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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

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First Half

• We have our first ill advised Jordan Hasquet three point attempt of the game.
• But still, this isn't that bad so far. 3-0 Griz 90 seconds in. So, these announces are far better than the Idaho State crew, no ridiculously huge bias so far.
• Really slow start for WSU. We also have our first AJ fadeaway dagger. Put that on the list of things worth 1 drink in the Griz Hoops Drinking Game.
• So WSU cuts the audio during breaks. Somewhat smart, but not entertaining.
• Weber State looks horrible. We're up 9-2 early. Getting plenty of opportunities for open shots but they're not falling. If they do we could end this.
• We've missed at least five three pointers so far. Depending on that a lot too much. There's another one.
• And like that, on back-to-back threes, it's 9-8. No, 11-8. McGillis has 7. I'm somewhat shocked.
• 11-10 Griz, 11 left. Hasquet is struggling a bit early. Despite the lead, shots really aren't falling for the Griz. Missing lots of open looks. Sloppy ball all around.
• Griz are now trailing 12-11.
• Here's the thing. Selvig loves to play some Dirk ball but plays center in the practices I've seen. It's probably been since high school, almost two years, since he's played that kind of ball.
• I'm watching the game with someone who doesn't understand/like sports. For those of you who've done this, you know it's bad. They resort to making fun of the whole situation. Annoying.
• Time for AJ to take over. Starts with him trying to get to the rack, gets the call, nice.
• I'm not sure Jordan Hasquet has made a shot yet.
• You can usually tell when Anthony Johnson is about to turn it on. He was right before picking up his second foul. When the team is down more than they should be, he puts it on him.
• If you were doing a drink for every three point miss from Jordan, you'd be about two beers in.
• After a McGillis trey, it's 24-19 with 4:00 left. Great game from Jack so far.
• Stockton is looking really shaky filling in for AJ at the point. It'll be interesting to see how things play out once CET gets back.
•  Half ends with a AJ turnover and Weber dunk.
• Okay, I hate this in college hoops, but with a guy like Anthony Johnson why not just put everyone on the baseline? Is there anyone in this conference who can stop one-on-one him even three times out of ten?

Halftime

• 32-23 Weber at halftime. If this creeps into double digits I'm going to be upset. We'll see how we respond. It'll be Hasquet threes and McGillis fadeaways or penetration by Anthony Johnson. I vote for the last option, opens things up for everyone else.
• If we lose this game, we're 3-3 in conference.
• It's chili time.

Second half

• The lead is 11 after a couple free throws. Second half starts a little like the first. Pretty sloppy. It's now 14. Timeout and a technical. Keep it up Wayne.
• This needs to go under 15 quick. Yeah, I'm looking at you Anthony. The announcer said he's a "guy who looks for his own shot most of the time." Nay. 
• Staudacher is getting a lot of wide open looks. And missing them. He's ice cold.
• 38-25. 16:25. No hill for a climber. Right?
• And we let the shot clock expire. AWESOME.
• 39-27 as the annoucer says "I'm not sure how they beat Montana State, other than that the game was in Missoula." We're that team, the team that surprises people when we beat mediocre teams.
• Here's a hypothetical. Say Wayne Tinkle picks up his second technical only to have the Griz storm back and win with him watching in the locker room. What are his odds of coaching here next season?
• 42-27. 13:24 left.
• Anthony Johnson has three fouls. You have to leave him in.
• AJ gives up a one-on-one chance at the hoop to have Staudacher fake a three then get a closer jumpshot swatted. Well, then he makes one. Now we're only down 14.
• Lead is back to 16 on a pair of free throws. 49-32. 11:30 left.
• 48-36 after three by Stads. 10:30 left.
• McGillis picks up his fourth foul because he didn't box out. 53-40 with 9:25 left.
• Why the f*ck did Kyle Sharp take a three? The lead is now 15 after a turnover by Anthony Johnson. YEA GRIZ.
• Anthony Johnson made a long two to have Weber make a three. 58-42 with 6:46 left.
• We're going to lose by twenty. Probably. The lead is now 17. Nope, 19.
• The lead is 11 after an AJ three. Please, don't tease. Gave up an offensive rebound, let the other team wind down the shot clock then fouled. They made both. That's the Griz basketball I know.
• Final score is 71-55.

Postgame

• People can argue all they want about whether it's coaching, talent or whatever but one thing is for sure: this team is very very bad. They don't play with any heart. They either win or get beat by double figures because most games, they just don't give a shit.
• It's getting to the point where something really drastic needs to be done.

