The Bobcat Nation

The Cat's Men’s Basketball team has its home opener tonight against UC Santa Barbara. We step a level in competition from Friday's game, and it appears that we will not be at full speed. Taylor did not travel to Utah because of a concussion, . We are going to be searching for offence tonight.

Now about this years team. Starting last summer I have been preaching that this team is going to struggle mightily to start the season. Guys and gals remember these facts. We have only 4 players on this team that have played D-1 ball. Those same four players are the only players who have ever played organized ball together with each other. We have 9 new players (not including Donavan Shultz). Of those players 6 are freshman. Brad Huse plays a type of ball that demands discipline and an understanding of how Huse wants the game to be played. None of these players have ANY experience in playing this way.

On the other side look at Huse's track record at Dickenson. Huse is a team builder. Every team that he had got better as the season progressed, and got better from year to year, every year. There are no shot cuts involved. We would have been a better team this year with Chawn, Edmonds, and Wilson, but in Huse's mind for the betterment of the team in the long hall he went another direction. From what I hear this team has the most chemistry of any Bobcat team, we have had in a very long time.

This year is about the journey and progress. I knew and have been saying so for quite some times that we are going to take our lumps early, but by the time conference season starts up we will be a much better team than we are now. Furthermore by the end of the season I expect to be better ever yet. This year is not about wins and losses, but about implementing a program. Go to the games as much as you can cheer for these guys, simply to enjoy the emergence of a new era in Bobcat basketball. Utah Valley State was disappointing but the best is yet to come. I don't want the fans or players to get caught up in the losses but get in on the ground floor and watch this team develop in to the class of the Big Sky!

Now a note to the former "Dump Durham" crowd that has existed for many years now. I was not one of them, but remember, I warned you that if we did dump Durham we would be much worse before we got better, at best. Remember this, because if you guy's do not give Huse the time he needs and start ragging on his butt anytime soon, I will find out who you are and hunt you down like a rabid dog.

Have a great day.

Good reminder mslacat! We need to give both our men's and women's coaches TIME before we get on them and the team for every loss! Let's stay behind them and not question each little misstep along the way. The future of MSU Basketball will be better with the efforts of Binford and Huse. Theses first games and seasons may be a little rough and hard to watch at times, but in the end we will all be celebrating our coaches!

I will be there tonight, who else is going?

We are going. We're having a hard time shifting into basketball season until football is over. Bring on the Griz.

Cat Gal wrote:We are going. We're having a hard time shifting into basketball season until football is over. Bring on the Griz.

Fair enough, but we will be holding a seat for you!

I have absolutely NO expectations for this year's basketball teams in regards to W-L records. Neither team will "wow" anybody, that is just the way of things when you are rebuilding. The only expectation I have for either team is to see improvement throughout the season, and I hope to see the kids having fun out there on the floor. The wins will come in the next few years.

I agree Bozone - W&L's aren't going to mean as much this season. As far as seeing improvement, I don't think they can do anything but improve from this point.

Hey MslaCat, how is the view from your perch atop the world? I don't think I have ever read such a condescending letter from a poster on here before. I think most everyone wants Coach Huse to succeed as much as you do so don't forget that when you want to jump on a soapbox. By the way, I don't disagree with anything you wrote just the tone with which you wrote it.

Just a little correction. It has been stated on this board that Edmonds was excused from the team by Coach Huse. Sources close to the team have stated that Edmonds was academically ineligible. In that situation, there is nothing that a coaching staff can do.

Despite the loss on Friday, I am also extremely excited to see what these guys can do over the next 25 games or so. They should improve from game to game and it should be fun to watch. Hopefully, everybody joins us there to cheer em on tonight!!

[quote="mslacat"][/quote] Hey, mslacat.......why do you think Zamora and Durr only got 12 minutes against UVS...when they both started in the exhibition games? Any insight?

I agree with what you are saying mslacat, but how in the heck do we get pounded by 30+ points. From what I have heard, we looked pretty decent in the exhibition games. I don't expect to be BSC or NCAA champs this year, but I do expect to not be embarrassed either. I knew that a coaching change was going to be tough at first, but we were going to take our lumps, but not mortally beat down.

What do you have, because I am a Bobcat through and through, I will scream and yell for a victory even in a losing effort, but not by 30+ to a lowly UVSC team that we should have been able to compete with. Sorry

rtb wrote:I will be there tonight, who else is going?

I will be there.

94VegasCat wrote:I agree with what you are saying mslacat, but how in the heck do we get pounded by 30+ points. From what I have heard, we looked pretty decent in the exhibition games. I don't expect to be BSC or NCAA champs this year, but I do expect to not be embarrassed either. I knew that a coaching change was going to be tough at first, but we were going to take our lumps, but not mortally beat down.

