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Persistence is the motivational tool DU men’s head basketball coach Joe Scott chooses to use to hone his player’s individual skills and propel his team forward.

It’s a tool he believes in, because he knows it yields positive results.

When Scott arrived in Denver the Pioneers were 4-25. In his first season, DUwon seven more games than during the previous season and increased that record by four more wins last season, finishing 15-16.

“Our guys keep getting better because we have a consistency in our approach coaching them,” Scott said. “Our players know what our expectations are and what we demand out of them, because it is the same things we stress at every practice and before every game.”

Scott’s unwavering message to his players is a simple one—prepare to be mentally tough, which means limiting mistakes.

“When things change from day to day that is when you see stagnation because players don’t know what their coaches want from them,” Scott said. “When you are persistent with the things you want, with this age group, it puts the ball in their court to get better.”

“Ever since he came here he has been a hard worker,” senior captain Nate Rohnert said. “I’ve never seen him have a day off, never seen him go half speed.”

Rohnert is the only player remaining from the team that went 4-25.

“He is always really into the practice, coaching us and that is because he refuses to let any of us take a day off or a play off,” Rohnert added. “As a player you don’t really want anything else from a coach.”

Scott’s first head-coaching job came in 2000 at the Air Force Academy. When he arrived the Falcons hadn’t recorded a winning season in 23 years.

Air Force got better every year under Scott and even won 22 games in 2004, which earned them a birth in the NCAA tournament.

“There are certain times when you’re building a program where some games are bigger than other games and when you win them it can lead to more big games,” Scott said. “We are ahead of where we were at with the Air Force program after two and half years, that being said we might be further ahead, but until we reach our goals it doesn’t really matter.

“We are at the stage where we can take the last step, which is the hardest step,” Scott said. “And if we meet this challenge then we will know were a good basketball team and its not going to be we think we are or maybe are, it will be we know we are and there is nothing more dangerous than a team that knows its good.”

Scott stresses the importance of the remaining schedule, which requires the Pioneers to head on the road six of the next ten games.

“We obviously would like to be better on the road,” Scott said. “When you’re over 500 or better on the road you’re a good basketball team and it’s hard to get to that point.

During his first two years the Pioneers have gone 5-29 on the road and have struggled this season, producing one win in seven road games.

“That’s the challenge we need right now,” Scott said. “It’s the last frontier for us, we need to conquer the road and that is what you usually have to do when building a program.”

Scott doesn’t feel the need to talk about the possibilities that could arise for DU once his reconstruction is complete.

“The whole situation about switching conference relies on the fact of us getting better in the Sun Belt, if we can become a good basketball team in this conference then good things will come,” Scott said. “But that’s not what our focus is, we want to focus on things we can control and what we can control right now is meeting this challenge.”

For now, Scott and the Pioneers must rely on what has gotten them this far—the persistency to get better each and every day.