The DU men’s basketball team’s performance has not been anything for the community to get excited about for several years. Their last winning season was 2016 to 2017, and after putting up an abysmal 2-19 performance this past season, it is clear that changes needed to be made. The team has wasted no time since the season ended bringing in new coaches and players with hopes of brighter days ahead for the Crimson and Gold.
Former Denver head coach Rodney Billups seemed like an ideal fit when he signed on five years ago. It should have been the perfect pairing between Billups—a Denver native, DU alum and younger brother of former Colorado basketball star Chancey Billups—and DU. But after putting up a 48-94 record in his time with the team and having just one postseason win in 2018, it became clear that the two were not meant to be.
After conducting a national search for a new head coach, DU landed on Jeff Wulbrun, who comes from Stanford University where he was the associate head coach for the past three seasons. At Stanford, Wulbrun helped the Cardinal land top-tier recruiting classes, including top-10 classes in 2017 and 2020. The team had the nation’s No. 16-ranked scoring defense under Wulbrun in the 2019-2020 season.
“I am truly excited to join the Denver family and collaborate with the great team [Vice Chancellor for Athletics, Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations Karlton Creech] has assembled to raise the program to new heights and one [which] the faculty, students, university community and the city of Denver will take great pride in,” Wulbrun said.
Wulbrun added two assistant coaches shortly after joining DU. Brandon Dunson signed on first as an associate head coach. Dunson comes to DU from California State University-Fullerton and has a 16-year long relationship with Wulbrun. Most recently, the two worked together at Stanford where Dunson was the director of basketball development from 2016 to 2018.
Also coming from Cal State Fullerton is Rob Zewe, who will be an assistant coach for DU. The latest addition to the coaching staff is Rob Williams, who comes from the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB). There, he worked with Wulbrun during his tenure at UAB. Wulbrun’s experience and connections to his new coaching staff are sure to be an asset to next year’s program.
With Wulbrun’s recruiting expertise, Denver is expected to bring in more talent to the team this season. Rice transfer and graduate student Payton Moore (Los Angeles, Calif.) signed to the team last week. In his previous season at Rice, Moore averaged 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. Moore graduated from Rice in three years and will pursue an MBA from DU.
With the arrival of new coaching and athletic talent, DU also saw a number of previous Denver players enter the transfer portal and sign to other programs.
Most notably, Jase Townsend signed with the University of San Diego. He averaged 19.2 points this season and was the standout player on an otherwise lackluster team. Townsend was DU’s leading scorer this past season and the second-highest the season prior. His loss will be heavily felt, as he had the highest field goal and three-point percentage on the team.
Also leaving the program are Sam Hines Jr., who left after one season to go to the University of South Florida, and Robert Jones, who is heading to Iowa State.
Though DU is largely late to the game in recruiting portal transfers and high school graduates for next season, they have been able to fill a few spots. As perhaps the biggest name coming to the program, Coban Porter is coming to Denver out of high school in Missouri. Porter is the younger brother of current NBA player Michael Porter Jr., who plays for the Denver Nuggets.
Though it will likely take several more years for DU to rebuild and gain national competitiveness as a team, these coaching and roster changes are a step in the right direction for the program.
