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Montana hoops - Grizzlies turn the corner together

Nice article. Thx for the freebie.

It really is amazing how DeCuire is able to vastly improve his teams and turn them into contenders, from the early season. While I don't yet expect it, it seems that he has done it every year, regardless of the level of returning talent. This is now the 2d or 3d time that he seems to have done that, when I didn't expect it to be done. I'm not counting my chickens yet, but the start of the conference season is very encouraging. I knew this group had a lot of talent, but after the early season, I assumed that they were still miles away from being a contender. Plus, winning all of those tight games recently, and running EWU off the court. Wow. Just wow.
 
PlayerRep said:
Nice article. Thx for the freebie.

It really is amazing how DeCuire is able to vastly improve his teams and turn them into contenders, from the early season. While I don't yet expect it, it seems that he has done it every year, regardless of the level of returning talent. This is now the 2d or 3d time that he seems to have done that, when I didn't expect it to be done. I'm not counting my chickens yet, but the start of the conference season is very encouraging. I knew this group had a lot of talent, but after the early season, I assumed that they were still miles away from being a contender. Plus, winning all of those tight games recently, and running EWU off the court. Wow. Just wow.

Lots of new guys and new roles for incumbents like Pridgett who became the main man after being the third option. Coach does a great job of steering individual goals and aspirations into collective results. He's done it consistently as PR points out. I followed UW most of the Romar years and he always recruited great (NBA level) talent but rarely got them to raise their collective play above their individual talent. TDC does it yearly, we are fortunate having him here.
 
Hoops watcher said:
PlayerRep said:
Nice article. Thx for the freebie.

It really is amazing how DeCuire is able to vastly improve his teams and turn them into contenders, from the early season. While I don't yet expect it, it seems that he has done it every year, regardless of the level of returning talent. This is now the 2d or 3d time that he seems to have done that, when I didn't expect it to be done. I'm not counting my chickens yet, but the start of the conference season is very encouraging. I knew this group had a lot of talent, but after the early season, I assumed that they were still miles away from being a contender. Plus, winning all of those tight games recently, and running EWU off the court. Wow. Just wow.

Lots of new guys and new roles for incumbents like Pridgett who became the main man after being the third option. Coach does a great job of steering individual goals and aspirations into collective results. He's done it consistently as PR points out. I followed UW most of the Romar years and he always recruited great (NBA level) talent but rarely got them to raise their collective play above their individual talent. TDC does it yearly, we are fortunate having him here.

I'm constantly amazed at his rotations. He changes them, depending on the match ups every game. Putting Pridgett at the point was awesome in the Port. St game. He's also developing the talent as he goes, and is building the confidence in the players in the process. I was most impressed with Anderson in the last game, and his progression in the last three games. Going into the season, it was a question as to how he was gonna do it this year, after losing so much talent. It's really not a matter of , if he'll make it work, but when. With all of this, he's still not recognized by the post season polls as the coach of the year. Hes-by far-the best coach in the BSC! Go Griz!
 
rocklobster said:
Hoops watcher said:
PlayerRep said:
Nice article. Thx for the freebie.

It really is amazing how DeCuire is able to vastly improve his teams and turn them into contenders, from the early season. While I don't yet expect it, it seems that he has done it every year, regardless of the level of returning talent. This is now the 2d or 3d time that he seems to have done that, when I didn't expect it to be done. I'm not counting my chickens yet, but the start of the conference season is very encouraging. I knew this group had a lot of talent, but after the early season, I assumed that they were still miles away from being a contender. Plus, winning all of those tight games recently, and running EWU off the court. Wow. Just wow.

Lots of new guys and new roles for incumbents like Pridgett who became the main man after being the third option. Coach does a great job of steering individual goals and aspirations into collective results. He's done it consistently as PR points out. I followed UW most of the Romar years and he always recruited great (NBA level) talent but rarely got them to raise their collective play above their individual talent. TDC does it yearly, we are fortunate having him here.

