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Checking-in on old friends

GrizBall

Well-known member
Now that most non-conference schedules are complete, I thought it would be a good time to check-in on former Griz. I give a verdict on their decision based on basketball related issues. I obviously have no idea if people were homesick, hated Montana, needed a change of scenery, wanted to go to an HBCU, etc. so I try to be respectful of the fact that I am not walking in their shoes. I haven’t watched any of the Non-D1 guys, but I have seen enough of the D-1 guys to feel comfortable in making an assessment. I honestly hope everyone is happy with their decision.



Eddy Egun - Regis (CO) D2 (Record 5-6)
Started 7/11 games. Averaging 9.7/3.7/1.0.

Verdict: No brainer move for him. Playing almost 25mpg at a level better suited for him.

Freddy Brown: Central Washington-D2 (4-7)
Started 1/11 games. 3.9/2.2/0.5

Verdict: No brainer. Already graduated from Montana. Averaging 12mpg and has played in every game at a level better suited for him.

Darius Henderson - Corban (OR) NAIA (8-3)
Started 11/11. 18.0/7.6/1.3. Shooting 60/39/85. 25mpg.

Verdict: Clearly had to leave Montana if he ever wanted to play so that was a no brainer. However, I think he is a skilled big man that probably should have landed at a D2. But, having already transferred twice I can see the desire for guaranteed playing time with a guaranteed big role.

Robby Beasley - UC Davis (7-5; KenPom #188)
Started the lasted 9 games after starting 1 out of the first 3. 10.4/4.1/1.2. Shooting 48/45/69 and 28mpg.

Verdict: From the outside this move was perplexing as he seemingly was given the keys to the Program as a sophomore. Beasley gets less possessions at Davis but has been more efficient as he leads the Big West in True Shooting percentage and is 9th in 3 pointers made. Davis plays at one of the fastest tempos in the country which was probably a big selling point and once one of the other guards graduates you can see him taking on a much bigger role which bodes even better for him in the future. However, I can’t help but thinking what could have been. With a potential 5 year Griz career his name would have been all over the record books and he potentially could have left as one of the all-time greats.


Derrick Carter-Hollinger - Bethune Cookman (4-8; KenPom #345) zero starts. 5.3/3.8/1.1. 58/40/91. 21.1mpg (exact same as last year).

Verdict: Not sure I understand this one as his new role appears to be exactly the same as his last. Watching him he still doesn’t appear to be 100% healthy. He left Montana to play for one of the worst teams in one of the worst conferences with one of the worst facilities and budgets in all of D-1 basketball. But if that’s the move, an HBCU in Daytona Beach is not a bad landing spot!

Kyle Owens - UC Riverside (7-5; KenPom#161)
9/12 starts (now seems to be full-time starter) 8.2/4.2/0.8. 46/20/86. 24mpg.

Verdict: For reasons I have never understood, this was a no brainer move. Never seen a player go from team’s leading scorer and HM All-conference to barely playing. He is a better man than I because at least on the bench last year he appeared to have an excellent attitude and was a supportive teammate. He looks comfortable at Riverside and played very well in their defeat of Portland and other games.

Cam Parker - Portland St. (6-7; KenPom#240)
12 starts (DNP - Portland Bible). 14.7/3.3/5.4. 50/40/86. 33mpg.

Verdict: No brainer. Considered by some websites to be playing at an all-conference level, Parker is 11th in conference in scoring, 2nd in assists and tied for 1st in FT%. His 76 FTM is 3rd in the country (by comparison Bannan leads the Griz with 39). According to KenPom, PSU has played the country’s 41st toughest schedule. Finishing his nomadic college career at home is a plus.
 
GrizBall said:
Now that most non-conference schedules are complete, I thought it would be a good time to check-in on former Griz. I give a verdict on their decision based on basketball related issues. I obviously have no idea if people were homesick, hated Montana, needed a change of scenery, wanted to go to an HBCU, etc. so I try to be respectful of the fact that I am not walking in their shoes. I haven’t watched any of the Non-D1 guys, but I have seen enough of the D-1 guys to feel comfortable in making an assessment. I honestly hope everyone is happy with their decision.



Eddy Egun - Regis (CO) D2 (Record 5-6)
Started 7/11 games. Averaging 9.7/3.7/1.0.

Verdict: No brainer move for him. Playing almost 25mpg at a level better suited for him.

Freddy Brown: Central Washington-D2 (4-7)
Started 1/11 games. 3.9/2.2/0.5

Verdict: No brainer. Already graduated from Montana. Averaging 12mpg and has played in every game at a level better suited for him.

