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What's up, Doc?: There's more to Matt Dlouhy than highlight-reel dunks
By BOB MESEROLL Missoulian sports editor
They call him Doc, but not for the reasons you might assume.
He's Matt Dlouhy, M.D., Doc. Get it?
It's not an homage to Dr. J, former NBA great Julius Erving, although Dlouhy is the closest thing the Montana men's basketball team has to a dunk machine.
With a little bit of luck, perhaps Dlouhy will get one of his signature throw-downs Saturday night when the Griz entertain Northern Colorado for senior night. Dlouhy and classmates Bryan Ellis, Stuart Mayes and Mike Chavez will be honored before the game.
If the dunk doesn't present itself, that will be OK with Dlouhy, too. He no longer measures success by dunks or points scored. The 6-foot-6 product of Coeur d'Alene's Lake City High has become something of a defensive stopper, a role that is harder to measure and often escapes the eye of the casual fan.
“The dunks kind of get the crowd going and if that's what they like me for, that's cool with me,” Dlouhy said.
Let's take a few minutes to look at the highlight reel.
There was the one-handed follow slam against Montana State in February of 2004 that propelled the Griz past the Cats, 67-58. It was Dlouhy's first dunk of the season, but not his last.
There have been many dunks of the alley-oop variety, but the most impressive may have been against Montana State-Northern just this season. Matt Martin tossed the lob, but it was slightly behind Dlouhy, who adjusted to the ball and threw it down with two hands behind his head.
But Dlouhy's favorite came on the biggest stage the Griz had seen in 30 years - against Boston College in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season in Salt Lake City. Out of the Grizzlies' triangle offense, Dlouhy made a back-door cut and took a lob from Kevin Criswell for a two-handed slam.
“The post comes up at the last second I'm already up in the air there's nothing he can do about it but cover his eyes and get posterized, I guess,” Dlouhy said. “I've had better looking dunks or more acrobatic dunks, but to dunk on somebody from Boston College in the second round of the NCAA tournament is pretty big. I'm sure I'll always remember that one.”
The dunks are nice, but they're no longer the engine that drives Dlouhy.
“Any more, I don't get as pumped up as I used to because I wasn't getting much playing time back then,” Dlouhy said of his first two seasons on the active roster. “Getting the dunk, it was like, ‘All right, I didn't get that many points or do much, but I got the dunk.' Now, I'm more concerned with trying to hold my man on defense and if I get the dunk and get the crowd pumped up, all the better.”
The lesson Dlouhy learned in those first two seasons was that the dunks weren't going to lead to increased playing time; defense was.
“His redshirt year and the first two years he played he didn't have much interest in the defensive end, he wanted to go the other way,” said Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, who was an assistant on coach Pat Kennedy's staff when Dlouhy walked on. “I think it may have turned his junior year when we put him on (Eastern Washington's) Rodney Stuckey for a stretch. He may have even come to us and asked to be put on Stuckey and he did a real nice job.”
Stuckey scored 36 points against the Griz in Missoula, but not against Dlouhy; Stuckey scored 14 on his own floor against Dlouhy less than a month later.
“I'm pretty proud of that one,” Dlouhy said.
Dlouhy's defensive assignments have run the gamut, sometimes within the same game. The first time the Griz met Northern Arizona this season, Dlouhy started out matched up against Stephen Sir, a spot-up shooter, but not much of a threat off the dribble. When 6-1 Tyrone Bazy started to hurt the Griz with his drives to the basket, Tinkle switched Dlouhy onto the shorter, quicker guard.
“There's a big difference between guarding a shooter and a driver,” Dlouhy said. “With a shooter, you just have to pretty much stay connected to their hip the whole time, chase him off screens and not give him any room. Once they get the ball you can be a little more concerned with crawling up in them and getting the ball out of their hands because they're not going to make a move.
“With a driver like Bazy, most of the game I'm giving him five feet even if I'm chasing him through screens. I let him go off and I slide under the screen. If he wants to shoot a 20-footer, I'll let him and try to make him make one before I get up in him.”
The lanky Dlouhy uses his 6-6 frame to his advantage, but there's more to defending than sheer size.
