Quinn Denker wasn’t supposed to end up at the University of Northern Colorado.
Coming off an impressive individual season at Idaho last year — in which he led the Vandals and finished top-15 in the Big Sky Conference in both points (12.5) and assists (3.7) per game — the 6’3” combo guard had a number of suitors interested.
“When I entered the portal, the last thing I thought I would do was go to another Big Sky school,” Denker said.
At the end of the process, he found himself deciding between UNC and Pepperdine in Malibu, California. Denker joked that even members of his own family were calling him crazy for considering coming to Greeley.
But, after a little academic clarity — more than 50 credits wouldn’t transfer to Pepperdine — and a lot of prayer, Denker said the decision was an easy one.
“At the end of the day, it just completely came down to values — my values match their values, and that’s why it’s been so seamless ever since I’ve been here,” Denker said.
Denker valued the same thing this UNC team did: winning.
“Going back to recruiting him, the one thing he kept saying is, ‘I just want to win,’ ” coach Steve Smiley said. “Quinn was a great player in our league last year,” Smiley said. “That is a great program. Their coach is really good, but they didn’t win as much as they wanted to last year. And I think that was just his whole goal, wherever he was, he just wanted to win.”
Denker excelled in his first year in a Vandals uniform, but Idaho went just 11-21, 5-13 in Big Sky play and bowed unceremoniously out of the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
“When I was at Idaho, I experienced a lot of individual success,” Denker said. “But it was super empty because our team wasn’t winning.”
That desire to win brought Denker to the Bears — despite some circumstances that would’ve deterred plenty of other players. For starters (pun intended), UNC was bringing back both guards — Jaron Rillie and Zach Bloch — from a team that finished second in the Big Sky last season.
“I knew going into it, the UNC Bears had a starting backcourt that was returning,” Denker said. “I knew that super well going into it, and I didn’t really care. I just wanted to be part of something bigger than myself.”
Denker spoke with a number of players returning from last year’s squad, but a conversation he had with Jaron Rillie really stood out to him. The two had a mutual respect after matching up last year while Denker was with Idaho, and Denker said he didn’t want to come in and “ruffle any feathers.”
He peppered Rillie with questions, ultimately asking him what his goals were for the upcoming season. Safe to say, Denker liked the answer he got.
“It resonated with me, because I wanted to play with guys who had big goals and big dreams,” he said. “I don’t want to play with guys that are shooting for average. I want guys who are shooting for the top spot, who want to be Player of the Year, who want to win the conference, go to March Madness. Those are the guys I want to be surrounded with.”
This Bears roster has as good — if not better — of a shot as any in recent memory of reaching those goals. Since the beginning of the season, Smiley has been steadfast in his message that this team has seven starters: the five who open games, plus Denker and Marcell McCreary.
“This is one of the deepest teams I’ve ever been on, because no matter what kind of night it its, there’s always going to be at least one person who’s going to have a night,” Denker said. “So when you have that, you’re going to be in every single game.”
University of Northern Colorado’s Quinn Denker shoots over a defender during UNC’s 76-52 win over Weber State on Sunday in Boise, Idaho, during the second round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. (Courtesy/Big Sky Conference)Bringing the juice
The energy Denker brings to this UNC squad is obvious to anyone who’s spent time around the team. Even watching the Bears warm up before a game, Denker’s passion and enthusiasm shines through.
“I’m a big believer that if you care too much about everything, you really don’t care about anything at all,” Denker said. “So I only care strongly about a very few things, but when I do care about something, I give it all my energy, because that’s what I want to be giving my energy to.”
Smiley thought back to a video he saw of Denker at a practice while he was at Idaho. He immediately noticed the juice Denker brought — so much so, he almost couldn’t believe it was genuine.
“They had him mic’d up and he was bringing so much energy to the whole thing, and I was like, ‘Is this real or staged?’ ” Smiley said. “I tell you this: It’s real. It’s not staged. He brings juice in the film sessions. We practiced at 11 a.m. (Monday) after we finished the game at 8 o’clock last night. And he’s out there bringing juice. He’s wired the right way.”
Not done yet
Denker came to UNC thinking this would very possibly be his last year of college basketball.
He was attempting to get a waiver related to COVID, but having played a year at West Valley College — a community college in Saratoga, California — a year at Division II California State San Marcos and a year at Idaho, there was no guarantee this would not be his true senior year.
Following a lawsuit granting Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an extra year of NCAA eligibility due to spending time at the junior college level, Denker was one of many athletes across the country to gain a bonus year of eligibility.
He says he plans on spending that last year in a Bears uniform.
“I really believe God brought me here for a reason,” Denker said. “It’s obviously been a miracle. I’ve loved every single second of it — and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
With a corner three in the second half of Sunday night’s second-round game, Denker scored his 1,000th career point — a feat not many can claim.
But he has his sights set beyond that — at least by a few days. His goal — along with the rest of this UNC team — is simple: win the Big Sky Tournament.
Denker and the rest of this Bears team will have an opportunity to get one step closer to that goal at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when they face Montana State in the third round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
UNC swept Montana State this season — winning 83-82 on Jan. 9 in Bozeman and 73-66 a month later in Greeley — though the Bobcats have been tough come tournament time recently, winning each of the past three Big Sky tournaments to qualify for March Madness.
Montana State advanced to the semifinal game with an 80-60 drubbing of Idaho State in a quarterfinal game Monday evening.
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