Bobcats vs Bears- MBB

[whitetrashgriz]

i think this year in particular there is much parity within the conference. no team is really standing out as the cream of the crop. our weakness coming in was going to be our frontcourt, and we all knew that. it's not for lack of trying on huse's part. he's making a great effort in finding talented big men to come play here, but so far with very little success. traditionally, the cats have never been great at landing the big guys that end up being stars in this league. sure we had guys like holmstadt back in the day, but even he was a guy who made the most with what he was given. he was a great player, but i wouldn't call him a dominant man in the middle. since then we've had guys who've played the position well, and had flashes of dominance. but generally speaking, i don't recall the last time that we had a center or even a forward that every game we played we were confident that that player could and would take over the game. we have a a very interesting team this year because as far as match-ups go, we can give teams fits guarding us because it's very difficult to guard a team that basically has 5 guys roaming around the perimeter! however, with that style of play, and the lack of size we currently have, rebounding will continue to be an issue. as will other teams big guys going off on us like the dude from unc did yeasterday. but it's the nature of the game. obviously every coach would want to have the five most dominant guys on the floor at all times. but it doesn't work that way. coaches do the best they can to get the most talent they can to play for their team. once the recruiting is over, they have no choice but to make the most with what they have. right now the cats have pretty average talent as far as the conference goes. we have good players, but we don't have that "one" guy who can take over at any time. i really think that guy needs to be rush, but so far he hasn't taken that role. so this season is going to be very interesting. but the fact is the cats have a very difficult stretch coming up, and if the shots are falling we're very tough to beat. if they're not, look for us to finish 3-3 or possibly even 2-4. but as we showed last year, all you have to do is qualify for the tourney. then anything can happen.

[technoCat]

I thought that was a terrible second half of basketball by the Bobcats. There was no need for a shot clock, one/two passes and the ball was put up! Absolutely no patience vs. a zone, Howard is the leading scorer and takes a shot 17:22 and at round the 12 minute mark and those are the last two shots he takes in the game (not counting the late tip in, that was on his own with no help from his teammates). That was just bad shelfish basketball! At times this year they move the ball so well and then like the second half today they look like they all dislike one another. I really think at times they are more worried about their points instead of the score!

To be honest, I got the exact opposite impression. I saw them passing the ball around with no one willing to create or take the shot. Bynum missed a open 3 and then passed on one on the next play when he was wide open. They seem afraid to be "The Guy". I'm all for the team play but we need one guy (Howard/Rush/Johnson???) who can take those shots in the pressure moments. How many times did we dribble around the perimeter only to eventually lose the ball on a bad pass or dribble. I'm not saying we need a Taylor that everyone just sits around and watches while he tries to create something but we need a leader willing to take control of the offense in the last 5 minutes of a game and I just don't see that with this team....

[Helcat72]

I think the problem is that we ARE diversified and there is no real go to guy (except maybe Johnson at times). That makes it hard for teams to know who is going to step up and beat you...but it also makes for indecision about who should take the initiative to do it. Branden Johnson has done it a few times...but aside from taking an "all or nothing" three with time running out...he's no Anthony Johnson who can take a game over!

[4everacatfan]

I thought that was a terrible second half of basketball by the Bobcats. There was no need for a shot clock, one/two passes and the ball was put up! Absolutely no patience vs. a zone, Howard is the leading scorer and takes a shot 17:22 and at round the 12 minute mark and those are the last two shots he takes in the game (not counting the late tip in, that was on his own with no help from his teammates). That was just bad shelfish basketball! At times this year they move the ball so well and then like the second half today they look like they all dislike one another. I really think at times they are more worried about their points instead of the score!

To be honest, I got the exact opposite impression. I saw them passing the ball around with no one willing to create or take the shot. Bynum missed a open 3 and then passed on one on the next play when he was wide open. They seem afraid to be "The Guy". I'm all for the team play but we need one guy (Howard/Rush/Johnson???) who can take those shots in the pressure moments. How many times did we dribble around the perimeter only to eventually lose the ball on a bad pass or dribble. I'm not saying we need a Taylor that everyone just sits around and watches while he tries to create something but we need a leader willing to take control of the offense in the last 5 minutes of a game and I just don't see that with this team....

