Montana Grizzlies Sports, Football and Basketball : Grizzoulian

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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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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The Northwest Shootout is a high school all-star basketball game between a team from Oregon and a team from Washington. For any runners out there, it's the Border Clash of hoops. The Griz had a couple  recruits playing in the game in Mathias Ward and Shawn Stockton. I was not at the game, but Portland State blogger Ian Ruder was and his impressions on the Griz recruits are below.

On Stockton:

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.

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.

On Ward:

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.

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Jim Bate/Seattle Times

When it comes to Griz basketball, there are not a lot of positives to be drawn after last night. One could be that Griz commit Shawn Stockton (pictured far right) won his second straight class 4A Washington state title.

Stockton plays point guard for the Saxons, who not only won back-to-back state titles, but also finished consecutive undefeated seasons.

Congrats Shawn.

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