EWU at Montana: Game Thread

[mtgrizrule]

FYI, replays of all BSC games are on bigskytv. Just click on the VOD option. It is great.

 

[ozzie]

rewatched the game on BSTV - audio was horrible (sounds like the mic levels are wayyyy too hire, either that or something is clipping), but half decent video (for free).

Cherry definitely looks out of sorts in his shot, I didnt see him get any FG's (just checked, 0 from 7), all points were scored off FT's, he seemed to just charge into a defender and hope for a whistle every time. I remember someone saying he did that last season but didn't believe it (mainly because he was also hitting the long 3's and FG's with the FTs), but now, with an off night in shooting, Im starting to see it. No doubt he will get his shot back. and with that said he played well on defence as well as had 9 assists which is not too shabby at all.

Speaking of shots, does it seem to anyone else that Jamar's has been a little off also? I remember last season it looked as though he couldnt miss. I think it will come back at some stage though. he is doing well in other areas as always

Glad our other guards are playing so well, especially Gregory, his shot is spot on. 4-5 from beyond the arc. it seems like they are always going in. good to see.

all in all it seems like the entire team played pretty damn well, with some standout performances by Coleman, Gregory, and the always faithful Ward. Also, worthy mention goes to Weisner (9pts, 5rebs) and Deshields (9 pts).

Once again it seems that Tinkle has got the team fixing into the winning groove come conference time which obviously matters the most to him. I read people on this board freaking out after UM went 0-2 against BYU and USF acting like the team is useless without a big Centre. peeps need to chill.

In other news, I do agree that the Big Sky sucks (apart from Weber), the entire conference schedule (excluding weber) is boring and no wonder people dont bother going to see it. its time for big sky to cut the fat and add some half decent bball schools looking for a conference, namely NMSU and Seattle (I was hoping they'd grab Denver also). Those schools combined with Idaho would be 3 worthy additions that will boost RPI and bring some excitement to the conference schedule. I know this is off topic but figured I throw in my two cents.

 

[BWahlberg]

I was there last night, with a young family it's been tough to get to more games and I'm almost embarrassed to admit but this was the first men's game I've seen this year (did go to the maroon/silver scrimmage). A few things I noticed:

1. Will Cherry in that game seemed like he did not want to slash at all. In a few cases he'd have a wide open lane to drive the basket but he just deferred to pass along the perimeter. My dad who was with me who is a season ticket holder said to me on multiple occasions, "Will normally would drive into that lane." He was real tentative for the the better part of the game. On defense he's pretty good still and late he made a few plays that seemed to be more like the Will of old. I think he just needs to continue to build confidence in his healed foot and keep improving. A Will Cherry that doesn't slash and create plays is still a good player b/c his defense and his passing/leadership is still there - it's just that extra part that makes him really special.

2. I've never seen Jamar in such a funk.

3. Jordan Gregory is an emerging star. He's a great perimeter shooter and can drive the lane too.

4. Biggest concern, hands down, is that without Mathias Ward this team has zero inside presence. Tinks ran some odd sets with 3 guards, 2 forwards and had to mix and match a lot with Ward in foul trouble a lot and the Griz just did not have any inside game. When Ward returned was when the Griz stretched their lead out. He's the only guy that fights for boards in there on a consistent basis.

5. Spencer Coleman is fun to watch, he had a very nice night. Great off the bench player for now - will be a good starter next year. He's no Ward, he doesn't have that physical presence but he can make a lot of shots inside and out.

6. The crowd was probably in such a funk because the "big 3" all had funky nights and for the most part it was a laborious game with a lot of stops and starts. Cherry didn't have any points until the 2nd half, Jamar was oddly quiet, Ward was on the bench with 2 fouls early and 4 fouls mid-way thru the 2nd half. It was just a dis-jointed game, no real flow to go with.

 

[temp]

When the redshirt police come out and start complaining I usually just defer to Tinkle and how great of a coach and program builder he is. We can't be sure what the kid was told during recruiting or the thought process the staff had early in the year.
That being said, I do have to say that is was a little frustrating watching Wiley only play for about 50 seconds in a game that was a blow out down the stretch. I am not sure why we can't start the year with those guys on the bench with the thought of reshirting them and then 3 or 4 games into the year decide if we are truely going to need them or not. The trend of playing them early in the first game of the year and then not playing or playing them for just seconds at the end of the year is hard to understand. Seems like if we are going to play them, we should atleast get them a better amount of garbage time. Wiley, Martin and Emerson could have gotten 2 or even 3 good minutes at the end of that one instead of a few seconds.



ok, whine session over...