I watched yesterday and the zone was open I think a earlier poster was right we are very selfish what I saw when we got down with 3 minutes left was guys just padding their stats Johnson who I usually defend was shooting everytime he got the ball. one time he forces a wild 3 when we are down 5 and he has howard sealing a guy in the block if he wants the kick out he should learn how to make a post entry pass I have yet to see him make one all year and he is the first to let howard or Rush hear it when they did not kick to him at the last home game I was at. I know Pieopli is a great 3 ball shooter but again another guy it goes to and it never comes back out. Howard is not our ideal post up guy but people do have to guard him and I like the way when he played with Anderson in there that he got Cody involved feeding him the ball and wow superise except for Howard's one three our post got 20 inside the lane points combined with Johnson's 16 and howard's 3 ball we finally got 39 from our post players which I thought was a positve thing. My only question of Huse is why put the guard at the Hi post instead of Howard when they went zone. I know Bobby has a lot to work on but the few games I have seen this year he is taking on the inside role and not forcing as many 3's (he does once in awhile but that comes from who his dad is who never had a shot he didn't think he could make in the PE center. ) But he seems to have matured alot and he is not afraid to take the shot or go inside when we need it. I just think we did not take advantage of his ability the second half to slice that zone up with him inside and kicking out.or taking it to the hole.
One of the more telling stats is they shot 33 free throws and we shot 18 the refs weren't the problem if you do not take the ball to the hloe or get it inside you will not get to the line and yes we need to make them. I am not ready to throw in the towel on these guys I think there is a lot of parity in this league. Weber still has to come to Montana and EWu and Portland which have the ability to trip folks up and UNC still has the ISU and Weber trip which as many of us know can be a difficult trip. I could see a team with 3 maybe for 4 losses hosting the tourney. Good luck this weekend CATS and play for the win not the stat sheet.

JMHO

[whitetrashgriz]

I think the problem is that we ARE diversified and there is no real go to guy (except maybe Johnson at times). That makes it hard for teams to know who is going to step up and beat you...but it also makes for indecision about who should take the initiative to do it. Branden Johnson has done it a few times...but aside from taking an "all or nothing" three with time running out...he's no Anthony Johnson who can take a game over!

i agree completely. we just don't have that go-to guy, and often times it hurts us. i will disagree with the poster who thinks this team is selfish. i really don't think they are. and i truly don't think any of these guys are playing for the stat sheet. they just don't have an identity. so it seems as if half the time no one shoots because they don't know who should shoot, and the rest of the time everyone is trying to take over and make things happen. even guys like bobby who i think takes some pretty questionable shots, i don't think he does so because he's selfish. i think he does so because he figures why not?! if not him than who? rush is easily our best scorer. he can get it done from anywhere, and so far i've been dissapointed that he hasn't taken on this role more. this isn't a knock on him. i just truly think he's our best player, and i think he's the guy that could take/make big shots. as it is, we never have the slightest clue who will take the big shot when we need a bucket. but selfishness isn't the problem in my opinion...

[John K]

I think the problem is that we ARE diversified and there is no real go to guy (except maybe Johnson at times). That makes it hard for teams to know who is going to step up and beat you...but it also makes for indecision about who should take the initiative to do it. Branden Johnson has done it a few times...but aside from taking an "all or nothing" three with time running out...he's no Anthony Johnson who can take a game over!

i agree completely. we just don't have that go-to guy, and often times it hurts us. i will disagree with the poster who thinks this team is selfish. i really don't think they are. and i truly don't think any of these guys are playing for the stat sheet. they just don't have an identity. so it seems as if half the time no one shoots because they don't know who should shoot, and the rest of the time everyone is trying to take over and make things happen. even guys like bobby who i think takes some pretty questionable shots, i don't think he does so because he's selfish. i think he does so because he figures why not?! if not him than who? rush is easily our best scorer. he can get it done from anywhere, and so far i've been dissapointed that he hasn't taken on this role more. this isn't a knock on him. i just truly think he's our best player, and i think he's the guy that could take/make big shots. as it is, we never have the slightest clue who will take the big shot when we need a bucket. but selfishness isn't the problem in my opinion...