I'm constantly amazed at his rotations. He changes them, depending on the match ups every game. Putting Pridgett at the point was awesome in the Port. St game. He's also developing the talent as he goes, and is building the confidence in the players in the process. I was most impressed with Anderson in the last game, and his progression in the last three games. Going into the season, it was a question as to how he was gonna do it this year, after losing so much talent. It's really not a matter of , if he'll make it work, but when. With all of this, he's still not recognized by the post season polls as the coach of the year. Hes-by far-the best coach in the BSC! Go Griz!

The No.1 reason I think this Griz team will be so fun to watch going forward is that the last few years, when DeCuire tweaked his rotations for matchups, it created some hard feelings despite the unreal talent the Griz have had. This year, all the players in the rotation (at least thus far) are bought in on their roles and the tweaks DeCuire makes in his rotations are for the greater good of winning. The players seem to be reacting to DeCuire's coaching at an extremely high level.
 
Sr leadership has been a huge reason for the improvement. Pridgett, Manuel, and Samuelson all lead by example well, and never back down from any challenge. Pridgett,is always encouraging and having words with the younger players. DCH, in particular really takes to Pridgett's leadership, and it shows in his attitude and confidence on the court. Manuel, look how much he has stepped up his play in conference play, and has gotten through a bad shooting slump. Samuelson, contributes when he can. Some games, it is rather apparent, he is fighting through his injury. The underclassmen, have seen the Sr's face adversity, fight back, and win in the end.

Say what you will about Falls, but the kid is integral to this team. He has fought through injury, cleaned up his turnovers, and NEVER takes time off Defensively. He's the example of how committed DeCuire is to players that continually play tough DEFENSE. His defense bought him time to fight through his struggles. Vazquez seems to take to Falls too. Those 2 interact a lot with each other. Call it what you will, but Falls doesn't over react to officiating as much this year, as he had prior years. It's kind of funny when he has a bad call on him, he will bite on his jersey or wipe himself with his jersey, when there's a call against him. I can tell, the officiating still gets to him, but he doesn't show up officials, like he used to.

These are all minor things, but these minor things add up. We are seeing how important everything is to a team. Keep it up boys.
 
Colter_Nuanez56 said:
rocklobster said:
Hoops watcher said:
PlayerRep said:
Nice article. Thx for the freebie.

It really is amazing how DeCuire is able to vastly improve his teams and turn them into contenders, from the early season. While I don't yet expect it, it seems that he has done it every year, regardless of the level of returning talent. This is now the 2d or 3d time that he seems to have done that, when I didn't expect it to be done. I'm not counting my chickens yet, but the start of the conference season is very encouraging. I knew this group had a lot of talent, but after the early season, I assumed that they were still miles away from being a contender. Plus, winning all of those tight games recently, and running EWU off the court. Wow. Just wow.

Lots of new guys and new roles for incumbents like Pridgett who became the main man after being the third option. Coach does a great job of steering individual goals and aspirations into collective results. He's done it consistently as PR points out. I followed UW most of the Romar years and he always recruited great (NBA level) talent but rarely got them to raise their collective play above their individual talent. TDC does it yearly, we are fortunate having him here.

I'm constantly amazed at his rotations. He changes them, depending on the match ups every game. Putting Pridgett at the point was awesome in the Port. St game. He's also developing the talent as he goes, and is building the confidence in the players in the process. I was most impressed with Anderson in the last game, and his progression in the last three games. Going into the season, it was a question as to how he was gonna do it this year, after losing so much talent. It's really not a matter of , if he'll make it work, but when. With all of this, he's still not recognized by the post season polls as the coach of the year. Hes-by far-the best coach in the BSC! Go Griz!

The No.1 reason I think this Griz team will be so fun to watch going forward is that the last few years, when DeCuire tweaked his rotations for matchups, it created some hard feelings despite the unreal talent the Griz have had. This year, all the players in the rotation (at least thus far) are bought in on their roles and the tweaks DeCuire makes in his rotations are for the greater good of winning. The players seem to be reacting to DeCuire's coaching at an extremely high level.

