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Denver broke up much of its fall practice into small groups, generally grouping players together by class and who was splitting an apartment.

It’s not hard to imagine how excited the Pioneers’ coaching staff was when a group including attackman Ethan Walker, defenseman Colin Squires, short-stick defensive midfielders Danny Logan and Kyle Smith and Yale transfers Lucas Cotler and Jackson Morrill showed up for a workout.

That would be the core of a good team any year, but in 2021, it’s a group of fifth-year players who will make up the backbone of the Pioneers. (That’s not to mention another Yale fifth-year prospect that popped up this week, NCAA all-time leading faceoff specialist TD Ierlan, who has expressed interest in transferring to Denver if the Ivy League cancels the season.)

Perhaps most encouraging is how quickly Cotler and Morrill are already blending into Denver’s explosive offense.

“The best part about Lucas and Jackson is they didn’t have to prove themselves,” coach Bill Tierney said. “We all knew they were great players. We all knew they came from a program that had been to two championship games in the last two years and brought a certain bit of confidence and experience to our team.”

Morrill was one of the most notable offseason pickups in the sport, and for good cause. Never flashy but always productive, he was an exceptional avatar for Yale’s program as it emerged to win its first national title in 2018 and came within a victory of repeating the following year.

He’ll slide into an attack spot along with Walker, and Cotler should contend for a substantial role as well. Their familiarity figures to help acclimate both to the Mile High City, though the fall was spent figuring out how they would fit in Denver’s scheme.

“There’s no ego when you talk about Jackson Morrill or Lucas Cotler,” Tierney said. “It’s kind of the mantra of our team, anyway — Danny Logan, Ethan Walker, all the returning captains. All Lucas and Jackson wanted to do was be on a good team, a team that cared and having coaches concerned about their health and safety and education. So far, so good.”

One of the few questions facing the Pioneers is exactly how they will spread the wealth with such a deep roster. Walker will become a five-year mainstay this spring. Senior midfielder Jack Hannah, whom Tierney considers the most competitive lacrosse player he’s coached in his lengthy career, is coming off a breakout season.

Midfielders Alex Simmons and Ted Sullivan are also still around after starting last season, and that’s just the start of a hefty list of options. On the surface, the biggest headache for Denver’s offense might be the limit of one ball on the field at a time — and even then, they can control whether that’s a problem.

“If guys like Ethan and Jackson can live with one day walking off the field with one assist and knowing had they impact by being a hockey-assist guy or making a great pass or picking up a ground ball or getting a ride back and the next day not playing real well and ending up with five goals — if they can live with that, which I know they can, that’s going to be key,” Tierney said. “There is only one ball, and you can either leave it in one stick and die by the sword or cut it into a lot of pieces and live by sharing the ball.”

TOP RETURNERS

Jack Hannah, M, Sr.

Hannah, who scored a career-high 17 goals and added 10 assists in six games last season, belongs in any conversation involving the nation’s top midfielders. He’ll likely anchor the Pios’ top line this year.

Danny Logan, SSDM, Gr.

The do-everything fifth-year senior is a two-way threat, but his greatest value comes on defense (seven caused turnovers) and on faceoff wings (15 ground balls). Expect him to be as reliable as anyone on Denver’s roster.

Ethan Walker, A, Gr.

With Denver cleaning up on the transfer market, the biggest winner could be Walker. The lefty ranks fifth on the Pioneers’ career goals list with 142, just 46 behind Wesley Berg’s program record.

KEY ADDITION

Jackson Morrill, A, Gr.

A shrewd attackman with 220 career points (second in Yale history) who played in two national title games and has a point in 55 consecutive games? Yeah, he’ll help the Pioneers.

ENEMY LINES

“I think they wear the sleeve of their coach. Very consistent. I really like the way they played offense. I know we had success on our offense against their defense. I think they were a little inconsistent in the cage, but I think they have a very good scheme defensively. But offensively, you really don’t know what’s coming. They play free, they play loose, they play fast and that’s what makes them scary at times.”

“Ever since they started seriously competing for a championship, they’ve been excellent and you always expect them to be a really good offensive team. They’ve got a couple of key guys back that you didn’t expect to be back. They’ll be terrific.”

“On paper, they’re the best team in the Big East. Their top six is just really good. When you bring in a kid like Jackson Morrill, he’s somebody they haven’t had in a couple years. I think they got the ultimate quarterback. He’ll actually free up Ethan Walker to do more. … They’re good at the X, and their defense will be much better than it was last year. They were young pups. They’re a little bit older. Experience helps. They’ve seen some stuff. I think without a doubt they’ll be the top team in the Big East. Their top six, you can put them with anybody in the country.”

NUMBERS GAME

66

Players on Denver’s roster this season. The ultra-deep Pioneers brought back eight of last year’s 12 seniors, added a normal freshman class and were busy on the transfer market, giving them a plethora of options for the 2021 season.