I'm don't really intend to bang on Huse, because I have generally supported him ever since he was hired. But reading these comments by various people seems to beg the question....aren't these issues related to coaching? Isn't it the coaching staff's job to figure out these sorts of things, and ingraine them in the players? I haven't seen them play enough to really feel qualified making any sort of judgement about the level of talent that we have, or whether or not Huse and his staff are doing a good job. But just from reading everyone's comments, which all seem to follow the same general theme, it seems that the question at least needs to be asked.

[whitetrashgriz]

i understand your question, and i'll give you my thoughts. there are many great coaches and recruiters out there. in a perfect world, there would be so much talent out there that every coach would be set. and because all the teams would be so great, all teams would hardly ever miss, they'd all be amazing passers and rebounders, and games would all be scored in the hundreds. but even if this were to happen, someone has to win and lose. someone has to get more rebounds and assists. so what all coaches can do is try and get the best possible talent to fit their style of play. they have little control over whether or not kids work out or not. so in the end, it's huse's job to make this team the best they can be, regardless of their makeup. but i don't see how he can force a guy to be the go-to guy. that is just something you either have or you don't. sure he could draw up every single play for rush, but that doesn't promise success. rush could still not be comfortable, and continue missing those shots. then fans would question why we keep running plays for a guy that never seems to make the shot. look at where our team was last year. no one gave us a shot to do anything. and we were literally one basket away from playin' in the big dance. huse is a hell of a coach, and the fact that we are where we are right now with this team is impressive. but you can't coach height, and right now that is our biggest weakness on both offense and defense. the fact that we outrebounded unc is a feat in itself! i predicted before the seaosn started that we'd outrebound less than 5 teams the whole year! i'm not far away with that predicition. some years you have big teams. some small. some are great scorers. others are great defenders. it's the years that you have the best mixture of all those things that you win a lot of games. just look at unc this season. it's not like roy williams forgot how to coach. but they are not good at many things, and that makes winning very difficult.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Let me preface this by saying I think Huse is a great young coach. He has lots to learn (as any young coach would), and I hope he's here for a good long time.

That being said: The quotes from Northern Colorado's coach in today's paper were telling. UNC did the same thing EWU did to us down the stretch. They ran their little quick guard around a screen at the top of the key-MSU as they have done all season-switched on the screen leaving Johnson or Anderson guarding said little guard. The result was usually the guard blowing by our guy for a layup, pull up jumper, two shot foul, or an and-one. When we were on offense it was predictable that they would throw up the zone. In crunch time our outside shots are less likely to fall-and such was the case yesterday. In a nutshell-Huse was seriously out coached.

I think our five starters are all good solid basketball players. I have no doubt that any coach in the Big Sky would be delighted to have any of them on their squad. However, we don't have that one difference maker/go-to-guy player of the year type guy to take the game over. We have 5 honorable mentions and likely no first teamers. Is this a recruiting failure? I couldn't say. I have no idea what players Huse tried to get before getting these guys (with the exception of Brandon Johnson who was a Durham recruit). It's frustrating that we all knew that going into this season the one missing link was a quality big man yet the only big men we got was a skinny freshman (Budnich) and a transfer who never got off the bench at his JC (Swita).

As TomCat mentioned-maybe the problem is more institutional. Bobcat men's basketball hasn't been a perinial power since before all of us were born-in the days of John Brick Breeden. To my knowledge-no Bobcat headcoach has moved on to a bigger school (Stu Starner went to Texas-San Antonio which was a lateral move at best). So we haven't had much of a legacy. That indicates to me that the MSU job is a tough one-for whatever reason.

