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Anybody know if tonight's scrimmages will be streamed?

DoubleNicks

Well-known member
I assume not since it wasn't mentioned on a GoGriz release but I'm still hoping. Maybe some clips on social media?
 
Just home from the scrimmage.

As for the returning players, Vazquez was pretty aggressive and handled the ball a lot, compared to last season.

Bannan did a little of everything. To me, he looks quicker and more agile.

Martin made a few nice shots and solid defense.

Whitney looked to distribute the ball more and scored when he had opportunities. He didn't force anything.

Solomon made a few nice shots. He was solid. He won't see much time. There's good talent at Forward and Center.

Anderson and Lawrence didn't suit up.

Onto the newbies. They all impressed me in some way. Appears they'll collectively be difference makers.

Moody- plays damn hard and is tough. He can play 1 to 3. Solid in every aspect, with a nice shot. He injured his knee on a jump shot. It looked like he just tweeked or bruised something. He looks like a player that'll be consistent, and play within himself.

Dorell Thomas- he hit a nice 3. Unlike most Freshman, he looked comfortable. I really didn't see any negatives. He's smart and good awareness.


Kerr: oops left him out originally. She looks the part of combo guard. Looks like he can score at all 3 levels and a solid defender.

Jonathan Brown: this guy is athletic, quick, confident, even a little cocky. He handles the ball well. He can score with penetration or from 3. I think, he's still adjusting to his teammates. It looks to me, he's used to being a primary scorer. I hope DeCuire lets him grow into an Oguine type of role. He reminds me of Oguine. I'm just not sure how they'll work him in. Yes, he impressed me, athletically.

Rhett Reynolds- this kid moves well for a taller guy. He also had a nice 3 point shot. He might be a little over confident. He hit 2 3's in the natural flow, then forced a few shots. He needs to bulk up though. Overall, I was pleased with him though.

Jaxon Nap- statistically he didn't stand out. He's a true 3 level scorer. He made good decisions, the ball just didn't fall for him. He handled the ball a lot more than I expected. He's a versatile ball handler and shooter. He's going to be great at some point. I see him as a point forward, when needed. He'll push for playing time as the season progresses.

Laolu Oke- he's a better ft shooter than his past #'s indicate. He actually looked smooth at the FT line. He came up with a few loose balls. He has a good nose for the ball. Defensively, he is as versatile as a Forward Center gets in the Big Sky. He too moves well. I can see him as a jack of all trades defender. Offensively, he looked smooth, unfortunately he didn't see many opportunities to evaluate his offensive potential.

Caden Bateman- he moves better than I expected. He plays solid defense. He hustled and was near the ball a lot on rebounds and loose balls. Offensively, no touches. I'm neutral on him. Hope he develops though.

Dischon Thomas- I saved the best for the last. He scored at will from inside, mid range, and 3. He has a nice jump hook inside, with good angles. He has a quick perimeter shot, and surprisingly effective, with it. This guy appears to be an inside outside scorer to help Bannan. He really impressed me offensively. Defensively, he held his own. He's hard to move too.

Guess what?
I can see the GRIZ going with 3, maybe 4 6'7" + players on the court at the same time, without sacrificing perimeter defense. Bannan, Thomas, Oke, Anderson rotating at 3,4, and 5. Nap at a guard, and Whitney at point. Travis had Bannan, Thomas, and Oke together for a lot of minutes.

Overall, I liked what I saw. Let's see how quickly they gel, against other competition.
 
mtgrizrule said:
Just home from the scrimmage.

As for the returning players, Vazquez was pretty aggressive and handled the ball a lot, compared to last season.

Bannan did a little of everything. To me, he looks quicker and more agile.

Martin made a few nice shots and solid defense.

Whitney looked to distribute the ball more and scored when he had opportunities. He didn't force anything.

Solomon made a few nice shots. He was solid. He won't see much time. There's good talent at Forward and Center.

Anderson and Lawrence didn't suit up.

Onto the newbies. They all impressed me in some way. Appears they'll collectively be difference makers.