Darius Henderson - Corban (OR) NAIA (8-3)
Started 11/11. 18.0/7.6/1.3. Shooting 60/39/85. 25mpg.

Verdict: Clearly had to leave Montana if he ever wanted to play so that was a no brainer. However, I think he is a skilled big man that probably should have landed at a D2. But, having already transferred twice I can see the desire for guaranteed playing time with a guaranteed big role.

Robby Beasley - UC Davis (7-5; KenPom #188)
Started the lasted 9 games after starting 1 out of the first 3. 10.4/4.1/1.2. Shooting 48/45/69 and 28mpg.

Verdict: From the outside this move was perplexing as he seemingly was given the keys to the Program as a sophomore. Beasley gets less possessions at Davis but has been more efficient as he leads the Big West in True Shooting percentage and is 9th in 3 pointers made. Davis plays at one of the fastest tempos in the country which was probably a big selling point and once one of the other guards graduates you can see him taking on a much bigger role which bodes even better for him in the future. However, I can’t help but thinking what could have been. With a potential 5 year Griz career his name would have been all over the record books and he potentially could have left as one of the all-time greats.


Derrick Carter-Hollinger - Bethune Cookman (4-8; KenPom #345) zero starts. 5.3/3.8/1.1. 58/40/91. 21.1mpg (exact same as last year).

Verdict: Not sure I understand this one as his new role appears to be exactly the same as his last. Watching him he still doesn’t appear to be 100% healthy. He left Montana to play for one of the worst teams in one of the worst conferences with one of the worst facilities and budgets in all of D-1 basketball. But if that’s the move, an HBCU in Daytona Beach is not a bad landing spot!

Kyle Owens - UC Riverside (7-5; KenPom#161)
9/12 starts (now seems to be full-time starter) 8.2/4.2/0.8. 46/20/86. 24mpg.

Verdict: For reasons I have never understood, this was a no brainer move. Never seen a player go from team’s leading scorer and HM All-conference to barely playing. He is a better man than I because at least on the bench last year he appeared to have an excellent attitude and was a supportive teammate. He looks comfortable at Riverside and played very well in their defeat of Portland and other games.

Cam Parker - Portland St. (6-7; KenPom#240)
12 starts (DNP - Portland Bible). 14.7/3.3/5.4. 50/40/86. 33mpg.

Verdict: No brainer. Considered by some websites to be playing at an all-conference level, Parker is 11th in conference in scoring, 2nd in assists and tied for 1st in FT%. His 76 FTM is 3rd in the country (by comparison Bannan leads the Griz with 39). According to KenPom, PSU has played the country’s 41st toughest schedule. Finishing his nomadic college career at home is a plus.
Thanks for doing this. They all really seemed like good kids. I'm glad they are doing well.
 
GrizBall said:
Now that most non-conference schedules are complete, I thought it would be a good time to check-in on former Griz. I give a verdict on their decision based on basketball related issues. I obviously have no idea if people were homesick, hated Montana, needed a change of scenery, wanted to go to an HBCU, etc. so I try to be respectful of the fact that I am not walking in their shoes. I haven’t watched any of the Non-D1 guys, but I have seen enough of the D-1 guys to feel comfortable in making an assessment. I honestly hope everyone is happy with their decision.



Eddy Egun - Regis (CO) D2 (Record 5-6)
Started 7/11 games. Averaging 9.7/3.7/1.0.

Verdict: No brainer move for him. Playing almost 25mpg at a level better suited for him.

Freddy Brown: Central Washington-D2 (4-7)
Started 1/11 games. 3.9/2.2/0.5

Verdict: No brainer. Already graduated from Montana. Averaging 12mpg and has played in every game at a level better suited for him.

Darius Henderson - Corban (OR) NAIA (8-3)
Started 11/11. 18.0/7.6/1.3. Shooting 60/39/85. 25mpg.

Verdict: Clearly had to leave Montana if he ever wanted to play so that was a no brainer. However, I think he is a skilled big man that probably should have landed at a D2. But, having already transferred twice I can see the desire for guaranteed playing time with a guaranteed big role.

Robby Beasley - UC Davis (7-5; KenPom #188)
Started the lasted 9 games after starting 1 out of the first 3. 10.4/4.1/1.2. Shooting 48/45/69 and 28mpg.