 

[EverettGriz]

Biggest concern, hands down, is that without Mathias Ward this team has zero inside presence

Seemingly, Ward comes out of the locker room with 2 fouls on him, and then commits his third during layup drills.

The problem is, that's simply the way he plays, and you don't want to change his aggressive nature because that's what makes him a great player. Part of me wonders if it isn't a case of him having the "rep" as a guy who fouls a lot, so he gets that extra attention from the officials.

But whatever, it sure would be nice to see him play 36 minutes a game on a fairly regular basis.

 

[BWahlberg]

Biggest concern, hands down, is that without Mathias Ward this team has zero inside presence

Seemingly, Ward comes out of the locker room with 2 fouls on him, and then commits his third during layup drills.

The problem is, that's simply the way he plays, and you don't want to change his aggressive nature because that's what makes him a great player. Part of me wonders if it isn't a case of him having the "rep" as a guy who fouls a lot, so he gets that extra attention from the officials.

But whatever, it sure would be nice to see him play 36 minutes a game on a fairly regular basis.

Maybe.

While I've not seen as many games as I'd like to have this year (yet) the first two he got were actually both on Hutchinson. The 2nd was real obvious, resulted in some boos when the ref announced 40 instead of 45 on the foul. The EWU player drove in and Hutch hacked him, Ward was next to him but didn't leave his feet (as I recall). Fans were grumbling a bit as we saw our only quality post player head to the bench on a foul his teammate committed .

 

[Grizbacker1]

Watching online isn't the greatest option in the world, but it was evident right away that Will Cherry is no where near 100%, despite his claim to the contrary. Anyone who knows basketball knows that conditioning affects your shot first, so his poor shooting is no surprise. It also cost him at least 2 steals that he gets when he is in shape.

Ward got jobbed on the 1st half fouls and sat for 16 minutes. Hard to get any rhythm that way, but not his fault.

Coleman looked like the player they thought they were getting. Let's hope it was a breakout game.

Hutchison is NOT a D1 talent, period. I would rather see the 7 footer getting the minutes because he will improve, Hutch won't.

Gregory is playing with confidence, as is Deshields. Henderson needs a dose of confidence himself. He has tons of energy and athletecism, but until he gains confidence his shot will be very inconsistent.

Jamaar will get better as soon as Cherry gets back to form. Bank on it. Will makes Kareem better by taking pressure off him. Jamaar will be back to his form soon.

Weisner would get more minutes if he would defend and rebound. Just being able to shoot won't get you PT.

 

[mtgrizrule]

It is a nice feeling, to know your best players coming into this season can struggle, and you can still win.

Cherry's injury. Ward's foul trouble. Jamar's struggling on offense. Surprisingly enough, the GRIZ are still winning, imagine the upside and potential to get better when the big 3 all find their consistency too?

Jamar is always contributing in every area which is something good players are supposed to do when their offense is not there. Cherry's defense looked great, but his offense is so rusty. I have noticed his focus to pass and distribute more though. Which is the biggest thing he needs to prove to NBA scouts.

Absolutely am more impressed with Gregory and Deshields more every game. Deshields needs to get eliminate his stinker periods of play though. Gregory is ahead of expectations this year. This guy can score at ease from the perimeter and showing he can take it the hole too . His defense is stronger/better than many expected. His defense is actually very good.

With the GRIZ depth at scoring, I really do wish we would commit more time to Martin to develop him. His defense is a difference maker in the paint. He is also a good passing big man.

I am very encouraged and excited to see Spencer Coleman to continue to develop. I love Weisner's offense. His perimeter game is excellent. His floater on the baseline was absolutely beautiful. I did not know he had that in his arsenal. I hope he beefs up some, along with Martin.

Great game from the GRIZ overall, but do wish we committed more time to our depth in a blow out game. It was the perfect chance to work on Martin and Hutchison getting the ball in the post.

I cannot wait for the PSU game. The long break drove me crazy. I am sure it drove the players and coaches even crazier. Great job GRIZ!!!

 

[Maynardsgametrail]

Watching online isn't the greatest option in the world, but it was evident right away that Will Cherry is no where near 100%, despite his claim to the contrary. Anyone who knows basketball knows that conditioning affects your shot first, so his poor shooting is no surprise. It also cost him at least 2 steals that he gets when he is in shape.

Ward got jobbed on the 1st half fouls and sat for 16 minutes. Hard to get any rhythm that way, but not his fault.

Coleman looked like the player they thought they were getting. Let's hope it was a breakout game.

Hutchison is NOT a D1 talent, period. I would rather see the 7 footer getting the minutes because he will improve, Hutch won't.