“He's smart, he knows how to cut the floor down to save energy and beat people to spots,” Tinkle said. “Then when they catch it, he doesn't try to body-up tight. He'll use his length to bother them if they shoot it. If he gets beat off the dribble, he stays with the play and then when the guy goes to finish, he gets up in the air and makes it hard for them to score.
“That's one thing we know going into a game: If the other team has a perimeter scorer, Matt's going to be up for the challenge.”
Dlouhy, a marketing major who will graduate this spring, said he would like to pursue a professional career once he's done at Montana, perhaps overseas.
“We'll see how things go, I really don't want to do the Butte (CBA) thing,” Dlouhy said. “If I could get a solid contract somewhere, that would be a good option for me. If not, I'll talk to my dad about some of his work connections and try to get a marketing job.”
Dlouhy's collegiate career is winding down to a precious few games, especially if the Griz can't snap out of their current three-game slide. A chance for a third straight trip to the NCAA tournament seems to be slipping away.
“It would definitely mean a lot getting to a third one, with me being a senior,” Dlouhy said, “being able to do it without (Criswell), who was such an incredible player and obviously led us there those last two years. We've obviously got a talented team this year and it would be a disappointment if we didn't make it.”
I llke the last statment. As hard as I have been on Dlouhy this year, I have to admit he is 100% correct on his statement. Dlouhy's game does 1 of 2 things for me when I watch. His athleticism and talent on both ends of the court does allow for him to take over a game for stretches. When his attitude is there, this kid is very fun to watch. This year though, his game and attitude have been like an on/off switch. When the switch is "off", he gets on officials and whines, I would rather he be on the bench then.
By his comments, he and all the GRIZ know this season has been disappointing thus far. I hope that is a sign of this team putting it all together and giving 100% for one another for however many games remain this year. That 100% heart and effort very well should start with Dlouhy, or is it too late for this SR class to do that collectively? I expect every player to do it , and have the results be positive. Stay tuned for "As the GRIZ Turn", it surely keeps you on the edge of one's seat. Next step, overcoming adversity! Can they do it?
By BOB MESEROLL Missoulian sports editor
They call him Doc, but not for the reasons you might assume.
He's Matt Dlouhy, M.D., Doc. Get it?
It's not an homage to Dr. J, former NBA great Julius Erving, although Dlouhy is the closest thing the Montana men's basketball team has to a dunk machine.
With a little bit of luck, perhaps Dlouhy will get one of his signature throw-downs Saturday night when the Griz entertain Northern Colorado for senior night. Dlouhy and classmates Bryan Ellis, Stuart Mayes and Mike Chavez will be honored before the game.
If the dunk doesn't present itself, that will be OK with Dlouhy, too. He no longer measures success by dunks or points scored. The 6-foot-6 product of Coeur d'Alene's Lake City High has become something of a defensive stopper, a role that is harder to measure and often escapes the eye of the casual fan.
“The dunks kind of get the crowd going and if that's what they like me for, that's cool with me,” Dlouhy said.
Let's take a few minutes to look at the highlight reel.
There was the one-handed follow slam against Montana State in February of 2004 that propelled the Griz past the Cats, 67-58. It was Dlouhy's first dunk of the season, but not his last.
There have been many dunks of the alley-oop variety, but the most impressive may have been against Montana State-Northern just this season. Matt Martin tossed the lob, but it was slightly behind Dlouhy, who adjusted to the ball and threw it down with two hands behind his head.
But Dlouhy's favorite came on the biggest stage the Griz had seen in 30 years - against Boston College in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season in Salt Lake City. Out of the Grizzlies' triangle offense, Dlouhy made a back-door cut and took a lob from Kevin Criswell for a two-handed slam.
“The post comes up at the last second I'm already up in the air there's nothing he can do about it but cover his eyes and get posterized, I guess,” Dlouhy said. “I've had better looking dunks or more acrobatic dunks, but to dunk on somebody from Boston College in the second round of the NCAA tournament is pretty big. I'm sure I'll always remember that one.”
The dunks are nice, but they're no longer the engine that drives Dlouhy.
