Denver hires Tim Bergstraser as men's basketball coach after successful stint at Division II school
DENVER (AP) — The University of Denver hired Tim Bergstraser on Monday as its men's basketball coach following his successful three-year run at Division II Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Bergstraser takes over for Jeff Wulbrun after the school and Wulbrun parted ways last month. The Pioneers went 11-21 in 2024-25.
Bergstraser led the Dragons to a 75-22 mark over his three seasons in charge. MSUM reached the NCAA Central Regional final in 2024-25 for the first time in a decade.
"DU is a big deal, and we have a massive sense of pride in representing this program," Bergstraser said in a statement. "I am itching to get to work for this university. We are determined to add to the great winning tradition that is already established in this athletic department.'
Prior to taking over as head coach, Bergstraser served as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, MSUM and Quincy University.
He played at St. Cloud State, where he earned all-conference accolades in 2011-12.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
recommended
in this topic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
12 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Vasek Pospisil retiring from tennis after a career that included a Wimbledon doubles title
Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Vasek Pospisil, who won a Wimbledon men's doubles title and helped Canada win the Davis Cup, will retire from tennis after playing in the Toronto tournament next week. 'Eighteen years of professional tennis. Looking forward to playing in front of you one last time in Toronto,' the 35-year-old Pospisil posted Monday on social media. Pospisil has been an advocate for players on the tours and joined with Novak Djokovic to form the Professional Tennis Players' Association, which filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in New York against some of the groups running the sport. On the court, Pospisil paired with Jack Sock to earn a Wimbledon championship in 2014 and was part of the Canadian team that won the Davis Cup title in 2022. Pospisil reached career-high rankings of No. 4 in doubles and No. 25 in singles. The hard-court Masters event in Canada awarded Pospisil a wild-card entry. 'It's never easy making a decision like this,' he said. 'Tennis has been a huge part of my life, but it has become clear, both mentally and physically, that it's the right time to step away." ___ AP tennis: in this topic
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
Venus Williams wishes sister Serena would come out of retirement to join her in competition
As Venus Williams prepares to make her tennis comeback at the DC Open after more than a year away from the sport, she has unsurprisingly fielded questions from reporters on a video her sister, Serena, recently posted on social media. In the video, the younger Williams sister looks as athletic as she did during her career, crushing huge groundstrokes that were such a nightmare for her opponents. So, is there a Serena comeback on the cards, too? 'I mean, I keep saying to my team: 'The only thing that would make this better is if she was here,' like we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,' Venus told reporters ahead of her return, per the Associated Press. 'But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know.' Williams went on to tell reporters about a recent training session that her sister briefly joined, remarking at how well she was still striking the ball after time away from the court. Serena – who won 23 grand slam singles titles, 14 in doubles with her sister and two mixed doubles titles – last played competitively at the 2022 US Open. 'She can take six months off and she clocks it clean,' Williams said. 'You can't teach that kind of talent. She's just so good. I don't know what she's going to do. I don't ask those questions. I think we always hit the ball because that's who we are, we're always hitting.' Venus Williams, a seven-time grand slam singles champion, last played a WTA Tour match in March 2024 when she lost in the opening round of the Miami Open to Russian Diana Shnaider. The 45-year-old's last singles win on the tour was in 2023 against Russia's Veronika Kudermetova in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. She is currently without a ranking and is listed as 'inactive' on the WTA website. 'You know, I believe in love and those around me, so my family, my friends,' Williams said of her desire to continue playing. 'They keep me going and keep me grounded. 'Those are the people that are there for you when the things are lowest. They're there for you also when the things are highest because also it's hard too when you're high and trying to maintain that and trying to deal with what's happening when you're high and low. 'So, the love always gets you through.'
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Can Jayden Daniels' second act land the Commanders in the Super Bowl?
