Nate Rohnert hopes that his initial impressions of Hot Springs, Ark., prove to be as cool for the University of Denver basketball team.
The Pioneers open play tonight at 7:45 (KRWZ 950 AM) in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against Florida International.
DU arrived Friday in Hot Springs, and coach Joe Scott put his team through a stay-sharp workout. Rohnert, who is finishing his collegiate career, had time to size up the surroundings before the practice.
“It’s really an old town, but kind of cool,” Rohnert said.
The Pioneers (17-12, 10-8) come into the tournament as the sixth seed in the bracket. But Scott wasn’t talking about bracket rankings; his focus was on only one thing.
“There may be a dozen teams here that can win one game, but there might be only four or five teams that can string three or four wins together,” Scott said. “I hope we’re one of those teams that can win a few games in a row. I think we are.”
Scott noted that eight teams in the conference finished with winning records in league play, but he based his confidence on his team’s play in the last month after it hit a slump in January.
“We’ve played really well in our last seven games,” Scott said. “We’re coming into March playing the way you want a team to be playing.”
Scott noted this season’s team is better going into the tournament than in his first season at the helm.
“We’re better, and I think we’ll be even better next season,” Scott said. “We’re on the verge of becoming a really good team. You never know when a team is going to take that next step. We hope it’s here.”
But the task at hand is getting past Florida International (7-24, 4-14).
“We have to go in with the mentality that we have to win that first game,” Scott said. “The top three teams in the conference have a first-round bye.”
Rohnert said the Pioneers are following Scott’s direction.
“We got a wake-up call when we weren’t playing well a month or so ago,” Rohnert said. “Coach has stressed all year that we have to be playing our best toward the end of the season.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