Moody- plays damn hard and is tough. He can play 1 to 3. Solid in every aspect, with a nice shot. He injured his knee on a jump shot. It looked like he just tweeked or bruised something. He looks like a player that'll be consistent, and play within himself.

Dorell Thomas- he hit a nice 3. Unlike most Freshman, he looked comfortable. I really didn't see any negatives. He's smart and good awareness.

Jonathan Brown: this guy is athletic, quick, confident, even a little cocky. He handles the ball well. He can score with penetration or from 3. I think, he's still adjusting to his teammates. It looks to me, he's used to being a primary scorer. I hope DeCuire lets him grow into an Oguine type of role. He reminds me of Oguine. I'm just not sure how they'll work him in. Yes, he impressed me, athletically.

Rhett Reynolds- this kid moves well for a taller guy. He also had a nice 3 point shot. He might be a little over confident. He hit 2 3's in the natural flow, then forced a few shots. He needs to bulk up though. Overall, I was pleased with him though.

Jaxon Nap- statistically he didn't stand out. He's a true 3 level scorer. He made good decisions, the ball just didn't fall for him. He handled the ball a lot more than I expected. He's a versatile ball handler and shooter. He's going to be great at some point. I see him as a point forward, when needed. He'll push for playing time as the season progresses.

Laolu Oke- he's a better ft shooter than his past #'s indicate. He actually looked smooth at the FT line. He came up with a few loose balls. He has a good nose for the ball. Defensively, he is as versatile as a Forward Center gets in the Big Sky. He too moves well. I can see him as a jack of all trades defender. Offensively, he looked smooth, unfortunately he didn't see many opportunities to evaluate his offensive potential.

Caden Bateman- he moves better than I expected. He plays solid defense. He hustled and was near the ball a lot on rebounds and loose balls. Offensively, no touches. I'm neutral on him. Hope he develops though.

Dischon Thomas- I saved the best for the last. He scored at will from inside, mid range, and 3. He has a nice jump hook inside, with good angles. He has a quick perimeter shot, and surprisingly effective, with it. This guy appears to be an inside outside scorer to help Bannan. He really impressed me offensively. Defensively, he held his own. He's hard to move too.

Guess what?
I can see the GRIZ going with 3, maybe 4 6'7" + players on the court at the same time, without sacrificing perimeter defense. Bannan, Thomas, Oke, Anderson rotating at 3,4, and 5. Nap at a guard, and Whitney at point. Travis had Bannan, Thomas, and Oke together for a lot of minutes.

Overall, I liked what I saw. Let's see how quickly they gel, against other competition.

I agree with everything you posted here. Dischon Thomas and Oke are huge additions! I liked the look with the 3 6'9 players on the court together. Like you said I was very impressed with Nap also. I think Jonathan Brown is going to push for a lot minutes just because he is so athletic and can score. Isiah Kerr also looked like a nice young player. With the transfer portal challenge I hope Nap, Reynolds, Kerr and the younger Thomas stick around for all four years. I also liked what I saw also. I think the parts are there for a fun year!
 
mtgrizrule said:
Moody- plays damn hard and is tough. He can play 1 to 3. Solid in every aspect, with a nice shot. He injured his knee on a jump shot. It looked like he just tweeked or bruised something. He looks like a player that'll be consistent, and play within himself.

I couldn’t make it tonight but will defer to you because you were there. However, a person that can play (which I also assume means can defend) 1-3 and shoots nearly 40% from 3 doesn’t average 19mpg for a career at North Dakota and Southern Utah.
 
Super excited for the season. The preseason poll and all-conference team come out next week and then it will officially be Basketball season. That opening night game against Duquesne will be huge. If we're gonna be the team that I think these guys are capable of being, then they need to win that game.
 
GrizBall said:
mtgrizrule said:
Moody- plays damn hard and is tough. He can play 1 to 3. Solid in every aspect, with a nice shot. He injured his knee on a jump shot. It looked like he just tweeked or bruised something. He looks like a player that'll be consistent, and play within himself.