I think you are onto something there, Colter. As talented as Rorie was/is, how often did he use his skills to set up his teammates? Rorie took terrific care of the ball, but could have put up a lot bigger assist numbers. His ball handling usually set himself for a score. Meanwhile, Falls and Pridgett are each making 5 assists per game (in conference play) look pretty attainable ever game. With that, their teammates are scoring easier. I hope that unselfish play continues. Everyone benefits with that kind of play.
 
When Rorie was at his best he used his passing to set other guys up which took help pressure off him and resulted in better shots. I distinctly remember this from the home blowout of Weebs his junior year when he had a flawless game.

The same this year with Pridgett. He can force shots into double teams, shoot a lower percentage and score 25 with a couple dimes or he can score 17 with a high percentage and create 5 or 10 easy looks for teammates like the last few games, which to me makes him an even more valuable player as the recent results show. If they adjust to that and leave him one v. one he can always take over and score at a very efficient rate. He's clearly a smart enough player to recognize how opponents are Ding him up to adjust his game. Makes the team so much better.
 
Last year, Rorie averaged 4.1 assists per game, and 4.4 in conference. Was the assist to TO leader overall and in conference. I thought Rorie controlled the game, took very good care of the ball, and set up his teammates very well. I often wished he had looked for his own shot more.
 
PlayerRep said:
Last year, Rorie averaged 4.1 assists per game, and 4.4 in conference. Was the assist to TO leader overall and in conference. I thought Rorie controlled the game, took very good care of the ball, and set up his teammates very well. I often wished he had looked for his own shot more.

Maybe, I didn't properly explain my take on Rorie. No doubt, he took great care of the ball, possession to possession. He was very capable of taking over any game at any time. I just think, with his talent and skill level, he could have used his skills to set up his teammates more often. I think he had no less than 6 assists per game talent. Some games, it was difficult for some teammates to get in sync with him, being they weren't sure when Rorie was going to be a scorer, or a distributor.

At least with Falls and Pridgett on the court at the same time, teammates have to be always expecting the ball. Yes, Pridgett can and will take the game over with his scoring, when he has to. It looks to me, during conference play, there has been an increased effort for better ball distribution. Manuel, at times has put up good assist games as well. I think he has had a few 5+ assist games.

As the team has matured, this team has learned to "share the sugar" more. Collectively, key players aren't dominating the ball as often. It really is hard to explain. Then again, I have always preferred players who could consistently find their teammates and set them up for scoring opportunities. To me, that skill and mindset is more natural for the likes of Pridgett and Falls, to do it game to game, more consistently. Then again, there is a lot of basketball left this season. We will see how it all plays out. Personally, I won't be surprised to see Falls and Pridgett consistently combining for 10 assists per game.
I was hoping for that kind of evolution from Rorie, and it just never became a consistent thing.

I want to see this part of game come to Vazquez as well. Right now, most his ball handling is to keep the ball moving to keep the offense efficient. I want to see him evolve into an assist guy. I know, he is only a Freshman, so I shouldn't expect it this soon. I do think, he has the upside to be very good ball distributor, with high assist numbers.
 
Good take, rule and I'll try to further elaborate for PR. Wasn't trying to be critical of Rorie and he did become more efficient his senior year and it made him a better overall player. The game I was talking about was late the prior year and I believe was for the conference regular season marbles vs. Weber. We were gifted a couple tix right on the floor for that game rather than our usual upper deck seats.

Rorie was always a "scorer", probably from his early days playing because he was the best guy on the court. Always nice to have a guy that can get a shot in crunch time (short shot clock, etc.) and he was that guy. If I remember looking at stats last year in season he scored about the same number of points at a higher percentage as a senior taking less shots as did Mike O. They both took around 3 shots less a game at that point vs. their junior year if I remember right. Rorie liked that free throw line extended jumper and if uncontested it was money. When he was moving laterally off the dribble and pulled up for that same shot with a guy in his face I'd guess from watching 30 or so games of his his percentage was probably 30 %points less (like most guys not named Durant or Curry). Just positing that more assists means the ball is moving more which makes it harder for opponents to help Rorie or Pridgetts' defender which results in better shots for them as well as good looks for teammates who are not as prolific offensively. Kind of a virtuous cycle and the results with Sayeed the assist man have been amazing and he's back up in the high 50% range after some tough nights getting double and triple teamed. All about being efficient on offense and after struggling to score earlier this season they are doing great right now.
 