But is it really too much to ask for MSU to be a perinial top-half Big Sky team? Considering our arena and fan support compared to most of the rest of the league I don't think it's unreasonable. They could still make it this season-but the historical trends say we we're probably 5th or 6th at best.

[whitetrashgriz]

i agree with most of what you're saying. but i believe the issue with recruiting is a bigger deal, and more difficult than many think. it's not easy to get kids to come here. this isn't making excuses, but it's just fact. i think as a whole, msu does a great job of staying competitive. sure it'd be great to be a one or two seed every year, but i can't think of any team in the league that does that. but we make the tourney practically every year, and like last year we make good runs. as far as our arena and fan support is concerned, i don't think it's really anything to write home about. i doubt kids come here on their visits, and are blown away by the crowds or the fieldhouse. sure it's better than some, but i don't think we should expect more from our teams based on this recruiting tool. i'm not trying to say i'm happy with being mediocre every year. but history should tell us that's just how the big sky is. there are no poewerhouses. so i for one am content with where this team is right now. all you have to do is be in the top six, and then try and make a run. as far as yesterdays game goes, i don't think huse was outcoached at all. i thought there was a lack of communication on the floor, and i thought the guys did a piss-poor job talking and switching screens. i think huse is doing a great job with this years team.

[GrizinWashington]

no Bobcat headcoach has moved on to a bigger school

Is this true? That's surprising to me.

[BelgradeBobcat]

no Bobcat headcoach has moved on to a bigger school

Is this true? That's surprising to me.

I think Ott Romney might be the only one...and he was more famous for being a football coach at BYU: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ott_Romney" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Maybe Shubert Dyche moved up somewhere too (he coached the Golden Bobcats).

I know this: Roger Craft-retired from coaching at MSU in the late 60's. Gary Hulst was 26-51 so I doubt he went anywhere. Hank Anderson (long time Gonzaga coach before MSU was here for two years and then moved on to be the AD at NAU). Rich Juarez resigned under pressure and didn't return to coaching. Bruce Haroldson moved down to Pacific Lutheran and was there for many years. Stu Starner took a sabatical and never came back-ended up at UT-San Antonio where he had a couple of nice seasons and a few more medicore ones. Mick Durham retired from MSU took a couple of years off and is now an assistant at New Mexico State.

Not exactly a Jud Heathcoat or Mike Montgomery in there that's for sure.

Some historical stats here: http://statsheet.com/mcb/teams/montana-state/coaches" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[conradcowboy]

I think the problem is that we ARE diversified and there is no real go to guy (except maybe Johnson at times). That makes it hard for teams to know who is going to step up and beat you...but it also makes for indecision about who should take the initiative to do it. Branden Johnson has done it a few times...but aside from taking an "all or nothing" three with time running out...he's no Anthony Johnson who can take a game over!

i agree completely. we just don't have that go-to guy, and often times it hurts us. i will disagree with the poster who thinks this team is selfish. i really don't think they are. and i truly don't think any of these guys are playing for the stat sheet. they just don't have an identity. so it seems as if half the time no one shoots because they don't know who should shoot, and the rest of the time everyone is trying to take over and make things happen. even guys like bobby who i think takes some pretty questionable shots, i don't think he does so because he's selfish. i think he does so because he figures why not?! if not him than who? rush is easily our best scorer. he can get it done from anywhere, and so far i've been dissapointed that he hasn't taken on this role more. this isn't a knock on him. i just truly think he's our best player, and i think he's the guy that could take/make big shots. as it is, we never have the slightest clue who will take the big shot when we need a bucket. but selfishness isn't the problem in my opinion...

I have never written in before but I have watched this board alot and maybe this is off topic but why is it that many of you give Every guy except howard on this team a pass about questionable shots but you never seem to recognize the one guy on this team that actually has given every thing he has and really adjusted his game this season to try to help this team but everytime someone trys to recognize that you all seem to say"Bobby takes many questionable shots." Who is the one guy on this team that has won us games this season and last with his shots or his hustle and passes and right or wrong is willing to take the rath of Huse when things don't work out. Eric has the most athletic ability on this team but does not want that role of putting the team on his back that is not in his personality.