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First Half

• "He raped the arm with his arm." Actual call from your Idaho State radio guys. Yea, just put Mick on whenever the Griz are playing. Are there more than ten Bengal fans watching this game? Is their guy half as good as Mick? I don't think so.
• So far, Anthony Johnson is not getting the calls he gets at home. Not that surprising but some of them are pretty blatant. He got mauled on a "block" early.
• In low resolution (Big Sky Tv) Matt Stucki looks just like Michael Cera.
• No one complains about calls like Idaho State fans. Idaho State broadcasters are close, but the fans win.
• Hasquet should have a limit on his three-point attempts. Two per half, maybe. Never on back-to-back possessions.
• I should probably drop in a score. 12-9 Bengals at the moment. There's no ticker and no word from the broadcasters on time.
• Just realized Coach Tinkle is on the frontside of the quarter. Watch him for a couple possessions. For some reason it's extra hysterical when you can just see a giant black shadow.
• 17-12 now. Probably around 11:00 left.
• Michael Taylor's going to get more and more minutes as time goes in. Can he play point while we cut AJ loose? Or maybe he's the three threat you don't get from AJ.
• Anthony Johnson is just getting mauled on some plays. Maybe the refs saw how much he was going to the line and decided to make a point out of making sure every time he went it was for something legit. But this is kind of odd. Oh well.
• 26-22 with 2:15 left.

Halftime

• 33-26 at half. Kind of a sloppy end to the period.
• We have to win this. It's Idaho State. Maybe it's my disrespect for their fans, but a loss here is completely unacceptable. Lets do this.
• No, they don't take halftime off on Big Sky TV. Unfortunately.
• Okay, so AJ isn't doing great up to this point. Focusing a little more on distributing because he's not getting the calls going at the rack. However, anyone else find it somewhat incredible we actually have someone the opposing team needs to key in on because if he doesn't, he's gonna drop 25?

 Second Half

• Refs are kind of clogging this whole thing up. Not for one team in particular.
• Griz down 7 after cutting it from 9. Just let AJ take over. Iso that up.
• Yeah. Three point play from AJ.
• 41-33 about four minutes in. Come on Griz.
• Okay. I just noticed this. Forgive me. They call Austin Kilpatrick 'AK-47.' He's number 23.
• Sharpie with a board, putback and going to the line. Forced in part by AJ driving to the rack. Seriously, someone buy a Witness shirt so I can wear one without feeling creepy.
• That was a bad charge. But here we go "That was a HORRIBLE CALL."..."I have to give Anthony Johnson a acting award for that."..."There's nothing borderline about that!" They're yelling so loud the audio is actually muffled. Imagine Mick doing that. Seriously. Just try.
• 45-44 Bengals. 12:00 left.
• Anthony Johnson is our Kobe. Unstoppable. 11 in this half.
• 48-45 now. 10:43 left. Now pull away Grizzlies.
• Wow. They call 'illegal dribbling' on AJ. Hmmm. Do what you have to I guess.
• 7:10 to go. Bengals up 4 and going to the line.
• 60-54 with about 6:00 left as Stockton is getting some big crunchtime minutes.
• Alright. Audio is going off. Can't really put up with this.
• Griz really choking down the stretch with a travel on Jordan.
• Jordan coughs it up. Lead is 13. Now 14.
• Now AJ turns it over in the backcourt. Well done guys.
• Three point shooting has been very inconsistent. But what can you do? We're an inconsistent team.
• AJ should've finished but that was a back court violation.
• Griz cut it to 9 before the guy with the hideous and oh-so-original mohawk makes a jumper in the corner.
• Final score: 77-67

Postgame

• Well, that sucked. Things really went downhill after the "illegal dribbling" call. I get a feeling Anthony Johnson isn't going to get a whole lot of slack on the road, not that he needed any for a hesitation dribble.
• We should've won this. We'll get them at home. Face them in the playoffs. Same crap. God I hate this team.
• A win today would've put the Grizzlies in first place. You had to figure they were going to lost. So, yeah, that's right, we get Weber after a loss. They'll be ready to go.

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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.

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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

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Here's a short video on Griz guard Anthony Johnson, done for a journalism class here at the U.

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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.

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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.