Gregory is playing with confidence, as is Deshields. Henderson needs a dose of confidence himself. He has tons of energy and athletecism, but until he gains confidence his shot will be very inconsistent.

Jamaar will get better as soon as Cherry gets back to form. Bank on it. Will makes Kareem better by taking pressure off him. Jamaar will be back to his form soon.

Weisner would get more minutes if he would defend and rebound. Just being able to shoot won't get you PT.

Not trying to be a dick and start shit, but Staudacher was a sub-par defender and a non-existent rebounder and he was a 2 year starter for Tinkle.

Weisner has a bigger up-side right now than Stauds did at the sophomore level.

 

[citygriz]

Watching online isn't the greatest option in the world, but it was evident right away that Will Cherry is no where near 100%, despite his claim to the contrary. Anyone who knows basketball knows that conditioning affects your shot first, so his poor shooting is no surprise. It also cost him at least 2 steals that he gets when he is in shape.

Ward got jobbed on the 1st half fouls and sat for 16 minutes. Hard to get any rhythm that way, but not his fault.

Coleman looked like the player they thought they were getting. Let's hope it was a breakout game.

Hutchison is NOT a D1 talent, period. I would rather see the 7 footer getting the minutes because he will improve, Hutch won't.

Gregory is playing with confidence, as is Deshields. Henderson needs a dose of confidence himself. He has tons of energy and athletecism, but until he gains confidence his shot will be very inconsistent.

Jamaar will get better as soon as Cherry gets back to form. Bank on it. Will makes Kareem better by taking pressure off him. Jamaar will be back to his form soon.

Weisner would get more minutes if he would defend and rebound. Just being able to shoot won't get you PT.

agree with every point. that qualifies it as a great post.

 

[Gaeilge1]

Was able to watch parts of both halves and agree with what other's have said. But I also think the long layoff, (12 days), had something to do with the drab first half effort, it just didn't look like the same team that beat NAU two weeks ago. Second half was much more in sync. I would suspect that the Griz will have a solid game against PSU.

 

[Grizbacker1]

Watching online isn't the greatest option in the world, but it was evident right away that Will Cherry is no where near 100%, despite his claim to the contrary. Anyone who knows basketball knows that conditioning affects your shot first, so his poor shooting is no surprise. It also cost him at least 2 steals that he gets when he is in shape.

Ward got jobbed on the 1st half fouls and sat for 16 minutes. Hard to get any rhythm that way, but not his fault.

Coleman looked like the player they thought they were getting. Let's hope it was a breakout game.

Hutchison is NOT a D1 talent, period. I would rather see the 7 footer getting the minutes because he will improve, Hutch won't.

Gregory is playing with confidence, as is Deshields. Henderson needs a dose of confidence himself. He has tons of energy and athletecism, but until he gains confidence his shot will be very inconsistent.

Jamaar will get better as soon as Cherry gets back to form. Bank on it. Will makes Kareem better by taking pressure off him. Jamaar will be back to his form soon.

Weisner would get more minutes if he would defend and rebound. Just being able to shoot won't get you PT.

Not trying to be a dick and start shit, but Staudacher was a sub-par defender and a non-existent rebounder and he was a 2 year starter for Tinkle.

Weisner has a bigger up-side right now than Stauds did at the sophomore level.

at least Stads knew where the weight room is. The Lady Griz could post Weisner up

 

[Grizbacker1]

Watching online isn't the greatest option in the world, but it was evident right away that Will Cherry is no where near 100%, despite his claim to the contrary. Anyone who knows basketball knows that conditioning affects your shot first, so his poor shooting is no surprise. It also cost him at least 2 steals that he gets when he is in shape.

Ward got jobbed on the 1st half fouls and sat for 16 minutes. Hard to get any rhythm that way, but not his fault.

Coleman looked like the player they thought they were getting. Let's hope it was a breakout game.

Hutchison is NOT a D1 talent, period. I would rather see the 7 footer getting the minutes because he will improve, Hutch won't.

Gregory is playing with confidence, as is Deshields. Henderson needs a dose of confidence himself. He has tons of energy and athletecism, but until he gains confidence his shot will be very inconsistent.

Jamaar will get better as soon as Cherry gets back to form. Bank on it. Will makes Kareem better by taking pressure off him. Jamaar will be back to his form soon.

Weisner would get more minutes if he would defend and rebound. Just being able to shoot won't get you PT.

agree with every point. that qualifies it as a great post.