For the record yes I am a life time Montanan from Conrad where Bobby spent most of his youth growing up and we here in Conrad are very proud of Bobby and all he has done as a player and role model for Montana Youth unlike you experts on the board. I'm not saying you gotta love the guy but he has earned your respect as a player. Just because he is a home grown product does not make him an inferior player.

[whitetrashgriz]

I think the problem is that we ARE diversified and there is no real go to guy (except maybe Johnson at times). That makes it hard for teams to know who is going to step up and beat you...but it also makes for indecision about who should take the initiative to do it. Branden Johnson has done it a few times...but aside from taking an "all or nothing" three with time running out...he's no Anthony Johnson who can take a game over!

i agree completely. we just don't have that go-to guy, and often times it hurts us. i will disagree with the poster who thinks this team is selfish. i really don't think they are. and i truly don't think any of these guys are playing for the stat sheet. they just don't have an identity. so it seems as if half the time no one shoots because they don't know who should shoot, and the rest of the time everyone is trying to take over and make things happen. even guys like bobby who i think takes some pretty questionable shots, i don't think he does so because he's selfish. i think he does so because he figures why not?! if not him than who? rush is easily our best scorer. he can get it done from anywhere, and so far i've been dissapointed that he hasn't taken on this role more. this isn't a knock on him. i just truly think he's our best player, and i think he's the guy that could take/make big shots. as it is, we never have the slightest clue who will take the big shot when we need a bucket. but selfishness isn't the problem in my opinion...

I have never written in before but I have watched this board alot and maybe this is off topic but why is it that many of you give Every guy except howard on this team a pass about questionable shots but you never seem to recognize the one guy on this team that actually has given every thing he has and really adjusted his game this season to try to help this team but everytime someone trys to recognize that you all seem to say"Bobby takes many questionable shots." Who is the one guy on this team that has won us games this season and last with his shots or his hustle and passes and right or wrong is willing to take the rath of Huse when things don't work out. Eric has the most athletic ability on this team but does not want that role of putting the team on his back that is not in his personality.

For the record yes I am a life time Montanan from Conrad where Bobby spent most of his youth growing up and we here in Conrad are very proud of Bobby and all he has done as a player and role model for Montana Youth unlike you experts on the board. I'm not saying you gotta love the guy but he has earned your respect as a player. Just because he is a home grown product does not make him an inferior player.

wow! i don't know how you came to all those conclusions by reading my post. i'm very familiar with bobby and his entire family. i coached for him and against him in camps and tournies. i was very aware of his skill from a very early age. and then to top it off, i married into a conrad family, who you probably know, and learned even more about the entire clan. i wasn't knocking on bobby at all. i said he takes questionable shots. and i stand by that. did i ever say he was the only guy on the team who does> no. and i would never say that. in fact, when i said this, i was actually defending his style of play because while some of his shots are questionable, he takes them because he's not afraid to take the shots that matter. i don't see how that was knocking him, or giving the others a free pass. i guess i'll have to go back and read these posts because i don't recall anyone being overly hard on bobby, and giving passes to anyone else. that said, i also don't think bobby is the only guy on the team giving it his all as you stated. comments like that show that you are just a homer, and it;s tough to take the rest of what you had to say seriously. i've seen many guys work their butt off for this team, and i've seen many guys willing to take the wrath of huse. not just bobby. so while i wasn't singling out bobby in my thread for being the ONLY person who takes poor shots, i'm also not going to single him out and make crazy claims that he's the only kid who is working hard on this team. this is how the whole discussion started. i made the point that i don't think this is a selfish team as others have claimed, it's just that we don't have an identity, or a go to scorer. and you know what, i'd be more than happy if bobby became that go-to guy. but truthfully, he's going to have to improve as a scorer in order to do that. and again, that's not a knock on bobby. i call it like i see it. and as i've said many times, i think being tied for third right now with the make-up of this team is impressive.

