The last (and only) time a University of Denver basketball team was in the NCAA tournament, Ray Bourque was lifting the Stanley Cup for the Avalanche and Caitlin Clark wasn’t even born yet.
The two decades since then for the basketball program have been mediocre at best. Two women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) appearances, one Summit League Championship appearance since 2014 (when DU joined the conference) and 13 different head coaches (six: women, seven: men) are just some of the markers of a program trying to find lasting success.
But, the athletic department has made changes to both teams that will hopefully bring new light to Hamilton Gymnasium.
On the men’s side, the coaching staff has completely changed. Tim Bergstraser was hired as head coach on April 14 from Minnesota State Moorhead, a Division II program. Bergstraser went 75-22 in three seasons coaching MSUM and led the program to three consecutive 25-win seasons.
Bergstraser brought along his associate head coach from MSUM, Spenser Bland, who will serve in the same role at DU. Bergstraser also brought on a Summit League experienced assistant coach, Kyle Heikkinen, and a D-III head coach, Abe Woldeslassie, to round out his staff.
The roster has completely flipped as well. DU is only returning three players from last year’s roster: Devin Carney, Josh Lee and Loch Cunningham. Lee started in 16 games for Denver last season and recorded 6.6 points per game. Carney and Cunningham did not play much last season, combining for just 36 total minutes on the court.
All of DU’s main starting players from last season are gone. But, Bergstraser has brought four of his better players from his former school and two other players from the transfer portal so far this offseason.
Carson Johnson was just a freshman last season and led MSUM in points per game (19.9) and was the first freshman in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference history to win the tournament MVP. He will likely be a starter for DU this season and will probably be one of their top scorers.
Logan Kinsey was second on MSUM’s squad in scoring last season with 14.6 points per game and was given an All-NSIC 1st Team honor after the season. The 6’6” forward got better outside the arc and recorded a career-high 43 three-pointers last season. Kinsey will also likely be a starter for next season.
The weight of the program’s day-to-day logistics will be on newly hired Director of Basketball Operations Scott Gauthier. Gauthier was an assistant coach at Indiana University-Indianapolis last season and was the director of basketball operations for Lindenwood in 2023.
The women’s program also has a new director of basketball operations: Owen Adams. Adams is a recent DU graduate (‘24) and was a student manager during his undergraduate studies. Last season, Adams was a graduate assistant coach at Houston Christian University.
Easily the biggest challenge Adams and Head Coach Doshia Woods face going into the women’s season is losing their three best players.
Last year’s leading scorer Jordan Jones transferred to Arizona State, leading passer Emma Smith transferred to Appalachian State and shifty Angelina Robles transferred to Summit League foe, South Dakota.
Woods and Adams have brought in three freshmen so far this offseason, including the Northern California Player of the Year, Jocelyn Medina. Medina was second in her conference in scoring, posting 22.8 points per game and led her high school to a perfect 28-0 record and a conference championship.
DU also added a player from across the pond, Paula Olivia Gomez. Olivia Gomez is from Spain and is a versatile player who can play multiple positions, according to Woods.
The program also has much to look forward to with Laia Moncolva, who returns to DU this season after picking up a Summit League All-Newcomer award. The junior guard from Spain started in 11 games last season and picked up 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Coryn Watts is another returning name to look forward to. The sophomore guard played in all 30 games last season, started in seven and was fourth on the team in scoring. Watts played the fourth-most minutes for Denver and was third on the team in field goal percentage.
As the offseason continues, the Crimson and Gold will continue to round out their remaining roster spots and develop their programs for the 2025-26 season.
