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Biggest surprise this year ?

W

WashGriz

Well-known member
I would have to say Ryan Staudacker filling the 3 spot so well has got to be the best Girz news so far..

Here is what the Grizzyjournal had to say today..
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Staudacher made 4 of his 5 first half three pointers while Martin shot 2-for-4. Staudacher notched 15 points and shared game scoring honors with Jordan Hasquet.

The good signs from Staudacher include not only his quick release and feathery touch, but his defense. At 6’ 3” Staudacher might be slightly undersized for the wing position, but he made up for it with solid defense. If Staudacher continues with the kind of performance he showed today the Griz may already have an answer at wing.
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I can see Ryan playing more shooting gaurd ..once Qvale gets going
more and we have a bigger power line up in. Qvale is a VERY nice surprise as well !

What does everyone else think ? Tinks getting a "T" already.. is
that a surprise ?
 
It is real real early to be talking about surprises, but if I had one to pick I would say this.

Derek Selvig rated by Rivals as a 3 star athlete, the 124th player in the country, and Scout.com also a three star athlete and a top 200 player needing to redshirt for a Big Sky team.

Brain Qvale not rated by Rivals.com and only a one star athlete by Scout.com, is playing like a 3 star and future (next year) all conference player.

Just goes to show you how player are ranked means nothing until they suit up.

BTW: Before you accuse me of taking a cheap shot at Derek, it was not meant that way. I personally feel that this continuing growing (from 6-9 lat year to 7-0 now) is actually hurting him in the short term. It just takes a while for a kid to catch up with that much growth. He has a bright future a head, but damn Selvig you are tall enough now stop growing.
 
biggest surprise (literally): qvale. you just don't expect a true freshman to come in an perform as he has. because he's a true post player, this really opens up options for us at other positions.

pleasant (but not unexpected) surprises: elgin-taylor, staudacher, martin, sharp. the last three all seem to have raised their games from last year, while elgin-taylor seems to be the tenacious point defender we needed.

mild disappointment: slevig. thought he'd be ready to contribute this year, but think now a redshirt would be best both for him and the program. agree with mslcat on the growth issue

continuing disappointment: vanderjagt. seems the guy wasn't ready, refused to redshirt and now is hurt. of all the aussies playing well at the major college level in america (luke nevell at utah, new post player at vanderbilt, among several others), longley stuck krysko with a bigger project than any of us imagined.
 
I agree it much too early to say for sure who is the biggest surprise so far. So far though, Staudacher and Qvale have to the most pleasant surprises. I hope Ryan can keep it consistent. His scoring ability is outstanding, and does not surprise me much.
I have seen him shoot over and over before and after practices. Just watch him, and anyone can tell his shot should be consistent. It just looks right. He has quickened and smoothed his motion in the offseason. I think the year off the year before hurt him last season.
As for Qvale, he will go down as a player that went under the radar due to where he is from. Now if Vanderjagt can get healthy we may be set for bigs for the next 4 years.
As for Selvig, his Uncle, Robin was interviewed during 1/2 time of the exhibition game. He admitted a redshirt is likely and understandable. He too thinks Derek needs to stop growing length wise, fill out, and get stronger. His abilities though for 7 footer are rare. Redshirt or not, he will certainly turn out to be a very good 1A player.

Finally, how nice is to talk about excessive height for once? :thumb: Any program, any conference would love to have this height and versatility. GO GRIZ :thumb:
 
Mslacat is exactly right. To put it even stronger, Qvale is the surprise of the last 20 years of Griz men's hoops.

I can't ever remember a Big Sky post who played so well this early except Steve Hayes from Idaho State in the 70's.

Qvale looks better at this point (purely my opinion) than did McKenzie, Tinkle, Engellant, or Krystkowiak (the premier big men that I have seen play at UM).

Qvale has the hands, the feet, the court presence, the size (height and bulk), and the work ethic to be a great player. If you haven't seen him, get over to the Adams Center so that you watch his progress.

Selvig as as much potential but needs a redshirt year to be able to bang with the guys who are stronger. But, don't underestimate his skills - he will also be a big time player. I didn't see last night's game against Whitman, but I see he didn't score. That has to be a fluke.

I know they are good buddies - I would redshirt them together.