Not bragging, just fact hoop fans, but citay and I nailed it. :thumb:

 

[AllWeatherFan]

The only thing you're wrong about is Weisner. Sure, he needs to bulk up, and he will, but he can still be a major contributor because he can handle the ball, rebound and shoot lights out. Remember Allan Nielsen? Oh wait, you're not that old and wise.

 

[Grizbacker1]

The only thing you're wrong about is Weisner. Sure, he needs to bulk up, and he will, but he can still be a major contributor because he can handle the ball, rebound and shoot lights out. Remember Allan Nielsen? Oh wait, you're not that old and wise.

Who could forget the Westby kid? One of the best ever to play at UM, died tragically. Stew Morrill married his lady. He played Defense though. Yeah I forgot all about him.

Weisner gets schooled multiple times a game while "attempting" to play D. Face it, he sucks. Watch him on O and he is looking for a shot at all times. Can he help us on the perimeter? Yes, at times, but you can't sub him Offense/Defense the whole freaking game. Defense is mostly attitude and hard work. You have to want to defend just like you have to want to go block out and rebound. If Cherry can get a few rebounds a game at his height tell me why Weisner seldom gets one. All I am saying is this kid could get a lot more PT if he had a mindset to play some D and board the ball. That is on him.

 

[Agent G]

The only thing you're wrong about is Weisner. Sure, he needs to bulk up, and he will, but he can still be a major contributor because he can handle the ball, rebound and shoot lights out. Remember Allan Nielsen? Oh wait, you're not that old and wise.

Who could forget the Westby kid? One of the best ever to play at UM, died tragically. Stew Morrill married his lady. He played Defense though. Yeah I forgot all about him.

Weisner gets schooled multiple times a game while "attempting" to play D. Face it, he sucks. Watch him on O and he is looking for a shot at all times. Can he help us on the perimeter? Yes, at times, but you can't sub him Offense/Defense the whole freaking game. Defense is mostly attitude and hard work. You have to want to defend just like you have to want to go block out and rebound. If Cherry can get a few rebounds a game at his height tell me why Weisner seldom gets one. All I am saying is this kid could get a lot more PT if he had a mindset to play some D and board the ball. That is on him.

Weisner's stats against Northern Colorado:

6 rebounds (team high)

Weisner's stats against North Dakota:

6 rebounds (2nd on team), 1 block, 1 steal

He had the most rebounds over these two games than any other UM player, is averaging 55% from the 3 point line and 89% from the free throw line for the season.

I agree he needs to be more consistent on D and rebounding but he has made strides. He doesn't suck. He was huge during the first half vs Northern Colorado cutting into that 15 point lead.

 

[EverettGriz]

Give Tinks credit for lighting a fire under Wise. I think he basically told him, "Board it, or sit". Wise has really made an effort to go get the basketball the last couple of weeks. As many of you have said, he still needs to work harder defensively. But I like his offense off the bench, and if he can grab some rebounds, he will really help this team the last half the season.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

So, the moral of the story is, Weisner is just like Hutch, except that he can shoot, rebound and handle the ball.

 

[Grizbacker1]

The only thing you're wrong about is Weisner. Sure, he needs to bulk up, and he will, but he can still be a major contributor because he can handle the ball, rebound and shoot lights out. Remember Allan Nielsen? Oh wait, you're not that old and wise.

Who could forget the Westby kid? One of the best ever to play at UM, died tragically. Stew Morrill married his lady. He played Defense though. Yeah I forgot all about him.

Weisner gets schooled multiple times a game while "attempting" to play D. Face it, he sucks. Watch him on O and he is looking for a shot at all times. Can he help us on the perimeter? Yes, at times, but you can't sub him Offense/Defense the whole freaking game. Defense is mostly attitude and hard work. You have to want to defend just like you have to want to go block out and rebound. If Cherry can get a few rebounds a game at his height tell me why Weisner seldom gets one. All I am saying is this kid could get a lot more PT if he had a mindset to play some D and board the ball. That is on him.

Weisner's stats against Northern Colorado:

6 rebounds (team high)

Weisner's stats against North Dakota:

6 rebounds (2nd on team), 1 block, 1 steal

He had the most rebounds over these two games than any other UM player, is averaging 55% from the 3 point line and 89% from the free throw line for the season.

I agree he needs to be more consistent on D and rebounding but he has made strides. He doesn't suck. He was huge during the first half vs Northern Colorado cutting into that 15 point lead.

For the record, I NEVER said he sucked. I said he doesn't play good defense and he doesn't, plain and simple. Is he getting better, yeah a little, but he needs to get tougher, which will help his defense too. No question he can shoot. Now Hutchison sucks! :thumb: