This past season was a memorable one for the men’s basketball team and it looks like it is just going to get better next season with a strong recruiting class and a solid group of returning players.
The Pioneers are going to miss guards Rodney Billups and Erik Benzel, but with two transfer guards coming in and last seasons experienced freshman, the Pioneers don’t have much to worry about.
DU will welcome freshman center Kenny Howard from Grand Island, junior transfer Alex Cox from Australia and junior transfer DaShawn Walker from Illinois.
“Until they get here and start showing how they mesh and what their strengths and weaknesses are, it is hard to evaluate how they will fit in,” said Head Coach Terry Carroll.
He added, “We think that all three of them, before they are done here, will have a very positive impact on our team. All three are quality people and they have a desire to be successful and help the team do well.”
Howard is a 6-foot-11-inch center who led his high school team to a 26-2 record in his junior year, while averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and a school-record 54 blocks.
Howard will be the heir apparent to Yemi Nicholson at center and will most likely red-shirt next season.
“This young guy will be able to practice against two of the best big men in the conference (Yemi Nicholson and Terrence Gordon) and it’s my belief that you only get better when you play against better players,” said Carroll.
Cox took last season off of basketball while waiting to transfer to DU from Daytona Beach Community College and is currently taking classes at Indian Hills CC in Iowa.
Last year he averaged 6.0 points per game, made 40.2 percent of his three-pointers and had an assist to turnover ratio of 3-to-1.
The third member that is joining the team is Walker, coming from Indian Hills CC.
Walker is a 6 foot-6-inch guard that averaged 16.9 points last season, with 89 three-pointers and a 92.6 shooting percentage.
“True competitors and basketball players want to go to a program that gets maximum exposure,” said Carroll.
He added, “Now that we have gone to the post-season and won a conference championship, we are doing things that competitive players want to play in.”
With a 20-win season last year, Denver already has some top competition lined up for next season.
This includes match-ups against Wyoming, Colorado State, Stanford, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado and Montana State.
The Pioneers might also play in the Great Alaska shootout.
The conference is also undergoing a transformation, as New Mexico State has dropped out of the SBC.
Troy State will take their place and Louisiana-Monroe and Florida Atlantic will join the SBC in the 2006-2007 season.