Brian, tell Coach that you came here to play with Derek and that you want to redshirt if he redshirts. A redshirt season would be great for both of you. The team will benefit from your presence this year but don't give up the opportunity to spend all 5 seasons with Derek. Redshirting is better for you and for Derek and for the team in the long run.

Now, for those of you who haven't seen Sarah Ena playing as a true freshman for the women, she is also something special. I think she is ready to play (even start) as a true freshman and will be the "go-to" person all year on the inside. You will be amazed by her strength, leaping ability, and knowledge of where she is playing on the inside. It is a thing of beauty to see her post up every time and beg for the ball.

Summary: Never in the history of Griz hoops have we had two recruits in the same class with the skills that Qvale and Selvig have. They will be dominant in the Big Sky.

Sara Ena is as strong a player as Robin has ever had as a freshman - I think she is as skilled at this point as were Morales and Sisco. I'm not sure that she will rise to their level but I wouldn't be surprised. She is a fine player and a true freshman. You have to remember that Skyla Sisco and Mandy Morales each had a redshirt year that Sarah won't have.

I really don't think the other Big Sky women's teams will be able to cope with this year's Lady Griz team given the addition of Ena.
 
I for one think that using Derek's athletic ability at the three would be awesome. Dirk Nowitski plays the three/four and he is even taller. He is not a true post player and has ball handling abilities that not many 3s have. Mslacat, what do you think about this option. If he struggles in the defensive aspect with his size couldn't we go to a zone matchup? I would suppose the only concern there is the opponent's three point game. But with his wing span I would think that it could create some problems.
 
I think the coaches were expecting good things from Qvale all along, based on what they had seen in recruiting and who was recruiting him. Once he got to Missoula, he was impressive from his first pickup game with the players this summer. He's going to be a great player, and will have a significant impact this year. Stadaucher is now living up to his shooting reputation. He also lost some weight, but still has the muscle he's put on the last couple years. Martin is looking very good. Sharp is looking good. As stated, Ceylon takes good care of the ball, gets alot of assists and is a good defender. Of course, Strait, Hasquett and Rundles will be good. This is going to be the rotation of 8 this year, unless Vanderjagt gets healthy and into the mix.

I assume Selvig will probably redshirt. He's going to be a good player too, tho.

Yes, Ena is terrific, athletic and relatively fearless for the Lady Griz. She will be a big contributer this year. The frosh from Hardin, Tolbert, is also good. She will be a factor on the inside this year. Built like Guardipee, and seems to have long arms and quick hands. Lauren Beck has played well so far this year, and looks like she could get good minutes spelling Morales at the point, as well as playing the offguard. She's a good shooter and can score some points.
 
Biggest surprise for me has to be qvale. he will contribute very early. Msla...if qvale really keeps playing the way he does, you really don't see them going big with Hasquet, Strait and Qvale playing/starting? I remember you (maybe someone else) saying something like that earlier. If i were tinkle i'd be beyond tempted to go with a starting lineup of rundles, martin/staudacher, hasquet, strait and qvale once we get to conference play.
 
AtHomeInTheDahlbergDen said:
Biggest surprise for me has to be qvale. he will contribute very early. Msla...if qvale really keeps playing the way he does, you really don't see them going big with Hasquet, Strait and Qvale playing/starting? I remember you (maybe someone else) saying something like that earlier. If i were tinkle i'd be beyond tempted to go with a starting lineup of rundles, martin/staudacher, hasquet, strait and qvale once we get to conference play.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking as well, if Qvale continues to play/dominate the way he has been, he needs to be in the starting line up. I'm sure we will see how he plays with D1 level here on Friday (btw I can't wait for this game!). I'm not sure how Strait would fit into that "big" lineup however? Strait might need to take a backseat to Qvale if this this can't work out. That would be a tough pill for Andrew to swollow though I'm sure.

Qvale is going to be unreal, he is the best true big man we've had since Daren Engellent.

He and Selvig are going to bring back Grizzly basketball. I hope people in Missoula catch on and see the talent we have for the next few years.
 
Having watched both men's and women's scrimage and exhibition games (Lady Griz have one more), I have come to the following conclusion. Must wait till after they play teams at their own level before I decide who is a surprise.

