Anderson, Samuelson leave Griz basketball

[HelenaHandBasket]

bright side this does open up a Schollie for a grad transfer, traditional transfer, JC player or even another frosh
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[kyle_sample]

Wow. A stunner. And not an April Fool's joke. Stunning because:
--These are not marginal players. Samuelson looked like he could blossom into a bigger version of his Dad Shawn, an all-time Griz, and Anderson was a star in one of the toughest high school leagues in the country in Seattle. And both are the "bigs" this team needs. When I said, "The cavalry is coming next year," Anderson was leading the charge. Add to that, Samuelson is a legacy player, a kid who apparently wanted to play for the Griz his entire life.
--DeCuire's relationships with the father in Jared's case, and the high school coach in Alphonso's case. Didn't Travis play on the same team with Shawn? (Or am I wrong about that.) And wasn't DeCuire super-close to Anderson's high school coach, Ed Haskins? Seems if there were personal issues, there would have been a father and a mentor their to help smooth things out.
--The stability of our program. Sure, players come and go; in fact, Krysko's Utes just said goodbye to two key players. And yes, we've lost a few players over the past several seasons, yet for years we've sat smugly by while other programs churned through players ("Hi, Cats"). It seemed our program was a model of stability, and especially under DeCuire, whose vision, recruiting, scheduling and preparation have been tone perfect.
So what's going on? I think each case is different.
Samuelson: No idea. I really like his game. It takes time for bigs to develop, and Samuelson was no different. He may have been inconsistent, but he showed flashes of brilliance, wonderful low-post moves. And I expect in the next three years he will really fill out and become a bruiser inside. Sure, we have more bigs on the way, and there will be competition for playing time. But this was not the case of a marginal talent. This was the case of a legacy player, son of an all-time Griz, a kid who wanted to play here, and showed the same potential as his Dad, suddenly leaving. Stunning.
Anderson: To me, his departure, while extremely disheartening, is not as stunning as for Samuelson. I am a firm believer that it is only the heart that sees rightly, and there were indications his heart was not in it in Missoula. Small town versus Seattle? Problems with DeCuire? I have no idea.
I do believe this: DeCuire, like Krysko, like Tinks, like every coach in the fabled Montana coaching tree from Heathcote forward, is "old oak." Which is to say, "Old school." Almost every coach in this tree has been a real screamer, sometimes raging out of control on the sidelines, a la Bobby Knight. And you play by their rules, period. Remember, DeCuire's coaching mentor is Mike Montgomery, another screamer, another old-school guy.
But also remember, Montgomery is two generations removed from today's players. As Gertrude Stein said, We're all the same people, but each generation sees differently. And I don't think today's socially conscious generation takes to old-school screaming and yelling. Today's model is Steve Kerr, or Luke Walton, whose very first rule of coaching is, "Have fun!" Warriors practices are nothing but fun, from the loud music, to the hijinks, to the free-throw shooting competitions between Kerr and Curry. On the sidelines, Kerr is most often seen sitting, even when the Warriors commit a horrendous turnover. Not once in the three years that he's coached here have I seen him publicly scream at a player during a game. Any recrimination is carried out in the privacy of a huddle. Little wonder so many successful college coaches--including Montgomery--have been failures at the pro level. The tyrannical behavior we permit college coaches just doesn't cut it in the pros.
Or, apparently, with Alphonso Anderson.

HOT TAKE

 

[griz5700]

Bummer. Samuelson was on his way to being a good one. He definitely has D1 talent.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

Bummer. Samuelson was on his way to being a good one. He definitely has D1 talent.

I believe he has more talent, upside, than the guy people are talking about as a graduate transfer.

 

[grizband]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

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[citygriz]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

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Ya gotta be kidding! Many thought Anderson would have started as a true freshman had it not been for the knee injury. And Samuelson was a freshman big, when bigs often show big improvement in their sophomore years. I was counting on both of them.

The transfer, Akoh, looks like he'll be a good solid paint player for us, along with Krslovic. But there are question marks for all the remaining guys coming in next year. Kramer and Nicholas will be true freshmen, and Dorsey may be more a wing player than a post player.

