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Go to twitter.com/colinokeefe for some comments and pictures from the game and events before it. Or just read the flash thing below. Just have fun guys, just have fun.
Go to twitter.com/colinokeefe for some comments and pictures from the game and events before it. Or just read the flash thing below. Just have fun guys, just have fun.

As far as last game's go, I couldn't ask for much better than Montana State in the playoffs and the students sitting courtside again. Let's hope it goes a little better than my last football game.
This team has the potential, they have the players and now it comes down to putting things together and getting everything out of everyone, including Coach Tinkle. If I were him, here's what I'd have for everyone.
The Griz go for five in a row to stay in the thick of the conference race. The Cats try to pick up a game in the standings to pull even with the Griz. It's Montana, Montana State and all the Phil Buck you can handle. Awesome.
First Half
Second half

It's been a long time since the Griz won a game like this. Over the past two seasons, the Griz have slipped from one of the conference's best teams, then to just a contender and finally to a mediocre squad stuck to the middle of the pack. With last night's 72-65 win over Portland State, a team some thought would go undefeated in conference play, the Griz may once again be one of the conference's elite.
A team that often times lacks intensity and heart finally showed the characteristics a decent team should.
Here's what Vikings coach Ken Bone had to say about the game, from the grizzlyjournal:
“They (Montana) hit some big shots, hit some big threes and... the crowd got into it, and I thought they just did a nice job of executing plays down the stretch and making baskets and we didn’t,” said Portland State Coach Ken Bone.
“I thought our guys played hard, but Montana just deserved to win,” said Bone.
It's odd hearing that quote coming from someone other than Wayne Tinkle. Rarely do we hit the big shots, make stops and end up being the team that deserved to win.
Here's Tinkle and AJ commenting on the team's character, which is no longer acidic and cancerous. From The Missoulian:
“I just think it says a lot about our character,” said Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, whose Griz had been outscored by the Vikings 180-101 in their previous two meetings. “It was a team that had stepped on us the last couple of times we played them. We challenged our guys to respond and show a little bit of Grizzly pride.”
“It's chemistry,” Johnson said. “We talk about potential a lot of the time. That's been the knock on us, when is our potential going to be realized. I think we saw it today, what we can do when we're firing on all cylinders. The chemistry was at a high.”
In conclusion, this victory and what it means for this program is almost bitter sweet. On the positive side, this was a much-needed win, one that thrusts this team and program back into the conference race. But when did beating a conference opponent constitute a signature victory? These are teams we're supposed to, at the very least, split the season series with and now it feels like a legit upset. I hope the next time we beat PSU, preferably in the tournament, it doesn't have close to the same feel.
Photo credit: Jerek Wolcott for Montanagrizzlies.com
First Half
Halftime
Second half
Postgame
First Half
Halftime
Second Half
Postgame
When the Griz went down big early, like they have frequently before, I was already beginning to conjure up titles for this post. Griz are not one of Big Sky's elite stood out more than other options. This team had already gotten trounced by Portland State and looked like it was going to roll over just the same against NAU, who took those Vikings quadruple to (!!) overtime on Sunday.
It's too often that they go down early. Just as frequently, they make a run to get in the game but can't quite get all the way back. Honestly, how rare is it that Griz radio guy Mick Holien doesn't say "no hill for a climber" during a broadcast? For the first time since I can remember, the Griz actually climbed that hill.
The reason? Anthony Johnson picked up this half-assed team and threw them over his shoulder, scoring 32 after dropping 31 on Montana State. Like Tebow in last night's National Championship game, he simply said "there's no effing way we're losing this game," hitting mid-range jumpers and putting himself on the line. In the process, he fired up others, forcing them to bring their game to where he was. McGillis' late no-hesitation 3-point dagger is a prime example.
But why this game? Why did wait until now to show the potential and resilience of a decent team? Glenn Junkert of grizzlyjournal has a quote from Coach Tinkle on the rally:
“But, our rally at halftime was... let’s throw caution to the wind, in not so many words. And our guys responded. It was nice to fight all that way, and get over the top and pull out the win. So many times we’ve fought, fought, fought, fell up short. It was great. And I think that’s what you saw as the horn went off, was the excitement of coming from that much of a deficit and closing it out.”
This team played loose, they played with confidence. They looked like they were having fun. Who knew that was possible? It'll be interesting to see if they take this approach with the offense, possibly moving Johnson back to the off-guard and cutting him loose while CET or Stockton man the point.
I thought these Grizzlies had turned the corner once this season with a win over Texas-Arlington, but that wasn't the case. Maybe this win is finally it, maybe this is a major turning point for this team and Coach Tinkle. Maybe not. But we have Sac State on Saturday. I don't know what the single game scoring record is, but someone may want to check.
While the jail roster appears to be a little off, it looks like that's the case. Maybe another news source has already covered it but I was tipped off today and decided to check the jail releases. Here's what was found:

This is never good news, especially for CET. With AJ getting more and more minutes at the point it'll be interesting to see how he works himself back into the rotation once he comes back from a probable suspension.
It's been a while since the Griz won a game like this.
Kyle Sharp pumped his fist as the clock clicked to 0.0, celebrating the block of a last-second putback attempt. The bench streamed onto the court, high-fives aplenty after they spent the past 90 seconds bouncing around, attempting to bring the relatively few people in Dahlberg to their feet for the final crucial possessions. It was a character game, showing this team may have the heart to do something to be proud of this season.
Players are beginning to find their roles and you can see Tinkle getting a handle on exactly what those are. We're beginning to find a rotation, lineups that work best together and others that do not. Most importantly, this team played its collective ass off.
The guys showed more effort tonight than any other game I can remember under Tinkle's tenure. Guys were taking charges, throwing themselves around for loose balls and pushing the tempo when it was fitting. We're beginning to see the character of a few guys oozing onto the play of others. Jack had a great block and a sneaky steal from the weakside a la Jordan on Malone in the '98 Finals that inspired the play of others. And how many times did you see the second half of that highlight from Anthony Johnson's deadly midrange game? We've certainly found something in this kid.
This can, and probably eventually will, be spread into its own post but Johnson's already large impact on this team is growing game-by-game. Six turnovers is nothing to write home about but he's emerging as one of the team's best leaders and a fan-favorite who's positive attitude is spreading. In the second half, Johnson entered the game with 14:28 to play and the Griz down 37-43. With 6:22 left they were up 56-49, a 13-point swing. I'll acknowledge there were other factors at play but the team played noticeably harder during this stretch.
More than any other time, the last possession spoke the most about this team. You'd prefer not to have the opponent get three shots at the tie but that was a flukey situation around the rim, including one shot that hit the front rim and then clocked Jordo in the face. The Griz played tough D for the length of the 30 second possession, didn't commit a dumb foul and made sure there was no way in hell that ball was going in, no matter how many shots they had to defend. The bench was into it, everyone wanted this bad.
This team finally showed the emotion and heart it takes to be a great team. Now, onto the road we go. Up next is a road trip that includes the University of Washington and Portland State. We'll get to see if last night was was just an exception or the beginning of something good. I think it's the latter but I'll need some convincing.
Photo credit: Jerek Wolcott for Montanagrizzlies.com
Here's a short video on Griz guard Anthony Johnson, done for a journalism class here at the U.
The Montana Grizzlies won a game they were supposed to win tonight, with a 83-63 handling of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. There's a lot to gain from this game. You blow them out and that's what's expected, it's close and you look bad, you lose and it's horrific.
I didn't talk to as many guys as I wanted to tonight but jumped in a little ways into the postgame presser with Coach Tinkle and got a couple quick questions in with Anthony Johnson. Enjoy.
Yea, the song is in about 95 other Youtube sports videos but these are still pretty damn cool.
Like the past two years, hopes and expectations were high going into this basketball season. But unlike last year and the year before that, the Griz were supposed meet those expectations. Tinkle gave the team a new attitude, the cancerous players were gone and we had depth and skill at every position. What a joke that was.
In one game, all the optimism I had for this supposedly changed team has been completely erased. Sure there may be more talent but it's the same damn team. Same slow start, same poor shooting, same lackadaisical defense, same shoddy rebounding and the same ability to roll over at the first sign of resistance.
This team is every bit as heartless as the squad that got destroyed by Portland State on Senior Night. Where's the leadership and fire we were supposed to see? Jesus, McGillis got his first field goal more than halfway through the second half, with the Griz down somewhere around 25. Hasquet goes 3 for 11 from the field and 0 for 4 from the line.
You feel like you have to blame someone but it's tough to know where to look when there were absolutely no positives to draw from this. Why even get on the bus guys? There's not much more to say than it's about time this program got it's act together. Recruit all you want but there's no difference between a good recruit and a bad one when neither shows up on game night. Teams across the Big Sky Conference are smirking tonight. If I were them, I would be too.
The notion that this would be the team that brings Montana basketball back to a state of prominence was cute while it lasted. Well, there is the fact that hardly anyone here follows Griz basketball at this point so maybe no one at home will hear about the drubbing and we'll still get the same terrible crowd down at Dahlberg for when we barely beat Western. Games like this—which are becoming all too frequent—make me wish I wasn't one of the few people who invest so much in Griz basketball.
Tinkle's impressive recruiting continues with the signings of Eric Hutchison and Thurman Woods. Here's some information on the pair from montanagrizzlies.com.
On Hutchison:
Eric Hutchison, a 6-9, 215-pound post player from Mark Morris High School in Longview, Wash., and 6-5, 190-pound forward Thurman Woods from Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif., will join the Grizzlies next season.Hutchison averaged 10.3 points and 8.7 rebounds last year as a junior and shot 58 percent from the field and 72% from the line. He was a first team all-state selection.
"We are very excited to have Eric join our program," said Tinkle. "We identified him a couple of years ago in the recruiting process as our kind of post player. He is a big guy with athleticism. What I really like about him is his motor. For a big man he really plays with a lot of emotion and intensity. He comes from an outstanding high school program at Mark Morris, and we know he has been taught great fundamentals. I think he will remind people of some of our good post players from the past."
On Woods:
Last season Woods averaged 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds for a 30-3 Dominguez Hills team which was ranked 11th in the country, and lost in the C.I.F. championship game.Woods said he chose the Griz over a host of schools that included Montana State, Fresno State, Cal State Northridge, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Oregon State, Stanford, Columbia, UMass and Boston University.
"We are equally as excited to have somebody with Thurman’s athleticism and skill to join our program," Tinkle said. "He comes from one of the top high school programs in the nation. When we were initially recruiting him we thought he might be a notch above, as far as a player who we could get, but he fell in love with Missoula and felt like it would be the best place for him. He will really add a high level of athleticism to our wing position."
Now, let's start winning games. The recruiting is great but this has shades of Notre Dame football. Like Tinkle, Weis is pulling in solid recruits, but neither has reached the level of winning deemed acceptable at their respective programs. Both have plenty of time to get it done though.
Nope. Not happening. You will not find me at Dahlberg Arena when the most talented Lady Griz team in years tips off against the Wyoming Cowgirls. You know why? Because the athletic department—or someone, it doesn't matter—decided to schedule distribution for Cat-Griz on the same day. Well done.
Here's the deal, Cat-Griz tickets don't go on sale until 6:00 pm on Sunday at the UC. But the doors open at 9 and most people will be standing in there all day. The Lady Griz game is at 2:00, right in the middle of the whole thing. I would complain about the game being played in the middle of the afternoon—these ladies deserve a primetime opener—but the game was set before the ticket distribution. To be honest, I like our women's basketball team more than the football team. I don't know why—maybe it's the lack of thugs, great visible leadership, playing at a higher level and as respectable a coach as you can find in the country—but I enjoy cheering for the Lady Griz more than I do our football team. Despite that, I'm not going to missing Cat-Griz. Come on.
You can look at this as just me complaining but Mandy, Sonya & Co. will have next to no students at their home opener. That's pretty damn unfair. Ask the fellas what a rowdy home-opener is like. Getting back to the point, this is unacceptable and idiotic. Can we honestly take half a second to think about pulling all the student sports fans away from our school's best team for their first home game? Jesus that's brainless.
The solution? Ummm.... don't freakin do that. Sell the tickets at night, make kids camp out. Oh the faculty doesn't want kids to miss class? I don't care. That's the student's choice. Make your class not suck. This happens at schools across the country. Gonzaga students after wait hours (twice: once for tickets, once to get in) for every one of their basketball games.
Better idea: tie the Lady Griz game to the sale. Line starts after the game in the arena. Hand some tickets out to random kids who came out and supported their team. Don't pull them away.
The Maroon and Silver Scrimmage, the closest thing we have to Midnight Madness (that's sad), is tonight in Dahlberg Arena. The men are up first, at 6:00, with the ladies following at 8:00.
Here's Tinkle on what he's looking for tonight:
“Hopefully we’ll be able to put on a little bit of show tomorrow night and let the public see our new faces and establish the way we want to play this year,” Griz coach Wayne Tinkle said. “The main thing we’re going to be looking for is the level of intensity we’re going to play with, and then the discipline and execution.“Offensively we want to make sure we’re executing with the pace and tempo that we want. Defensively we want to make sure we’re playing with the aggression that we want.
“Our defense is probably a little bit ahead of our offense right now, so it might not be pretty at this point in the game. Hopefully it doesn’t look like a three-ring circus.”
And Robin:
“I’m hoping our fans will want to get an early peek at this team, because it’s going to be an exciting one,” Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig said. “We return a great bunch of players and have added some exciting newcomers. It’s a fun bunch. We have a chance to be a really good team.
“Tomorrow will be more of a game-like situation, so it’s more fun for the players and it’s a good gauge for the coaches to see where we are. Sometimes you learn things about the players when you’re on the court with officials that you don’t find out in practice. Though hopefully not too much that you don’t already know.”
These should be a few of the more anticipated scrimmages in a few years as both teams bring in a lot of talent.