PlayerRep said:
Nice article. Thx for the freebie.

It really is amazing how DeCuire is able to vastly improve his teams and turn them into contenders, from the early season. While I don't yet expect it, it seems that he has done it every year, regardless of the level of returning talent. This is now the 2d or 3d time that he seems to have done that, when I didn't expect it to be done. I'm not counting my chickens yet, but the start of the conference season is very encouraging. I knew this group had a lot of talent, but after the early season, I assumed that they were still miles away from being a contender. Plus, winning all of those tight games recently, and running EWU off the court. Wow. Just wow.
Shush- nobody needs to know this! :roll:
 
For season, Griz have more turnovers than assists: 202 to 222

Pridgett 58 to 53
Manuel 28 to 31
Falls 48 to 33
Vasquez 32 to 30
Owens 6 to 16
Carter-H 13 to 19

In conference, Falls is first in Assists to TO with 4.8. 24 to 5
Pridgett is 9th with 1.3. 23 to 18

They are 6h and 7th in assists in conference.
 
Too bad UM doesn't have someone better than Falls, so the coaches didn't have to play him only because we didn't have someone better.
 
I don't get the Timmy Falls comment. Everyone who plays is someone who plays because we don't have anyone better. Nobody works harder that Timmy. What he does with his disruptive defense is game-altering. I'll take the occasional turnover for the memory of the fabulous passes. Put me down as a Timmy fan (and a fan of the others also).
 
717s7e said:
I don't get the Timmy Falls comment. Everyone who plays is someone who plays because we don't have anyone better. Nobody works harder that Timmy. What he does with his disruptive defense is game-altering. I'll take the occasional turnover for the memory of the fabulous passes. Put me down as a Timmy fan (and a fan of the others also).

See the prior threads and chatter on this subject, where some said exactly that. I was spoofing them. The talk was at the start of the season. I was one of the few that defended Falls then.
 
PlayerRep said:
Too bad UM doesn't have someone better than Falls, so the coaches didn't have to play him only because we didn't have someone better.

I disagree Falls has strong utility as defender. Sometimes for team comp a glove guy like Brendan Ryan in the 8 hole is just a needed as a Kris Bryant in the 3 hole
 
CleanHOUSE said:
PlayerRep said:
Too bad UM doesn't have someone better than Falls, so the coaches didn't have to play him only because we didn't have someone better.

I disagree Falls has strong utility as defender. Sometimes for team comp a glove guy like Brendan Ryan in the 8 hole is just a needed as a Kris Bryant in the 3 hole

PR, I think your sarcasm wasn't taken as sarcasm....that backfired. FWIW, I knew what you were being a smart ass, regarding Falls. :thumb:
 
CleanHOUSE said:
PlayerRep said:
Too bad UM doesn't have someone better than Falls, so the coaches didn't have to play him only because we didn't have someone better.

I disagree Falls has strong utility as defender. Sometimes for team comp a glove guy like Brendan Ryan in the 8 hole is just a needed as a Kris Bryant in the 3 hole

Clean, here’s the first post in your November thread:

“Is Falls a net liability
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Post Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:09 pm

Thank GOD Timmy Falls didnt get the starting job at PG for us this year. We would be in a ton of trouble, IMO he's either a very selfish or low BBall IQ player. He seems way more concerned with looking flashy...like dude you know you can just do two handed bounce pass, it doesn't have to be a one handed no look spin pass. So often chooses the low percentage play (lets do a try dunk WTF) and thats low IQ basketball. SO many plays with him end up out of control because he tries to do something flashy and it just ends up look SUPER CRINGY. Another problem is he wants to do more than he can, he wants a focal role,but to keep up and do that he has to redline his game which also contributes to things getting out of control. He's undersized and gets pushed around by D-1 athletes and the game often looks like its moving to fast for him. Think its pretty clear he's got the Napoleon complex or he thinks people only like him for his no look passes and if he does a boring pass his fans will abandon him LOL”
 
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