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Griz vs San Diego

I just do not think the Griz are a great team, and probably not even a good team. They will probably win the Big Sky, but the conference is just so terrible.
 
grizindabox said:
I just do not think the Griz are a great team, and probably not even a good team. They will probably win the Big Sky, but the conference is just so terrible.
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They will get better as the year goes. But I tend to agree.
 
Wow!! Clutch game by Henderson. Hopefully this gets him going from 3 for the rest of the season. Great win. Still, we showed up unfocused and need to learn from this performance.
 
I LOVVVVVVEEE the way this team finishes.

This game shouldn't have been that close. But even the best teams need to win when they're not at their best, and this team is certainly learning to do that!!!
 
WOW! What a ice-in-the-veins shot by Henderson! You can't deny we seemed to get outplayed for a good chunk of the game but the young Griz are growing up and showing poise down the stretch. They may not be a great team right now, but they have the potential to be great by the end of the season.

Also, I think Martin has made a strong case to start from here on out. He already looks better than Hutch out there. Sorry Eric, it's just the way it is right now.
 
Horrible game by the Griz! Should have won by 15+! But Wow, this team has heart and a never die attitude! They did what they had to, and defend home court! :clap: Gotto get alot better by wed! Way to pull out the win Griz! :thumb:
 
Tinks on the radio:

As unfocused a performance as we've had. But we had some tough enough guys to find a way at the end.

On Henderson's shot: Had Jordan at the table to check in for Henderson but had a feeling and pulled him back and Kevin made a big time shot.

We've got some really young guys. Give SD some credit. We got back on our heels and settled for jump shots, passing it back and forth wasting time. Didn't attack. Ward was "old faithful". We were lucky to pull it out at the end.

On Kareem's assists: He would tell you he didn't have a great game. But he was a leader for us down the stretch. He showed great maturity.

We'll learn from this, not a great week of practice. Team thought this was going to be a walk in the park and we came out with zero focus. But we played with fire down the stretch.

Anderson is hard to guard. Dee is a stud, but he shouldn't have gotten the looks he did and they made us pay. And our guys will learn a hard lesson in the film room on Monday.

Had to challenge a few guys including Karon. Martin certainly came of age today.

With a young group, they can drift in and out. I told 'em, hey we knew we were going to get our butt kicked early in the year at home because we're young, and you should have seen the anger in their eyes after that.

Re the crowd: We'd love them to feul our energy rather than vice versa. Would have loved to see 4500 tonight, but we can't worry about that, adn we'll play our butts off for those who are here every night.

Two really tough games coming, so hopefully we learned from this. We showed toughness here and at Idaho. THat will bode well for us.
 
In case you wanted any info on San Diego just to know what we were up against, here is the ESPN write up:
From ESPN Insider

Team preview: San Diego

COACH AND PROGRAM

Johnny Dee sounds like the name of a 1950s rock-and-roll teen idol, and Chris Anderson has the stature of a young teen.

Indeed, San Diego's freshmen backcourt tandem looked about as menacing as a Washington Generals jersey last season, but the rookies produced many highlights when Sweet Georgia Brown could've appropriately whistled through the Jenny Craig Pavilion speakers.

The 5-7, 150-pound Anderson (9.0 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 spg) and 6-0, 175-pound Dee (13.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg) made sizeable contributions while taking the Toreros from the West Coast cellar to the middle of the pack.

Dee dealt opponents a learning curve by shooting 42.2 percent behind the arc while making 79 3-pointers. He also shot 85.9 percent at the free-throw line (61 of 71) and made the WCC All-Freshmen team.

And the explosive, fearless Anderson's ball handling and quickness frequently helped find opportunity for Dee.

San Diego coach Bill Grier expected an impact from Anderson and Dee, just not this much this soon.

"Johnny's a little undersized for his position, but he makes up for that with his & he's just got a competitive fire," Grier said. "He does a really good job getting his feet set quick and he's got a quick release. He's a pretty focused, driven kid, as is Chris.

"I think you're talking about two guys that are a little bit smaller, okay? So I think they've kind of grown up with sort of a chip on their shoulder and an edge about them. They've been told so many times in their lives that they're too small and they're not this and not that, so they just have an edge about them."

The guards' attributes go beyond the court. They're high-character young men who embrace school and campus life. But it's all business between the lines.

"Chris is a good athlete who plays a lot, lot bigger than his size, and he'll go dig out some rebounds," Grier said. "So much attention got put on Johnny, and rightfully so. He scored the ball well for us as a true freshman. But Chris is the one that made this team go. Chris created a lot of Johnny's shots. He can be a pest on defense. He's good in transition."

Anderson's spirit is an intangible without a metric.

"His personality's just so engaging," Grier said. "On the floor or off the floor, people around here just have fallen in love with him. & I mean Chris Anderson is like the mayor of this campus."

