Cats 74, Griz 58: Second half and game impressions
I do not have a lot to say. This was the worst half of basketball the Griz have played all season.
Montana closed the first half and opened the second half with a flurry of made threes. It looked good at the time but couldn't have been more detrimental to the final outcome.
Throughout the entire second half, the Griz jacked up poor outside shot after poor outside shot. It was dreadful. Every time the Griz went inside, points were there for the taking. The inside-out game was there. The 25-foot treys and fadeaway jumpers were not.
When MSU made their run and grabbed the game, the Griz didn't put up an ounce of effort as they fell to the canvas. The Cats were the more disciplined and efficient team. Throughout the game, they stuck to their gameplan and ran a balanced offense. The Griz did not. They panicked, tried to be heroes, fell behind and tried to jack up threes.
The Griz have not won a D1 game in more than a month. It's been since the weekend following Thanksgiving. Depressing, huh? This 07-08 season doesn't feel like last year anymore. It's worse.
Montana closed the first half and opened the second half with a flurry of made threes. It looked good at the time but couldn't have been more detrimental to the final outcome.
Throughout the entire second half, the Griz jacked up poor outside shot after poor outside shot. It was dreadful. Every time the Griz went inside, points were there for the taking. The inside-out game was there. The 25-foot treys and fadeaway jumpers were not.
When MSU made their run and grabbed the game, the Griz didn't put up an ounce of effort as they fell to the canvas. The Cats were the more disciplined and efficient team. Throughout the game, they stuck to their gameplan and ran a balanced offense. The Griz did not. They panicked, tried to be heroes, fell behind and tried to jack up threes.
The Griz have not won a D1 game in more than a month. It's been since the weekend following Thanksgiving. Depressing, huh? This 07-08 season doesn't feel like last year anymore. It's worse.
MARTIN LET HIS MAN DRIVE BY HIM 4 TIMES FOR EASY LAYUPS. RUNDELS IS NOT A DIVISION ONE PLAYER. NO HEAD FOR THE GAME,CAN NOT PLAY DEFENSE. STRAIT DOESNT PLAY TOUGH INSIDE DEFENCE AND DOESNT REBOUND WELL AND DOESNT PASS THE BALL.HASQUET FORCES
TO MUCH, GETS TO EMOTIONAL TO A FAULT. STAUDACHER NEEDS TO SHOOT MORE. TAYLOR IS PLAYING BETTER EACH GAME.
WE DONT PRESS AT ALL,WE OUTLET PASS AND TRY TO GET LAY UPS, WEDID ONCE AND GOT A KICK TO MARTIN WHO WAS OPEN AND SET FOR A THREE.THIS TEAM DOES NOT PLAY WELL TOGEATHER,STANDS AROUND ON OFFENCE,DOES NOT BLOCK OUT
HAS NO CONFIDENCE,DOESNT SET SCREENS WORTH A CRAP,AND PLAYS DUMB FOR STRETCHES WHICH REALLY KILLS OUR CHANCES TO WIN.
WE HAVE NO CHANCE OF WINNING THE BSC AND THAT IS SAD AS THE CONFRENCE IS WEAK WEAK.
MONTANA BASKETBALL IS SLIDING TO THE DEPTHS AFTER KRYSCO LEFT US AND I AM SAD TO SAY WE ARE NOT LIKELY TO SEE THIS TURN AROUND. LETS HOPE IM WRONG.
TINKS BEST LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND STOP BLAMING THE KIDS. THEY JUST NEED TO BE COACHED!
I have to admit, i didn't read much further than 'Rundles is not a division one player' in the first comment. Are you new to Griz hoops this year? It wasn't Griz fans who voted him frosh of the year. He's not playing great right now but come on.
Another thing: look at LK's recruits. Who plays besides Cam and sometimes Sharp? What happed to Gus and Swift? Where's Graves and Big Dave?
It's not all on the coaches and not all on the players. Everyone try to get a grip, there's plenty of blame to go around.
- Colin
What the Griz need is a change of philosophy in what is now the first option.
There should be no, first option.
Right now, we waste time trying to force the middle. Every once in awhile, when the bigs actually work hard
enough to get themselves open, the guards will get them the ball and occasionally they score it. The problem is
all the GOOD outside opportunities missed, WASTING that time going around and around trying to make a an
another opening to the inside. Usually the guards are forced to take a desperation shot from outside,
BECAUSE, the bigs aren't working hard enough to get open.
Put your two best big men on the floor with your three best outside shooters, and give the most experienced
guard the authority to go to what he sees as the best first shot, and trust him. It can't be any worse than what we
are now doing.
As it sits now, we waste way to much shot clock trying to manufacture a way to get the ball inside first. Many of
the long shots are not good shots because of the lack of time left on the shot clock after wasting much of it
looking for something that isn't there.
Put in and practice as many set plays for medium and long range jump shots, as there are for inside shots. Coach
has to give the lead guard the freedom to run the game, without fear of being benched for not trying to always
force it in first.
If the inside is open, throw it in. If the inside is not open, quit wasting time looking for a new way to force it in.
Tell the guards waive the bigs out and drive hard to the basket and draw fouls, and/or dish to a wing for a long
shot when the defense collapses on him, even if there is 20 seconds left on the shot clock.