You know what really is a hoot? Getting up when it's dark out. There's nothing like having your phone alarm go off at 5:30 and having the first thought through your head be genuine concern because your phone must be malfunctioning. So, the first thing I have to say is that I'm impressed that they can do that on a day-to-day basis. I went to practice Thursday and had planned on attempting to go again yesterday. Not even close. Anyway, onto the observations.
These interviews come from the Griz's first practice on Friday. I've been hesitant to put them up because the audio quality is so horrendous. The interview with Tinkle is the only one that's even partially audible. Here's the process that goes into doing these: I first record the interview in a noisy gym and then take what's already poor audio and play it into my MacBook because the Sony recorder I have isn't Mac compatible. It's absolutely fantastic. Anyway, here's coach Tinkle:
As mentioned, the interview with Jack would be impossible to make out if I put it up here as audio. Excerpts...
On chemistry
It's going really good so far, I think Canada helped a lot. It was nice to gauge where we're at in a game-like situation...So far everything's good and I don't see it being a problem throughout the season but I think chemistry's something we have to develop...It's definitely the number one priority of this team.
On leadership
It's an important thing, I'm going to do whatever I can. Number one, lead by example... Also, with that, you gotta be vocal as well. I'm definitely going to focus on those two things but I'm really excited for games to start.
On improvements
I just tried to get better at everything: shooting, handles, mainly just the mental part of the game.
Thoughts on the younger players
They've all done really well so far, they've all stepped up to the challenge of being a freshman. Like all of us, they've got to learn a lot of stuff and go through the process but they're doing really good so far. The JuCo kids are doing really good as well.
Wait for about the 35 second mark. Yeah, this should be fun.
Woods is a supposedly underrated prospect out of hoops powerhouse Dominguez High School in Compton, California. Last month, he was MVP of the 16th Annual Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic, as he led his team, 'The Hood,' to a title in that tournament's 'Gold Division.' Past winners of that award include Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince, Rashard Lewis and Tyson Chandler.
Here's a description of his performance, via Fullcourt Press:
Of the nation’s top sleepers, Woods was an “impact” player all weekend long – scoring inside at a very high clip, showing off a potent mid-range game and flushing down thunderous dunks in transition. Very good student (getting serious attention from Ivies like Columbia) had 25 points/12 boards in a semi-final win over California Select. Top 100-150 caliber prospect with potential to be higher.
Another great get for Tinkle. I'm kind of upset I won't be here to see him play. May have to do something about that.


At Stadium [High School], Johnson wasn’t much of a standout on the court or in the classroom. As a senior, he averaged just more than 12 points per game while the Tigers went 6-15 and finished in seventh place in the Narrows League Bay Division. Not exactly the kind of performance that gets you noticed at the next level.
On his report cards, things were even worse. Not showing up for class on a regular basis, Johnson saw his cumulative grade-point average during his time in high school come out as a 1.6. Needless to say, there weren’t a lot of opportunities awaiting him after graduation.
In 2005, though, while he was spending the year at home helping his mom and brother around the house, the most important event of his life happened. He started dating Nance. After that, things just started to change for him.
Not sure what he was doing or could do with his life, Nance was there as someone who believed in him. She pushed him to become better not only as a basketball player but as a person as well.
“She noticed something in me,” Johnson said. “She figured in her mind that I could play college basketball while at the time I was ready to give it up.”
Nance, then playing basketball on a full-ride scholarship to Northwest Nazarene University (NNU), watched Johnson play at the YMCA and knew that his time on the hardwood wasn’t over.
“He had an amazing shot, it was something I envied,” Nance said. “His dedication to the game was a big thing. I knew once he put his mind to it, the sky was the limit for him.”
And it was. Anthony was further motivated by his freshman season at Yakima Valley Community College—Shaunte got him a tryout there— where he averaged 18.3 points per game on 57.6 percent shooting. The next season, he was NWAAC east region MVP as he led his 7-man team to a conference title.
"He's a scorer," Funk (his coach) said. "He can get to the basket and the free throw line, but he's also got a canny mid-range pull-up shot that you don't see much anymore. And the knock on him all year was that he had no three-point shot, but he was 7-for-14 from three in the (NWAACC) tournament. He's really quick, long-armed, and a great on-the-ball defender too."Wow. He has to figure out if Montana is the right fit from him, but based on his skill-set, he's the perfect fit for Montana: quick, athletic guard who can get to the rim but still keep defenders honest with a dangerous mid-range jumper. Although he showed he's capable of making a 3-point shot, it's great to know that is not something he depends on. With a player like this—combined with the additions of Selvig, McGillis, Taylor, Stockton and Ward—it's very likely the Griz will have the most talent in the 'Sky. As we know, talent is not everything, but when you get versatile talent like this, it goes a long way.
Over the course of the season, Johnson saw his recruitment steadily rise and now a number of schools all throughout the Pacific Northwest are looking at taking the next step.
"Anthony is getting looked at by a lot of Division I schools right now," Funk said. "Montana is coming in to see him tomorrow and Eastern Washington and Portland State have been recruiting him and would like him to visit. Idaho and Weber State also came to see him play this year and I've talked to one of the Boise State coaches about him."
Funk also noted that many of the schools in the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference have been recruiting Johnson all season long. The high-scoring guard is considering all options and is essentially looking at taking as many official visits as he can before making an educated choice.
"I think he's basically looking for that best fit," Funk said. "It's everything from academics to the level of play to the playing time situation to what his role would be on the team to the chance to get to the (NCAA) Tournament. He's married, so he's got his wife to consider as well."
Easily the player I was most excited to see and easily the most disappointing player in the game. Some of the disappointment is a product of hype, when you're NBA-legend John Stockton's nephew and are coming off a record 58-game winning streak, well, that's part of the deal.On Ward:
But hype aside, Stockton looked over-matched in his 18 minutes on the floor. He finished with a team-low four points and three turnovers. He did a nice job pushing the ball at times but didn't show the court vision other point guards did and had an awful looking shot. He was 2-5 from the floor and missed both three-pointers he attempted.
He didn't stand out amongst his talented teammates but showed a nice stroke, three-point range and good rebounding instincts en route to eight points and five rebounds. He's not a huge dude, but has a solid frame and above-average athleticism that should make him a solid Big Sky contributor.Being completely honest, some of what I've heard on Stockton scares me a little. He's a gritty guy playing at a skill position, getting by on effort and toughness. But then I read something on his style of play and he sounds like exactly what the Griz need: a strong, quick point guard who can get to the rack and put pressure on the defense. Ruder calls him overmatched but in the article linked to above, DeAngelo Casto—who Ruder justly raves about—says everyone notices his strength. It should be easy to see early, with Stockton going up against the likes of Hasquet, Qvale and Selvig in practice, if his style of play translates to this level.
The legacy Larry Krystkowiak left behind before leaving for the NBA fizzled over the next two seasons, Wayne Tinkle's first as a head coach, as the Griz went 31-31 over that stretch. Only two seasons after Krystkowiak's departure, just a couple of his recruits remain with the program as numerous players transferred to play their hoops at schools in lower divisions, a sign to many that they couldn't cut it at this level.
Through the strife, clashes in chemistry and failure to meet expectations, Tinkle has found the team's foundation: a pair of near 7-footers ready to put the program on their backs. Continue Reading...

Cameron Rundles was recruited by Larry Krystkowiak as a point guard, a gritty floor general. But the point guard spot already had depth in senior Bryan Ellis and junior Matt Martin. At the beginning of the season, these two started at the guard positions but by the ninth game Rundles made the starting lineup. In a December 9th, 72-65 win over UC Riverside, he scored 13 points in 32 minutes.



The Seattle Times has an interesting profile on 6-foot-5, 235 pound forward Renado Parker of Kentridge High School in Washington. "Most people don't know him," Washington said. "They think he's all mean or intimidating. But really, he's one of the softest guys."The article goes on to say that Montana is interested in him as a non-qualifier, requiring him to sit-out next season. Part of it is grades. Part of it is due to the fact that, at the moment, all our 08-09 scholarships are used up. Strait and Martin go out while Mathias Ward and Shawn Stockton come in. This doesn't mean Parker will not be a Griz for the '08-'09 season. Following last season, the Griz lost two scholarship players: Austin Swift and Gus chase. Speaking of Gus Chase, he was a 6-foot-5, 240 pound forward.
Except on the basketball court, where Parker has been a four-year terror. He became Kentridge's career scoring leader this season and needs 31 rebounds this week to break that career record.
This year, he is averaging 21.9 points, shooting 64 percent from the field, and 9.8 rebounds.
"He's just a monster in the paint," Decatur coach Kevin Olson said. "He always makes big plays. ... Renado's a beast."

Doma, who entered the game needing 26 points to pass Montana assistant coach Shannon (Cate) Schweyen as the Big Sky's career scoring queen, finished with her lowest points total (12) of the season. She didn't score at all in the 10 minutes Lohman was assigned to her in the first half.[...]Here's some audio from my post-game interview with Coach Selvig.
“A lot of her shots weren't falling that maybe might have other nights, but it was nice to hold her to 12. Shannon (Schweyen) has the conference record right now so we were like, ‘We can't let (Doma) beat Shannon's record in our house.' We were talking about that before the game and used that as a little energy.”
Are you kinding me? You think that win was legit? Oh yeah im talking to a grizzly fan! You probably havent seen the footage from the game and ALL the [MESSED] up calls that benefited the Griz! I believe in fair wins. But when a game is given to a team and they dont even have class about it. (as in Mr. Hasquet aka ****) I think it is VERY VERY funny that you guys dont even recognise the Technical foul that should have ended the Game! Griz= Classless HumanLet's start with a couple key sentences. "I believe in fair wins. But when a game is given to a team and they dont even have class about it." Alright, it's one sentence and then another uncompleted thought. Even so, were we "given the game?" Yes, you can argue that. But only because the Bengals gave the Griz the game. Let's look at this...

The Griz have also buttressed their thin bench by recruiting Dan Beaudin from the Griz football team. Beaudin, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end, earned all-state honors in basketball for two years at Class C Noxon.How does this type of thing come up? Does Dan go to Tinkle or did someone tell Tinkle about Dan? Anyone?
“He's up for the challenge,” Tinkle said of Beaudin, who practiced with the Griz on Friday and will suit up Saturday.
The Griz can use all the big men they can get to deal with NAU center Kyle Landry. Landry is second in the league in scoring at 17.7 ppg, and third in rebounding at 8.3 a game. Josh Wilson fuels the Jack attack at the point, averaging 11.3 points and a league-best 5.8 assists a game.
"You know, I didn't know what to expect and he's had a great career. I couldn't be more proud of him being the one to pass me just because of everything we've been through as coach and player.Drew:
I threated that I wasn't going to play him at all tonight and stick him on 1,499. He had a great game, he's a super kid. He's obviously a corner stone, one of the pillars of our team. It's exciting for him that he was able to accomplish that."
"It's pretty special. I mean, he's kind of bitter about it but he's a good sport and it means a lot just to be up with that group of guys who are on that list...it just says a lot about my career here at the University of Montana. It's been a great experience for me, I love the coaches and couldn't of been a better place.



