DENVER (KDVR) — More than halfway through the season, the University of Denver men’s basketball team has already won six more games than last year.
In his first season as the Pioneers head coach, Jeff Wulbrun welcomed in nine new players and six returners (four scholarship players, two walk-ons).
“It’s been so satisfying as a head coach to watch the progress,” Wulbrun said. “The progress of the team collectively, we have had our share of setbacks, but the guys have absorbed those blows and they have been very resilient.”
Wulbrun spent the last five seasons at Stanford, and his mantra stems from the great Gregg Popovich.
“It’s the Stonecutter’s Credo. What this is that stonecutter cuts that rock every day, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of blows. At some point that stone begins to take shape,” Wulbrun said. “And it wasn’t the last time he struck the stone, but it was the thousands of times he struck it before that to mold that stone.”
To this young, vibrant group, they are cutting away at the stone to greatness.
“We are where we are today because of things that happened in August, and because of things that happened in September,” Wulbrun said. “We are the team we are because of those things.”
This progress is molding together as DU is coming off its largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent since 2018.
“That’s our thing, get better each and every day. Just over the time that we’ve had games down 20 and we came back, we lost some games down the stretch, but we are getting rewarded with the stonecutting we are doing” KJ Hunt, a junior guard said.
The Pios will host Kansas City and Oral Roberts Thursday and Saturday.