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Cherry, Griz put up extra shots after loss
by: Bob Meseroll of The Missoulian
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Will Cherry doesn't like to lose.
Rather than sit around and mope about last week's regular season-ending loss at Eastern Washington, Montana's sophomore point guard set about making sure it doesn't happen again.
Cherry was in the gym on Monday, using the shooting gun to take 550 3-pointers on what would have otherwise been a day off.
"I was just thinking about the loss," Cherry said Wednesday, when he stayed after practice to work with assistant coach Andy Hill on some more shooting. "I went 0 for 6, that was the motivation."
Cherry's teammates weren't much better in the Grizzlies' 59-55 overtime loss to the Eagles, a defeat that spoiled Montana's chances of hosting the Big Sky tournament. As a team, Montana was 3 for 20 from long range.
"I guarantee if I have at least 10 (points) we win that game, but I was 0 for 6," said Cherry, who had six points. "I wasn't making shots I normally make."
The key to Eastern's success was a formula that pretty much every team has used on the Griz this season: double-team Montana's big men - 6-foot-11 Brian Qvale and 7-foot Derek Selvig - and dare the Grizzlies to beat you from outside.
"We've been working on better spacing," Qvale said. "We've worked on that before, but I take some of the blame. I need to catch the ball and hold it, let them come and fully double, then survey my options and get it to the open guy. Sometimes I throw it a little early. We do need to knock down shots, but that's going to come. We have good shooters on this team."
Selvig is one of those shooters. He leads the team in 3-pointers with 35 and at 41 percent, he's the most accurate Griz from downtown. He, too, stayed after practice on Wednesday and worked on shooting with Griz graduate assistant Kurt Paulson.
"It's been no secret. Teams have been doing that since early in the year," Selvig said. "It's just a matter of our guys knocking down shots, freeing Brian up down there and still getting him the ball. He can still score if they double him. It's a matter of us hitting some shots when he kicks it out. We'll be ready for that."
Another way to foil that defensive strategy is to get more offense in transition, and that starts with solid defense and rebounding. Statistically, the Griz are the best defensive team in the Big Sky, holding their opponents to an average of 60.6 points a game.
"If we get the ball off the glass and get out in transition, they won't be able to double the bigs or send three or four people in the paint to stop me," Cherry said. "And we have to make shots and take them with confidence. We've made shots before. This year we're more streaky than we were last year. When we get them, we have to make them."
The Griz received some good news Wednesday night when Eastern Washington jumped up again and upset Weber State in Ogden, Utah, handing the Griz a bye into Tuesday's Big Sky tournament semifinals in Greeley, Colo. Had the Eagles not won, they would have been headed to Missoula for a rematch on Saturday.
"I think we're over it," Selvig said of the loss in Cheney. "It stung pretty bad. It was probably one of the worst feelings I've had after a loss in my career in basketball. We know what's at stake now. Obviously, we would've liked to have hosted, but we have to play one at a time. It's win or go home and we're not ready to go home yet."
NOTES: The Griz have been to the NCAA tournament seven times since the league began using a postseason tournament in 1976. Only twice have the Griz earned that NCAA berth by winning the tournament at home. Their last five tournament championships have come on the road. ... Northern Colorado has supplanted the Griz in the mid-major poll. The Bears are ranked No. 25, while the Griz are the third team receiving votes. ... The Griz are ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense (60.6). ... Qvale is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (62.7) and 13th in blocked shots (3.0). ... Cherry is ninth in the nation in steals (2.7).
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at [email protected].
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Cherry, Griz put up extra shots after loss
by: Bob Meseroll of The Missoulian
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Will Cherry doesn't like to lose.
Rather than sit around and mope about last week's regular season-ending loss at Eastern Washington, Montana's sophomore point guard set about making sure it doesn't happen again.
Cherry was in the gym on Monday, using the shooting gun to take 550 3-pointers on what would have otherwise been a day off.
"I was just thinking about the loss," Cherry said Wednesday, when he stayed after practice to work with assistant coach Andy Hill on some more shooting. "I went 0 for 6, that was the motivation."
Cherry's teammates weren't much better in the Grizzlies' 59-55 overtime loss to the Eagles, a defeat that spoiled Montana's chances of hosting the Big Sky tournament. As a team, Montana was 3 for 20 from long range.
"I guarantee if I have at least 10 (points) we win that game, but I was 0 for 6," said Cherry, who had six points. "I wasn't making shots I normally make."
The key to Eastern's success was a formula that pretty much every team has used on the Griz this season: double-team Montana's big men - 6-foot-11 Brian Qvale and 7-foot Derek Selvig - and dare the Grizzlies to beat you from outside.
"We've been working on better spacing," Qvale said. "We've worked on that before, but I take some of the blame. I need to catch the ball and hold it, let them come and fully double, then survey my options and get it to the open guy. Sometimes I throw it a little early. We do need to knock down shots, but that's going to come. We have good shooters on this team."
Selvig is one of those shooters. He leads the team in 3-pointers with 35 and at 41 percent, he's the most accurate Griz from downtown. He, too, stayed after practice on Wednesday and worked on shooting with Griz graduate assistant Kurt Paulson.
"It's been no secret. Teams have been doing that since early in the year," Selvig said. "It's just a matter of our guys knocking down shots, freeing Brian up down there and still getting him the ball. He can still score if they double him. It's a matter of us hitting some shots when he kicks it out. We'll be ready for that."
Another way to foil that defensive strategy is to get more offense in transition, and that starts with solid defense and rebounding. Statistically, the Griz are the best defensive team in the Big Sky, holding their opponents to an average of 60.6 points a game.
"If we get the ball off the glass and get out in transition, they won't be able to double the bigs or send three or four people in the paint to stop me," Cherry said. "And we have to make shots and take them with confidence. We've made shots before. This year we're more streaky than we were last year. When we get them, we have to make them."
The Griz received some good news Wednesday night when Eastern Washington jumped up again and upset Weber State in Ogden, Utah, handing the Griz a bye into Tuesday's Big Sky tournament semifinals in Greeley, Colo. Had the Eagles not won, they would have been headed to Missoula for a rematch on Saturday.
"I think we're over it," Selvig said of the loss in Cheney. "It stung pretty bad. It was probably one of the worst feelings I've had after a loss in my career in basketball. We know what's at stake now. Obviously, we would've liked to have hosted, but we have to play one at a time. It's win or go home and we're not ready to go home yet."
NOTES: The Griz have been to the NCAA tournament seven times since the league began using a postseason tournament in 1976. Only twice have the Griz earned that NCAA berth by winning the tournament at home. Their last five tournament championships have come on the road. ... Northern Colorado has supplanted the Griz in the mid-major poll. The Bears are ranked No. 25, while the Griz are the third team receiving votes. ... The Griz are ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense (60.6). ... Qvale is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (62.7) and 13th in blocked shots (3.0). ... Cherry is ninth in the nation in steals (2.7).
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at [email protected].