In addition to more students, O’Day said he would like to see more enthusiasm and passion from the students at the games. As it is, students often filter in after games have tipped off and sit and watch passively, he said.
“It reminds me of a Lakers game in Los Angeles,” O’Day said, alluding to an atmosphere where it is more important to be seen supporting a team than actually trying to bolster it.
O’Day said an unenthusiastic crowd rubs off on the team and that his primary goal in potentially relocating the students is giving a boost to the team.
“I know that that’s been frustrating to (the Griz), and that‘s one of the things that I hope we can do down the stretch here,” he said.
The Griz are making efforts to get it started with Saturday's Griz-Cat game. Doors will open a half hour early—at 5:30—and free t-shirts will be given out to the first 800 students as part of a white-out.
After Saturday night's three league games, the first half of Big Sky play will come to an end. With just two home games and six road games over the back half of the conference schedule, Montana and Northern Arizona will face the toughest stretch over the final five weekends leading up to the 2008 Big Sky Conference Tournament.Now the big question, go to the Lady Griz game or listen to the fellas? As of 5:42, I'm undecided.
Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington both have six of their final eight at home, Portland State and Idaho State have five, Weber State has four and Montana State and Sacramento State three.
I would think the Vikings would want to be the aggressors Thursday to take advantage of the team's superior depth and athleticism. PSU has a surplus of big bodies to throw at Hasquet, Strait and Qvale and I think Murray and Huff (and freshman Justynn Hammond) will be tough matchups on the perimeter. Tinkle's reliance on the bigs should play to PSU's strengths, whether they can execute will be the question.Before I respond, here's what grizzlyjournal's Glenn Junkert had to say in his scouting report on PSU:
...it’s been 5’-6” junior transfer point guard Jeremiah Dominguez who has been the key cog in Portland State’s success so far. Dominguez leads the Big Sky Conference in steals (2.00 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.65) and ranks third in assists (3.94 per game). He also paces the Vikings in scoring with a 12.1 per-game average. Dominguez is a slasher who creates havoc when he penetrates into the key. Morrison and Huff are the key benefactors of Dominguez’ penetrate and kick style.In simple terms: the Viks offense essentially revolves around Dominguez' ability to get into the paint. Dominguez is 5'6". This fascinates me. I wish the game were on TV. Define playing into another team's hands: having your offense revolve around a 5'6" guard driving against a giant front line anchored by 6'11" swat-machine Brian Qvale. If all works out, Dominguez can't get by the bigs and the perimeter players have no need to collapse—eliminating any penetrate and kick-out game. It'd be like tossing a hand grenade into a wet cardboard box. If it doesn't work out, Qvale gets in foul trouble and we start tossing sh*t at the wall. Should be interesting.
“Today, at the beginning of practice, coach brought us in and asked us what we thought a realistic goal was for us at this point,” Montana senior Andrew Strait said after Tuesday's spirited workout. “We mentioned we just want to be in the top six at the end of league so we can get in the tournament. I think that's plenty realistic at this point. We have 11 league games left, plenty of time to crack that top six.”As a fan, it blows to hear this. It's admitting some sense of defeat. Personally, I've been dying to see the Griz host a conference tournament. I've been here for three years and have yet to see them battle for a NCAA Tournament bid inside Dahlberg. Of course, I'd rather have them win the conference tournament instead of the regular season but who doesn't want to see what this place would be like for a BSC Tournament?
At Montana State, senior guard Carlos Taylor scored a career-high 34 points in rallying the Cats past the Griz in the Big Sky Conference opener. At Northern Arizona, center Kyle Landry ended up with a career-high 25 points, but it was the penetration of point guard Josh Wilson that got the ball into Landry's hands in the Jacks' big second half.This doesn't include Portland's Nik Raivio hitting a game winning 3 or Fullerton absolutely killing us with the same shot.
Then last week at home, it was Idaho State guard Donnie Carson who grabbed the rebound of his own miss and put back the winning basket. Three nights later, Weber State point guard Dezmon Harris scored 17 points and 5-foot-6 reserve guard Kellen McCoy added nine more and came up with a decisive offensive rebound in the waning seconds.
Weber's Harris and McCoy might be the toughest tandem the Griz have faced. Harris was 5-for-6 from 3-point range, but he's equally adept at driving to the basket and drawing fouls. McCoy shoots a whopping 49 percent from 3-point range, but at 5-6, can be past his defender in a flash.
“A slight bit of frustration has moved off of their shoulders,” said Griz basketball coach Wayne Tinkle, whose team notched its first Big Sky Conference victory last Saturday at Sacramento State while winning for just the second time in nine games. “There's also been a little bit of eagerness; they've been a little owly. I think they're looking forward to the league (home) opener here (Thursday) night.” [...]As evidenced by two losses earlier in the season to Cal-State Fullerton and Portland, home-court advantage does not automatically translate into a win. Tonight they should be extra-wary as a huge turnout is less than likely. I say that because a majority of students haven't made their way back to Missoula yet, myself included (had to work). Hopefully the community can pick up the slack but these Thursday night games are rough.
Tinkle has warned his team that playing a home game is no magic potion.
“That was the first thing we said when we came together as a team on Monday,” Tinkle said. “Home-court advantage is only an advantage if you make it so. You have to do that by playing with energy, a sense of urgency and physical play. If you come out and establish all those things right away, you can get things going.”

It's worth noting that Carlos Taylor scored 34. Again.
“Yeah, I'm frustrated,” MSU coach Brad Huse said, before quickly crediting Sacramento State with dictating the pace and flustering his team, which shot 38.0 percent an committed two technical fouls.
“We came back and had a chance to win it, and it would've been a good win on the road.”[...]
“We got beat up by a freshman guard tonight,” Huse said, adding: “We're not going to win a lot of games unless we get more balance in scoring.”
Agreed Taylor: “People who usually make shots didn't make shots.”
“We came out with a vengeance tonight,” said Lohman, who matched her season high with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting. “It was tough to lose to them (last season) on our home floor in front of our fans, especially in the conference tournament.I have no doubt that Lohman, who led the LG with 18 points, was not only vengeful over last season's loss, but her recent legal troubles as well. Lohman and Johanna Closson combined to score the Lady Griz's first 22 points, each netting 11.
“Tonight we were going to send a message of how we're going to play this year and not be scared of a team that handed it to us last year.”
Every week we say "Well, it's gonna get better the next week." It's like a guy that fell out of a 20-story building and every time he went by each floor he hollered "Hey, I'm doin' okay so far!" Lou HoltzThe Griz kept falling and according to Wayne Tinkle, it sounds like they're still saying "Well, it's gonna get better next week." This from The Missoulian:
“We're past the point of screaming and yelling to try to motivate and keep guys focused,” Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. “We're past the point of doing a bunch of break-down drills in practice. Our guys know how to defend ... they know how to run our stuff offensively, and when we do all that, we're pretty darn good. Now we have to do it from tap to finish.I don't want to be one of the fans who's beginning to turn on Coach Tinkle because I'm not. However, I do not like what he's saying in these quotes. The middle one is alright but the other two sound terrible if you take a slightly closer look at them. They have a "we've done all we can, it's on the players now" theme to them. Sounds like he's saying "I've tried screaming and they just won't respond... I've taught them how to play defense and run the offense, they just won't. If they don't come out fired up they're going to get killed."
“We're just short of that one breakthrough. If we can do that in one of the games this weekend ... everybody's going to be able to take a deep breath and say, ‘OK, we finally did it for 40 minutes.' That's the point we're at.” [...]
“If we come out with the energy and focus that we have every game to this point, we'll be in good shape,” Tinkle said. “But if we let them come out and throw the first punch ... it could get ugly. I'm confident our guys will come out with the right frame of mind.”

Take note Grizzlies, this is what happens when you get your bigs the ball in a position to score. News comes from the Kitsap Sun that Mathias Ward dropped 56 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in a game against Central Kitsap on Friday.It was the greatest night Mathias Ward ever had on a basketball court, and he had to make sure the evening had a happy ending.
Ward, Gig Harbor's 6-foot-6 forward, broke school records with 56 points and 23 rebounds as the Tides beat the Central Kitsap Cougars in overtime Friday night, 83-78.
Ward, who dominated the paint, scored his team's final eight points, including four in the final 1:14 to send the game into overtime.
"I knew I needed a big game for us to get a victory," said Ward, who has signed with Montana.
While reading this article I pulled up Google Maps and calculated the time it takes to drive from my house on Bainbridge Island to Gig Harbor...1 hour, 11 minutes. Hm.
Q: You go to a lot of Griz basketball games. What's your favorite part of it?It'd be fun to see Jeff to a game and stand with the students. Jeff, if you're reading this, feel free.
A: I just love watching these guys play and I really appreciate the purity of the game at the college level. Jordan (Hasquet) is an exciting local kid, Cam (Rundles) is amazing, (Brian) Qvale has a great future. To me, it seems like they really enjoy playing together. I think Wayne (Tinkle) is doing a great job. But the best games I remember seeing were when I went to school here from 1981-83. The place would be just packed. I wish it could get back to that type of atmosphere, like football is now. I guess I just don't really get why basketball hasn't taken off again like that. It's probably the best value in town for the entertainment. The team can do a lot this year and they're fun to watch, and hopefully that will translate into ticket sales.
Q: Who are your favorite all-time Griz basketball players?
A: Oh man, that's a tough one. My man Larry (Krystkowiak) and Wayne (Tinkle) are going to kill me. Those guys are in my top four, no doubt, but I have to go with Micheal Ray Richardson. I saw Micheal Ray play when I was younger. For 10 bucks, we could ride a bus from Big Sandy and come watch the Griz. I'd never seen such a great player. I also love Derrick Pope. That guy was unbelievable.
The live blog is off. It's blacked out or something. DirecTV offered zero help. Could not provide a reason for anything. Very very awful customer support. It included trying to explain my problem to an automated receptionist. Just really terrible.
For everyone who lives outside the 406, trying to follow your Montana Grizzlies can, well, blow. You can order all the DirecTV packages you want but you're still only going to get a few games a year. That is, unless you get your local bar to use some special satellite receiver to tune into the signal they're bouncing off Saturn or whatever.Fall SportsThe best response I've seen to this comes from a commenter on Deadspin:
Soccer: Five times per half; one at halftime
Field Hockey: Five times per half; one at halftime
Volleyball: Three per Competition; one in between Competitions
Football: Three per quarter; one at halftime
Cross Country: Ten per day/session
Men's Water Polo: Three per quarter; one at the halftime
Winter Sports
Ice Hockey: Three per period - one in between (includes overtime)
Basketball: Five times per half; one at halftime; two times per overtime period
Wrestling: Ten per session
Indoor Track and Field: Ten per day/session
Swimming and Diving: Ten per day/session
Bowling: Ten per day/session
Gymnastics: Ten per session
Help Wanted: NCAA Blog WranglerThe reason behind the regulation: the NCAA is worried fans will go to a live blog instead of getting their updates from media who paid for the writes to broadcast the game. Yeah, right. I read a lot of live blogs and I've never thought of reading one instead of watching or listening to a game. Who would? Well, I could watch this game on tv... or I could read a sarcastic and satirical post on it without any play-by-play. Right.
Must have prior experience looking over other people's shoulders. Abacus provided for counting, but applicant must procure own horse-and-buggy ride to/from athletic facility.
When Mike Chavez entered a game, it was like letting some half-mythical, wild and angry creature out of a cage. For the other team, it was like the end of the world was coming off the far bench. Chavez would enter the game, then fire the team and the crowd up with his passionate play. As a senior, he was grateful for the minutes he got, most of which came off the bench. He'd hop up, bust his ass off and make big plays to either end an opposing run or start a Griz one. He'd grab rebounds, block shots, drain 3's and throw down put-back dunks.“It's really great for us to be able to utilize some of our other offensive threats,” said forward Britney Lohman, who tallied eight points and seven rebounds Saturday. “Laura Cote steps up, Lauren Beck steps up in areas where sometimes they're backing (Morales) up and might not get to showcase some of the stuff they have to offer.This is what good teams do to bad teams. They don't let an 0-7 team come in and improve to 1-7. They don't even give them a sniff of it. They beat them by 30+.
“It's really great for our confidence as a whole. When Mandy is tired she doesn't have to play 36 minutes a game. She can come out and rest her foot because other people will be there.”
“We get great looks out of our offense when we run it all the way through,” Strait said. “We're kind of struggling right now with that.”The Griz cannot lose these type of games. In the most recent simulated RPI listings, Portland was over 200. And we lost to them at home! It can't happen. Not when we have a potentially season-defining road trip on tap. I don't know if it's leadership, execution, coaching or the lineups, but it has to change.
...
“We give him that shot all day long,” Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said of Raivio, who scored 13 of his game-high 17 points after the break. “I am a little disappointed that we left him. We had a timeout where we said stay with their shooters, make them dribble into our big players - we were ready to take charges - and we left him alone for a split second and that was enough for him to get the shot off and make it.”
Tinkle was upset with his team's inability to execute the game plan.
“We took a lot of mediocre shots, to say the least,” Tinkle said. “For whatever reason, we weren't focused on our game plan. We came out and wanted to go 94 feet of pressure. We didn't do it the first four times we scored. Our game plan was to pound it at them, pound it at them, posts take it and finish strong.
“Maybe what happened when we threw it in to them early and we were soft going to the basket, maybe the players said we shouldn't throw it in there anymore. I thought we came out and played very soft on both ends.”
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One thing for sure: Engellant is a big fan of the idea of moving the students back to side court in Dahlberg Arena and trying to recreate the old Zoo atmosphere.How much does this sentiment need repeating? The student section can have an enormous impact on the game. That is, when a third of it isn't sitting down while others are moving away at the 8-minute dash. No one can deny that the CSU opener was one of the most enjoyable basketball games of the past three to four years. The only other one that comes close is the Stanford opener. If the students want to get the seats back for good, we have to earn them. Right now, we're not doing it.
"I think it's a great idea," Engellant said. "I really was surprised they had done that (moved the students out) and I know the reasons they do it. But when they built that whole arena I guess I was skeptical.
"That (students at side court) was a huge advantage for us," he elaborated. "Even when they introduced our team and we could go over there and slap five to all the football players who were down there supporting us and standing up.
"The other team would take the ball out of bounds and they'd be screaming in their ear. You talk about a sixth man. That was huge for us. You get the students there and it actually becomes a participatory sport because they will stand.
"I would tell you that we probably wouldn't have had the record we had at home if we didn't have the support of those students at courtside."
Cam Rundles thought he was going to be on SportsCenter for all the wrong reasons.The Griz did not show that killer instinct they needed to. Letting a team climb back into a game after being down 20+ is never good but a win is a win and it's a lot better being on the other side of these rallies.
The sophomore buried a clutch 3-pointer to help blunt an Air Force rally during the Montana men's basketball team's 59-57 win over the Falcons on Saturday in the Cougar Hispanic College Fund Challenge at the Spokane Arena.
But that wasn't why the Griz guard thought he might show up in ESPN's highlight package. After receiving a football pass from Jordan Hasquet on an inbounds play with seconds remaining, Rundles passed the ball to an unsuspecting Greg Spurgetis, who watched the ball go through his legs and out of bounds with less than a second to play. The Falcons, though, could not muster a shot as time expired.
So what will Rundles do the next time he's in that position?
“I'm going to dribble it out,” Rundles said with a laugh and a shake of his head. “I'd have been on SportsCenter for the all-time record for the dumbest play in the world.”