[John K]

i agree with most of what you're saying. but i believe the issue with recruiting is a bigger deal, and more difficult than many think. it's not easy to get kids to come here. this isn't making excuses, but it's just fact. i think as a whole, msu does a great job of staying competitive. sure it'd be great to be a one or two seed every year, but i can't think of any team in the league that does that. but we make the tourney practically every year, and like last year we make good runs. as far as our arena and fan support is concerned, i don't think it's really anything to write home about. i doubt kids come here on their visits, and are blown away by the crowds or the fieldhouse. sure it's better than some, but i don't think we should expect more from our teams based on this recruiting tool. i'm not trying to say i'm happy with being mediocre every year. but history should tell us that's just how the big sky is. there are no poewerhouses. so i for one am content with where this team is right now. all you have to do is be in the top six, and then try and make a run. as far as yesterdays game goes, i don't think huse was outcoached at all. i thought there was a lack of communication on the floor, and i thought the guys did a piss-poor job talking and switching screens. i think huse is doing a great job with this years team.

I'm not meaning to pick a fight with you, but I think maybe the attitude you have towards MSU men's basketball is shared by far too many Bobcat alumni and boosters, which is "maybe we're not that good, but hey, at least we don't suck", and that probably explains more than anything why we don't excel....because most MSU fans and boosters don't demand excellence. I have been an avid Bobcat fan for 34 years, and we have won exactly two BSC men's basketball titles in that time. Two in 34 years!!!! With 8-9 teams in the league, if you just threw all the names in a hat and drew one to be the champion each year, the odds would tell you that we would have won four titles during that period of time, and we have only half that many. And with 6 out 9 (or only 8 some years) teams making the tourney, we damn well should make the tourney almost every year. Again, simple mathematical odds tell you that just an average program should make it two-thirds of the time, and that is about where we have been for the past decade.

Look, I don't want to be like "that other school" is in football, where they seem to think that anything less than a national championship is a catastrophe. But I do think that we should be somewhat above average at the very least, and you certainly can't say that about the MBB program during the past decade. I was actually very satisfied with the level we were at from 1993-1999, when in a seven-year span we won one BSC championship, played in the title game twice, made the sem-finals four times, and qualified for the tourney every year. Unfortunately, we didn't sustain that run of success into the 2000's, but that's about what I expect from the program, or any of our major sports programs for that matter. We certainly weren't the dominant team in the league during those seven years, but we definitely were one of the top two or three programs during that era. I for one don't think those expectations are at all unreasonable.

[whitetrashgriz]

i don't take it as you picking a fight. maybe you are right about alumni and boosters. i can't say for sure. this is a difficult topic because what are the solutions? i certainly can't think of any. i'm not satisfied with being just average, and i agree completely that just two titles in that stretch is horrible. but when i look at this team, i'm looking at THIS team. sure i'm not happy with our previous success or lack there of. but it does no good to use all those years in history when discussing THIS team. we already did that a few years ago when we thought mick was the problem. and maybe he was. personally, i loved mick, and i thought he was a good coach. not a great coach, and i thought his communication with players was questionable at times. so we made the move. we brought in a coach who i am more than convinced has what it takes to make us a winning program. look what he did last year. no one predicted us to do anything, and we were just about dancing. i'm just as frustrated as everyone else with our teams up and down play this year. i think we've had games we certainly could have won and didn't. but we've shown flashes of a great team, and no one will convince me that this team couldn't possibly make a run in the conference tourney. but we are no different than any team in the country. we win games and we lose some. i definitely want to see us win won in no later than a few seasons. and if we don't i think a change will be needed. but i think any coach we bring in will deal with the same difficulties. but i don't see that happening. if we don't win it this year, i'd be willing to bet we do in the next couple.

[Dagger281]

Hello all fellow Bobcat fans, I will to the best of my ability share my opinions and evalutions of this years team.

Brandon Johnson- This guy can really knock it down when you need it, BUT he struggles in the post, he NEEDS to be more assertive in the post and draw FOULS!!!
This is because he can shoot FT at a high percentage as well.

Bobby Howard- He is quite the versatile player. He can shoot regardless, he can rebound, is an EXCEPTIONAL HUSTLE PLAYER!