I think these losses are, well...big.

 

[grizband]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

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Ya gotta be kidding! Many thought Anderson would have started as a true freshman had it not been for the knee injury. And Samuelson was a freshman big, when bigs often show big improvement in their sophomore years. I was counting on both of them.

The transfer, Akoh, looks like he'll be a good solid paint player for us, along with Krslovic. But there are question marks for all the remaining guys coming in next year. Kramer and Nicholas will be true freshmen, and Dorsey may be more a wing player than a post player.

I think these losses are, well...big.

Thanks, Citay! I'll be honest, I don't follow basketball as much as football and search in my phone was not working well...

Thought I would ask the experts, and you confirmed my fears

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[HelenaHandBasket]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

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Ya gotta be kidding! Many thought Anderson would have started as a true freshman had it not been for the knee injury. And Samuelson was a freshman big, when bigs often show big improvement in their sophomore years. I was counting on both of them.

The transfer, Akoh, looks like he'll be a good solid paint player for us, along with Krslovic. But there are question marks for all the remaining guys coming in next year. Kramer and Nicholas will be true freshmen, and Dorsey may be more a wing player than a post player.

I think these losses are, well...big.

Thanks, Citay! I'll be honest, I don't follow basketball as much as football and search in my phone was not working well...

Thought I would ask the experts, and you confirmed my fears

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

It has been known since December that it was very possible that Anderson would be leaving, so not a huge shock. As for Samuelson, I don't think his playing time would have changed significantly. The loss of depth sucks, but not sure the impact will be much unless the Griz see some injuries on the front line.

 

['68griz]

This is BAD news.

How so?

These are two up-and-coming young ballplayers who I assumed would be serious contributors to the future of the Griz. Now they will be helping somewhere else.....

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

This is BAD news.

How so?

These are two up-and-coming young ballplayers who I assumed would be serious contributors to the future of the Griz. Now they will be helping somewhere else.....

Not sure that is BAD news, just unfortunate.

 

[maroonandsilver]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

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Ya gotta be kidding! Many thought Anderson would have started as a true freshman had it not been for the knee injury. And Samuelson was a freshman big, when bigs often show big improvement in their sophomore years. I was counting on both of them.

The transfer, Akoh, looks like he'll be a good solid paint player for us, along with Krslovic. But there are question marks for all the remaining guys coming in next year. Kramer and Nicholas will be true freshmen, and Dorsey may be more a wing player than a post player.

I think these losses are, well...big.

Jared has been at UM 2 years. He is not his dad. He cannot hold his own on as a power forward defender. His man consistently backs him in. He is not a very strong rebounder. He has had a few games where he has scored well, but is inconsistent. Much was made of his jump hook, but after December, most hit off the front rim. He is a good kid, and I don't like him leaving. But he will not get many minutes with the new guys coming in.
As for Anderson, there has been a rumor of him not returning, not being asked to return, since December, so his leaving should not be much of a surprise. I'm sorry that it didn't work out. He looked to have great potential. But sometime the fit isn't there.
If you look at what we lost to graduation, we need one more true point guard. I hope that Brayden Olsen is still available, and accepts the Griz offer.

 

[GrizWhiz]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Ya gotta be kidding! Many thought Anderson would have started as a true freshman had it not been for the knee injury. And Samuelson was a freshman big, when bigs often show big improvement in their sophomore years. I was counting on both of them.

The transfer, Akoh, looks like he'll be a good solid paint player for us, along with Krslovic. But there are question marks for all the remaining guys coming in next year. Kramer and Nicholas will be true freshmen, and Dorsey may be more a wing player than a post player.

I think these losses are, well...big.