This was a basketball town 25 years ago. No ifs, no ands, no buts about it.I encourage everyone to read the full article, which gives a great depiction of football's ascension in comparison to the fall in basketball. After the jump is one more excerpt, with O'Day describing his hopes for the future of basketball. Continue Reading...
Missoula may not have been the most feared place on the planet for an opposing college basketball team to visit, but it ranked up there. The courtside student section filled to the gills an hour before tip-off, and thousands of town folk filed in behind them.
The atmosphere was electric. The crowds were both feared and revered by opposing coaches, who often talked about how basketball-savvy the fans here were.
For several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Grizzly men averaged - averaged, mind you - more people at home basketball games than the current Dahlberg Arena (capacity: 7,500) can even hold. If today's basketball team sold out every single home game, it would still never touch a University of Montana attendance record.
Football, on the other hand?
There was a November day in the late 1970s that stands out, but only as a monument to Missoula's apathy toward Grizzly football back then.
It was the final home game of the regular season. It was cold, snowy, and the wind was howling through the unprotected bleachers at Dornblaser Stadium.
Less than 1,000 people showed up to watch Montana. Imagine that: A Grizzly home football game with more than 90 percent of the seats empty.
Because this game was a comlpete blowout (72-47 Griz), let's start with the students' perfomance tonight. It was God awful. Really. The south student section (why the student section is split up into two halves is beyond me) sat the entire game and made zero noise. None. Wonder why the game was so close in the first half (29-27 Griz)? It's probably because the Lights were going at the end completely devoid of any activity.
The second half, the Lights were going at the north end (bleacher side) of the student section. I'm not sure how they could've possibly been rattled because we didn't make much noise. Maybe they were just intimidated by anyone that stood. If that's really all it takes, this shouldn't be too difficult. Case in point: when the Lights were going at a dead student section they were -2; when they were going at a somewhat active student section they were -23.
I want to get this across. The north end was standing the entire game but made almost no noise. Things finally got going when a few rowdy kids walked in with five minutes left and the Griz already up twenty. When we start playing better teams, the students cannot wait til the end of the game to make noise. We also can't wait til we face the good teams to be loud the entire game. Teams practice before they play anyone and we should get this cheering thing down before we play half-decent teams.
Oh, yeah, and almost no one wore the student shirts. I saw less than 50. The marketing department gives out a thousand student shirts and more than half the students show up in ridiculous looking non-Griz attire. You know when you try and look good by wearing Abercrombie and Fitch or Hurley to a sporting event? Yeah, it doesn't look good at all. It's like trying to wear fancy fake athletic shoes to go work out. You're trying to look stylish but the look is doing the exact opposite of what's intended. You know, at most other schools students have to pay for the shirts and they still all wear them. Unbelievable.
Onward with game-relevant material. Martin looked amazing. He drained shot after shot and finished with 13 points. The Griz were led by Hasquet, who was his usual self. His line: 19 points, 8 boards and 4 assists. Tonight the reboarding looked solid, especially from players coming off the bench. Both Qvale and Sharp finished with 10 boards while neither could've played more than 15-20 minutes. Qvale also finished with 8 points on 4 of 6 shooting. Other scoring notes: Drew had 12 and Cam had 13.
While the numbers don't really show it, Zach Graves also impressed tonight. He's easily one of our most athletic players. When he gets in, he puts forth more effort than anyone, as evidenced by his 3 steals (leading the team) in 13 minutes. He finished with 4 points and 1 assist on 2 of 3 shooting.
Back to the crowd thing: besides the students, there was no one there. The official attendance:3,334. Come on. Seriously? We can get behind a football team that plays down to every opponent and has players who terrorize the town but we can't draw 7k for hoops? I'm not saying people should follow basketball more than anything else or that people should abandon our football team. I'm saying anyone who calls themself a Griz fan should actually be a Griz fan, not a Griz football fan.
Lights Out: Montana State Northern, the Grizzlies’ Wed. opponent, rolls into town with a 6-0 record, which includes an interesting comparison against a common opponent. The Lights -- an NAIA Div. I school and a member of the Frontier Conference -- are averaging 92.3 points per game. Included in the 6 wins is a 93-82 victory over the University of Regina, which beat the University of Great Falls 84-59. The Griz beat UGF 77-46 in a pre-season game Oct. 31.Against this small, quick, fast scoring offense, it'll be interesting to see if Tinkle changes the lineup a bit. The Lights seem like the type of redshirt freshman guard Zach Graves would do well against. He's a quick kid who could penetrate on a team without a decent shot blocker. The Lights' roster says they have a few guys who are 6'7" and 6'8" but this really means they're about 6'5" and 6'6". I want to see a lineup that includes the 3 guard trio of Martin, Rundles and Graves. Rundles and Graves can fly around while Martin spots up from beyond the arc.



The shirts are in place. Thanks to everyone who got this off the ground. Now let's have fun.
“I hope everybody is just in a frenzy,” Tinkle said. “It would be nice to get as close to that Zoo atmosphere as we can. That gets the rest of the crowd into it. Maybe we can get some folks up out of their seats, making some noise. Hopefully our guys will perform well and make it a real positive start to what could be an exciting season.”Tinks also offered some good examples from the past:
“I know it would be thrilling for them,” Tinkle said of his players. “Matt Martin pulled me aside when he was a freshman and said, ‘Coach, I've heard stories of how this was when you played. A goal of mine is to have this place filled by the time I leave.' I think it would really mean a lot to have that atmosphere we see at so many other colleges with the students on the sideline. I know it would set the tone.”
Late in Tinkle's career, Weber State brought star player Rico Washington to Dahlberg Arena.If the students put just a little effort into this, they'll get a lot in return.
“He was a pretty darn good player,” Tinkle said. “He and one of our forwards, Ossie Young, were kind of getting into it. I went to separate them and we were right in front of The Zoo. (Washington) went to say something and I told him, ‘Listen, you've got to stop right now or I'm going to throw you into the second row. Those are two of my football buddies and I don't think you'll make it out of there alive.'
“He turned and looked and smiled and said, ‘You're right.' ”
Tinkle, who played for the Grizzlies in the ’80s, during the height of The Zoo, agreed that it would be good to have students back along the court, but cautioned that the decision to move them back there permanently will not be based just on Friday’s turnout.Seriously though. We gotta cram at least 425-500 in that section. Students, disregard the seats behind you. The area in front of them is not yours and yours alone. Plus, if you're sitting, I swear to God I'll do my best to find someone who will stand directly in front of you. Not a row down. Their ass will be right in your face.
“They’re going to have to show up, give us the support throughout the rest of the year when they’re in the end zones,” Tinkle said. “And maybe the powers that be will make that decision down the road.”
108. MontanaThere are more teams between Colorado State and us than there are between us and North Carolina.
Big men Andrew Strait (6-8) and Jordan Hasquet (6-9) combined to average 28.0 ppg and 12.8 rpg last season.
250. Colorado State
Rams have a new coach (Tim Miles) and an almost entirely new lineup from a team that went 17-13, 6-10 in the Mountain West.
After being recruited to Montana as part of the 2004-2005 recruiting class, he decided to decline his scholarship and stay close to home to play for Bellevue Community College where he gray shirted. Unlike players who redshirt, those who grayshirt can join the team midway through the season.Staudacher paid his own way last year and earned a scholarship for the 07-08 season.
But Staudacher never played for the Bulldogs.
Head coach Wayne Tinkle, who recruited Staudacher as an assistant coach under Larry Krystkowiak, said his backing out was hard to take.
“We took it as a slap in the face at first,” Tinkle said. “We were disappointed with his decision, but I kept in touch with him.”
When Tinkle was named head coach, he contacted Staudacher about coming to play at Montana.
“I let him know that some of his concerns would be taken care of and that he would be a good fit,” he said. “I knew what he could bring to the table and that I could convince him that this was the place for him.”
Staudacher said after watching the success the Grizzlies were having, such as making it to the NCAA Tournament, he knew he should give playing at Montana another shot.
“Sitting on your couch and watching on TV and you are like, ‘Man I want to be a part of that,’” he said. “I got to know Coach Tinkle really well through the recruiting process; I liked his personality and the way he coached. I just wanted to be part of everything here.”
To see the complete letter, the basis for this article, scroll down or click here.Remember “The Zoo?”
Only if you were born prior to about 1970, or so.
The Zoo was to Montana men's basketball what the Cameron Crazies are to Duke - a raucous student section that made life miserable for visiting teams.Montana's Zoo peaked during the late 1970s and had all but died by the mid-80s. The east bleachers occupied by The Zoo were replaced by seat-back chairs during the 1998-99 renovation of Dahlberg Arena and the student section was pushed behind the end lines, making way for season-ticket holders.
On Friday, when the Griz open the regular season against Colorado State, The Zoo will return, or at least the students will reclaim their seats on the east side of Dahlberg Arena.
“We're going to give him some time to sort through some things, put a plan in place,” Montana basketball coach Wayne Tinkle said after the Grizzlies' 77-46 win over Great Falls. “When we're confident he's done that, we'll welcome him back.This is best for both sides. UM gets to, at least temporarily, distance itself from the controversy and Marso gets a chance to get ahold of himself.
“We know he's hurting and we wish him the best. We've just kind of agreed that's what he's going to do for the time being. We look forward to him rejoining us down the road.”
Others Receiving VotesIt's going to be a good season for hoops.
DePaul 75, Middle Tenn. St. 71, Notre Dame 57, Auburn 41, Wisconsin 32, Mississippi 31, Xavier 30, Marquette 30, Georgia Tech 30, Wyoming 26, USC 17, BYU 17, Oklahoma State 16, Bowling Green 16, UCLA 12, New Mexico 12, Western Kentucky 11, Temple 7, TCU 7, Nebraska 7, Montana 7, Marist 7, Iowa State 6, Minnesota 5, Kentucky 5, Gonzaga 4, Boise State 3, Old Dominion 3, Texas Tech 3, Tulane 2, Ball State 1, Hartford 1, Utah 1, Wisc. Green Bay 1.
"They're a really good team, a very experienced team," said Silsby. "Coach Tinkle does a heckuva job.For those of you who are even slightly interested, I strongly encourage you to go watch the game. It's the second to last opportunity to get a look at Missoula's own Jack McGillis before he has to sit out the regular season.
"My expectations are that we compete hard and let the chips fall where they may. We're playing a Division 1 team, we're not supposed to win.
"If we don't match their physicalness and intensity, it'll be a long night."
Here are the details on assistant basketball coach Brian Marso's arrest for driving under the influence. These excerpts are from a front page article in the Montana Kaimin. Brian Marso, in the second year of his second stint with the Grizzlies, was cited with DUI early Saturday when police received a report that he was passed out behind the wheel of his Isuzu pickup truck in the drive-up lane at the Taco Bell on Brooks Street, according to an affidavit by the arresting officer.Going off the press release alone, things do not look good for Marso. "Coach Tinkle and I would be severely disappointed" sounds more like "this may cost you your job." I'm not sure where I sit on this. This would be Marso's second DUI with the Griz, the first coming as an assistant under Pat Kennedy. This doesn't set a good example for other players but JD Quinn has three DUIs and he's still on the football team.
However, in a press release issued late Monday afternoon, O’Day said, “At this time we are investigating what took place Saturday morning. This matter is in the courts and we will continue to closely monitor the situation as it moves forward.“Both Coach Tinkle and I would be severely disappointed and concerned in Coach Marso’s apparent lack of judgment if these charges are proven. Our coaches and student athletes are held to high standards and we take that very seriously. It is an internal personnel matter and will be dealt with accordingly.”
According to the officer’s affidavit, Marso smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were red and watery.
Marso refused a Breathalyzer test but failed other field sobriety tests, the documents said.
“We're excited to be able to get out in front of some people,” second-year coach Wayne Tinkle said. “We've been going at it hard for about a week and a half, so it will be nice to have a little more of an open environment and let the guys get some of the nerves out.I'm really looking forward to getting to my first solid look at this team. I hope to have some detailed impressions up tonight.
“It'll give us a starting point so we can continue to correct mistakes and get the guys better as we move forward.”
“I think the ladies are always excited for this scrimmage,” 30th-year coach Robin Selvig said. “It's nice to get in front of some people.
“We have quite a bit of our stuff in so it should be a good gauge of where we are. The freshmen have been learning quickly so we should be able to put together a decent performance.”



“This year there's a lot more feeling of calm,” said Tinkle, who guided the Griz to a record of 17-15 and a berth in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament in his first year. “It's not only that I have a year under my belt, it's that I know our staff is more cohesive and the group of guys we've got are at the head of why I have a pretty good feeling.”The Griz did not have enough senior leadership going into last season so it's no surprise that last year's losses didn't overly affect the chemistry of this team. As far as this being a calmer situation, I think the players are starting to see Tinkle as the head coach instead of the assistant who took over by default. With the talented bigs coming in, Tinkle will have a great chance to stamp his mark on this program as he molds the young frontcourt players.
“Our chemistry is just great,” Tinkle said. “They worked hard and we really pushed the kids in the fall. They really compete, but when they walk off the court it's pretty much arm-in-arm.”
That wasn't always the case last season.
“Last year we had some guys who were a little too worried about their station in life instead of the good of the team,” Tinkle said. “It hurt us for a while early on.”
“The first thing we're going to do is set the tone defensively, establish our philosophy right away,” Tinkle said.

