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Home , Brock Osweiler, Danny Trevathan, Josh Scott (basketball), Von Miller, Wade Phillips

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Best Guess for When Denver who often looked confused, disinterested or for whenever he’s on the ice. Moreover, he’s Best Sports Team — College Will Go Back to the Super some combination thereof. But Barton was still a mere 25, meaning that he’s got plenty University of Colorado Boulder Bowl a big exception. When he came to Denver in of time to become the difference-maker so men’s team 2018 a 2015 trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, many prognosticators envisioned. The shift to the Pac-12 hasn’t been pretty for Since the Broncos triumphed in he was a little-known quantity in these parts. Readers’ choice: Matt Duchene the CU Buffs football team, which would 50 earlier this year, a lot of things have hap- But he soon made a name for himself off have to improve measurably to be considered pened, many of them troubling. Malik Jack- the bench, bringing much-needed energy, Best Sports Team — mediocre. But the school’s basketballers son, and David Bruton, key offensive creativity and hops so impressive Professional have become consistently strong perform- role players on the defensive squad that was that he was invited to take part in this year’s ers, regularly besting ranked opponents and primarily responsible for the victory, have NBA All-Star slam-dunk competition. And You were expecting us to pick someone challenging for the opportunity to take part been lured away by big free-agent bucks, and even though he frequently comes off the else? Commentators continue to refer to in March Madness. And while the outfit is with ’s retirement anchored by senior Josh Scott, a mix of and the mutiny of — promising sophomores and juniors — the heir-apparent signal caller who including George King, Josh Fortune wasn’t — the situation is and Dominique Collier — provides uncertain at best. Yet the team’s core hope that the Buffs will continue to talent remains — and remains hungry. get better and better as time goes on. Give the brain trust a year to put the Readers’ choice: DU Hockey pieces back together, then get ready for another run for glory. Best Coach — Readers’ choice: 2020 Professional Best Bronco In the past, this award has always gone to a head coach. But while Broncos boss We loved Von Miller before loving Von deserves credit for help- Miller was cool: He first won his Best ing his charges navigate a season filled Bronco award in 2012, when he was a with more than its share of melodrama, rookie, and we’ve been on the band- the real hero was defensive coach Phil- wagon ever since. This year, though, lips, who took a group of players that he took his Von-ness to a new level. had been good in the past and trans- His hilarious sack dances — including formed them into planet-toppers by the Key & Peele-inspired routine that way of an aggressive philosophy that earned him a fine from the NFL — pre- unleashed their inner beasts. From figured his naming as a contestant on game one, the D was terrific, which the next edition of Dancing With the only makes its steady improvement Stars; he’s a master when it comes to through the regular season and into Instagram and Snapchat; and his in- the playoffs that much more astonish- terviews (about, among other things, ing. Phillips’s previous stints with the his obsession with raising chickens) Broncos, including his two seasons as are consistently bizarre and hilarious. head coach during the early ’90s, hardly Oh, yeah: He was also the Most Valu- prepared us for the majesty he would able Player during in produce: gridiron brilliance that led every way imaginable. No wonder we directly to a win in Super Bowl 50. And love Miller time. as a bonus, he got to see Lady Gaga! Readers’ choice: Von Miller Readers’ choice: Gary Kubiak Best Rockie Best Coach — College | BACKBEAT | CAFE | ART | THEATER | MOVIES | NIGHT+DAY | THE Nolan MESSAGE | OFF LIMITS | CALHOUN | ¡ASK A MEXICAN! | LETTERS | CONTENTS | WORST-CASE SCENARIO | Arenado , University of You’d think being the best Rockie Colorado Boulder men’s wouldn’t be that tough, given how bad basketball team the team was last year. But Arenado Before Boyle’s arrival, CU basketball would have been the top player on had experienced some great moments

WESTWORD plenty of other, much better squads, too. bench, he’s the team’s second-leading scorer, the 2015-2016 season as a roller coaster, (a lot of them related to ’s He hits for power, slugging a team-leading behind only the oft-injured Danilo Gallinari. but it came close to being a trainwreck, time on the squad), but hadn’t become the 42 home runs in 2015. But he’s also a great In a unit that has underachieved, Barton’s with Peyton Manning throwing more in- kind of program that was strong year in situational batter, which explains how he done the opposite. terceptions than as he aged and year out. But after turning around the managed to average a very solid .287 even Readers’ choice: Kenneth Faried before our eyes. But the defense helped the Northern Colorado Bears, he’s done the same as he racked up an impressive 177 hits and team win games it should have lost, with a at CU, where his teams have won more than

XX, 2008 XX, drove in 130 runs. Moreover, his fielding is Best Av late-season from the now-departed twenty games — a major-conference mark outstanding, as he demonstrated during a Matt Duchene Brock Osweiler, who stepped in when Man- of excellence — for five of his six years at the

onth flipping, back-twisting grab last April against Matt Duchene comes in for plenty of criti- ning’s poor play and assorted injuries made helm. No wonder students at the Boulder the San Francisco Giants that was one of the cism, in part because he was foreseen to be benching him a necessity. Then Manning campus pack every home game. In Tad they most frequently replayed defensive high- a truly transcendent player, and thus far he’s returned in heroic fashion just in time for trust — as well they should. XX–M lights of the year. been only a very good one for a team that a march through a killer playoff schedule, Readers’ choice: Tad Boyle Readers’ choice: Nolan Arenado seems ready to take the next step quality- capped by the best sort of victory in Super onth

M wise but hasn’t been consistent enough to do Bowl 50 — one that was both unexpected in Best Sports Announcer Best Nugget it. Still, Duchene is typically the Avs’ biggest many quarters and richly satisfying. Aren’t Alan Roach Will Barton goal-scorer and points-generator, as well as you glad you were there to see it? Plenty of local media observers were shocked 42 It was another lost season for the Nuggets, the one player that opponents must account Readers’ choice: Denver Broncos when KOA pink- continued on page 44