How Daniel Amigo went from benchwarmer to pro prospect under Rodney Billups at DU

The ink was still drying on Rodney Billups’ contract to become the next men’s basketball coach at the University of Denver when he vowed to turn a benchwarmer into a focal point.

In March 2016, Billups agreed to return to his alma mater after spending six years as an assistant on Tad Boyle’s staff at Colorado. About an hour before he was formally introduced, Billups spoke to his team for the first time in the Pioneers’ locker room. Billups told them about his plans to scrap the Princeton style offense they’d been running under Joe Scott in favor of one that was faster and allowed for more freelancing.

Then Billups addressed the player who would be critical in helping the Pioneers make that transition.

“My very first meeting with the team, Daniel Amigo was sitting in the front row,” Billups said. “I looked at him in front of the team, in front of then A.D. Peg Bradley-Doppes, in front of the entire group that was there at the time, and I said, ‘I’m going to make you a player.'”

Amigo, a 6-foot-10 center, was buried on the bench after two seasons at Denver. As a sophomore, he averaged just 5.5 minutes per game. Billups believed a more uptempo style could unlock his potential. He was right. Amigo developed into a 15.5-points-per-game scorer as a junior. He earned Summit League All-Second team honors in 2017 and 2018.

Two years after that initial meeting in the Pioneer’s locker room, Amigo is preparing to play professionally — whether that’s in the United States or overseas.

“The first two years were pretty rough under Joe Scott,” Amigo said Monday following a pre-draft workout with the Nuggets at Pepsi Center. “Didn’t really play that much. Didn’t really get the opportunity. Billups came in and gave me the opportunity. Got to play. Obviously, he prepared me a lot better. We do a lot more skill work in our practices, so that prepared me a lot better too.”

Amigo worked out with a group that included Nevada’s Cody Martin, Australia’s William McDowell-White, Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield, Stanford’s Reid Travis and Canisius’ Isaiah Reese. It’s highly unlikely an NBA team will take him at next month’s draft, but Monday’s workout gave him a chance to compete against other college and international players who could be second-rounders.

“Obviously, growing up the NBA was my dream,” Amigo said. “I’m going to keep working hard. If I get the opportunity to play at (NBA) Summer League, I’ll do that. But if not I want to go overseas and play there, play a couple years and hopefully get in the NBA after that.”

Amigo grew up in El Paso, Texas. He had scholarship offers from mid-majors such as Stephen F. Austin and UTEP. He chose Denver over those in-state schools for a reason most Texans might consider insane: He preferred bundling up rather than getting burned.

“I was just looking to get out of Texas,” Amigo said. “I wasn’t really digging the heat, so I was trying to get out here to Colorado. I like the cold.”

Amigo liked the weather. The style of offense the Pioneers played was a different story.

“Under Joe Scott in the Princeton offense you couldn’t really do much,” Amigo said. “No freedom. Under Billups, you had a lot more freedom. You could do whatever you want to do on the court.”

Less structure suited Amigo. As a senior, he averaged 15.3 points on 52.1 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He recorded seven double-doubles, which was tied for most in the Summit League.

Amigo’s chances of finding a landing spot in the NBA straight next year are considered a long shot. Even if it doesn’t happen, there still figure to be doors open for him overseas. Amigo made a name for himself in the last half of his career with the Pioneers.

“Really I just gave him an opportunity,” Billups said. “I thought after watching him for his first two years, he never really got a chance. … I thought with his athleticism and his skill and his ability to play defense and guard multiple positions, I thought playing fast would be great for him. I just gave him the ball and let him show you guys and the fans what he could do.”