The athletic department has really been pushing hard for increased support for Griz basketball. The most recent idea is really out there. That being linking up with the Missoula Maulers hockey team. Most of the union between the UM athletic department and the Maulers benefits the hockey team but there is hope the hockey team can actually help UM athletics and basketball specifically.[Jim O'Day] said that the Maulers are trying to work out a deal with the Griz that if something great happens at the hockey game, it could result in discounted admission to a UM basketball game.Interesting. I'm not sure how much this will help but it's a creative idea. Really though, can this town get their act together and support the hoops team. Look at the football schedule and look at the basketball schedule. It's not even close. When we have to look to the local semipro hockey team for help drawing people to basketball games, something is very wrong.
Grizzly basketball has had difficulty drawing fans in recent years, O’Day said, and working with the Maulers could help boost attendance.
“(The Maulers) want to make sure that both programs succeed and we really appreciate them working so closely with our people,” he said.

Jack McGillis' non-recruitment has been called one of the biggest recruiting misses in the history of Griz hoops. The Griz got a second chance when Jack McGillis decided to transfer from Oregon State, where he was their sixth man as a sophomore, back home to the Griz.
Idaho State's 2007-08 men's basketball schedule is set, loaded with big names for the second straight year, such as UCLA, Washington, Brigham Young, Iowa and Utah. However, head coach Joe O'Brien has one of those big names, Washington State, coming to Holt Arena, along with Boise State and a full slate of Big Sky Conference games, and he promises that is just a taste of things to come as far as home scheduling goes.Yea, challenging your squad by tough opponents is a good idea, but this is out of hand. On top of these tough squads, they also face Long Beach State, an NCAA Tournament team.
Oregon State Beaver and hometown kid Jack McGillis is transferring home to play hoops for the Montana Grizzlies. The Griz didn't recruit McGillis out of high school and he ended up out in Corvallis.Tripled his scoring average from a year before, as he averaged 5.7 points as a sophomore ... Saw the most playing time of OSU’s reserves, as he averaged 20.2 minutes while playing in all 32 games (with six starts) ... Also averaged 2.2 rebounds ... Had the second-highest three-point percentage on the team (35.9%) ... Reached double-figure scoring six times ... In his "homecoming" game at Montana State, made his first start of the season and scored a then-career-high 10 points ... Made all three of his three-pointers and scored 11 points vs. LSU ... Second-highest scoring output of the season was 15 points vs. Western Oregon ... Made what would have been a game-tying three pointer at the buzzer vs. California, but released it just after the buzzer ... Played his finest game at California, scoring a career-high 24 points while making five of nine three-pointers ... That was his first time scoring in double-figures in a Pac-10 game ... Helped OSU to its home win vs. Washington by scoring all 11 of his points in the second half ... Earned the team’s Jim Anderson Award (most improved).Glad the Griz eventually got a kid they missed the first time around. His size and range will be big for the Griz. Unfortunately, he has to sit out a year as a transfer. He does have a redshirt available so he will not lose a year of eligibility.
"The game at Gonzaga will be a marquee game," said second-year head coach Wayne Tinkle. "From what I've heard, it may be their most talented team, maybe ever.I'm really looking forward to these match-ups. I have this to say in case the marketing department is giving out a few tickets or bringing a couple students with to Spokane: dibbs.
"Washington State will more than likely be ranked in the Top 10 when we play them in their tournament," Tinkle said. "Air Force is coming off a great year, and Mississippi Valley State will be a formidable team as well."
Montana opens its season Nov. 9 against Colorado State and begins Big Sky Conference play against rival Montana State on Jan. 5 in Bozeman. That game and the rematch on Feb. 9 in Missoula will be televised by KPAX-TV.I'm not gonna lie, I am much more excited for basketball season than football season. They've done everything they can to get people pumped. I know there's more on the way. Including a commercial. This is going to be great.
The Grizzlies will play three Sunday afternoon Big Sky games on Altitude Sports: against Weber State on Jan. 20, at Eastern Washington on Feb. 3, and at home against Idaho State on Feb. 24.



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Why This Team Should Be Ranked Lower: There's still the issue of when and how effective Josh Heytvelt will be when he returns. Because of the rest of the WCC, Gonzaga can't afford an inconsistent start to the season. If they stumble, early there won't be much of an opportunity to recover in the polls.I absolutely hate that Josh Heytvelt is on this team. He was caught with hallucinogenic mushrooms, a felony. Because he hadn't been caught before, he got off on community service or classes. Maybe it's just me, but you'd think a private Catholic university would take a tougher stance on this. If it was someone outside the starting 5, they'd be gone.
Why they should be ranked lower: The surprise factor is gone. The Cougars were the darling of the West Coast last season, and they were able to sneak up on just about everybody. Even when they got ranked highly, opponents still seemed to fear the Cougs' cross-state rival more than WSU during the Thursday/Saturday match ups. People will be ready for the Cougs this year, so the guerrilla tactics of college hoops are obsolete.The hope with this team is that we can sneak up on them like they snuck up on everyone else. Maybe an early season loss will shake their confidence and remind them of the team they were two years ago.
Montana will face four teams that made the 2007 NCAA tournament (Boise State, Gonzaga, Mississippi and Idaho State) ... The Lady Griz will also face two teams that advanced to the 2007 WNIT (UC Santa Barbara and WNIT champion Wyoming) ... UM will play six of its first seven games on the road, then have nine straight home games extending from Dec. 8 to Jan. 12 ... The Lady Griz Holiday Classic will feature a three-team, three-day round robin format with one game each day ... The Holiday Classic's three teams (Montana, UC Santa Barbara and Mississippi) have made 43 NCAA tournaments between them, with the Lady Griz and Rebels playing in 16 each and the Gauchos 11 ... Montana's Big Sky Conference schedule has the Lady Griz playing six of its eight first-half league games at home, then six of eight in the second half on the road ... With Northern Colorado filling the role of "lone wolf" in the Big Sky schedule, the travel partners that existed before UNC's arrival (Northern Arizona/Sacramento State; Idaho State/Weber State; Portland State/Eastern Washington; Montana/Montana State) are back in effect.There aren't any big names from major conferences but the schedule is solid. All the major contributors are back from a team that rolled through most of the season before stumbling in the Big Sky Tournament. Wins over tournament teams bode well for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if the Lady Griz somehow come up short again.
We are planning on putting them there for the CSU game, and IF there is a great showing we’ll entertain the idea of putting them there for the MSU game. We really need to make a push for the students to show up in droves in order to influence the administration. I believe the lack of student participation has severely declined since the late 80’s…due to multiple factors. I know that we coach’s are working hard to make it exciting now the fans need to buy in and stir up the frenzy!It's tough not to look ahead to a time when the students are back where they belong. However, UM Athletic Director Jim O'Day points out some big issues that may prevent a permanent move.
We have many issues to consider first, such as hearing from those who pay higher prices to sit there, and what to do about the media tables … or more importantly, what to do about the signage for the corporate sponsors. Where can we put them? Also, we have to look at court space for adding additional media benches on the west side if such a decision is made… to make sure we have enough room for the teams. We are looking at all avenues --- and may only be able to do it for one game, if at all, this year, as an experiment.Oh no, not this again, right? Just like all the roadblocks preventing a move to the FBS, there's financial stuff with this too. Well, don't fret too much, O'Day seems to be a bit more enthused about this idea.
As a former member of “The Zoo” while in college, I know how special that was… and if we do it and the students are challenged to fill the seats and create atmosphere, we’d have to look at a permanent situation if it made a difference. If we took such a gamble, I would only hope that the students would respond in force… to demonstrate interest for men’s basketball.So it's all up to those it benefits the most. Let's do this students.
Tinkle announced Friday that junior college transfers Sean Watson and Ceylon Elgin-Taylor would join the Griz for the 2007-08 season. They join prep recruits Derek Selvig of Glendive and Brian Qvale of Williston, N.D., in the 2007 recruiting class. Selvig and Qvale signed last November.Tinks on Watson:
Tinkle said the Griz have one more scholarship to give and “we have a guy that we're trying to work all the paperwork out with.” Jucojunction.com reports that player is 5-10 point guard Lloyd Phillips of Allen County (Kan.) Community College.
“He handles the ball, he's athletic, can shoot it and score,” said Tinkle, who added that Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Tech, St. John's and Texas Tech were some of the other schools recruiting Watson. “When I saw him play I thought what a great defender. He keeps his man in front of him.”Info on Elgin-Taylor:
Elgin-Taylor is a 6-1 point guard who averaged 13 points and 5.5 assists for Irvine (Calif.) Valley College last season. He was named first team all-conference.It's looking good so far. Tinks says it best later in this article, "It looks like a talented group. The challenge will be getting them to gel." Just like last year, this year's team looks phenomenal on paper but it doesn't mean a thing if they don't fill their potential and gel as a team.
“He can play both guard positions,” Tinkle said. “He's a quarterback who runs the team. He's a very, very tough-nosed defender, just a tough-minded point guard who runs your team and sets the tone defensively.”
"We've signed a couple of junior-college players, one from Texas and one from Kansas, who I think will really help us in the backcourt," Tinkle said. "Along with the high school kids we signed in the fall, it really is shaping up to be a pretty darn good class."Well, this is kind of what we expected. I'm almost certain the first two players are Lloyd Phillips and Sean Watson with the third questionable kid being Ceylon Elgin-Taylor. Phillips is listed at 5-10 and is more of a strong shooting speedster than a combo guard. He's closer to a pure point than people like Zach Graves and Matt Martin.
"One kid's a 6-1 combo guard. The other kid's a 6-3, 6-4 wing who will add a lot of toughness and athleticism. Both are highly touted players," Tinkle said. "Then we've got a third kid who we've got to go through the process and finish the paperwork on who I think will really add to the class as well. We're pretty excited and looking forward to it."
"We're looking to go over and play Gonzaga in Spokane and it looks like we'll be in a tournament with Washington State in Spokane also," he said. "Air Force and Mississippi Valley will be there.The games against Gonzaga and Wazzu in Spokane were expected but it's good to hear about some other teams. I love that we now know who we'll be opening with. It makes hoops season seem just a little bit closer.
"We open up with Colorado State in Missoula. So we're going to be challenged the first couple of weeks out of the game, but that's the way we wanted it."
There will be two separate lines of contrasting colors. Rules committee chair Larry Keating, an associate athletic director at Kansas, is proposing to have a one-foot wide band instead of two separate lines. He wants to see the women play off the front of the band and the men off the back. The intent is to have a vote next year for either the two lines or a one-foot band.Didn't some hockey leagues do this for a bit, make the blue line huge? The line would be hideous but imagine how much worse things would get if teams like Boise State started decorating the inside of the line. I don't need to horses, flames, paws or anything else prancing through the 3-point line.
As reported by a couple other sources, Rodney Stuckey has hired an agent and will not be returning to Eastern Washington as he takes his shot at the NBA.First, no hard feelings for Stuckey leaving. It's The League and it's big bucks.He does think Stuckey will make it though.
Second, it's a travisty that the Eagles managed just one postseason berth and a 30-29 record in the "Stuckey Era." There is plenty of blame to go around from the coaches, other Eagles and Stuckey, heck, even the recently departed A.D. if you will but only Stuckey is going to the big time. The others will rue the day they let this oportunity get away. A knock on Stuckey is putting up his numbers in a weak league. Shouldn't a team with a player of his calibre accomplished more in a weak league?
Fifth, I think he'll make it. His strength, finishing ability and point guard experience will make him a valuable asset in any back court. And, with him projected in the second half of the first round, he could end up with a better team, which lessons the pressures and demands on a rookie.I'm not sure Stuckey will make it or not, but I find it odd how much value is being placed on this guy. Sports Illustrated has him going at 18 to the Warriors. The main point I have is one that everyone has heard before on Stuckey, how does a player of this calibre fail to make it the NCAA tournament, win the BSC regular season title, or even make it to the Big Sky Tournament championship game?
The cost to the Wildcats to back out of the game? $50,000... chump change compared to the $250,000-$300,000 the match would have generated. And of course, Kentucky being a marquee opponent would have brought a lot of media and publicity to UMass.The game was scheduled by Tubby Smith's program because UMass' head coach, Travis Ford, played his college ball at UK. Views on this issue range from highly unethical to "it's all a business."
low-major and suffer some horrible defeat that sets the tone for the rest of the season. Or even better, they get 12-5 upset by UMass in the tournament. A Karmic kick to the groin would be great.We will be releasing the names of our signees in the coming days. Not trying to hold out on anyone, just making sure that all of the paperwork etc is correct! It should prove to be one of our better classes in some time! Thats on paper anyways...they still have to get here and perform both in the classroom and on the court!Well there you go. He sounds pretty enthusiastic.
3. Montana – The Grizzlies were coming off a fantastic season in 2006 when they defeated Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Conference championship to reach the NCAA tournament where they upset Nevada in the first round. They returned much of their lineup from 2006 including Andrew Strait. The only questions were in the backcourt where former backups Matt Martin and Bryan Ellis would enter the starting lineup. Ultimately, the Grizzlies could not put it together like they did in 2006, and they finished 10-6 and in 3rd place in the conference before they lost to Northern Arizona in the Big Sky semifinals. Grade: BI really cannot decide whether or not I agree with this. If you had told me before the season that the Griz would finish third and get knocked out in the Big Sky Tournament Semis then asked me to give them a letter grade I would've probably tried to give them something below an F. Maybe somewhere around a J.
The Wildcats will have its own mid-major outreach program by playing Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State and UNLV this upcoming season. (Three teams, incidentally, that yours truly follows the most.) Arizona also will play Fresno State, too. The Titans and the Big West are a long-shot for an at-large bid, but UNLV and San Diego State (and maybe Fresno) certainly are. So Arizona should be applauded for helping outIt's sad that its gotten to the point that it's probably gutsy-er to schedule a mid-major than a major opponent. You'd think coaches would have enough confidence in their teams to go out and play teams with much lower talent levels. If you're an elite team, you really don't lose much from a defeat at the hands of a fellow major hoops team. However, it looks awful when you lose to, say, Oral Roberts.
“We all get along really well,” Joslyn Tinkle said. “That's really the best part. We have all these girls from all over Montana, and it's fun to see it all come together like this. It's great to represent Montana and show everyone that we can play.Now think about how much fun it'd be to do it on the college level.
“I think we opened some people's eyes to what girls' basketball is like here. We definitely take pride in that.”
Because I'm not gone for the summer, actually write about sports and don't sell Hondas — Pat, I don't want the damn Trucoat — here's an interview with future Griz Sean Watson. Sean played his JC ball at Howard College in Texas where the 6'5" 185 lb guard averaged 13.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg while shooting 58.6 % from the field. As you can see there, Mac was pretty candid about just wanting more playing time in the future, and there's no doubt that he could get it at a bunch of schools out there. Hopson, you'll remember started the season as a starter for WSU and was clearly capable of making a decent contribution at the Pac-10 level, even if he was best suited as a role player right now. Should he opt for a lesser-conference school, I have to believe he can get the 30 minutes a game he's looking for. Mac mentioned Montana and Montana State to me, and said that he's looking to stay in the Northwest or on the West Coast, so we'll see how that all goes.Sounds like this kid is very capable of making a major impact on this team. Come on Tinks, land this guy.