I couldn’t make it tonight but will defer to you because you were there. However, a person that can play (which I also assume means can defend) 1-3 and shoots nearly 40% from 3 doesn’t average 19mpg for a career at North Dakota and Southern Utah.
I think his playing time and scoring averages would have been much higher if he would have stayed at UND instead of joining a much more talented and deep team at Southern Utah. I agree with you that I can't see him defending the 3. After watching last night I am a little more intrigued by Jonathan Brown and Nap. Brown looks like he can score and he looks crazy athletic. Nap was King County 3A player of the year and is 6'7 and can handle the ball and shoot. Reynolds also looked good. He is not as thin as I thought he would be. I think he has worked to bulk up. It would be great if he could redshirt and get even stronger.
 
UncleRico said:
mtgrizrule said:
Just home from the scrimmage.

As for the returning players, Vazquez was pretty aggressive and handled the ball a lot, compared to last season.

Bannan did a little of everything. To me, he looks quicker and more agile.

Martin made a few nice shots and solid defense.

Whitney looked to distribute the ball more and scored when he had opportunities. He didn't force anything.

Solomon made a few nice shots. He was solid. He won't see much time. There's good talent at Forward and Center.

Anderson and Lawrence didn't suit up.

Onto the newbies. They all impressed me in some way. Appears they'll collectively be difference makers.

Moody- plays damn hard and is tough. He can play 1 to 3. Solid in every aspect, with a nice shot. He injured his knee on a jump shot. It looked like he just tweeked or bruised something. He looks like a player that'll be consistent, and play within himself.

Dorell Thomas- he hit a nice 3. Unlike most Freshman, he looked comfortable. I really didn't see any negatives. He's smart and good awareness.

Jonathan Brown: this guy is athletic, quick, confident, even a little cocky. He handles the ball well. He can score with penetration or from 3. I think, he's still adjusting to his teammates. It looks to me, he's used to being a primary scorer. I hope DeCuire lets him grow into an Oguine type of role. He reminds me of Oguine. I'm just not sure how they'll work him in. Yes, he impressed me, athletically.

Rhett Reynolds- this kid moves well for a taller guy. He also had a nice 3 point shot. He might be a little over confident. He hit 2 3's in the natural flow, then forced a few shots. He needs to bulk up though. Overall, I was pleased with him though.

Jaxon Nap- statistically he didn't stand out. He's a true 3 level scorer. He made good decisions, the ball just didn't fall for him. He handled the ball a lot more than I expected. He's a versatile ball handler and shooter. He's going to be great at some point. I see him as a point forward, when needed. He'll push for playing time as the season progresses.

Laolu Oke- he's a better ft shooter than his past #'s indicate. He actually looked smooth at the FT line. He came up with a few loose balls. He has a good nose for the ball. Defensively, he is as versatile as a Forward Center gets in the Big Sky. He too moves well. I can see him as a jack of all trades defender. Offensively, he looked smooth, unfortunately he didn't see many opportunities to evaluate his offensive potential.

Caden Bateman- he moves better than I expected. He plays solid defense. He hustled and was near the ball a lot on rebounds and loose balls. Offensively, no touches. I'm neutral on him. Hope he develops though.

Dischon Thomas- I saved the best for the last. He scored at will from inside, mid range, and 3. He has a nice jump hook inside, with good angles. He has a quick perimeter shot, and surprisingly effective, with it. This guy appears to be an inside outside scorer to help Bannan. He really impressed me offensively. Defensively, he held his own. He's hard to move too.

Guess what?
I can see the GRIZ going with 3, maybe 4 6'7" + players on the court at the same time, without sacrificing perimeter defense. Bannan, Thomas, Oke, Anderson rotating at 3,4, and 5. Nap at a guard, and Whitney at point. Travis had Bannan, Thomas, and Oke together for a lot of minutes.

Overall, I liked what I saw. Let's see how quickly they gel, against other competition.

I agree with everything you posted here. Dischon Thomas and Oke are huge additions! I liked the look with the 3 6'9 players on the court together. Like you said I was very impressed with Nap also. I think Jonathan Brown is going to push for a lot minutes just because he is so athletic and can score. Isiah Kerr also looked like a nice young player. With the transfer portal challenge I hope Nap, Reynolds, Kerr and the younger Thomas stick around for all four years. I also liked what I saw also. I think the parts are there for a fun year!