Verdict: From the outside this move was perplexing as he seemingly was given the keys to the Program as a sophomore. Beasley gets less possessions at Davis but has been more efficient as he leads the Big West in True Shooting percentage and is 9th in 3 pointers made. Davis plays at one of the fastest tempos in the country which was probably a big selling point and once one of the other guards graduates you can see him taking on a much bigger role which bodes even better for him in the future. However, I can’t help but thinking what could have been. With a potential 5 year Griz career his name would have been all over the record books and he potentially could have left as one of the all-time greats.


Derrick Carter-Hollinger - Bethune Cookman (4-8; KenPom #345) zero starts. 5.3/3.8/1.1. 58/40/91. 21.1mpg (exact same as last year).

Verdict: Not sure I understand this one as his new role appears to be exactly the same as his last. Watching him he still doesn’t appear to be 100% healthy. He left Montana to play for one of the worst teams in one of the worst conferences with one of the worst facilities and budgets in all of D-1 basketball. But if that’s the move, an HBCU in Daytona Beach is not a bad landing spot!

Kyle Owens - UC Riverside (7-5; KenPom#161)
9/12 starts (now seems to be full-time starter) 8.2/4.2/0.8. 46/20/86. 24mpg.

Verdict: For reasons I have never understood, this was a no brainer move. Never seen a player go from team’s leading scorer and HM All-conference to barely playing. He is a better man than I because at least on the bench last year he appeared to have an excellent attitude and was a supportive teammate. He looks comfortable at Riverside and played very well in their defeat of Portland and other games.

Cam Parker - Portland St. (6-7; KenPom#240)
12 starts (DNP - Portland Bible). 14.7/3.3/5.4. 50/40/86. 33mpg.

Verdict: No brainer. Considered by some websites to be playing at an all-conference level, Parker is 11th in conference in scoring, 2nd in assists and tied for 1st in FT%. His 76 FTM is 3rd in the country (by comparison Bannan leads the Griz with 39). According to KenPom, PSU has played the country’s 41st toughest schedule. Finishing his nomadic college career at home is a plus.
Thanks for doing this. They all really seemed like good kids. I'm glad they are doing well.
 
Yes, thank you for doing this, and yes, they all seemed like great kids. I wish them the best.

Yet when you compare this bunch to the Oguine, Rorie, Pridgett, Akoh, Moorehead team of 2018-19, it's easy to see how far our recruiting has fallen off these past few years. So the question is, has this staff turned it around? Are they bringing in bona-fide D1 talent?

I'm cautiously optimistic. I like what I've seen of Jaxon Nap, and Montana has a history of producing outstanding big men in the mold of Rhett Reynolds. And if Money Williams is as good as I think he is, we may have another talent at the level of Oguine-Rorie-Pridgett.

Fingers crossed.
 
citay said:
Yes, thank you for doing this, and yes, they all seemed like great kids. I wish them the best.

Yet when you compare this bunch to the Oguine, Rorie, Pridgett, Akoh, Moorehead team of 2018-19, it's easy to see how far our recruiting has fallen off these past few years. So the question is, has this staff turned it around? Are they bringing in bona-fide D1 talent?

I'm cautiously optimistic. I like what I've seen of Jaxon Nap, and Montana has a history of producing outstanding big men in the mold of Rhett Reynolds. And if Money Williams is as good as I think he is, we may have another talent at the level of Oguine-Rorie-Pridgett.

Fingers crossed.

I think Reynolds is going to suprise people too.
 
UncleRico said:
citay said:
Yes, thank you for doing this, and yes, they all seemed like great kids. I wish them the best.

Yet when you compare this bunch to the Oguine, Rorie, Pridgett, Akoh, Moorehead team of 2018-19, it's easy to see how far our recruiting has fallen off these past few years. So the question is, has this staff turned it around? Are they bringing in bona-fide D1 talent?

I'm cautiously optimistic. I like what I've seen of Jaxon Nap, and Montana has a history of producing outstanding big men in the mold of Rhett Reynolds. And if Money Williams is as good as I think he is, we may have another talent at the level of Oguine-Rorie-Pridgett.

Fingers crossed.

I think Reynolds is going to suprise people too.

Reynolds reminds me of Jordan Hasquet. If he performs at a Hasquet level, that would be nice. Just hope, he'll be more consistent than Jordan. Hasquet was a weapon some games and role player others. The guy could score and rebound at will some games. Others, non existent on the boards, but still a scoring threat.
 
citay said:
Yes, thank you for doing this, and yes, they all seemed like great kids. I wish them the best.

Yet when you compare this bunch to the Oguine, Rorie, Pridgett, Akoh, Moorehead team of 2018-19, it's easy to see how far our recruiting has fallen off these past few years. So the question is, has this staff turned it around? Are they bringing in bona-fide D1 talent?