There had been some rumor and speculation floating around that forward Gus Chase would not be returning to the University of Montana for next year's hoops season due to how this year went. After having a brief exchange with Gus, I can confirm that he will not be coming back to the Griz.“I feel as though I wasn’t given a fair chance to play,” said Chase, who said he considered leaving at the beginning of the season. “I ain’t getting better by sitting on the bench.”
Kind of like their coach once did. Krystkowiak played the game with a chip on his shoulder, motivated by slights like the one from former Washington State coach George Raveling. Krystkowiak says that as a high school player in Missoula, he attended a WSU camp and was told that Raveling said he was "not big enough to be a post player, not skilled enough to be a wing."
Despite that, he won Big Sky MVP honors three straight times. Then he played 420 games in the NBA, including one year alongside Michael Jordan with the Bulls. But symbolic of Krystkowiak's career, that year happened to be 1995, which Jordan began on the retired list before returning at midseason, only to fall short of the NBA Finals.
"We kicked a field goal between the two three-peats," Krystkowiak jokingly said.
The Bucks are expected to make a formal announcement about Krystkowiak's promotion Thursday morning.Yes, that's right. In a year, he went from coaching the University of Montana Grizzlies to a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack to being an NBA head coach. Well, after he pulled off that upset, probably his best hoops accomplishment to date, he had to face Boston College. The team he faces following his most recent accomplishment will be a bit tougher. Krystkowiak's first game as an NBA head coach will be against the San Antonio Spurs, winners of 13 straight. Yeah, good luck with alllll that.
Lawyers for Bucks' owner Herb Kohl worked all of Wednesday afternoon in Milwaukee constructing a new contract for Krystkowiak. Krystkowiak then agreed to the terms and conditions of the contract early Wednesday night. The guaranteed contract is for the remainder of this season -- the Bucks have 18 more games remaining -- and the following two seasons.
To all you Bucks fans, congrats. I'm sure LK will get this team heading in the right direction. You may have to invest in more clipboards seeing has he tends to break them when he really gets going. In an earlier post I compared him to Lou Piniella and I really can't think of a better analogy.“To be honest, practice (on Tuesday) was less than inspirational,” said UM coach Robin Selvig. “I hope it's because it was in the morning. Obviously, it's been a scramble. But at least we got on the floor and got a little sweat up.”Let's hope they don't pull a Drexel and prove the selection committee right.
“Like I told the team, there's a couple 100 teams out there sitting around not playing,” Selvig added. “This is a good deal for us, and we need to take advantage of it.”
"I'm not going to talk about that at all," Krystkowiak said earlier today of published reports linking him to the Utah job, vacant since Ray Giacoletti resigned on March 2. "I'm an assistant coach with the Bucks; that's what I can say.
"I'm looking forward to finishing the season out (with the Bucks)."
This sounds kind of similar to what he said when there were rumors swirling that he would be leaving the University of Montana.
After all that's happened in this situation so far, it would be hard to imagine anyone other than Krystkowiak taking over as the head coach of the Bucks.
Athletic director Chris Hill and other university officials interviewed assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak of the Milwaukee Bucks for the position Tuesday in Milwaukee and they are believed to have offered him the job, sources told The Salt Lake Tribune.Wow. For all of you that thought Krystkowiak was curiously hired by the Bucks to eventually become their head coach, it's looking like you were right. He's like some hot prospect they don't want to bring up to soon but wouldn't dare let go because they know he'll be good. Ladies and gentleman, Larry Krystkowiak is the Felix Hernandez of 2007. And Terry Stotts is Jamie Moyer.
The interview ignited a series of meetings involving high-ranking Bucks officials, sources said, which endured into the night and included U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, the team owner. The Bucks were grappling with whether they plan to fire embattled head coach Terry Stotts and replace him with Krystkowiak - a move that presumably would keep Krystkowiak from joining the Utes.
However, if Krystkowiak were to quickly accept an offer from the Utes, an announcement conceivably could come today, before Hill is due to attend the NCAA Tournament games Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.
Highly regarded in both college and pro basketball for his engaging personality and basketball knowledge, Krystkowiak is widely known as a favorite of Kohl, one of the most respected owners in the NBA. However, Kohl is said to be torn over what to do about Stotts, who has led the Bucks to a 23-41 record this season but endured a series of devastating injuries.It always helps when the owner is on your side, just ask Joe Girardi.
At the end of last season, Larry Krystkowiak said he would never leave the Griz for another college coaching job. Apparently that didn't mean leaving for an NBA team for most of a season then heading back to the college realm.Of course I'd be happy to see a LK, who has done so much for the program, succeed at any level. However, I really couldn't help but be extremely jealous and wonder what could've been here in Missoula if he goes on to lead the Utes to any semblance of hoops prominence.Hill, meanwhile, is on the NCAA Tournament selection committee and would probably like to wrap up the search rather quickly since he must be in Sacramento this weekend and will be busy with the tournament the rest of the month.
The source told ESPN.com that if Krystkowiak is offered the job he is likely to accept and a decision could be made within days.
This "opening round game" is supposed to include the two worst teams in the dance, normally based on RPI. Well, Niagara was ahead of four teams in terms of RPI; one of them was Weber."First of all, I think we are, as you know, sensitive to the historically black colleges..."If this is the case, I still can't grasp why Weber isn't in this game. Aside from one guy, Niagara is a team comprised entirely of African American players. Weber is from Utah. Robin Williams once called Utah "the whitest f***ing state in the union."

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks — Lady Lumberjacks? Lumberjills? (that would be a tight name for a women's team) — stomped Montana State last night and now are looking to beat the other Montana team in tonight's semifinal game. “Come to conference tournament time it doesn’t matter if you’ve won 27 games or if you’ve won 15,” said NAU coach Laurie Kelly, whose team entered the tournament with a regular season record of 18-11. “That’s what the tournament’s all about, the feeling that every game could be any team’s last game.They do have reason to show a bit of confidence; the Lumberjills (come on, it's perfect) have played the Lady Griz close in both meetings this year and beat UM in a semifinal game last year.
Cam: I plan on focusing on 3 things....ballhandling, getting stronger and quicker, these 3 things take time and consistent hard work so ill be busy...I also plan on going home this summer to play in some leagues and work out with my best friends (Jamar and Treasure).Montana's Wayne Tinkle and his staff must have CPR certification and first aid training, which is mandated by the school and recommended by the Big Sky Conference.Yep, that's right. Tinkle is certified to give you mouth to mouth if the need be. It's really interesting when you look at some of the things on other coaches' contracts.
Ohio State's Thad Matta has use of a private plane for recruiting and other business trips — a private jet when he's traveling more than 200 miles from Columbus, Ohio — up to a cost of $65,000 annually. He also gets 10 hours of private use of a personal jet each year.You really can't help but think "Well, that's why we're Montana and they're Ohio State."

It's really hard for anyone, a UM fan especially, to imagine a scenario where the 25th ranked Lady Griz don't roll through this conference tournament. The Lady Griz are far above the rest of the conference, right?Three Division I teams — Duke, Uconn, Tennessee — went into their respective conference tournaments without a conference loss, and one team (Ohio State) only had one conference loss. All of those teams, however, were upset in their tourney semifinals.However, he does point out that "The Zoo" may be very good at aiding this Lady Griz team:
One thing that will make the task of taking out the Griz so daunting is the crowd factor. This season, Montana women's basketball nearly outdrew the men's team's crowds. The Lady Griz average just about 4,000 per game, and they are fans who know when to cheer, when not to, what to yell and how loud to yell it.The complete article offers some good insight and opinion. One opinion LG fans may not agree with: he thinks the MVP award should've gone to Idaho State's Natalie Doma, not Mandy Morales. He also has an interesting take on Missoula.
whole season felt.With his five 3-pointers Monday at ISU, Rundles qualified for the league leaders in 3-point percentage and finished first in the league at .481, just ahead of NAU’s Stephen Sir.Sir has jumped back ahead of Cam, .479 to .471, with Cam's 2-6 performance in the quarterfinal game. This matchup will be an interesting one as outside shooting could play a big role in deciding who goes on to play Weber or Portland State.
Late in the game, with Montana surging back against Idaho State, the crowd at Dahlberg Arena became a legitimate distraction to the Bengals. That might sound a little odd considering Idaho State spent much of its preseason playing at Illinois, Marquette, BYU and Oregon. But on one possession John Ofoegbu held onto the ball without worry while the shot clock expired.It was good to see the Dahlberg crowd finish the men's season on a high note. Lets hope it not only carries over into the Lady Griz playoff run, but also into next season.
“When they made their run, the crowd definitely got back into it,” Schroeder said. “The atmosphere definitely changed, and it was hard to communicate.”
Yeah, and those DUI chants worked real well at affecting Chavy's game.
Cameron Rundles walked off the court following DeLaSalle's 61-56 victory over Minneapolis Henry wearing a smile that somehow looked out of place with the large bandage wrapped around his head.
The senior guard had just led the Islanders to a victory in a Class 3A, Section 5 championship game at Osseo so brutally physical that shoulder pads would not have seemed odd.
Rundles took the biggest hit of the game, colliding with Henry's Al Nolen Jr. while going for a rebound with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first half. The two banged heads and Rundles landed hard on the floor.
The result was a dislocated left shoulder and a nasty gash over his right eye. The shoulder was popped back into place, but he left the court for the remainder of the half and, presumably, the rest of the game.
However, Rundles came back into the game with four minutes gone in the second half, and he didn't miss a beat.
He scored all nine of his points in the second half and dished out five of his game-high seven assists as the Islanders rallied from a 12-point deficit with a 19-6 run.
"I've been in Minnesota since 1986 and I've seen a lot of basketball," DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson said. "And I've never seen a player as tough as Rundles. He may not be the best player I've seen, but he is the toughest."
Are you kidding me? This is insane. If having his arm being popped out of its socket doesn't prevent this kid from taking over a game, Big Sky defense sure as hell isn't. This is like Dwayne Wade-esque, minus the tears and being carted off in a wheelchair.
The first 100 students IN THE DOOR at Saturday's Griz vs. Idaho St. basketball game (7:05pm) will get in FREE! Student tickets are $5.00 & can be purchased at the student entrance.So we can afford pizza, but not free admission for everyone. I'm down. Seriously, the student section isn't even crowded until 10 minutes into the game.
100 FREE medium pizzas will be given away to UM students showing up early to the Griz vs. Idaho St. game on Saturday at 7:05pm! Pizzas will be handed out starting at 6:30.
This Saturday will be Bryan Ellis' final game here in Missoula, the end of an incredible and trying career. Sure, his basketball career is coming to a close but BE will definitely go on to do some incredible things. I came across this truly unbelievable article in the Detroit News and am completely astounded at what Bryan has done in his life, academically and otherwise.
Pictured to the left is a cameraman spotted at tonight's game against Northern Colorado. Some may notice it's not your basic TV guy as he's got a bit more complex set-up. This is actually one of the guys UM used to shoot their great football ads. I asked him about it and a similar ad (possible intro) is on the way for the basketball program. Good to hear seeing as attendance has dropped off quite a bit this year. Wonder if they called this in after attendance was poor or just waited until senior night because that's when they figured to get some shots of an arena that's a little less empty than it normally is. Either way, it's good to hear. Can't wait to see the final product.Here's a great new Gatorade ad I saw last night while watching some hoops. It really sucks that he got hurt in last night's game. Hope Wade's shoulder injury isn't as bad as it looks.
I really wish we had one guy who could do this. I know not a lot of teams have a Dwayne Wade, it'd just be great if the Griz had someone who could take it to the rim. I mean Cam, Dlouhy and Hasquet have the ability but how many GREAT finishes have you seen this year?
Note: Youtube is kind of down right now so the rest of the videos in the "Youtube clips" tag may be temporarily unavailable.

