Contact CU Independent Editor-in-Chief Tommy Wood at thomas.c.wood@colorado.edu
The University of Denver has hired CU assistant coach Rodney Billups as its new head basketball coach, DU announced at a press conference Monday. He replaces Joe Scott, who was fired for a lack of postseason success.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling that I have to return back to DU,” Billups said in a release from DU. “My first priority will always be the student-athletes and their development in the classroom, on the basketball court and in the community as model citizens.”
Billups worked for Colorado’s basketball program for six years. He was hired as director of basketball operations in 2010 and has been an assistant coach since 2012. Billups is a Denver native and played his college ball at DU; he averaged 8.5 points, 4.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in his career and led the Pioneers to the NIT in 2005.
After that, he played professionally in Latvia and Finland before coming back stateside and getting into coaching.
“Rodney Billups has all the qualities to be a terrific head coach at the Division I level,” Buffs head coach Tad Boyle said in a release. “The University of Denver has made a great choice in naming Rodney Billups as their head basketball coach.”
Billups, echoing his former boss, said that his Denver teams will play fast and that his philosophies “will always be defense and rebounding.”
There’s no word on whether Billups will coach with Colorado through the NCAA Tournament, where the Buffs open play against UConn on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
