The Joe Scott era at Magness Arena begins Tuesday with the University of Denver basketball team’s annual “Pack the House” game. The Pioneers, who went 1-1 to open the season last week in Norman, Okla., face Wyoming (1-0) at 7 p.m.
Magness Arena will undoubtedly glow with support for the first time since Scott was introduced as DU’s coach March 21 in an outrageously big-league ceremony. The Pioneers made sure everyone in attendance that day came away convinced DU was serious about basketball by hiring the former Air Force and Princeton coach.
“From Day One, everything from the beginning conversations with the athletic director and the leadership here and every day after that, there’s been a consistency in my dealings and the development of our program,” Scott said last week during the program’s media day. “The administration is really good here and we are going to make basketball very important at the University of Denver.”
That wasn’t the case last season, when former coach Terry Carroll took an undisclosed leave of absence in December and nobody at DU thought it was a big deal or anyone’s business. Ultimately, it became only a sad deal because the Pioneers were a painful bunch to watch en route to a 4-25 finish.
Fact is, the Pioneers are a Division I team competing in a far-flung and relatively weak Sun Belt Conference and, based on last Friday’s 80-50 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, they don’t have much talent outside of sophomore guard Tyler Bullock.
“Our philosophy of talent is that we don’t believe in the word talent, because when you use the word talent, it means that person isn’t doing it,” Scott said. “The games reveal character and they reveal lack of it. They give you, as coaches and them as players, critical knowledge.”
For DU fans, critical knowledge is realizing that Scott’s hiring promotes hope DU can get good enough to win the Sun Belt and garner the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and then join a respectable conference that offers potential for regional rivalries.
As average as they may be, the Sun Belt’s Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas-Little Rock, Troy and Middle Tennessee are a long ways from Kansas, or even Gonzaga (West Coast Conference) or Boise State (Western Athletic Conference).
So enjoy Tuesday’s game against Wyoming, because after that, the only worthwhile contest at Magness Arena will be Nov. 27 against Colorado and Scott’s predecessor at Air Force, Jeff Bzdelik.
TV GAME OF THE WEEK
Wyoming men’s basketball at Denver. FSN will carry the Pioneers’ annual “Pack the House” game Tuesday night from Magness Arena. In past seasons, the event has been a big success, with at least 6,000 people watching an exciting game.
TURGEON’S TERRIFIC TEAM
Colorado girls’ all-star squad something to see. Early-risers today can catch the under-16 championship game of the Colorado Selecthosted Chill on the Hill girls’ hockey tournament at The Edge Ice Arena in Littleton. The Select’s Triple-A team, coached by former Avalanche forward Pierre Turgeon, clinched a spot in the 7:10 a.m. finale against the Anaheim Lady Ducks. The Select was 4-0 this weekend, outscoring its opponents 34-0. For the season, Colorado is 14-0 and has outscored its foes a combined 106-5.
The Chill on the Hill features the top youth teams from Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and Alaska.
BADGERS FIGHTING MAD
Wisconsin comes to Colorado Springs to play CC. Denver native Mike Eaves, who is the Wisconsin men’s hockey coach, needed to be restrained from going after North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol after the teams’ ugly game Saturday night in Madison, Wis. A third-period melee broke out, involving all 12 players on the ice and lasting more than five minutes. After the Fighting Sioux won 3-1, Eaves and Hakstol exchanged words.
“The whole thing bothered me how it unfolded and carried on,” Eaves told Madison reporters. “I was just disappointed, and I expressed it to him.”
Wisconsin opens a two-game series at Colorado College on Friday.
HOCKEY TIX AVAILABLE
The road to the Pepsi Center begins in Colorado Springs. The 2008 Frozen Four in April at the Pepsi Center is sold out, but fans can still buy tickets for the NCAA Tournament West Regional at the Colorado Springs World Arena. The regional is March 28-29, two weeks before the Frozen Four returns to Colorado for the first time since 1976.
Information: 866-464-2626 or .
FINISH LINE IN SIGHT
NASCAR season finale finally arrives. The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series concludes its grueling season this weekend with the Ford 400 at Homestead (Fla.) Speedway.
The 36-race season began Feb. 18 with the Daytona 500 and ends nine months later. In addition to the 36 official races, there are two all-star events and countless test sessions. No wonder most of the crew members are single and in their 20s.
Ford 400 schedule
Qualifying: 1:30 p.m., Friday, ESPN2
Race: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, KMGH-7
