Men’s basketball sophomore forward Royce O’Neale currently leads the Pioneers in a number of categories, including overall points and rebounds. His performance so far this season earned him his first career conference player of the week award on Dec. 17, simultaneously making him the first of his teammates to win a Western Athletic Conference award.
“It felt like a big honor, being the first Denver Pioneer to win it,” said O’Neale. “I felt I was playing the game the best I can, and that helped me.”
Since then, the Pioneers have continued to improve with help from O’Neale, according to head coach Joe Scott. The team has been on a six-game winning streak since the start of 2013, improving their overall record to 11-7 with a 7-1 conference record.
“I think now as the whole team comes together and roles have been identified, Royce is playing well; he’s rebounding the ball well, and he’s defending well,” said Scott.
O’Neale’s performance shows on the leaderboards as well. He currently leads the team in rebounds and free throws with 101 and 52, respectively. He is second on the team with 218 points this season, averaging 12.1 points per game.
“Coach Scott encourages me each and every day,” said O’Neale. “He’s hard on me, but that’s to make me better; he knows I can play to my best ability, and he wants me to be the best player on the court.”
According to Scott, he expects more out of O’Neale now that he is a sophomore but doesn’t want to put too much on his shoulders.
“We need him to play well, but as I say that, you don’t want to place too much pressure on a sophomore,” said Scott. “I don’t want to sit there and say, ‘Royce, we need you to do this and this,’ because what we need him to do is continue to rebound the basketball well.”
Looking back at his freshman year, O’Neale started five games and ended his season ranking first in rebounds and third in points. This season, O’Neale said he’s looking to get better each day and eventually take his game to the next level.
“If he can put the ball in the basket more and in a more efficient manner, and if he can add that to the way he’s playing right now, then I think he’d be playing a complete game,” said Scott.
Thinking long term, O’Neale said he’s interested in becoming a basketball coach one day and sharing what he knows about the sport. For now, Scott shares the same goal as O’Neale, which is getting him to the highest playing level possible.
“He likes to share the basketball, he likes to get his teammates good shots, and those are the things that we have to stress to him – do the things that make him comfortable,” said Scott.
“If we continue to do that, we can get him to come along on the offensive end and put the ball in the basket a little more consistently. If we can get that from him then I think he’ll be playing the highest level he can.”
