First day practice photos in Denver

We were told that a snowstorm hit Denver yesterday, but you wouldn’t know it judging by the weather today. Sunny skies and temperatures nearing the 60 degree mark is what welcomed us on our arrival to Denver.

I’m not egotistical enough to think that you are reading this blog to get my thoughts. You want to know what Tony Bennett is thinking so here are some quotes from my conversation with him after this afternoon’s practice:

“We had a brisk, intense practice. It didn’t seem like the altitude
bothered the guys too much, but that’s why we wanted to get here today and have a practice instead of practicing back in Pullman.”

Bennett went on to say about the atmosphere surrounding the tournament:

“The anticipation is certainly there. It’s something that you really work the whole season to get to. We’ve prepared to the best of our abilities. We know we are going against a good team and there is an excitement that is present.”

And here is a quote from Kyle Weaver about today:

“I think it was a good day today; we got some good work in.
We went hard in practice. Offensively we were in a pretty good flow. Guys made shots and everybody was on the same page. ”

The charter plane departed Pullman at 10:45 a.m., and prior to takeoff the pilot said that the flight would take an hour and a half. True to his word, we touched down in Denver, well the Denver Airport (downtown is about 20 miles away from the airport), at 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time (1:15 local time).

A humorous tidbit from my conversation with Tony is that he said the big excitement was would the big charter plane be able to lift off before the end of the short runway at the Pullman Airport.

It did, and Bennett described the trip as “very smooth.”

At 4:30, the team bussed to Colorado Christian University for practice. In what can only be interpreted as a good omen, the mascot for the university is Cougars.

One nugget from practice is at the gym, there is
a fitness room set above the court. As the practice progressed, there were more students devoting time watching practice than to working out. You can see what I mean by one of the photos in the gallery.

That’s what I have for today. Tomorrow will be a busy day as the team gets its first look at Pepsi Arena.

Until then, good night!