• Chemistry and attention to detail are big focal points early in the season. Tinkle stressed both throughout practice. At one point he said "attention to detail cost us 5 or 6 wins last season." During the huddle post-practice he said everything that happens on the court stays there. Guys should be able to get into it, shove a bit then go get lunch later. He made sure there wouldn't be any of the pockets of discontent we saw last year. And honestly, this team does seem less clique-y. It could be that it's early in the season and tension has not come to the point where it has a real affect but at this point all is well.
• The first team consisted of Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, Ryan Staudacher, Jack McGillis, Jordan Hasquet and Brian Qvale. That's expected.
• Anthony Johnson will be starting by conference play. For those of you wondering if he's everything he's cracked up to be, he is. He's exactly what this team, or any team, needs at the off-guard position. He's more athletic than anyone on this team last season. He's a great hustle player who looks like he loves to play the game. This is purely objective but it looked like he was having more fun than anyone. At 6:15, when you're playing your ass off so you don't have to run lines, that's tough to do. He has the strength to penetrate and combines this with a merciless mid-range game. In a scrimmage at the end of practice he nailed a baseline fadeaway (with either McGillis or Selvig in his pocket) that brought out multiple expletives. Assistant coach Bill Evans had to explain that sometimes guys are just going to make tough shots and there's not a lot you can do about it. And that's the thing, if this kid falls into a grove he's going to be unguardable.
• Jack McGillis loves him some put-back dunks. I'd put the over/under on eye-opening put-backs per game (eopbpg) at 1.5 and take the over most nights. You know what you're going to get from Jack and he's ready to get this show on the road after sitting out all of last season. Like Johnson, he fits flawlessly into this team, not only in terms of skill-set and position but personality as well. He will be the type of guy hoist the team over his head and carry them if that's what it takes. He'll be the one to say, either to the team or himself, "there's no effing way we're losing this game" then kill himself trying to do something about it.
• Ceylon Elgin-Taylor has a greater sense of accountability. He's the senior point guard and appears to understand the responsibility behind that. He's a darkhorse to become one of the team's better leaders. He's vocal, providing encouragement where needed. He's also made strides in his offensive game. His shooting is a touch better while he now seems much more capable of penetrating and finishing at the basket.
• Derek Selvig played mostly at the center position. He is still working on developing his post game. Going up against Qvale rep after rep would be tough for an experienced big, but for someone who's played mostly facing the basket, it's probably especially frustrating.
• Ryan Staudacher is better than people give him credit for. The cliche knock on him has always been that he can't create his own shot, that he's just a spot-up shooter. You know what? J.J. Redick couldn't create his own shot either. I'm not saying they are on equal talent levels, but watch the highlights and tell me they're not the exact same type of player. No, it doesn't translate to the pro game but if a guy has a pure stroke and can shoot over people, it can be deadly on the college level. Staudacher went for 9 a game last season while shooting 45% from beyond the arc. It wouldn't surprise me to see him get close to 15 per this season with a 3-point field goal percentage brushing up against 50. Depending on how much he's incorporated into the offense, I could see him pushing Jack and Jordo when it comes to being the team's leading scorer. So, yeah, he looked great in practice.
• Kyle Sharp was much more confident on offense; he was making shots with his back to the basket and dropping in a few jumpers. He's a skilled player who will be a great asset coming off the bench; he may even make a start here and there.
• Shawn Stockton will make Tinkle think twice about redshirting him. He showed what he did in high school, not a lot of scoring but he's a gritty and confident player. It's not what guys want to hear—like being labeled as a 'possession receiver'—but he'll be a great player in this program. He's very intense on defense: a player built in the Bryan Ellis mold, but even better. Even so, I think he has to redshirt. Not because of skill, but because of the depth we already have at the guard position. CET is the established point guard, Michael Taylor sat last year and Anthony Johnson fits into the role of defensive stopper.
• Jordan Hasquet is Jordan Hasquet, that's probably enough to say. Outside of chopping off the ugliest haircut in the history of humanity, not too many major changes.
• Brian Qvale has definitely put in time working on his offensive game and is looking to score a bit more when around the basket. Looks a little bit bigger but nothing drastic. He'll be a great anchor around the hoop.
• Michael Taylor didn't get as much time as I thought he would. He's a solid player who will serve as a great backup to CET. He's a very balanced player: good passer, good shooter and holds his own on defense.
• Nyandigisi Moikobu and Vassy Banny got bounced around a little bit. They're both solid players but I think still need some time to adjust to everything.
• Tyler Hurley knocked down a few jumpers and should be a consistent role player when given minutes.
• Mathias Ward spent most of practice on the bike. Not sure what the injury was but he didn't play at all. Well, I got there about 15 minutes late, so he might've at first but didn't after that point.

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While it's not completely official, both Anthony Johnson and his wife Shaunte Nance-Johnson will be playing hoops for the University of Montana next year.

It's been a long trip to this level for both of them, especially for Anthony. At one point, he was completely out of organized basketball; then he met Shaunte. For their incredible story, read this article in the Tacoma Weekly.

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.

Anthony and Shaunte, welcome to Missoula and the University of Montana.

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Next season, the Griz will look to play a more up-tempo, quicker offense. With that goal in mind, they're tailoring their recruiting accordingly. One player they're targeting: Anthony Johnson of Yakima Valley Community College. He was in Missoula today visiting campus.

Here's a little information on Johnson, who was East Region MVP of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

"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."

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."

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.

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