What do you have, because I am a Bobcat through and through, I will scream and yell for a victory even in a losing effort, but not by 30+ to a lowly UVSC team that we should have been able to compete with. Sorry

They aren't world-beaters, but I wouldn't call them lowly - they return all of their starters from a 16-13 season last year.

grizzh8r wrote:They aren't world-beaters, but I wouldn't call them lowly - they return all of their starters from a 16-13 season last year.

That may be true but if memory serves, there tallest player is 6-6, I believe Kris announced the attendance at just over 500, and they were a junior college about 3 years ago. Those things tell me we shouldn't be getting beat by 30+ points. New system, coach, players, whatever that shouldn't be happening IMO. Tonight will tell a lot though - how much better we play at home and how the griz play at UVS.

Not looking so hot again...I believe its 22-5

Hopefully this teams get better fast for the conferences sake!

Down 44-26 at the half.

This team showed their youth tonight. Turnovers galore.

They can't defend and can't rebound. Shooting wasn't great, but I think they will get there with their offense (which was bad again). The D and rebounding MUST improve if they are going to win a game this season, especially the transition D - they gave up waaaaaay to many easy shots to wide open players after a miss on the other end. Passing also needs to be worked on.

Diss was on crutches - don't know the story there.

Rush and Malloy really impressed me with their hustle. Either one could start, Rush did tonight.

Casey gave it his all as usual and was the leading scorer. I have said it before, when Casey is the leading scorer, the Cat's won't win very many games.

Taylor is quick, but needs to work on his defense.

Piepoli is going to be a good player.

Durr was picked on by the refs all night, only played about 10 minutes and had 4 fouls.

Davis came in for a while, played ok...

Johnson looked good in the second half, bad in the first.

Zamora has shown me absolutely nothing to warrant any playing time at all this season. He is weak and just grabs to defend people. Nothing on offense either. I don't know where Huse found him, but he does not look like a D1 prospect at all.

Ted was pretty soft under the basket tonight, missed a few bunnies that he shoulda dunked home. Bad from the stripe, too.

mslacat is right on the money - this team will come around but it could take all season before we see them play their best ball. Just so much inexperience on the floor.

That being said, I think the starters should be as follows (as of the next game, provided Dissly is still out):

Morris(for lack of any other post player)
Johnson
Rush
Taylor
Durham

With Peipoli, Davis, Durr, Derochowski, and Malloy coming off the bench. Man what a young team. Four true freshman and a redshirt freshman on this list of 10, and only 1 senior...

Even though it's Cat-Griz week, let's agree on something. No playing at Utah Valley State.

On to the Cat game. It's a final of 56-88, one of the worst home losses that I can remember. They came out flat but showed some signs of life after it was too late. Casey Durham had a decent game, especially in the second half. I think it was not a consistent effort, and the rebounding is one of many things that needs to improve for this team to be successful. UCSB had not a second, but a third chance opportunity in the first half. That should never happen. More consistent offensive effort is needed as well. They'll get there at some point. And tonight goes to show that Nick Dissly is a big part of this team. (He's sidelined with an ankle injury that hit him during practice Sunday; he could be out for at least a couple more games.) I think that they've taken their early lumps, and things can only go up from here.

We were down 19-1 to start the game! After that we played them relatively even for the first half. Then at the beginning of the second half we got steamrolled again.

Our best Bobcat teams probably would have had trouble with UCSB tonight-they couldn't miss. They have a pretty decent looking team.

How could Bobcat basketball have fallen so far? Over the years player defections (for whatever reason), and the subsequent heavy reliance on JC's has really caught up with us. We just don't have the experienced sophomore and juniors that other teams have, and our experienced players are better suited as role players than as game in and game out starters (especially with Dissly missing). It's going to be a season and probably two before we see Bobcat basketball back where it needs to be.

I think we have the right coach, but he's really got his work cut out for him.

I like a few of our freshmen. Johnson could be a good player in a year or two. Rush is very talented. Piepoli should improve a lot.

Malloy, Piepoli, and Derochowski would have really benefitted from a redshirt. Derochowski especially-he's a real project, but he's got some size. UCSB's big 7'3" freshman center didn't look much better.

It would be nice to have Taylor, Morris and Dissly all at the same time-maybe later this season?

Swilly3224 wrote:Not looking so hot again...I believe its 22-5

Hopefully this teams get better fast for the conferences sake!

and how'd the griz do?

whitetrashgriz wrote:

Swilly3224 wrote:Not looking so hot again...I believe its 22-5

Hopefully this teams get better fast for the conferences sake!

and how'd the griz do?

A lot better than when state played them.

Griz got smoked by 17. True, not as bad as the Cat loss to UVS. Still pretty ugly, though.