Three keys to season:
Road wins. DU was 0-16 away from home last season and 0-15 the previous season. The last win on the road was the first round of the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Leadership. Captain Nate Rohnert, a 6-foot-5 junior forward from Chaparral High School, is the most experienced (57 games) and needs to step up on a roster that averages 18.9 years old.
Maturity. With no seniors and a combined 11 freshmen and sophomores, the Pioneers will have to develop before starting Sun Belt play.
Most improved part of team: The youngsters. Brian Stafford or Sabatino Chen (both freshmen) will start at guard and freshman Justin Coughlin at forward. Andrew Hooper, a redshirt freshman from D’Evelyn, has improved.
Biggest surprise: Conditioning. Coach Scott liked how the players could run when practice began. He said the returning players did a good job of helping the freshmen work out in the summer.
Who has to take ownership of the team? Rohnert, plus sophomores Kyle Lewis and Rob Lewis (no relation). They each started last season and are eager to get this program some road wins.
Game/stretch most worrisome: “Six of the first seven games are on the road,” Scott said. “However, we are not worried about it. It was done on purpose as a way to challenge our team to grow up quickly, get tougher and mature faster.”
Roster adjustments: Xander McNally, who started four games as a freshman, left the program, forward Joe Jackson decided not to come back for his last year of eligibility, and David Kummer (former medical redshirt) was denied a medical hardship request for another season.
Coming out strong: DU opens Saturday at Northern Iowa and visits Lamar on Nov. 22 before hosting Northern Colorado on Nov. 26. The key rivalry games are Nov. 29 at Wyoming and Dec. 20 against visiting CSU.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