DT (Dischon Thomas) is the real deal. He looked good in every facet.
 
UncleRico said:
GrizBall said:
I couldn’t make it tonight but will defer to you because you were there. However, a person that can play (which I also assume means can defend) 1-3 and shoots nearly 40% from 3 doesn’t average 19mpg for a career at North Dakota and Southern Utah.
I think his playing time and scoring averages would have been much higher if he would have stayed at UND instead of joining a much more talented and deep team at Southern Utah. I agree with you that I can't see him defending the 3. After watching last night I am a little more intrigued by Jonathan Brown and Nap. Brown looks like he can score and he looks crazy athletic. Nap was King County 3A player of the year and is 6'7 and can handle the ball and shoot. Reynolds also looked good. He is not as thin as I thought he would be. I think he has worked to bulk up. It would be great if he could redshirt and get even stronger.

Thanks. Makes sense. Did it look like there were any changes to the offensive game plan?
 
Let me better explain my opinion of Moody.

Do I expect him to play SF/3? Not much.
Do I feel there are situations that he could be a 3/SF? Yes, depending on situations, opponents, and DeCuire's creativity? Only if we're pushed to small ball and or injuries.

I expect him to be a player that DeCuire can rely on in terms of taking care of the ball, play solid defense, lead by example, and hit a few key 3"s. He seems to be an intangibles player. He might not be an every game stat machine. However, he's going to have his moments.

Next, a little more on Jaxon Nap. I see no reason to redshirt him. He's versatile and already has a good frame. Physically, he can hold his own at SG and SF. I see him as a rotational contributor.

After the scrimmage, I was trying to think of an upside comparison. It just came to me. In time, he has Jamar like upside. His game and build remind me of Jamar as a FR.

Speaking of reminding me of former players, Reynolds is similar to Hasquet. Hopefully he can fully utilize a redshirt season, like Hasquet did.
 
GrizBall said:
UncleRico said:
I think his playing time and scoring averages would have been much higher if he would have stayed at UND instead of joining a much more talented and deep team at Southern Utah. I agree with you that I can't see him defending the 3. After watching last night I am a little more intrigued by Jonathan Brown and Nap. Brown looks like he can score and he looks crazy athletic. Nap was King County 3A player of the year and is 6'7 and can handle the ball and shoot. Reynolds also looked good. He is not as thin as I thought he would be. I think he has worked to bulk up. It would be great if he could redshirt and get even stronger.

Thanks. Makes sense. Did it look like there were any changes to the offensive game plan?

Travis was definately getting after them to push the ball. When he had the 3 big bodies in Dischon, Oke and Bannon it looked almost like a flex offense look with the 3 setting picks for each other and each posting up.
 
Zirg said:
UncleRico said:
I agree with everything you posted here. Dischon Thomas and Oke are huge additions! I liked the look with the 3 6'9 players on the court together. Like you said I was very impressed with Nap also. I think Jonathan Brown is going to push for a lot minutes just because he is so athletic and can score. Isiah Kerr also looked like a nice young player. With the transfer portal challenge I hope Nap, Reynolds, Kerr and the younger Thomas stick around for all four years. I also liked what I saw also. I think the parts are there for a fun year!

DT (Dischon Thomas) is the real deal. He looked good in every facet.
100% agree with you. Can shoot the 3 so he will pull big defender away from goal and nice post up game. He is a BIG get for the Griz!
 
mtgrizrule said:
Let me better explain my opinion of Moody.

Do I expect him to play SF/3? Not much.
Do I feel there are situations that he could be a 3/SF? Yes, depending on situations, opponents, and DeCuire's creativity? Only if we're pushed to small ball and or injuries.

I expect him to be a player that DeCuire can rely on in terms of taking care of the ball, play solid defense, lead by example, and hit a few key 3"s. He seems to be an intangibles player. He might not be an every game stat machine. However, he's going to have his moments.

Next, a little more on Jaxon Nap. I see no reason to redshirt him. He's versatile and already has a good frame. Physically, he can hold his own at SG and SF. I see him as a rotational contributor.

