 50+% shooting from the field and 3-point land to polish off a cold shooting SD squad. The Pioneers led from the start with solid defense and held the lead the entire game. South Dakota employed a pesky press throughout the game forcing turnovers and shot clock violations but cold shooting and turnovers by the visitors eliminated any chance they had for a comeback. Continue reading DU Shoots Down South Dakota 66-52
Westword Reader’s Choice Awards
Let’s use the power of LetsGoDU to get our local DU businesses (and LetsGoDU) some ink. You can take Westword’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards survey here.
- Best Breakfast Burrito – Illegal Pete’s on Evans
- Best Dive Bar – Campus Lounge (Obvious!)
- Best Sandwich Shop – Snarfs on Evans
- Best Tacos – The Pioneer
- Best Denver Podcast – LetsGoDU
- Best Coach – College – Bill Tierney
- Best Sports Bar – Crimson & Gold (LetsGoDU Super-Pub Winner!)
- Best Sports Mascot – Denver Boone (No brainer!)
Vote now.
DU Hockey Mailbag: Undefeated in the New Year, You Say?
Photo Credit: Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Welcome to the 2nd edition of the DU hockey mailbag! This is the forum in which I take your questions about DU hockey that may not have been answered earlier in the week and, well, answer them.
Before I get going, let me just give you a quick update on what happened during the week. Continue reading DU Hockey Mailbag: Undefeated in the New Year, You Say?
Rebound Woes Haunt Team
Photo: 2013 Photo with DU’s Charles Webb (5’4″) & UC Irvine’s Mamadou Ndiaye (7’6″)
It is a near miracle DU is playing .500 ball at 10-10 heading into tonight’s game against South Dakota at Magness Arena.
This is a scrappy bunch that leaves everything on the floor but their chance of winning falls to almost zero without 50+% shooting from the floor and beyond the arc while winning the turnover and steal battle. With a -7.6 rebound differential, the Pioneers have slid to 334 out of 346 D-1 programs, putting a lot of pressure on a young team on both ends of the floor. Continue reading Rebound Woes Haunt Team
Miami University – OHIO
The Redhawks from Miami University
Whenever I think of this University, I think of my work associate, Richard, from Melbourne, Australia. My mate (that’s what they call their friends and members of their work group) wanted to go to an event to see John Force, an NHRA star drag racer, practice and compete using a motor oil that we manufactured for him. Continue reading Miami University – OHIO
Denver Strikes Gold with Defenseman Boyle
Photo: Brandon Anderson/USHL, Article, USCHO
USCHO published an article on a DU recruit from Arizona, Michael Boyle. The article, Rapid Rise for Denver Recruit Boyle Hasn’t Come Without Stumbling Points, calls Boyle a potential 2016 NHL draft pick and in a class, perhaps, just after superstar Austin Mathews.
Many DU fans have called for more size on the defensive end. Well, Boyles stands 6’2″ and 210 pounds. The article states, Boyle’s size, athleticism and potential have caught the attention of the NHL scouts over the last year. He played for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, a AAA team, last season and is playing for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL this season. Continue reading Denver Strikes Gold with Defenseman Boyle
Catching up with Gwoz
Photo: Andy Cross, The Denver Post – Article Link Below
In case you missed it, there was a good article about former Pioneer coach George Gwozdecky published earlier this month.
The Denver Post had an in-depth article on his decision to take the Valor Christian (4-6-1) job and what it is like to coach high school players versus his prior coaching experience. He has taken all the changes in stride, “Being at Valor, I’ve got a lot on my plate. I’m a coach, a counselor and I arrange transportation. I’m the media relations guy and the occasional equipment manager. I think the only thing I haven’t done is drive the Zamboni.” Continue reading Catching up with Gwoz
Big East Preseason Polls Recognize Pioneers
Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Denver – 25 pts. (5)
2. Georgetown – 21 pts. (1)
3. Marquette – 16 pts.
4. Villanova – 13 pts.
5. Providence – 8 pts.
6. St. John’s – 7 pts.
2016 Preseason All-Big East Team and Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver, Jr., A^
Preseason Co-Defensive Players of the Year
Liam Byrnes, Marquette, Grad Student, LSM
Christian Burgdorf, Denver, Jr. D Continue reading Big East Preseason Polls Recognize Pioneers
Stuffed – Too Good to Play
According to the Daily Mail, in order to protect fragile competitors, a girls basketball team has been kicked out of their league because they are too good. The article stated that the Minnesota Rogers Area Youth Basketball Association (RAYBA) team can no longer play in their local basketball league because they are ‘too talented’.
They were thrown out of the league with little notice before a league tournament was to be held. According to their coach, Jason Hanauska, ‘Three teams were threatening to I guess either forfeit the games against us or flat out quit the league.’ So of course, in a display of goodwill and compromise – the league threw them out. Continue reading Stuffed – Too Good to Play
Fanning the Flames – From Tweets to Twits
It was with great interest that I watched the twitter wars and blogs covering this past weekend’s hard fought Denver – Minnesota-Duluth hockey series. Pioneer (2-0/series) fans saw the series as a poorly officiated ‘chippy’ affair. On the other hand, the UMD (0-2/series) Bulldog blogs and twitter supporters saw the series as a highly competitive physical affair and characterized DU’s team and supporters as soft, spoiled babies.
DU posted the game ‘highlights’, see for yourself (Game 2 Highlights). Continue reading Fanning the Flames – From Tweets to Twits