This will bring up the long shot average, because the guards will actually be able to take a decent shot, as
compared to a desperation shot taken to beat the shot clock.
Like I said:
"A change of philosophy in what is now the first option".
"There should be NO, first option".
"Give the most experienced guard the authority to go to what he sees as the best first shot, and trust him."
"It can't be any worse than what we are now doing".
trent leduc,
I think we must be talking about two different games.
Actually, Martin split his time between Mecklen who only got 7 points and Durham, who only got 8 points.
The only time Martin got beat was on a couple of switches, when Taylor had already beaten his man and Martin tried to save it. Taylor almost always beats the switch against anyone on any team.
The Griz ran three different defenders at Carlos Taylor. Ryan Staudacher started on him, and picked up two fouls in seven minutes. After that, Elgin-Taylor and Rundles took turns holding him to a mere 34 points.
The only shots Martin took at Carlos Taylor was after Taylor had already beaten his man on a switch. A late call for a switch after you are already beat is no fault of Martin's.
Martin held his man/men to under double figures.
you must have been watching a different game as i saw him get beat off the dribble four times, thre times first half one time second half.I DONT LIKE TO PUT DOWN ANY GRIZ PLAYER AND ACTUALLY LIKE HIS OVERALL GAME AND THINK HE SHOULD BE OUR STARTING POINT GUARD. WE DONT HAVE A REAL QUICK ATHLETIC POINT SO WE NEED TO PLAY SMART AND ZONE MORE . THE ZONE ALMOST GOT US A WIN AT CAL FULLERTON. THIS TEAM DOESNT PLAY WELL TOGEATHER ON OFFENCE OR HELP EACH OTHER ON DEFENSE.
I just know something is not right with this club and hope they get things turned around.
Ialso like coach tinkle and was glad he got the job.I am not to impressed with what i have seen so far.But i am counting on him to get the problems solved, he is the head coach and is paid to do just that.
I don't really mean Martin doesn't get beat a few times, I'm just saying he got beat a lot less than the 3 different guys on Carlos Taylor. Everyone who plays the game will get beat several times in a game. That wasn't the problem, It was all the, many more times, the guys covering Carlos Taylor got beat.
Other than that, I like your assessment of the Griz situation, however, I depart from you on Tinkle. He was a reasonable big man player in his day, but understands nothing about guard play. If The Griz would have kept Brad Huse, and sent Tinkle to MSU, the Griz would have the better record, because Huse has the ability to see what talent he has and utilize that talent. Tinkle only knows, "Get it to the big", and if it isn't there, waste time trying to force something inside until shot clock danger.
Tinkle isn't ready to be a head coach, and won't be until scraps his Old, Old, Old techniques and gets into the modern day world of, fast/screen/slash and/or kick to 3 point, basketball.
GAR,
YES ALL GUARDS GET BEAT BUT WE GAVE THEM LITTLE HELP.
I AM AFRAID YOU BRING UP SOME VALIDE POINTS. GOOD POST.
COLN
JUST BECAUSE A PLAYER WINS ACCOLADES AS A FRESHMAN DOESNT MAKE HIM A GOOD SOPHMORE. CAM HAS ALWAYS HAD A TOUGH TIME ON DEFENSE AND THIS YEAR IS SHOOTING AROUND 30% FROM THE FIELD.ALSO HE HAS TROUBLE WITH THE PRESS. I FEEL HE IS NOT A POINT GUARD.HE SHOLD ONLY PLAY THE 2 AND I THINK HIS GAME WILL TURN AROUND SOME.
HE PLAYED VERY LITTLE PT. AS A FROSH.
WE HAVE STOCKTON AND TAYLOR COMING IN NEXT YEAR WHICH WILL SHORE THAT POSITION UPAND CEYLON TAYLOR SEEMS TO IMPROVE EACH GAME. I THINK MARTIN SHOULD START AT PT. THIS YEAR BUT TINKS PLAYS HIM ONLY SPARINGLY AT PT. AND THAT PROBABLY WONT CHANGE. I JUST THINK CAM SHOULD COME OF BENCH AS DO MOST OF OUR GROUP DOWN HERE IN THE FLATHEAD. WE ALL HOPE HE TURNS INTO ALL CONFRENCE PLAYER BUT HE HAS ALONG WAY TO GO.
ANYWAY LETS ALL HOPE TINKS TURNS THIS THING AROUND AND WE FINISH STRONG AS ALL GOOD GRIZ FANS WANT.
I disagree a bit on the PG thing. I think he was at his best last year when he was playing the 1. When he ran things, the Griz offense ran the most efficiently it ran all year. He wasn't the defensive stopper BE was but he was a much better floor general on the offensive end. Better than Martin in that respect as well. This year, that's not the case. I don't know what it is, but the right mentality just doesn't seem to be there.
As far as this year goes, I think Martin and Cam should probably go off the bench. If I were Tinks, I would try a lineup of CET-Staudacher-Jordo-Strait-Qvale and see how that worked. CET has been great at running the point. He is a pass-first PG who has the ability to drive and put pressure on defenses. We are not seeing either of these from Cam or Martin.
- Colin