The second act of Jayden Daniels' NFL career will come with high expectations – for himself and the Washington Commanders. In 2024, the Commanders made the NFC championship game, with their rookie quarterback as the main reason. For a franchise devoid of success for more than two decades and a carousel at quarterback, Daniels was more than a revelation. He took on a mystic presence. He was a savior. Now the Commanders will enter the 2025 season considered Super Bowl contenders (fair or not) and Daniels will be on MVP shortlists. An ESPN poll that took the temperature of NFL executives and coaches left Daniels as the No. 5-ranked quarterback in the league. Ahead of him were the powerful AFC quartet of quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. 'I gotta go out there and prove myself each and every day, no matter if it was last season, this season, 10, 20 years down the road,' Daniels said in May, 'you have to prove yourself each and every season. 'Outside noise doesn't matter,' he continued, 'have to go there and keep proving yourself.' MORE: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and the Super Bowl: 'It's on his heart. It's on his mind.' Taken second overall in the new Commanders regime by general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, Daniels carried over his production from Louisiana State to the pros. He rushed for the most yards ever by a rookie quarterback (891). The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner completed 69% of his passes and threw 25 touchdowns – five of which came in the final 30 seconds of regulation or overtime – to nine interceptions. He easily won Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Off the field, Daniels was instrumental in catalyzing the culture change Quinn instilled from the top of the organization down. 'He's an amazing teammate. The amount of work that he puts in that goes unseen here to get ready to play, to learn it, to teach others to, you know, connect the guys … there is no flinch in Jayden Daniels,' Quinn said in May. 'He's as focused and relentless as you could about getting better. And so that's why I said for us around here, like, man, we appreciate that and there's a lot of things that, he and the rest of us are really digging in hard on to say, 'All right, can we get this better?'' Jayden Daniels' 2025 NFL season goals? From learning to mastery Throughout Daniels' first full offseason as a pro, the coaching staff and the quarterback concentrated on taking aspects of his game from 'really good' to 'elite' with the goal of being 'the best at this concept,' Quinn said. The freedom an offseason provides was new to Daniels. Some of that was difficult to navigate, Daniels said, but he leaned on his support system. 'It was fun just to sit back and reflect and figure out how I'm going to move throughout this offseason and move forward,' Daniels said. For offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, that meant receiving plenty of texts and calls from Daniels, who is a football junkie. Kingsbury didn't have to give him any homework. 'His mind is never very far away from the game, so if he sees something or has a thought, he likes to reach out and talk through it,' Kingsbury said in May. 'And so that relationship has really grown, I think kind of figuring out where we want to continue to get better at. 'That's all he kind of thinks about is how he can get better and watches a ton of film, watches a ton of football overall. And so, that organically really takes care of itself in a way when you have a guy who wants to be that great.' A potential head-coach candidate once again, Kingsbury, quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough were all retained by the Commanders this offseason with the goal of providing a stable 'ecosystem,' in the words of Peters, for Daniels. MORE: Washington Commanders reveal alternate uniforms that nod to their Super Bowl glory 'It's huge,' Kingsbury said of the continuity at Daniels' disposal. 'I think you look traditionally through the NFL, the guys who've had a ton of success have been able to stay in those long-term, all-time greats and just the comfort level and then you being able to take the ownership of it and understand it inside and out, where now you're correcting people, you don't even need the coaches. And he's kind of getting to that point.' Going into Year 2, Kingsbury said, Daniels shifted from learning to mastery of the scheme. Daniels said 'transparency' between he and Kingsbury has improved; he relays what he likes, Kingsbury offers his viewpoints and they agree on the middle ground. 'Just watching him move around, he's not thinking as much, he's playing fast and letting his natural gifts kind of take over and that's what we want to see,' Kingsbury said. 'So, I expect him to take a big jump.' The spotlight will only increase. The Commanders are scheduled to play in 10 standalone windows this season, starting Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers on "Thursday Night Football." Commanders have 'massive opportunity' with Jayden Daniels on rookie contract Throughout last season, Daniels faced questions regarding his durability. The 6-foot-4 passer is listed at a generous 210 pounds. Big hits he took in the first month of the season didn't assuage those concerns. Daniels suffered a rib injury against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 20 following a long run that affected him for the better part of a month. Neither the Commanders nor Daniels had any specific weight goals or bulking desires for the offseason. Quinn said he's where he expects Daniels to be on the scale, but that working out more has naturally made him leaner. 'He knows what he has to do to protect himself and where he feels comfortable playing,' Kingsbury said. 'But the arm strength, it looks better and you can tell he's stronger, there's no doubt.' While Daniels improved himself, Peters improved the roster. He brought back key veterans who bonded with Daniels in tight end Zach Ertz, linebacker Bobby Wagner and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. He traded for wideout Deebo Samuel, formerly with the San Francisco 49ers, and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Commanders used their first-round draft pick on offensive lineman Josh Conerly. 'We have a massive opportunity, and you know, none of us are taking that lightly,' Commanders owner Josh Harris said regarding Daniels' rookie contract in February after the team's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game. But Daniels' favorite target, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, and the front office are locked into a contract standoff that has devolved from standard to bitter. In Quinn's mind, whoever Daniels is working with on the field has the benefit of working with a leader who understands the larger goal. 'I know he's worked hard through the offseason, but he's just in command of the things that he wanted to work,' Quinn said. 'He and his teammates, they've really put in a lot of work together. 'You can sense when people are going for it and you know, he's certainly one that is.'