After the scrimmage, I was trying to think of an upside comparison. It just came to me. In time, he has Jamar like upside. His game and build remind me of Jamar as a FR.

Speaking of reminding me of former players, Reynolds is similar to Hasquet. Hopefully he can fully utilize a redshirt season, like Hasquet did.
Nap grew a bunch late in high school. Otherwise Griz might not have had a shot at him. I'm not going to compare him to Luka that would be extreme but I think he can have a Luka type effect in Big Sky. Big guard that can shoot, handle the ball and pass. One thing is that having Whitney defending the opponents best guard for the majority of the game is going help all these guys. That and having a solid rotation of guys that can defend the post (four athletic players 6'8 plus) will hopefully keep the Griz out of so much foul trouble that really killed them the last couple years.
 
Excellent scrimmage report from mtgrizrule. Here are a couple of things I observed & settled on via my own internal replay:
1. This year's squad is strong where it was weak last year, especially after Mack's shoulder injury: frontcourt double-post, hi-lo versatility, power and depth. Dischon Thomas showed signs of being a versatile double-pivot mid-key offensive force capable of shooting with both hands. His move to the right featured a modified hook while moving left showed him capableof driving for a kind of 5-6 ft. angled push-shot. From there he also had a quick stop for a fade away jumper. Also: he could be Montana's best perimeter shooter. Really? Add Bannan's known offensive skills -- his ability to stretch the high post O with his ft-line jumper, but especially his sideline attacks -- and the Griz could have a very versatile double-post attack. Oke adds yet another dimension as a rebounder. He was in the midst of nearly every mid-key rebounding battle I saw & converted at least one O-rebound on a putback. When Mack hits the floor, I like how this group can extend Montana's defense. Too early for me to say much about Dischon's defense, but he moves laterally very well for a big. Add John Solomon to that group as a very aggressive defender. Don't know how that'll turn out, since he got called for I think four fouls... but I love his in-your-face defense.
2. Lonnell Martin played a relatively quiet game, but to me he looks to have increased full-body strength considerably. He's a horse. I liked how he handled the ball on in-paint slashes a couple of times. I can see him on a steady arc of improvement, because he's going to be pushed by D. Thomas, Brown and Kerr (who's got a lightning quick first-step on dribble-enter drives).
3. I hope mtgrizrule is right about Moody. His "tweak" happened right in front of me and made me queasy.
4.I love the wing/slasher play of Solomon (a huge surprise to me) and Nap. Solomon's got a very good baseline corner shot and Nap is a kid who could explode once he adjusts to the college game. I admit Nap didn't remind me of Kareem, but rather Bobby Moorehead. He's got great lateral and vertical balance and a jumper with a high release that'll be hard to block. Solomon looks to me like he's still growing. Hmmm 6-10? 6-11? If so, he's got good ball-handling skills for a young big.
5. Lastly: Did anyone else see that Josh Vazquez played point guard for the slilver most of the game? Coach has but the ball in Josh's hands and he seemed to be loving every minute of it. His shot (inside & outside) was off, but if my observation is right, then I can see first: an increase in confidence from playing more aggressively offensively, and second: the task of getting the ball to others first as a distributing point rather than doing the standard catch and shoot of a perimeter guard. I'm intrigued by this. Hope what I think I saw gives Josh a chance to develop.
6. DecCuire's Montana teams have always played tough man D, but I saw signs of them extending pressure more than in the past. The Griz help D at the wings gave a few hints last night. Too early to tell though.
7. Brandon Whitney seemed a bit angry at himself, but I saw many more signs of him looking to dish the ball from his mid-paint drives. And if that's the case, it'll be really good for Thomas and Brannan.
8. Lastly, this team is much deeper than last year's squad. Hope they build chemistry fast. But there's unlimited potential in this group. I personally hope pre-season games will provide many opportunities for all the players to get a lot of time on court. Go Griz.
 