Couldn’t you make the argument that it is easier for Montana (and other similar schools) to get P-5 talent now as it has ever been? HS kids with P-5 offers likely don’t take Montana’s calls. P-5 kids in the transfer portal are most likely looking to move down and make an immediate impact. In theory Montana should be a very attractive option. Granted there are P-5 kids that were evaluation mistakes, but there are tons others that just didn’t work out and are just looking for a different place. Similar to Dischon Thomas at Colorado State. The odds of swooping P-5 level HS school kids seems low (and lucky).

Jalen Cone (NAU via Virginia Tech), Daylen Kountz (UNC via Colorado), Koby McEwen (Weber via Marquette) and Isiah Brown (Weber via Northwestern and Grand Canyon) are examples of P-5 talents that became All-conference players.
 
AllWeatherFan said:
I agree. It sucks to lose good players via the portal, but the portal provides many intriguing opportunities.

Agreed and we nab 2 division II players in the off season. 🤦‍♂️
 
I thought I would close the loop on the thread.

Things didn’t end great for most on this list (obviously nothing you can do about injuries). Does this say anything about Montana? There are a few that probably weren’t D-1 caliber. Also, I would think overall a few did better at Montana than their new homes, which probably indicates Travis is good at picking out guys for his system.




Eddy Egun - Regis (CO) D2
End: (Record 12-17)
Started 25/29 games. Averaged 10.6/3.3/1.2
Only shot 30% from 3. I would have thought he would have been much better particularly at that level.

Freddy Brown: Central Washington-D2
End: (Record 14-15)
Not sure what happened here, but Brown appeared in just 14 of 29 games.

Darius Henderson - Corban (OR) NAIA
End: (Record 20-11)
Very good season for him as he was named 1st team all conference. From Corban: “Henderson takes home top honors as a CCC All-Conference team representative following a dominate senior season in the paint for the Warriors, averaging 13.5 points per game for a Top 16 finish in the conference, along with a 7.1 rebounds per game mark that ranked him seventh overall.
Consistency was key for the big man in his final collegiate season, as he shot 53% from the field to finish with 153 field goals on the year, which was third most at the conference level among qualified individuals. His defense at the rim was the final caveat to all opposing offenses the Warriors faced this season, swatting 27 shots to average a block per game and finish seventh in the category.”

Robby Beasley - UC Davis

End: (18-14; KenPom #154)

Started 20/24 games. 9.4/3.0/1.2. Appeared to have been injured on 1/26 and missed the next 8 games. You can make the argument his freshman year was his best year of college basketball thus far. A weird statistic is that he shot 93% from the line his freshman year but was only 73% this year. I would expect for his role to greatly increase next year as the team’s first team all-conference guard will graduate.

Derrick Carter-Hollinger - Bethune Cookman
End: (Record: 12-20; KenPom #347)

Started 1 of 15 games and appeared to have a suffered a season ending injury in early January and missed the team’s last 17 games. 6.0/3.7/1.0 on the season. Not sure what happened here. DCH struggled to get consistent playing time prior to the injury on one of the country’s very worst teams. I did watch a few early games and I thought he didn’t look healthy. His gait didn’t look smooth and he had his shoulder bandaged.

Kyle Owens - UC Riverside (7-5; KenPom#161)

End: (Record 22-11; KenPom #138)
10/5.6/1.0. Started 17/20 games but appears to have suffered a season ending injury on 1/19 and missed the season’s final 13 games. I couldn’t verify what exactly happened. Had a double-double against a tough UCSB team prior to the injury. Too bad, he seemed to just be catching his stride.

Cam Parker - Portland St.
End (Record 12-19; KenPom #237)
2nd Team All-Conference (1st Team KenPom All-Conference). From PSU: “Parker led the Vikings in scoring (18.1 ppg) while leading the Big Sky Conference in assists (6.3). In league games, he averaged 20.4 points and 6.7 assists. Just as impressive, Parker shot .525 from the field, .429 from three-point range and .826 at the free throw line – all career highs. He ranked fourth in the conference in scoring, third in field goal percentage, fifth in free throw percentage, first in assists and fifth in steals.
     
Parker made 195-236 at the line, setting a PSU record for free throws made and ranking fifth in the nation. Parker was seventh in the nation in assists. Finished career 33rd on the all-time NCAA career assists list and 15th on the Big Sky career list.
 