Jared has been at UM 2 years. He is not his dad. He cannot hold his own on as a power forward defender. His man consistently backs him in. He is not a very strong rebounder. He has had a few games where he has scored well, but is inconsistent. Much was made of his jump hook, but after December, most hit off the front rim. He is a good kid, and I don't like him leaving. But he will not get many minutes with the new guys coming in.
As for Anderson, there has been a rumor of him not returning, not being asked to return, since December, so his leaving should not be much of a surprise. I'm sorry that it didn't work out. He looked to have great potential. But sometime the fit isn't there.
If you look at what we lost to graduation, we need one more true point guard. I hope that Brayden Olsen is still available, and accepts the Griz offer.

Per Verbalcommits, The Griz have also offered Olsen's West Linn teammate, Khalid Thomas.

 

[montanatarheel]

Colter said espn radio that we were oversigned prior to departures. Who am I missing?

That's not true. They had all 13 scholarships filled, but they weren't oversigned

It is true that he said it. So I asked.

 

[616s6e]

I am not sure what impact this will have on the team but we are losing two fine young men and I wish them the very best. I was looking forward to seeing them both grow through the years. I hope that someone on Egriz will keep in touch with them both.

 

['68griz]

I am not sure what impact this will have on the team but we are losing two fine young men and I wish them the very best. I was looking forward to seeing them both grow through the years. I hope that someone on Egriz will keep in touch with them both.

+1

 

[mtgrizrule]

I really am not too surprised about Anderson leaving. I hear he just was not happy.

As for Samuelson, his departure really shocks me. He's burned a redshirt year already. Does he plan to play at a lower level? Count me in as being on his bandwagon. He really surprised me this past season. I honestly feel, as an upperclassman he could have developed to the level of a Matthias Ward or Andrew Strait.

Either way, i wish each of the players the best.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

Does he plan to play at a lower level. YES
I honestly feel, as an upperclassman he could have developed to the level of a Matthias Ward or Andrew Strait. DISAGREE

 

[mtgrizrule]

Does he plan to play at a lower level. YES
I honestly feel, as an upperclassman he could have developed to the level of a Matthias Ward or Andrew Strait. DISAGREE

We will never know. As it was, he was better than I thought he would be, this past season. I really did not expect much from him.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

I am not sure what impact this will have on the team but we are losing two fine young men and I wish them the very best. I was looking forward to seeing them both grow through the years. I hope that someone on Egriz will keep in touch with them both.

+1

+2

 

[Mousegriz]

Wait, are either of these the bigs we all hope would contribute next year?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Ya gotta be kidding! Many thought Anderson would have started as a true freshman had it not been for the knee injury. And Samuelson was a freshman big, when bigs often show big improvement in their sophomore years. I was counting on both of them.

The transfer, Akoh, looks like he'll be a good solid paint player for us, along with Krslovic. But there are question marks for all the remaining guys coming in next year. Kramer and Nicholas will be true freshmen, and Dorsey may be more a wing player than a post player.

I think these losses are, well...big.

Jared has been at UM 2 years. He is not his dad. He cannot hold his own on as a power forward defender. His man consistently backs him in. He is not a very strong rebounder. He has had a few games where he has scored well, but is inconsistent. Much was made of his jump hook, but after December, most hit off the front rim. He is a good kid, and I don't like him leaving. But he will not get many minutes with the new guys coming in.
As for Anderson, there has been a rumor of him not returning, not being asked to return, since December, so his leaving should not be much of a surprise. I'm sorry that it didn't work out. He looked to have great potential. But sometime the fit isn't there.
If you look at what we lost to graduation, we need one more true point guard. I hope that Brayden Olsen is still available, and accepts the Griz offer.

Yeah right? Are you kidding?

Samuelson redshirted then played last year as a RS freshman. Played in all games 5+ points, highest FG % on team (most jump hooks went off front of rim??). Yes not a strong post defender but athletic and effective on the boards. 3 years left to get stronger and hone some pretty solid skills. Tons of upside. And not to be that guy but our only Montana native who appears was going to play over the next 2/3 years.

"The new guys coming in"...is that now Akoh, "mysterious" Nicholas and Kelby Kramer a true frosh from Wyoming? Anderson was "one of the bigs coming in" also. Sure hope we can secure another point guard though!!

Next year could be pretty special with "the bigs we have coming in!"