Marquis Navvare- He can shoot very well, and recently has stepped up his INSIDE GAME! Which is just what he needed to do. (I.E MONTANA GAME) Thus he converted some free throws and kept Montana off balance, KEEP IT UP!

Will Bynum- Will can take over a game if he really WANTS TO! He has the ball skills and agility to do what he wants most times, the main priority that needs to be addressed is that players need to run to the hoop with Will and help create SPACE for him to use, this will allow for more 3pt plays!

Erik Rush- He has come a long way since we first saw him. He has physical attributes that allow him to also be a very well rounded player, I would say he is a mix of Bynum and Howard. He really needs to get the the basket, 9/10 he will get fouled and this creates easy scoring opportunities. he was magnificent in the Montana game, doing almost everything correctly.

Austin Brown- What can I say, he is a perfect basketball machine, when he TRIES!! I have seen him play GREAT games and I have seen him play MEDIOCRE at best games. He needs to find his niche. His defense is overwhelming, this is definitly his strong suit. With more direction and guidance he can go a LONG WAY! His shooting is slightly inconsistent, this is something he needs to improve. We also NEED to utilize his rebounding capabilities, his vertical is off the charts!

Danny Piepoli- He has always been a perimeter shooter and that is what he needs to stick to, the few times I have seen him take it to the basket he has been swatted constantly. He needs to be the go to guy and have the confidence to knock down the trey!

Cameron Henderson- He is a good physical guy who needs to stick to post play and play at a constant pace. he seems to get confused when the pace picks up, although his few minutes vs Montana very very impressive!

Cody Anderson- He has a nice jumper, but struggles in the post. He has the size to do what he wants, but lacks confidence to back down a defender and get easy baskets! Get to the hole big man!! I would if I had your size!

Brian Louf- He is a solid point, but just does not seem to be able to orchestrate with this current team. Again, get to the basket and then..........shoot jumpers once the shots are going.


In Conclusion, we need to play to OUR STRENGTHS! Also, we need more hustle on the floor and play TEAM BASKETBALL. The Montana game was beautiful if not low scoring. Lets get ready for Idaho State this Friday and GO CATS!!! I GOT UR BACKS! We had some great passes and easy lay ups vs Montana, that is the way to play, SMART!

[John K]

i don't take it as you picking a fight. maybe you are right about alumni and boosters. i can't say for sure. this is a difficult topic because what are the solutions? i certainly can't think of any. i'm not satisfied with being just average, and i agree completely that just two titles in that stretch is horrible. but when i look at this team, i'm looking at THIS team. sure i'm not happy with our previous success or lack there of. but it does no good to use all those years in history when discussing THIS team. we already did that a few years ago when we thought mick was the problem. and maybe he was. personally, i loved mick, and i thought he was a good coach. not a great coach, and i thought his communication with players was questionable at times. so we made the move. we brought in a coach who i am more than convinced has what it takes to make us a winning program. look what he did last year. no one predicted us to do anything, and we were just about dancing. i'm just as frustrated as everyone else with our teams up and down play this year. i think we've had games we certainly could have won and didn't. but we've shown flashes of a great team, and no one will convince me that this team couldn't possibly make a run in the conference tourney. but we are no different than any team in the country. we win games and we lose some. i definitely want to see us win won in no later than a few seasons. and if we don't i think a change will be needed. but i think any coach we bring in will deal with the same difficulties. but i don't see that happening. if we don't win it this year, i'd be willing to bet we do in the next couple.

I hope you are right. I thought that Huse was a great hire at the time, and it seems like most UM fans thought very highly of him during his tenure as an assistant there. I remember how our unexpected run to the BSC tourney title in 1986 served as a springboard to a great season in 1987, with a BSC regular season title, including a sweep of the Griz. Unfortunately we were upset in the tourney, but we then came back and made it to the BSC championship game again in 1988.