grizzlyjournal said:
Excellent scrimmage report from mtgrizrule. Here are a couple of things I observed & settled on via my own internal replay:
1. This year's squad is strong where it was weak last year, especially after Mack's shoulder injury: frontcourt double-post, hi-lo versatility, power and depth. Dischon Thomas showed signs of being a versatile double-pivot mid-key offensive force capable of shooting with both hands. His move to the right featured a modified hook while moving left showed him capableof driving for a kind of 5-6 ft. angled push-shot. From there he also had a quick stop for a fade away jumper. Also: he could be Montana's best perimeter shooter. Really? Add Bannan's known offensive skills -- his ability to stretch the high post O with his ft-line jumper, but especially his sideline attacks -- and the Griz could have a very versatile double-post attack. Oke adds yet another dimension as a rebounder. He was in the midst of nearly every mid-key rebounding battle I saw & converted at least one O-rebound on a putback. When Mack hits the floor, I like how this group can extend Montana's defense. Too early for me to say much about Dischon's defense, but he moves laterally very well for a big. Add John Solomon to that group as a very aggressive defender. Don't know how that'll turn out, since he got called for I think four fouls... but I love his in-your-face defense.
2. Lonnell Martin played a relatively quiet game, but to me he looks to have increased full-body strength considerably. He's a horse. I liked how he handled the ball on in-paint slashes a couple of times. I can see him on a steady arc of improvement, because he's going to be pushed by D. Thomas, Brown and Kerr (who's got a lightning quick first-step on dribble-enter drives).
3. I hope mtgrizrule is right about Moody. His "tweak" happened right in front of me and made me queasy.
4.I love the wing/slasher play of Solomon (a huge surprise to me) and Nap. Solomon's got a very good baseline corner shot and Nap is a kid who could explode once he adjusts to the college game. I admit Nap didn't remind me of Kareem, but rather Bobby Moorehead. He's got great lateral and vertical balance and a jumper with a high release that'll be hard to block. Solomon looks to me like he's still growing. Hmmm 6-10? 6-11? If so, he's got good ball-handling skills for a young big.
5. Lastly: Did anyone else see that Josh Vazquez played point guard for the slilver most of the game? Coach has but the ball in Josh's hands and he seemed to be loving every minute of it. His shot (inside & outside) was off, but if my observation is right, then I can see first: an increase in confidence from playing more aggressively offensively, and second: the task of getting the ball to others first as a distributing point rather than doing the standard catch and shoot of a perimeter guard. I'm intrigued by this. Hope what I think I saw gives Josh a chance to develop.
6. DecCuire's Montana teams have always played tough man D, but I saw signs of them extending pressure more than in the past. The Griz help D at the wings gave a few hints last night. Too early to tell though.
7. Brandon Whitney seemed a bit angry at himself, but I saw many more signs of him looking to dish the ball from his mid-paint drives. And if that's the case, it'll be really good for Thomas and Brannan.
8. Lastly, this team is much deeper than last year's squad. Hope they build chemistry fast. But there's unlimited potential in this group. I personally hope pre-season games will provide many opportunities for all the players to get a lot of time on court. Go Griz.

Interesting comparison regarding Nap. I thought Jamar, because Nap handles the ball and distributes more like Jamar. Also like Jamar, he's got a wide base. Defensively, I can see the Moorehead comparison. If Nap can even come close to Jamar's offense, and be close to Moorehead defensively, he'll be 1 terrific 2 way player. He's certainly an intriguing player to keep an eye on.
 
Any guesses on who the starters will be? I assume Bannan, KT, Whitney and Martin are a given. And then maybe Vasquez or possibly Anderson?
 
GrizBall said:
Any guesses on who the starters will be? I assume Bannan, KT, Whitney and Martin are a given. And then maybe Vasquez or possibly Anderson?

The four you mentioned and Moody (if healthy.) Vasquez would be the first guard off of the bench since he can play both the one and the two. I was at the scrimmage and DT was super impressive. He must have had twenty points. :)
 
I'll take a stab at the opening night starters. 1. Whitney 2. Martin 3. Moody (if healthy) 4. DT 5. Bannan. 6th man Anderson, 7th man Oke, 8th man Vazquez, 9th man Brown. We can easily run a 9 or 10 man rotation this year and still be in a good pot.
 
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