The next Mike Chavez
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.Every team needs a Mike Chavez. Scratch that, every good team needs a Mike Chavez. Someone who goes out there and gives the rest of the team a proverbial punch to the ear when they're dicking around, letting the other team go on a run or not pulling away from a bad team.
Anyway, here are my three candidates for this year's Mike Chavez:
Matt Martin
Yes, he's currently a starter, that doesn't mean he wouldn't be better coming off the bench. Martin already plays with something of a chip on his shoulder, why not make it bigger by bringing him off the bench? He could swagger onto the court, make 2-3 treys and all of a sudden a one point lead is double digits. This may not include reducing his playing time. Tinkle could bring him off the bench a few minutes into the game while still giving him starter-like minutes.
Zach Graves
The explosive combo guard could be the most athletic player the Griz have. He's a slasher. A quick guard who can get to the paint and has the hops to finish. Graves is not a drive a dish guy, as we've seen before. He has gotten very few minutes so far, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Here's what I think is going on: Graves' playing time is based on how he's done in practice, which is against team full of bigs. Not quite the type of opponent he'd thrive against. He gets in the paint and it's a sea of four foot long arms. Against some of the smaller, quicker teams we've been playing, that wouldn't happen. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten more minutes considering the size and quickness of our opponents. Imagine a Jeremy Pargo-type player coming off the bench. He's starved for minutes and would fly around on the defensive end while driving hard to the whole on offense. Nothing would get guys pumped and the crowded going like a huge dunk over an opposing forward or center.
Greg Spurgetis
At the beginning of the season, Tinkle said he would look at giving this "practice player" more playing time. That hasn't been the case. So why give Greg this spot? You would never question his effort. Out of all the players on the team, I doubt you'll find another who could come off the bench and give the team as much pure effort. He would follow the gameplan and work his ass off. Out of the times I've seen a Griz basketball player at the regular students gym, either shooting around or working out, just about every time it's been Spurgetis. For the short time I worked as a team manager for the Griz, Spurgetis was almost always the last one out of practice and would always put in extra time working on his shot. It's shown too. The kid can knock down a jumper. More than anything else, he can hustle, and that's something this Griz team hasn't shown a lot of.