“Any more, I don't get as pumped up as I used to because I wasn't getting much playing time back then,” Dlouhy said of his first two seasons on the active roster. “Getting the dunk, it was like, ‘All right, I didn't get that many points or do much, but I got the dunk.' Now, I'm more concerned with trying to hold my man on defense and if I get the dunk and get the crowd pumped up, all the better.”
The lesson Dlouhy learned in those first two seasons was that the dunks weren't going to lead to increased playing time; defense was.
“His redshirt year and the first two years he played he didn't have much interest in the defensive end, he wanted to go the other way,” said Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, who was an assistant on coach Pat Kennedy's staff when Dlouhy walked on. “I think it may have turned his junior year when we put him on (Eastern Washington's) Rodney Stuckey for a stretch. He may have even come to us and asked to be put on Stuckey and he did a real nice job.”
Stuckey scored 36 points against the Griz in Missoula, but not against Dlouhy; Stuckey scored 14 on his own floor against Dlouhy less than a month later.
“I'm pretty proud of that one,” Dlouhy said.
Dlouhy's defensive assignments have run the gamut, sometimes within the same game. The first time the Griz met Northern Arizona this season, Dlouhy started out matched up against Stephen Sir, a spot-up shooter, but not much of a threat off the dribble. When 6-1 Tyrone Bazy started to hurt the Griz with his drives to the basket, Tinkle switched Dlouhy onto the shorter, quicker guard.
“There's a big difference between guarding a shooter and a driver,” Dlouhy said. “With a shooter, you just have to pretty much stay connected to their hip the whole time, chase him off screens and not give him any room. Once they get the ball you can be a little more concerned with crawling up in them and getting the ball out of their hands because they're not going to make a move.
“With a driver like Bazy, most of the game I'm giving him five feet even if I'm chasing him through screens. I let him go off and I slide under the screen. If he wants to shoot a 20-footer, I'll let him and try to make him make one before I get up in him.”
The lanky Dlouhy uses his 6-6 frame to his advantage, but there's more to defending than sheer size.
“He's smart, he knows how to cut the floor down to save energy and beat people to spots,” Tinkle said. “Then when they catch it, he doesn't try to body-up tight. He'll use his length to bother them if they shoot it. If he gets beat off the dribble, he stays with the play and then when the guy goes to finish, he gets up in the air and makes it hard for them to score.
“That's one thing we know going into a game: If the other team has a perimeter scorer, Matt's going to be up for the challenge.”
Dlouhy, a marketing major who will graduate this spring, said he would like to pursue a professional career once he's done at Montana, perhaps overseas.
“We'll see how things go, I really don't want to do the Butte (CBA) thing,” Dlouhy said. “If I could get a solid contract somewhere, that would be a good option for me. If not, I'll talk to my dad about some of his work connections and try to get a marketing job.”
Dlouhy's collegiate career is winding down to a precious few games, especially if the Griz can't snap out of their current three-game slide. A chance for a third straight trip to the NCAA tournament seems to be slipping away.
“It would definitely mean a lot getting to a third one, with me being a senior,” Dlouhy said, “being able to do it without (Criswell), who was such an incredible player and obviously led us there those last two years. We've obviously got a talented team this year and it would be a disappointment if we didn't make it.”
I llke the last statment. As hard as I have been on Dlouhy this year, I have to admit he is 100% correct on his statement. Dlouhy's game does 1 of 2 things for me when I watch. His athleticism and talent on both ends of the court does allow for him to take over a game for stretches. When his attitude is there, this kid is very fun to watch. This year though, his game and attitude have been like an on/off switch. When the switch is "off", he gets on officials and whines, I would rather he be on the bench then.
By his comments, he and all the GRIZ know this season has been disappointing thus far. I hope that is a sign of this team putting it all together and giving 100% for one another for however many games remain this year. That 100% heart and effort very well should start with Dlouhy, or is it too late for this SR class to do that collectively? I expect every player to do it , and have the results be positive. Stay tuned for "As the GRIZ Turn", it surely keeps you on the edge of one's seat. Next step, overcoming adversity! Can they do it?