"...It was one of those deals where the 20 or so of us in the room said let's buy in and stay together.I've mentioned before that this team is almost clogged with talent. They are loaded in the back and front-court but if their bench players don't get any time because of others in front of them, they can't get in a rhythm and play to their potential. It's odd that these players only voice their frustration at home. What, they need to impress the femininas?
“That's been an issue with us a little bit. We have so much depth that we've had some guys with frustration with playing time and it's caused us problems, especially at home. Here on the road lately guys are swallowing their ego and buying into putting the program first and it's paying off for us.”
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It's really amazing how fundamentally sound the Lady Griz are in comparison to the men's team. I don't mean to bash the men's team but they really trail pretty far behind the women when it comes to the basics. The men do not have a great passer like Morales; Ellis and Rundles are kind of close but neither have the awareness she does.
updated enough, let me know and I'll work on making it better.
Head coach Brad Huse has this Bobcat team playing way over its head and right in the thick of the Big Sky race. It was them who ended Idaho State's undefeated stretch and sent the Bengals into chaos. The Cats also beat Weber State at home. It hasn't been this way throughout all of BSC play as they started 1-3. Then it started. They beat Weber at home and won six of seven.
the job at Pepperdine before seeing all the good that he had right in UM and getting out. He saw that UM had a great program on the rise. They just beat Nevada to get to the second round of the NCAA tourney and, before he was mentioned as a candidate, I didn't even know Pepperdine had a basketball program.
What would be said if Hauck had a similar chat about his aspirations with the Griz football team? "Listen guys, I know when I recruited you I asked that you dedicate the next four to five years of your life to this football program but... I'm not gonna lie, as soon as something decent opens up at the next level and they're willing to hire a I-AA coach to run their program, I'm taking the next overpriced non-direct flight out of here."I'm not blaming him or calling him a bad guy, it's just kind of disappointing that he's such a lame duck. He needs to go elsewhere to take his game to the next level and wants to do so as soon as humanly possible.
According to this morning's Montana Kaimin, Griz athletes have been warned about the hazards of posting on Facebook, a social networking site like Myspace but I have to say the the warnings, for the most part, haven't been heeded.
You know a marketing department really has no sense of self respect when they decide to come up with a Myspace page for their athletic program. Seriously, we already lost to the almost last place Hornets once, we better not do so at home. “It’s hard to win on the road,” he said. “Let alone win on the road here at the University of Montana.”From Anthony Washington:
“First and foremost, they’re good,” Bone said of the Grizzlies. “Second of all, usually there’s a really great crowd here. If the crowd really gets fired up it’s like the sixth man approach.”
“They’re fun,” he said. “There’s some nut up here that yells and screams and thinks he’s funny. They’re fun and they’re great, that’s what college basketball’s about. I wish we had crowds like this.”
“I like the crowd (in Missoula),” said Vikings senior center Anthony Washington. “No offense to our fans at Portland State, but I wish we had more of a presence.”From Juma Kamara:
“I think for the opponents it can make some of them frustrated,” he added. “Especially the freshmen that have never heard anything like that before, but for the most part you block it out.”
“They’re just regular old fans,” he said. For Kamara it was the first time in his career that he had won in Missoula.From Griz head coach Wayne Tinkle:
“It’s a nice environment for basketball,” Kamara said. “Especially in this conference, to me it’s like the best gym in the conference – nice crowd, nice everything.”
“Well it’s great,” he said. “Once we hit some shots and we started showing some hustle, they rewarded us by cheering and making some noise. That’s awesome, but we can’t wait for them to get us going. We need to get ourselves going.”This team really thrives when Dahlberg is loud. The more students that come and make noise, the better this team will do.
“Hopefully we can come out Saturday night and we’ll have even a bigger crowd.”
stands him up. The block was cleaner than a dentist's office and the refs wait to see who gets the the ball; the Griz grab it and a whistle is blown shortly after. Foul on the Griz. Shocking!
I swear to God, the Vikings just acted like they just beat Duke to go to the goddamn Sweet 16. I'm surprised assistant coach Bucktooth Blush didn't grab a fucking ladder from the storage closet and start cutting down the nets. Players and coaches alike tried to taunt fans as they made they way to the locker room, where they bounced around, apparently looking for a crate of Cristal champagne.
As announced yesterday, the University of Montana will face Pacific as part of ESPNU's BracketBusters series. Both teams probably wish this game would've come sooner, after each time had actually busted some brackets.The Tigers led 74-72 with five seconds to play in overtime when Christian Maraker fouled Boston College's Craig Smith. Smith, a poor foul shooter who was 3 of 7 on the day, made two free throws to send the game into double overtime. Thomason insisted Maraker hadn't committed a foul and later said video replays provided proof, but the call stood.This was the second time the Griz and Tigers almost faced eachother in the second round of the tournament. In 2005, the Griz hung with 1 seed Washington for a bit before eventually getting beat by double-digits while the 8th seeded Tigers beat 9th seeded Pittsburgh before losing to UW in the next round.
"Yesterday, when we walked out of the office, the last thing I said is, 'I sure hope we don't get Pacific,' " Tinkle told reporters Tuesday in Missoula. "My first year here, I think in '01, they beat us by 20 (actually 77-64). They've gotten better. They're just a great, great program.This matchup also means the Griz will have to face Pacific on the road next year. They could combine this with a game or two against a couple good California foes to make an exceptional road trip.
"I know they're a little down this year. Their record reflects that, but they're still a very, very talented team, and it's going to be a big challenge for us."

Andrew Strait's performance against NAU makes two strong showings in a row for the big fella. No, it wasn't a Hibachi game filled with spectacular plays and a game winner. It was just Drew quietly doing what he does, which is getting the ball and consistently making baskets. Strait was 11-11 from the field, leading all scorers with 23. Freshman Jovanni Sims has left the University of Montana men's basketball team. Sims, a 6-foot-4-inch guard from Milwaukee was expected log some playing time this eyar for the Griz, but because of issues regarding his high school transcripts, had not been cleared to play by the NCAA.It's a shame Jio never found his way onto the court. This whole things sounds pretty complicated and unfair; I really hope he hones his skills and gets his grades squared away in Junior College and comes back to contribute in the future.
UM head coach Wayne Tinkle said Sims transferred to Midland College, a junior college in Midland, Texas.
"He just wanted to go somewhere he could play," said UM head coach Wayne Tinkle, who did not close the door on Sims possibly returning to Missoula in the future.
Last night's Griz-NAU game was UM's most complete game of the year, but that doesn't mean there weren't a couple iffy stretches. The Griz almost lost the game before they ever even had a chance to win it but Jordan Hasquet made sure they were in it when it mattered.
is beginning to find their role on this team. Hell, even Big Dave Vanderjagt got a minute or two and was able to get his first points.
This morning's Kaimin had a pretty decent article about Cameron Rundles that I was able to read before Terrorism class; no, it's not what it sounds like. "I'm not leading any of the categories or anything," he said, "but I'm OK with that. I just want to help us win. I try to be the vocal man."I've been on the Cam Rundles bandwagon from the very start and these quotes just further my belief that he can and probably will have a significant impact on this program. This young team is in desperate need of a strong leader. Cam may be too gain the respect of all his teammates right now, but over the next three seasons he will become a dominant coach on the court; a Peyton Manning for Griz hoops, if you will.
"First I look at myself as an extension of a coach on the court. I'm a great communicator and a leader, so I try to communicate what coach Tinks says to us, on the other players."
Tinkle, in his first year as head coach agrees that Rundles' effectiveness lies in "intangibles" such as aggressiveness and leadership.
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A series of "upsets" over the weekend have made the race for the BSC regular season title much closer and put the Griz right back into its peloton. 

ISU beat Utah Valley State, Sac State, and Eastern Washington while the Griz lost to all three of those teams. The Griz beat Boise State while ISU lost to them.
You know what, I hate Dick Vitale and I'm sorry for any reference to him. I hate Joe Buck too but that's not the point. The point is that Cam Rundles is a stud.
Fawkward. It means more than just awkward, or f***in' awkward.“I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, what he's gone through and how he goes about his business,” Krystkowiak said. “He's one of those people you can tell he's constantly observing and assessing. He's not full of a lot of talk. Ask Brad about a team and he wasn't going to overwhelm you with 10 bullet points. He'd have it narrowed down to two, maybe three things. With as many things as you have on your plate as a head coach, that was valuable to me.LK on Tinkle:
“He gets the big picture.”
“He'd probably be the first to tell you we had a good cop-bad cop thing going on,” Krystkowiak said. “I didn't have to be a nice guy. A certain amount of fear has to be instilled in the players. Wayne will differ from me in that way, but he may actually harden over time. I don't know too many head coaches who are good cops.I overheard someone at the bowling alley last night talking about Tinks and LK and they were saying what I'm kind of thinking after seeing this. Maybe Tinkle is still too much of a "good cop" and needs to learn how to get in his players heads.
“That's the way I did it, but just because I did it that way doesn't make it right. He could probably do a great job being a nice guy too.”
According to this week's BSC Power Rankings, which are done by Kellis Robinett of the Idaho State Journal, the Griz are the sixth best team in the Big Sky Conference. 3. Northern Arizona (8-7, 3-1) With a trip to Northern Colorado coming up, move NAU to 4-1.Well, in this year's BSC conference, guaranteed wins are a sure thing like Ohio State rolling over Florida was a sure thing. Tonight, NAU fell to UNC on a layup with ten seconds to play.
9. Northern Colorado (2-14, 0-4) One RPI service ranks the Bears last among all Division I teams.
As evidenced by this season's attendance level at basketball games, I'm assuming that many of you will not care about this Griz-Cat week as much as you all did about the last one. You should.
For most of this season, Lady Griz guard Mandy Morales has dominated the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week Award like Michael Jordan did with the NBA MVP in the 90s but this week is the first in six that the award hasn't gone her way.
about.
Tinkle but I have to say these second half runs/adjustments were what made last year's Griz team as good as it was.Lost in the hoopla surrounding guard Mo Williams' first career triple-double in Wednesday's victory over Miami at the Bradley Center was the fact that assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak deserved an assist for the victory.The Bucks only ended up scoring 7 fast break points in the game but the change to the offense was drastic.
Krystkowiak entered the halftime locker room and reminded the Bucks - a team that likes run for a living - that they had exactly zero fast-break points at that stage of the game.
Asked about Krystkowiak's halftime message, guard Michael Redd said, "That was shocking to us. We were scoring but we didn't get any fast-break points and we were like, 'Wow.' So we made an effort in the second half to go out and push it."
This happened too many times to count last year. If the over/under for years until Krystkowiak is head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks was 2.5, I'd have to take the under.How dramatic was the change in style from half to half?
Let's put it this way. In the first half, the Bucks scored 53 points on 44.2% shooting. In he second half, the Bucks scored 68 points - two shy of their season high for a half - and shot 61.5%.
Miami, on the other hand, scored 56 points in the first half on 55% shooting. In the second half, the Heat scored 39 points on 35.1% shooting.
The Bucks have been searching all season for an identity and might finally be finding one as an open-court team.
finals in other classes but that is no excuse for not covering this year's Lady Griz team, which has won its seventh straight and is 10-1 -- sole loss being to Ohio State, you'll take that in any sport -- after tonight's victory over Santa Clara.
last year's team and it just isn't showing. When talent is not meeting expectations, coaching has to come into question. See, it's not hard to tell when your coach stinks. You usually know when your players are constantly saying things like "We just need to sustain that intensity for four quarters," "We need to play the kind of defense we're capable of playing," "We can take big leads, now we need to learn how to keep them," "We're a young team, so we're still learning how to bring the same consistency every night," "We have to start getting stops," and my personal favorite, "We need to learn how to execute down the stretch."In last night's 81-65 blowout, the Hilltoppers made a run at the end of the first half to go into the break tied after trailing double digits previously. After the half the Griz came out flatter than a Monopoly board and Western Kentucky went on a 22-5 run. This would've never happened with last year's team. Last year the Griz would ALWAYS come out on a high and make a big run to start the second half. These runs were a staple of Larry Krystkowiak's motivational skills.
assaulting someone in this way is only a misdemeanor. A felony charge of tampering may be tacked on as court papers say he punched the woman when he tried to call 911 then snapped the cellphone.Tinkle said he has talked to freshmen Zach Graves and Dave Vanderjagt about sitting out as redshirts, but the decision will be up to the players and their families. ... Freshman Jovanni Sims, who played at a prep school last season, has yet to receive the go-ahead to practice from the NCAA Clearinghouse. ... Sophomore Charlie Cox, who transferred from Montana-Western, must sit out this season.Vanderjagt's parents, who along with Big Dave are from Townsville, Australia, have been coming and watching their son at practice recently.