San Diego returns all five starters and eight of its top nine scorers. The team's potential ceiling might best rest on the shoulders of 6-5 senior small forward Ken Rancifer (7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg). He's had his moments in the program, but he didn't make the strides Grier thought he was capable of last season.

But summertime work in preparation for his final season was much more intense and focused.

"The light's come on," Grier said. "His work ethic has drastically improved. & His body's improved. He's done a better job taking care of his body. I just feel like he's probably -- of all the veteran guys -- he's probably made the biggest jump."

Senior post Chris Manresa (8.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) could show significant progress, too. The 6-9, 245-pounder hasn't always had his motor running, and back trouble probably played into that fact last season. But he's gotten healthy for one last climb toward his vast potential.

"I think the big key for us is Manresa," Grier said. "Chris Anderson and Johnny are gonna be consistent, and I think -- at least I feel right now going in -- that Ken Rancifer's gonna have a good senior year. But Manresa has been inconsistent."

Manresa was 6 for 6 from the field and finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes against Brandon Davies-led BYU's frontcourt in a 73-68 WCC tournament loss.

"He might be the most talented kid on the team," Grier said. "But he has a tendency to take some possessions off and float in and out. & He had a really good summer. He worked his tail off. He's in good shape.

"Boy, if he kicks it in, he's got all the tools; he really does. Great hands. He can pass. He's strong. He knows how to score."

The deep frontcourt includes returning starters in 6-11, 235-pound junior Dennis Kramer (8.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and 6-10, 265-pound sophomore Simi Fajemisin (3.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg). Kramer led the team with 36 blocks last season and shot 40 percent from 3-point range (26 of 65).

Sophomore 6-9, 235-pounder John Sinis (4.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) averaged 15 minutes per game in 2011-12. The post should be enhanced by 6-9, 230-pound freshman Jito Kok, who prepped at the flourishing Canarias Basketball Academy.

"Jito is a very, very athletic freshman from the Netherlands that can block shots and run the floor," Grier said. "He's as athletic as there is, I think, in this league. & I felt pretty fortunate we were able to get this kid. He really values getting a good education and he'll help us because of his athleticism. He's by no means a finished product on offense yet, but defensively I think he can be pretty impactful."

The other experienced guard is 6-1 senior Cameron Miles (3.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg). He had 42 assists and 28 turnovers last season.

Texas Tech transfer Mike Davis (2.8 ppg, 1.8 rgp) should contribute right away. The 6-2 junior guard ?was recruited by San Diego in high school, but he opted for TTU and then-coach Pat Knight. Soon after Billy Gillispie replaced Knight, Jacobs was willing to sit out a year and attend junior college while waiting for something to open at San Diego. Davis started 19 games and averaged 11.2 minutes for the Red Raiders in 2010-11.

"I think Mike's gonna help us because what he brings us is experience and leadership," Grier said. "What Mike does is he really talks and he gets guys in the right spot and I think his leadership's gonna help us tremendously. & We have a lot of kids who've played who are still really young. The majority of our group is sophomores and freshmen. Five of those who played a lot of minutes last year were freshmen."

San Diego also has a Cal State Northridge transfer available in 6-6 junior Thomas Jacobs (1.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg). He started three games and averaged 8.8 minutes in 27 games in 2010-11.

The roster also includes 6-3 sophomore shooting guard Nick Kerr (1.2 ppg), former NBA player Steve's son, and 6-6 freshman Trey Guidry, a 215-pounder who averaged a double-double at Houston-St. Pius X.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: B+
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: B+
INTANGIBLES: A

San Diego was outrebounded by nearly four per game (34.7 to 30.9) last season, and Grier would like to see opponents' field-goal shooting (45.2) and 3-point shooting (36.6) whittled down.

He expects Dee to be among those aiding the improvement. Dee averaged 1.8 rebounds from the off guard spot while averaging 30 minutes per game.

"To move up, we have to get better defensively and rebounding," Grier said.

Those goals are well within reach. The Toreros might not be ready for a top-three finish in a league with BYU, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, but they are capable of finishing in the upper half of a league crammed with solid rosters.

A winning record and a postseason invitation could be the next act for Dee and company.

San Diego Toreros
Last Season 13-18 (.419)
Conference Record 7-9 (6th)
Starters Lost/Returning 0/5
Coach Bill Grier (Oregon '90)
Record At School 68-93 (5 years)
Career Record 68-93 (5 years)
RPI Last 5 years 94-197-229-319-191
Click to expand...

Found it interesting they returned all 5 starters from last year. They will be good in a year or two.
 
Weber loses by 10 to Utah St! Sucks cause that was a winnable game for Weebs and it would have added atleast a little respect for the Big Sky early in season! Sac St wins again! :thumb:
 
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