If you've ever watched a skyscraper being built--and there are many being built in my hometown right now--you notice one thing: How much time and effort goes into the foundation. Taking down existing buildings on the site; driving piles, hopefully into bedrock; digging down for the underground garage and infrastructure. This work takes months. Then, finally, the building is above ground and whoosh! It's topped out before you know it.
I believe this is analogous to what's going on with the Griz basketball program right now. From day one, DeCuire started building the foundation. Here's how:
--Hiring good coaches, starting with Ken Bone, a Pac12 head coach with more experience than DeCuire had, then filling in with top-notch young assistants. Chris Cobb has proved to be an excellent recruiter. And much as I hate to lose Marlon Stewart, it's an indication of the appeal this staff holds for other programs.
--Recruiting. Yes, we've had some outstanding individual talent these past few years, many recruited by Wayne Tinkle, but I believe that overall, top-to-bottom, this is the deepest roster we've ever had. My worry now is to find enough playing time to keep all players happy.
--Scheduling. Wonderful! UCLA, Stanford, Washington. Being a Griz fan in the Bay Area usually meant being content with Pacific or San Jose State, or a trip down to Pepperdine. Now I get to watch us against two Pac12 teams, in one pre-season, and I can hardly wait. This is what excites the fan base, playing up--and, I believe, competing.
--Reminding of the Griz basketball tradition, by bringing back the "coaching tree" for a fund-raiser last summer. Tradition is so much a part of college athletics, and while football has built an outstanding tradition recently, basketball has had it at Montana for even longer. Don't squander it! DeCuire has not.
--Finally, this summer trip to Costa Rica. I've watched other teams do this, to great effect in terms of team bonding and extra practice time, but I did not know it could only be done once every four years. Year four of the DeCuire tenure: There we are, seizing the opportunity. Costa Rica. Great.
No, it hasn't been all peaches and cream with DeCuire; I get that. We've lost a couple of championship games we probably should have won, especially the one at home. We went into year three with a woeful lack of height and bulk up front, a deficiency that pretty much doomed us to an early exit in Reno. And finally, as DeCuire becomes more comfortable in the role of head coach, I hope he lightens up a bit, that his players, like the Warriors, are first and foremost having fun.
But as far as the foundation that DeCuire has built for success at Montana I could not he happier. I believe successes--and towering ones at that--are just ahead for us.
I believe this is analogous to what's going on with the Griz basketball program right now. From day one, DeCuire started building the foundation. Here's how:
--Hiring good coaches, starting with Ken Bone, a Pac12 head coach with more experience than DeCuire had, then filling in with top-notch young assistants. Chris Cobb has proved to be an excellent recruiter. And much as I hate to lose Marlon Stewart, it's an indication of the appeal this staff holds for other programs.
--Recruiting. Yes, we've had some outstanding individual talent these past few years, many recruited by Wayne Tinkle, but I believe that overall, top-to-bottom, this is the deepest roster we've ever had. My worry now is to find enough playing time to keep all players happy.
--Scheduling. Wonderful! UCLA, Stanford, Washington. Being a Griz fan in the Bay Area usually meant being content with Pacific or San Jose State, or a trip down to Pepperdine. Now I get to watch us against two Pac12 teams, in one pre-season, and I can hardly wait. This is what excites the fan base, playing up--and, I believe, competing.
--Reminding of the Griz basketball tradition, by bringing back the "coaching tree" for a fund-raiser last summer. Tradition is so much a part of college athletics, and while football has built an outstanding tradition recently, basketball has had it at Montana for even longer. Don't squander it! DeCuire has not.
--Finally, this summer trip to Costa Rica. I've watched other teams do this, to great effect in terms of team bonding and extra practice time, but I did not know it could only be done once every four years. Year four of the DeCuire tenure: There we are, seizing the opportunity. Costa Rica. Great.
No, it hasn't been all peaches and cream with DeCuire; I get that. We've lost a couple of championship games we probably should have won, especially the one at home. We went into year three with a woeful lack of height and bulk up front, a deficiency that pretty much doomed us to an early exit in Reno. And finally, as DeCuire becomes more comfortable in the role of head coach, I hope he lightens up a bit, that his players, like the Warriors, are first and foremost having fun.
But as far as the foundation that DeCuire has built for success at Montana I could not he happier. I believe successes--and towering ones at that--are just ahead for us.