Tinkle said Strait, the Grizzlies' leading returning scorer (16.6) and rebounder (6.4), will start along with sophomore Jordan Hasquet and senior Matt Dlouhy, who both started last season. Sophomore Austin Swift will start at a wing, with either junior Matt Martin or freshman Cameron Rundles at point guard. Martin has had a flu bug that has bitten about half the team in the last week or so, Tinkle said. Senior Bryan Ellis, who saw plenty of minutes at the point last season, tweaked an ankle in practice and will suit up, but his minutes may be limited.It's really good to see some of the younger guys in Swift and Rundles make it into the starting lineup. Swift, a sophomore, is one of the most improved players from last year's team and Rundles is a freshman out of Minneapolis, Minnesnowda who is very capable of running the point.
Tinkle was a Krystko assistant, so fans can expect more of the razor-sharp offensive execution and shooting (#11 nationally in Adj Off Eff) they have grown to love. The defense was only average (#166), but it was good enough to win 24 games. The Griz will need some folks to step up in the backcourt, but the frontcourt is stacked with size and skill, and the bench has some meat on it. The most jarring part for [Hill]Topper fans is that Montana was 13-1 at home last season (including a 19-point pasting of Stanford), and that lone loss was by 4 points to a very good UW-Milwaukee team. It will be tough to come out of Missoula with a win.Tinks is certainly well aware of the Griz's defensive inabilities last year and has been working hard at improving them this year. A common theme throughout the practices so far is the confidence that the Griz will not have any problems scoring. Tinkle has said over and over they have the weapons to do so but just need to improve on the defense end of the floor. This morning's 7 AM practice was devoted almost entirely to the defensive end of the floor. At the end of practice Tinkle said the Griz D had definitely improved.

Friends of Hoops, one of the best AAU teams in Washington state and the nation. The team was started by now Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl and boasts a slew of alum at some of the best college programs in the country and even one in the NBA lottery.“Gus is probably the most raw talent I’ve seen in a while,” Dlouhy said. “He’s almost, like, 95 percent unstoppable on offense – pretty much impossible to guard.”Is it just me or could you hear Napolean Dynomite saying something along those lines?

MontanaGrizzlies.com reports who will be filling out Tinks' coaching staff:The Griz hoops program continues to reward its own with the hiring of DuChesne. I'm definitely not going to argue with the idea as it certainly worked with LK.University of Montana men’s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle announced this week the hiring of Nate DuChesne to an assistant coaching position. DuChesne, who played for the Grizzlies from 1986-89, most recently served as the head coach at Edmonds (Wash.) Community College.
“Nate has Grizzly blood in him, which was really important to me when I was looking at applicants,” Tinkle said. “He’s a guy that understands our program and the way things are done in the Big Sky Conference.”
“It’s an honor to be a member of the Grizzly coaching staff,” DuChesne said. “The program has great tradition and the last few years it has gotten back on track. I’m looking forward to the challenge of building on the team’s recent success.”
The first-ever Old Spice Classic, formerly called the ESPNU Classic, will tip off Nov. 23 at 10 a.m. MST on ESPN2. The inaugural tournament field will feature Montana along with Arkansas, Marist, Minnesota, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Western Michigan. There will be four games each day with each team playing daily. The two undefeated teams will face off in a championship match on the final day.It's great to see that the Montana basketball team will finally be getting some television exposure. I was very disappointed when NAU's Bracket Buster game ended up being televised while the Griz were snubbed.
Montana will play West Virginia at 7:30 p.m. MST Nov. 23. Other opening games feature Arkansas against Southern Illinois, Marist vs. Minnesota and Virginia Tech against Western Michigan.
SportsCast Network out of Salt Lake City has developed and produced the project, which is at www.bigskytv.org. Prices are $99.99 for all site content (called the Annual Conference Pass), $59.99 for single-school content or for a month-long all-site pass, $39.99 for a monthly single-school pass, and $6.99 if a fan just wanted to watch aTo me, this seems a bit steep. Ryan at Big Sky Blog refers to value in his post about the development.single event.
“This will be unlike anything else currently available to fans of collegiate athletics,’’ BSC commissioner Doug Fullerton added. “SportsCast Network possesses some of the best technology available. Plus our nine athletic departments will all benefit from the agreement. When you buy a subscription the revenue will go back to your favorite school.”
I saw an advance screening of "Lady in the Water", which even for free wasn't worth the price.I included his opinion on the movie because the value of Griz games on the internet is every bit as much about value as yet another movie with some paradoxical twist at the end where it all ends up being in the protagonists head. (Is it still a twist if we expect it?)
A bit pricey, but if the quality is TV tantamount, then your money may be well spent. It is well that the Bobcats and Griz have nearly all their games broadcast in Montana, but I never have the opportunity to watch other schools in the conference. A happy fan this would make.
nded by family and familiar friends, to living almost alone on an alien campus filled with strangers. This passage proved to be much more difficult for Chavez. His story is detailed in a recent article by Jodi Rave:“I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Chavez said. “I wasn’t really vibing with the whole university.” He withdrew from school the fall of 2003. He moved to Billings and spent the next few months in front of a PlayStation 2.An earlier Kaimin article also mentions Chavez's troubled move:
An otherwise promising basketball career might have ended then. But that’s not how his story ends.
“Socially, you are out of your element being on a reservation your whole life,” said Chavez, a junior forward on the UM basketball team. “Thrown in with a group of guys from a whole other culture – that along with always being surrounded by family and a huge support system on the reservation – all that together makes it tough.”According to the Rave article, Chavez's rebound has not gone unnoticed as he was recentl presented a leadership award from officials of the Native American Basketball Invitation tournament. Continue Reading...
Here's a story on Montana Grizzlies head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle, done by Troy Oppie of KECI-TV. Please ignore the part about the donut burgers, your arteries may clog at the sight alone.
"There's players overseas that could play in the NBA. There's players in the NBA that couldn't play overseas."
Belgian league. Run me off some picks somewhere around the top of the key and could average 4 ppg in some random Belgian league and I've never played competitive basketball in my life. On ESPN's TV draft coverage they said he lacked athleticism and could not rebound nor post up. Um, what is he doing doing in the NBA, let alone getting picked tenth?!
Montana Grizzlies sophomore forward Kyle Sharp has been keeping himself busy down in the town named after the bizarro Abercrombie, says an article in the Gilroy Dispatch:It's going good. Just enjoying the weather and the people in Hollister. I've been in town for about a month now. I've just been working out, playing a lot of basketball. I just decided I wanted to come back and be with my family and friends. I felt like I could train here and get better, and then go back to Montana and get ready instead of staying up there. I wanted to be back with my friends after my first year of college.Should he be in Missoula practicing with the team? A month into my first summer during college, I wouldn't mind being back in the Zoo. Doesn't he have friends on the team?
Definitely. Definitely. Now, when I go back, I have a lot of people that I know and I have my coaches. And my teammates? I'm excited to go back and see them and what they've done. And we've brought in new people. It's like another family up there.On him putting on the weight with some of his mother's home cooking, I've seen him the Food Zoo and he could use another pass through that line...maybe grab some of that vanilla pudding with the Oreo crumbs in it, you know what I'm talking about.
It is. It is. She'll take a lot of credit for it. I helps out. I have to over-eat. I'm working out hard, so if I don't gain a lot of weight, I'll just gain strength which either one, I would love to do. I'm not trying to gain 40 pounds. I'm just trying to gain 10 pounds at a time. Just getting bigger and stronger and being able to hold my own down there in the post.More in the article on who he's training with , academics, AND his vacation to Cabo.
"I feel very fortunate, very blessed," Krystkowiak said at a news conference Thursday afternoon at the Bucks' training center. "I'm kind of pinching myself that it's all happening. Missoula, Montana, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are two of my favorite places. To have an opportunity to get into the league as a coach, it's not an easy thing to do."On when it all went down and the future:
Stotts and Krystkowiak first chatted about the job at the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando. They then met with owner Herb Kohl and after only a short period of time, Krystkowiak was a member of Stotts' staff.We saw what he did with Strait, I'm looking forward to see how Bogut's game develops under LK.
Krystkowiak called the Bucks' roster "solid" and said he was looking forward to working with Andrew Bogut and the Bucks' other big men.
“He called us in and just told us straight out that he would never leave Montana for another college job,” junior Matt Martin said of the team's meeting with Krystkowiak. “It's a chance to coach at the highest level, which he can't pass up and we all understood that. He loves this place ... it was hard for him to let go.
“He's going to be missed, but by the same token I think the guys have a sense of relief and pleasure that Tinks is going to step in and be our leader.”
one knew for sure when the Takeover would happen, but everyone knew it would. To return to Jim "cliche" O'Day, this from a piece in the Missoulian:“Wayne has earned his stripes,” UM Athletic Director Jim O'Day said while introducing Tinkle at a press conference at the Adams Center Sky Club. “This is his time to shine.”Many will doubt Tinks' promise to "not lose any momentum;" I don't. I stand by him as a fellow Cubs fan (another example of his dedication) and a coach who I know has the respect of both the players and the fans.
"I've had a hand in recruiting every player that is on the roster, as well as the incoming players, and that will help with the transition," he said. "Our players are excited about the direction we are heading. I am humbled and proud to pick up the torch, and we're not going to lose any momentum."Tinks in the Missoulian:
“I think I have a better understanding of what makes 18- to 22-year-olds tick,” Tinkle added. “How to motivate them. X and O-wise, I have a better understanding of the game. The big thing is, in the five years I've been here I've worn a lot of different hats. Coaching is not just about running a team during a game. It's preparing them in the classroom to become better students, to become better people in their community so that when their playing days are over they can succeed."What does he not have? Respect, knowledge, leadership abilities, dedication; all there. He doesn't have the glamour that was "Coach K." Not yet.
The backcourt lacks experience and will have to depend on Bryan Ellis and Max Martin. Ellis is a speedy guard who will look to shine after spending last year as a backup. Martin saw his starts decrease as a sophomore and will need to regain his freshman form. The frontcourt, on the other hand, is deep and talented and will be the strength of the Montana team.Once you stop sauntering down the court and hoisting Jason Williams-esque threes early in the shot clock then they get your name right...but you can do what you want and still have your mug on this site.
Coach Larry Krystkowiak is bringing in a very good recruiting class led by junior college transfer Gus Chase. Chase, a 6-4, 245 pound power forward, has a knack for rebounding. The big man is one of the top forwards at the juco level and will compete for a starting job from day one. Incoming freshman Dave Vaderjagt, a 7-0 center, has plenty of experience playing for the youth Australian national teams. Vanderjagt will need some time to gain strength, but with his size, he’ll soon become an impact player for the Grizzlies.Here's a look at their final projection and I'm going to have to say I disagree.
The backcourt has some cause for concerns, which knock the Griz down to 3rd in the Big Sky. If Ellis and Martin can prove they can be the leaders Coach K needs them to be, and Rundles can develop into a solid option off the bench, Montana can make the NCAA Tournament again and beat a five seed again.They also were ranked 144th overall by the site.
If the clouds opened up and the God of sports, none other than "Superfan" Todd O'Connor, granted us the Ten Commandments of Sports Fanatics, I guarantee one of them would be "Thou shalt pick at least one 12-5 upset when filling out a NCAA Tournament Bracket." Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton thinks playing BracketBuster games were good for league schools this season, especially Montana.This game, plain and simple, was a good win over a bad team. These are games that need to be won in order for the Griz, and the Big Sky Conference, to gain any legitimacy. Oral Roberts won 21 games and made the NCAA Tournament as the winner of the Mid-Continent Conference. The fact that they earned a 16 seed and the Griz earned a 12 seed says a great deal about the steady rise of the program and the conference; in 2004, the Griz won the Big Sky and only earned a 16 seed.
He believes Montana's 88-74 win over Oral Roberts on Feb. 18 and a connection between the BracketBusters selection committee and the NCAA tournament selection committee helped Montana get its No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament.
"Two guys on the BracketBusters committee are on the NCAA committee," said Fullerton, in Missoula for the league's annual spring meeting. "The BracketBuster is designed to improve your ability to get into the (NCAA) tournament, or to get a better seed into the tournament. I think that's what it did for Montana this year."
The big red bow was tied and the wrapping paper all taped up before the University of Montana Grizzlies decided they weren't going give the game away.
The Griz were up 14 with only 8:30 to play before letting it all slide. These slides and an overall lack of confidence have been a staple of how the Griz play on the road. The Griz cannot repeat this flaw in their Big Sky Championship matchup against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
If the Griz, who were 7-0 at home but only 2-4 on the road in regular season conferance play, want to go dancing they need to win in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks also have not lost at home in conference play, but the last time the Griz visited they should've left a smudge on that record.
The Griz held a 19 point lead in the first half and a 13-point halftime lead in the last meeting between the Griz and Lumberjacks at Flagstaff. The Griz are a more talented team and need show their home swagger on the road.
Look at the stats and it's hard figure out why this game isn't being played in Zoo-Town. The Griz, as a team, are fourth in the nation in assists, sixth in field goal percentage (one back of Duke), and 17th in points per game. The Griz are ranked 22nd in the latest Mid-Major Poll, NAU didn't crack the top 25. The Griz also have two of the the top three scorers in the conference in Andrew Strait and Kevin Criswell. Criswell, along with sophomore sensation Strait, will have to provide major contributions if the senior's career is to continue.
The Eastern Washington Eagles come into the Big Sky Tournament looking a bit like the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Eagles are not necessarily one of the favorites when it comes to who is getting that NCAA bid but they are a dangerous team with the league's most dangerous player.
EWU guard Rodney Stuckey plays the role of Kobe Bryant for the Eagles. Stuckey averages 24.1 ppg and on Wednesday became the first freshmen in the history of the conference to be named MVP.
Stuckey dropped 38 on Portland State in the quarterfinals, a point off of the league playoff record.
The Griz face the Eagles on tuesday in Flagstaff, Arizona where NAU plays host to the tournament. Stuckey is averaging 25 ppg against the Griz in their previous two meetings, both won by Montana.