Griz 97, St Martins 64

[TrueGriz]

Griz win 97 to 64 over St Martins, a team that was a little better than Great Falls. Now, that 64 by them, I am kind of confused. Sometime before the final buzzer, I saw 67 points by them, and the KGVO radio announcer said 97 to 67. But at final buzzer, it was 97 to 64 on scoreboard, and on www.montanaGrizzlies.com on the play-by-play ticker it was 97 - 64.

Anyway, Kyle Sharp had one hell of a game. Scored 18 points on 9 of 11 from the field. Also had 7 rebounds.

Sharp, though, wasn't the leading scorer.

Criswell had 21 points, 7 - 9 from the field, 3 of 5 from 3 pt land, 4 for 4 from freethrow line, and 7 rebounds.

Virgil Matthews scored 22 points, 7 of 9 from the field, 2 for 2 from 3 pt line, 6 of 7 from freethrow line, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Andrew Strait and Matt Martin were the other two in double figures with 13 points and 10 points, respectively.

Andrew Strait led the team with 11 rebounds.

Bryan Ellis had 7 assists and only 2 turnovers in 19 minutes of playing time. Funny, though, that the St Martin coach complained about Ellis carrying the ball after being called for a technical, and then Ellis gets called for carrying the ball twice after that. Actually not funny. Just about everybody carries the ball now days. But this coach seemed to have brought it to the refs attention to watch for it with Ellis.

Griz shot 60% from the field (36 - 60), 7 - 14 from 3 point line, and only 18 - 27 from free throw line. Again, Andrew Strait seems to have problems at the line just like last year.

The other team shot in the low 30s.

Griz outrebounded the smaller St Martin team by 50 to 22 margin.

Griz turned the ball over 20 times. the other team turned it over 15 times. The other team did look like they played more games then the Griz. But the talent clearly was on the Grizzly's side. This team is going to be a good team this year, and even much better in the next two or three years. Barring Injuries and unforeseen circumstances, of course.


Anyway, the exhibition season is over and now the games are finely going to get better. Griz head out on the road for games against Boise State on November 18 and Loyola Marymont on November 21. Griz play home and home with Loyola Marymont this season. Will meet them right back here in Missoula on December 6th.

 

[GrizWhiz]

You can sure see why Krysko likes Ellis. Matthews may become the MVP of this team. He and Criswell are really complete players. Kevin really looks good this year and is really spreading the ball around. Once again Kyle Sharp looked terrific. He is athletic, can jump and very skilled for a freshman. The mystery remains regarding who will redshirt. My guess would be Van Vliet and Swift. There is no doubt that Swift could really contribute this year but the GRIZ are already loaded with guards/small forwards. From the post-game radio interview, it sounds like Hasquet and Dlouhy may be ready to go by the boise game.

 

[Zirg]

Criswell is a WAY better player when he isn't forced to create everything himself. If he is open and can square-up, he is deadly. He has guys that can drive, draw and dish. Ellis can squeeze around any 2 defenders he is so quick and tiny. He has a bad habit of palming the ball though, and was called on it twice, but got away with it about a dozen times. St. Martin's coach got a technical in the first half complaining about the palming. Sharp is a force already and Strait looks so much more of a complete player. Austin Swift showed some signs too. He will be a great player in a year or 2. 97 points without Dlouhy and Hasquet? This team is loaded.

St. Martin's vs. Great Falls would be an even match. Both teams had one good player and the rest sucked.

The old fogie score-board operators get the score wrong at least once a game. I don't know how or when they gave St. Martin's the bonus 3, but it was DEFINATELY 64 for the final.

Amazing stats:St. Martin's had only 11 rebounds with 11 minutes to go in the game. All 5 Griz starters were in double-figures with 17 minutes to go in they game.

 

[citygriz]

what do you observers make of van vliet?

 

[GrizWhiz]

City- He is a big strong and aggresive guy but looks a little rusty. I think the GRIZ should redshirt him if they can afford to. I hope they redshirt Swift too due to their depth at the 1-3 positions.

 

[loyalgriz]

For someone in Helena who doesn't get to many games, what kind of player is Sharp? What's his build, medium range game, post up game, can he handle it, etc.? I would think given our thin situation inside, Van Vliet might have to be available. I hope Hasquet is healthy, that worries me.

Krysko does it the right way, balance inside and out, rebound and defend. That's how you win when it matters. Oh yeah, you have to get lucky too, that never hurts.

 

[GrizWhiz]

In my opinion Sharp is the biggest suprise thus far this season. He can really jump, is athletic and does a nice job using both hands when going to the hole. He uses his jumping ability and athletcism when rebounding and also has a nice stroke on free throws. He seems real solid in terms of fundamentals and is not afraid to bang. He's not as big as Strait but probably more athletic.

 

[citygriz]

i had the chance to watch a few practise sessions conducted by bobby bramlett, sharp's (and swift's and van vliet's) aau coach, and believe me, this guy puts the "no" in "no nonsense." if sharp has good fundamentals, i'm sure we can give a lot of credit to mr. bramlett.

while i did not get to see sharp play in high school, bramlett told me that his game just blossomed his senior year, when kyle jacked his average from roughly 20 per to almost 30, despite constant double-teaming. he told me if kyle hadn't signed early, the griz might have lost him later to a bigger school.

the way krysko is recruiting, though, we are on our way to being one of those "big schools." gonzaga, utah state, pacific and nevada have all raised the level of their programs significantly the past few years, and there's no reason we can't either. montanans are far too modest about what they have to offer out-of-state recruits.

 

[Silvertip]

Agreed. Sharp was..well, sharp. Ellis and Criswell make a pretty goood guard tandem. Bit of trivia about Sharp's hometown of Hollister, CA. Think about it as you rev up your hog. Only concerns from last night - sub par free throw shooting and I think the Griz could have problems against a really good pressing defense.

Wild Ones (1954) flick with Marlon Brando was inspired by bikers rumbling in Hollister in 1947.