I would say Sara Ena is of the Lady Griz is the Biggest surprise of either team. I was expecting more from Tolbert than anybody else of the new Lady Griz recruits, but Sara has played better than Tolbert so far. Maybe Tolbert will stand out more today than she did yesterday. Tolbert did have some good moves to the basket but only was able to finish one of them.

I kind of expected Qvale and Selvig to be good recruits to start with. Qvale surprised me a little but I expected to be good from the start. Personally, I think both Qvale and Selvig should redshirt, but Qvale is more ready to help out now. Selvig definitely needs to wait a year, and hopefully he stops growing and fills out some. Qvale, it seems, has already started to fill out. By next year he could be up to 245 pounds and reak havoc inside.

Staudacher looks like he found his shot that everyone was talking about prior to last season's start. He will be more consistent.

I expect Elgin-Taylor to be starting by the end of the season at point guard.
 
I think a line up that included Hasquet, Strait and Qvale could be used against some teams, but it could have some real problems against faster quicker line ups. Hasquet, of all your big men is more adept at running the court side to side and getting through the lane. Your other big men have a difficult time running though the lane chasing a wing forward. Then again in a zone defence you could compensate for that some what and the extra height could be an option. Hasquet has the skills to play small forward but with all big men does he have enough lateral movement. The true test is coming up when the Griz have to play true D-1 talent and the athletic small forwards in the 6-5 to 6-6 range.
 
I'm not surprised at how well Qvale has played this year, nor that Selvig is behind him. From what I heard from last year I figured Qvale would be ready to contribute right away and Selvig would probably need a redshirt year. I can't wait for Friday's game to officially get the season underway.
 
I will add to this, being I ran short on time at work. With the likes of Martin, Staudacher, Rundles, and Hasquet on the court. The paint will open up ALOT for the likes of Strait and Qvale, or anyone playing the post. That is not an luxury Strait has enjoyed in the past. Double teaming Strait with 2 to 4 deadly outside 3 shooters will be impossible for the opposition. If we play team ball this year, I will not be surprised if we hit 40% from 3 this year. I do know we will not have as many early season perimeter struggles this year. Those games will be few and far between this year. Offensively, oppenents defenses will have much trouble against the GRIZ. Our defense can only be better this year. Hard to imagine much worse defensive inconsistency this year.

Getting rid of players that did not care last year will be addition by subtraction. Of the departed, only Chavez and Ellis cared to be here last year. Swift's impatience hampered him. Dloughy's wanting to graduate effected his desire to be the MATT of the prior 3 years. As for Mayes, he proved he too wanted to be here, but had to get through so much off the court problems, he could not contribute like he was capable of. When he did contribute I honestly felt much tension with Swift and Dloughy. Finally Gus Chase, nothing bad to say about Gus, just think he was an odd man out, which had to be frustrating for him.

Also to add, the likes of McGillis, Taylor, and Hurley will intensify practices much more. 2 of 3 are BigSky Conference starters most anywhere. We have not had this kind of practice luxury recently, if ever. This years regulars will be practicing against them every practice. Both are talented enough to prepare for any teams best perimeter player. Also practicing against height will be more or a challenge this year than actual games will be.

All going well for the GRIZ, now if we can comfortably fill the 3 spot this year, all is well in GRIZ BASKETBALL !!!! :thumb:
 
GrizBBIsKing said:
Having watched both men's and women's scrimage and exhibition games (Lady Griz have one more), I have come to the following conclusion. Must wait till after they play teams at their own level before I decide who is a surprise.

I would say Sara Ena is of the Lady Griz is the Biggest surprise of either team. I was expecting more from Tolbert than anybody else of the new Lady Griz recruits, but Sara has played better than Tolbert so far. Maybe Tolbert will stand out more today than she did yesterday. Tolbert did have some good moves to the basket but only was able to finish one of them.

I kind of expected Qvale and Selvig to be good recruits to start with. Qvale surprised me a little but I expected to be good from the start. Personally, I think both Qvale and Selvig should redshirt, but Qvale is more ready to help out now. Selvig definitely needs to wait a year, and hopefully he stops growing and fills out some. Qvale, it seems, has already started to fill out. By next year he could be up to 245 pounds and reak havoc inside.

Staudacher looks like he found his shot that everyone was talking about prior to last season's start. He will be more consistent.

I expect Elgin-Taylor to be starting by the end of the season at point guard.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you expected more from Tolbert because she is a Montana kid who you heard about. Ena was a relative unknown and looks like a great get for Selvig. People from her part of the country are not surprised. :twocents:
 
Grizbacker1 said:
GrizBBIsKing said:
Having watched both men's and women's scrimage and exhibition games (Lady Griz have one more), I have come to the following conclusion. Must wait till after they play teams at their own level before I decide who is a surprise.

I would say Sara Ena is of the Lady Griz is the Biggest surprise of either team. I was expecting more from Tolbert than anybody else of the new Lady Griz recruits, but Sara has played better than Tolbert so far. Maybe Tolbert will stand out more today than she did yesterday. Tolbert did have some good moves to the basket but only was able to finish one of them.

I kind of expected Qvale and Selvig to be good recruits to start with. Qvale surprised me a little but I expected to be good from the start. Personally, I think both Qvale and Selvig should redshirt, but Qvale is more ready to help out now. Selvig definitely needs to wait a year, and hopefully he stops growing and fills out some. Qvale, it seems, has already started to fill out. By next year he could be up to 245 pounds and reak havoc inside.

Staudacher looks like he found his shot that everyone was talking about prior to last season's start. He will be more consistent.

I expect Elgin-Taylor to be starting by the end of the season at point guard.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you expected more from Tolbert because she is a Montana kid who you heard about. Ena was a relative unknown and looks like a great get for Selvig. People from her part of the country are not surprised. :twocents:
Click to expand...

Partly, but part of it was based on what coaches said about some of the practices. Ena also had a pretty darn good Maroon-Silver Scrimmage. Before the scrimmage in some of the practices it was Tolbert that looked better, according to a coach. Ena just may be catching on real quickly though. So, looks to me even Ena surprised the coaches a little bit during maroon-silver scrimmage and yesterday's exhibition game even though they knew how good Ena was. It was Selvig that said Tolbert would be the one most likely to be able to contribute this year. He said that before the maroon-silver scrimmage. Not so sure he thinks that way anymore. He may be thinking both of them now.

There both going to kick butt and can very contribute this year. Tolbert takes up a lot of space just like Guardipee.

But anyway, this thread is about who surprised the most. No wonder so many posters chose Ena, for the very reason you mentioned. Lack of knowing the player.

Now, I am going to the Deja vu game.
 
GrizBBIsKing said:
Grizbacker1 said:
GrizBBIsKing said:
Having watched both men's and women's scrimage and exhibition games (Lady Griz have one more), I have come to the following conclusion. Must wait till after they play teams at their own level before I decide who is a surprise.

I would say Sara Ena is of the Lady Griz is the Biggest surprise of either team. I was expecting more from Tolbert than anybody else of the new Lady Griz recruits, but Sara has played better than Tolbert so far. Maybe Tolbert will stand out more today than she did yesterday. Tolbert did have some good moves to the basket but only was able to finish one of them.

I kind of expected Qvale and Selvig to be good recruits to start with. Qvale surprised me a little but I expected to be good from the start. Personally, I think both Qvale and Selvig should redshirt, but Qvale is more ready to help out now. Selvig definitely needs to wait a year, and hopefully he stops growing and fills out some. Qvale, it seems, has already started to fill out. By next year he could be up to 245 pounds and reak havoc inside.

Staudacher looks like he found his shot that everyone was talking about prior to last season's start. He will be more consistent.

I expect Elgin-Taylor to be starting by the end of the season at point guard.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you expected more from Tolbert because she is a Montana kid who you heard about. Ena was a relative unknown and looks like a great get for Selvig. People from her part of the country are not surprised. :twocents:
Click to expand...

Partly, but part of it was based on what coaches said about some of the practices. Ena also had a pretty darn good Maroon-Silver Scrimmage. Before the scrimmage in some of the practices it was Tolbert that looked better, according to a coach. Ena just may be catching on real quickly though. So, looks to me even Ena surprised the coaches a little bit during maroon-silver scrimmage and yesterday's exhibition game even though they knew how good Ena was. It was Selvig that said Tolbert would be the one most likely to be able to contribute this year. He said that before the maroon-silver scrimmage. Not so sure he thinks that way anymore. He may be thinking both of them now.

There both going to kick butt and can very contribute this year. Tolbert takes up a lot of space just like Guardipee.

But anyway, this thread is about who surprised the most. No wonder so many posters chose Ena, for the very reason you mentioned. Lack of knowing the player.

Now, I am going to the Deja vu game.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there is room enough in the paint for Tobert and Guardipee at the same time. They should own the boards.
 
Grizbacker1 said:
GrizBBIsKing said:
Grizbacker1 said:
GrizBBIsKing said:
Having watched both men's and women's scrimage and exhibition games (Lady Griz have one more), I have come to the following conclusion. Must wait till after they play teams at their own level before I decide who is a surprise.

I would say Sara Ena is of the Lady Griz is the Biggest surprise of either team. I was expecting more from Tolbert than anybody else of the new Lady Griz recruits, but Sara has played better than Tolbert so far. Maybe Tolbert will stand out more today than she did yesterday. Tolbert did have some good moves to the basket but only was able to finish one of them.

I kind of expected Qvale and Selvig to be good recruits to start with. Qvale surprised me a little but I expected to be good from the start. Personally, I think both Qvale and Selvig should redshirt, but Qvale is more ready to help out now. Selvig definitely needs to wait a year, and hopefully he stops growing and fills out some. Qvale, it seems, has already started to fill out. By next year he could be up to 245 pounds and reak havoc inside.

Staudacher looks like he found his shot that everyone was talking about prior to last season's start. He will be more consistent.

I expect Elgin-Taylor to be starting by the end of the season at point guard.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you expected more from Tolbert because she is a Montana kid who you heard about. Ena was a relative unknown and looks like a great get for Selvig. People from her part of the country are not surprised. :twocents:
Click to expand...

Partly, but part of it was based on what coaches said about some of the practices. Ena also had a pretty darn good Maroon-Silver Scrimmage. Before the scrimmage in some of the practices it was Tolbert that looked better, according to a coach. Ena just may be catching on real quickly though. So, looks to me even Ena surprised the coaches a little bit during maroon-silver scrimmage and yesterday's exhibition game even though they knew how good Ena was. It was Selvig that said Tolbert would be the one most likely to be able to contribute this year. He said that before the maroon-silver scrimmage. Not so sure he thinks that way anymore. He may be thinking both of them now.

There both going to kick butt and can very contribute this year. Tolbert takes up a lot of space just like Guardipee.

But anyway, this thread is about who surprised the most. No wonder so many posters chose Ena, for the very reason you mentioned. Lack of knowing the player.

Now, I am going to the Deja vu game.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there is room enough in the paint for Tobert and Guardipee at the same time. They should own the boards.
Click to expand...

Had the same thought as I went to the Deja Vu game. But, it may have to wait till next year to find that out.

Tolbert really didn't get to play a lot of minutes today. 6 minutes. Last 4 minutes in first half, and last two minutes in second half. I think Tolbert will be redshirted this year. Guardipee didn't play again, must be injured or sick (she didn't look injured so I would say she may be sick). Guardipee did play in the silver-maroon scrimmage though so whatever it is, it is recent thing.

Ena still looked good. Did make some freshman mistakes, but hustled, clawed, played more physical today. I hope she redshirts but I think she has the best chance of playing this year. But, considering the depth on the Lady Griz, there is a good chance she will also redshirt.

Heck, I am one of those people who like to see true freshman redshirt almost all the time. I hope Qvale redshirts, also.
 
I don't see Selvig ever being a back to the basket player. His skill sets, even as a 7 footer, are better suited near the perimeter. Not that uncommon anymore. He will definetly benefit from a red shirt. Anybody who grows that much is going to need time to adjust. He'll be an all conference player when he grows into his body and becomes comfortable.
 
Anyone in North Dakota could have told you that Qvale was going to dominate. This last year's Western Dakota division might have been the toughest compitition it has ever seen, and Brian still had like 4 blocks, 11 rebounds, and 15+ points every game. And the only reason Williston didnt come out on top was because we have the worst coach in the state. 2 years ago, he lead a team that had two D-1 players (Qvale and Henessy) to a 4th place finish at state. But, anyways, congratulations to Brian, I hope that he continues to do this well.
 
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