My reading on this is we may be offering Power 5 conference level but we’re ending up with Div 2 caliber players. Why is this? Is it our system? Our environment? Can’t be our facilities with the new men’s locker room and training facilities. I don’t want to point fingers but frankly I’m at a loss for words. It would appear evaluating talent coming out of high school seems to be an issue because few of them work out and end up dropping down.
Reynolds has the tools but what I’m hearing is he plays soft. Meaning he’s not aggressive is having trouble adjusting to the speed of the game. As a freshman and coming from a small school this can be a part of the problem.
I believe having not seen the most recent graduation numbers but inTravis’s 9 years his graduation rate is 100%. At least it was a year or two ago. That has to be unheard of in college basketball. It’s not only a credit to Travis and his staff but to his players as well. Unfortunately in todays collegiate environment graduation, class attendance and grades are secondary to performance on the court. This is a disservice to the athletes because very few in our league will make it to the NBA.
Anyway I still feel strongly that our talent level is not measuring up to the task and until we can recruit 3 and 4 star players we will be a mid level team in the BSC.
 
Owens hurt his right knee vs Davis. Specifics weren’t mentioned but it was a season ending injury.

The Big West Boards-Owens out https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/bigwest/owens-out-t27042.html
 
Sport said:
My reading on this is we may be offering Power 5 conference level but we’re ending up with Div 2 caliber players. Why is this? Is it our system? Our environment? Can’t be our facilities with the new men’s locker room and training facilities. I don’t want to point fingers but frankly I’m at a loss for words. It would appear evaluating talent coming out of high school seems to be an issue because few of them work out and end up dropping down.
Reynolds has the tools but what I’m hearing is he plays soft. Meaning he’s not aggressive is having trouble adjusting to the speed of the game. As a freshman and coming from a small school this can be a part of the problem.
I believe having not seen the most recent graduation numbers but inTravis’s 9 years his graduation rate is 100%. At least it was a year or two ago. That has to be unheard of in college basketball. It’s not only a credit to Travis and his staff but to his players as well. Unfortunately in todays collegiate environment graduation, class attendance and grades are secondary to performance on the court. This is a disservice to the athletes because very few in our league will make it to the NBA.
Anyway I still feel strongly that our talent level is not measuring up to the task and until we can recruit 3 and 4 star players we will be a mid level team in the BSC.

In this day and age you either a) focus on the STUDENT athlete with mediocre athletic results or b) focus on getting players ready for the pros (domestic or foreign leagues) with good to great results.

I think we know which one Decuire has chosen and I can't really judge him for it. Option b is a lot more fun tho
 
griznative24 said:
Sport said:
My reading on this is we may be offering Power 5 conference level but we’re ending up with Div 2 caliber players. Why is this? Is it our system? Our environment? Can’t be our facilities with the new men’s locker room and training facilities. I don’t want to point fingers but frankly I’m at a loss for words. It would appear evaluating talent coming out of high school seems to be an issue because few of them work out and end up dropping down.
Reynolds has the tools but what I’m hearing is he plays soft. Meaning he’s not aggressive is having trouble adjusting to the speed of the game. As a freshman and coming from a small school this can be a part of the problem.
I believe having not seen the most recent graduation numbers but inTravis’s 9 years his graduation rate is 100%. At least it was a year or two ago. That has to be unheard of in college basketball. It’s not only a credit to Travis and his staff but to his players as well. Unfortunately in todays collegiate environment graduation, class attendance and grades are secondary to performance on the court. This is a disservice to the athletes because very few in our league will make it to the NBA.
Anyway I still feel strongly that our talent level is not measuring up to the task and until we can recruit 3 and 4 star players we will be a mid level team in the BSC.

In this day and age you either a) focus on the STUDENT athlete with mediocre athletic results or b) focus on getting players ready for the pros (domestic or foreign leagues) with good to great results.

I think we know which one Decuire has chosen and I can't really judge him for it. Option b is a lot more fun tho

I think you nailed it. As fans we want our athletic teams to win conference championships every year or at least be competing for championships every year. The fact is the environment has changed over the past several years to the point where the line between amateur athletics, and let’s face it professional (pay for play) has become not only blurred but erased.
Unfortunately Travis may become a victim of this “new” breed of amateur athletics. I totally respect him and his method but in the same sense I want our athletic teams to be successful and win championships. Can we have it both ways, probably but fans are fickle and success does not come easily and the fans demand instant gratification.
I don’t know specifically but I think Travis may be on the hot seat. Pure speculation on my part and not trying to start any rumors. Not sure where he’s at in his contract but the natives have become restless.
The transfer portal will be critical this year in terms of who’s available and who’s successful in bringing in quality players. I know Travis doesn’t like the portal but until things change it’s todays reality.
 
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