I really thought that our tourney run last season might lead to the same sort of regular season success this year. I know we still have six conference games left, so a top-two seed is certainly not out of the question yet, but I can't really fathom that happening with what I have seen from this team so far. We seem to be headed for yet another middle of the pack finish, and I don't think we can count on getting hot at tourney time every season, and getting to the title game as a number 5 or 6 seed again. I mean, it's great when it happens, but I won't bet the ranch that we'll pull that off again this year.

And I believe that if Huse can't get us out of the muck of mediocrity within four seasons, the odds are not great that he will ever lead the program to more than just average success. I think if you look at the history of college sports programs, you will see that coaches who "have what it takes" usually get it done within their first 3-4 seasons, or else they never do. And maybe I'm missing something, but when I go back and read all of the comments in this thread, it seems to me that most of the flaws people see in this team are things that are "coachable", rather than a lack of talent.

Another recurring theme is that we are too "small", and therefore destined to take a beating on the boards most games. But a front line that goes 6-9. 6-7, 6-5 is not abnormally small for the BSC....we had a bigger lineup than UNC. And even I have played enough basketball to know that rebounding is more about technique and attitude and desire, than it is about size.

I am really trying to stay positive about this team, but the losses to EWU and UNC were really disheartening to me. And it's especially frustrating, because we can look so good at times. Just in the four games that I have seen on TV, several times I have found myself thinking that if we played like this on even a semi-regular basis, we could have a legitimate shot at the BSC title. But then at other times....not so much.

[twentythreeOh4]

i think this year in particular there is much parity within the conference. no team is really standing out as the cream of the crop.

Really? Weber is 8-1 in conference. They've won something like 23 of their last 25 conference games. They are on the verge of hosting the Big Sky Tournament for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. I think they just might qualify as the "cream of the crop" in the conference.

[twentythreeOh4]

Look, I don't want to be like "that other school" is in football, where they seem to think that anything less than a national championship is a catastrophe. But I do think that we should be somewhat above average at the very least, and you certainly can't say that about the MBB program during the past decade. I was actually very satisfied with the level we were at from 1993-1999, when in a seven-year span we won one BSC championship, played in the title game twice, made the sem-finals four times, and qualified for the tourney every year. Unfortunately, we didn't sustain that run of success into the 2000's, but that's about what I expect from the program, or any of our major sports programs for that matter. We certainly weren't the dominant team in the league during those seven years, but we definitely were one of the top two or three programs during that era. I for one don't think those expectations are at all unreasonable.

The difference between 1993-1999 years and the 2000's was the infamous 5/9 rule -- which stated a team could only offer 5 scholarships max in one year or 9 scholarships over two years. Durham, mostly due to circumstances beyond his control, was wacked by the 5/9 rule several years in a row. It is hard to be competitive when you have fewer scholarships than most other teams in the league.

[John K]

Look, I don't want to be like "that other school" is in football, where they seem to think that anything less than a national championship is a catastrophe. But I do think that we should be somewhat above average at the very least, and you certainly can't say that about the MBB program during the past decade. I was actually very satisfied with the level we were at from 1993-1999, when in a seven-year span we won one BSC championship, played in the title game twice, made the sem-finals four times, and qualified for the tourney every year. Unfortunately, we didn't sustain that run of success into the 2000's, but that's about what I expect from the program, or any of our major sports programs for that matter. We certainly weren't the dominant team in the league during those seven years, but we definitely were one of the top two or three programs during that era. I for one don't think those expectations are at all unreasonable.

The difference between 1993-1999 years and the 2000's was the infamous 5/9 rule -- which stated a team could only offer 5 scholarships max in one year or 9 scholarships over two years. Durham, mostly due to circumstances beyond his control, was wacked by the 5/9 rule several years in a row. It is hard to be competitive when you have fewer scholarships than most other teams in the league.

Durham has been gone for four years now, so what does that have to do with the mediocrity that we have seen so far under Huse? And did this so-called "5/9 rule" (which I admit I am not really familiar with) apply only to MSU, and none of the other schools in the BSC? Wow, MSU fans seems to have an unending supply of excuses to justify our lack of athletic success!!