Who needs college football when there’s a Nerf hoop?
While a solid chunk of college athletic departments chase the almighty football dollar, the wild success at the University of Denver can be traced to… games of H-O-R-S-E in a fourth-floor office hallway at the Ritchie Center?
DU’s hockey, lacrosse and men’s soccer coaches share an L-shaped office space — and a Nerf basket that serves as the great equalizer if any egos grow too large for the workplace.
“I can’t dunk,” soccer coach Jamie Franks told me prior to DU’s 2-1 loss to Kansas City in the Summit League championship match Saturday at University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
“But it does get pretty competitive up there. Ask the lacrosse guys. They think they always win.”
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See, the Denver athletics department isn’t perfect.
On the fourth floor of the Ritchie Center, it only seems that way. Check out this lineup of winning among three coaches who share a hallway: Franks, whose soccer Pios reached No. 1 in the country in September; Matt Brown, whose lacrosse Pios reached No. 1 in the country in the spring; David Carle, whose hockey Pios are the reigning NCAA champs and hold the No. 1 ranking now.
There’s no football at DU. But is there a more successful hallway in all of Division I sports?
“It’s pretty fun,” said Franks, whose soccer club won the Summit League regular-season title and should be a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament bracket released Monday. “We’ll get a game of ‘Around the Horn’ when all the coaches are around. It’s just a different community here.”
And talk about a leap of faith (and fantastic evaluation) from the DU administrators who hired three 20-somethings and allowed them to grow their programs into national names.
When DU hired Carle he was 28, the youngest head coach in Division I men’s hockey. When DU hired Franks he was 28, the youngest head coach in Division I men’s soccer. Brown was 26 when he joined Bill Tierney’s staff as a lacrosse assistant. Their programs are all grown up.
“I think it’s crazy at this time in college athletics when everything is more revenue-based, we’re trying to protect the kids and keep it pure and focus on holistic development,” Franks said.
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Between the hockey, lacrosse and soccer programs, secrets are few and far between.
The three coaching staffs from different sports share all kinds of information to help out their office mates. Got a question on travel? Shout it down the hall. Sports psychology? Knock a couple doors down. Parent education? Your office neighbor’s probably been through it.
They even share new techniques on breathing, which regulates athletes after intense workouts.
“When I have a bad game or think I have a bad game, breathing, it helps you remember it’s not that bad,” said Ian Smith, a soccer defender and Highlands Ranch graduate. “It keeps you level-headed and allows you to reflect more clearly.”
DU hockey won its record 10th national championship in April. DU lacrosse is coming off a trip to the Final Four. DU soccer has the belief it can make a run at its first national title.
“I think most people at this school, if you’re not finding success, it’s a disappointment. It’s kind of expected,” said Ben Smith, a soccer midfielder who graduated from Arapahoe High.
The three neighboring programs share a philosophy: If the guys down the hall are hanging banners, why not mine their strategies?
“We all share all of our practices. For us, we can learn from each other. All these coaches have been successful in their respective sports. How do we bring their best practices into ours?” Franks said. “And the head coaches are so close because of who we are as people. We all believe in the same thing, the best way to guide our student-athletes in the right direction.”
Saturday’s loss to Kansas City had the Pios heated. In a 1-1 game after a lengthy video review, DU’s Ian Smith was hit with a red card, leaving the Pioneers down a man for the final 17 minutes of the game.
“To be honest, it was a shock. When you watch (the replay) again it’s still a shock,” Franks said after.
Kansas City (12-4-3) took advantage when Elie Kisoka drilled the game-winning goal off a corner kick with 13 seconds left, awarding the Roos the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“The red card, you can watch it 100 times over, and I just don’t see the intent that’s involved,” Franks said.
At No. 3 in the Ratings Percentage Index, Denver (12-3-4) should be in fine shape for an at-large bid when the NCAA Tournament field is unveiled at 11 a.m. Monday. Then it’s up to the soccer Pios to join their office mates as national champs. Hockey has 10, lacrosse one.
“This (senior) class came in and said, ‘I’m here to win a national championship,’” Franks said. “We’ve had success in the past. But I don’t know if we’ve ever had a real belief we could win a national championship. We have that.”
