Grizbacker1
Well-known member
Hasquet has long history in Big Sky countryBy Ed Graney
Special to ESPN.com
Montana a family affair
AP
Former Montana coach Larry Krystkowiak redshirted Hasquet, a decision that greatly aided the player's development. You always hear about this little boy:
He lives in all parts of the country. He is everywhere. He dribbles a ball and shoots baskets on cracked pavement or at neighborhood parks or inside empty gymnasiums. He dreams of one day wearing the jersey of Duke or UCLA or North Carolina or the like, of playing college basketball for a program synonymous with top-25 rankings and Final Four appearances and being as much part of Dick Vitale's vocabulary as the word "baby."
You rarely hear about this little boy:
He is born and raised in a place Lewis and Clark described as "scenes of visionary enchantment," a place of vast prairies and stunning mountain ranges and lush rivers and even a ghost town or two, a place whose magnificent beauty inspires best-selling books and Hollywood movies.
He is nurtured on the hoop traditions of a mid-major program set in a relaxing college town, the team his great-great-grandfather competed against and the one his grandfather, mother and aunt played for over the years. He momentarily entertains the idea of leaving home to play in college. But he doesn't. He stays.
"I just love it up here," said Montana junior forward Jordan Hasquet. "As a kid, I heard all the old stories. We'd scrape together tickets for games. A lot of the players lived near me. I would just be running around at all the games. It's pretty cool now to be part of that [legacy]."
Montana, located in picturesque Missoula, is one of those programs that annually owns the promise of being noticed one week each March. The Grizzlies are almost always good enough to contend for the automatic NCAA Tournament berth awarded the Big Sky Conference, where they'll do things like knock off a No. 5 seed in Nevada in 2006 and thus introduce the nation to weird little facts like comedian Dana Carvey being from Missoula and the state being home to the world's shortest river. (It's the Roe and it stretches a whopping 200 feet.)
March is also a time college fans not familiar with the Big Sky (meaning most everyone) learn about players like Hasquet. He is a 6-foot-9 junior forward who should challenge for conference player of the year honors this season. His roots in the program extend deeper than those of your basic red oak, although he almost wasn't offered a scholarship at Montana because of the fear that his game was too soft.
He has since proved every bit the player inside and out, averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in conference games last season. He's also hit 62 career 3-pointers.
It's a nice story for a kid whose great-great-grandfather (the not-so-legendary Heman Bird) played against the Grizzlies 100 years ago while traveling with a team from Red Wing, Minn. It's a treasured time for a player whose mother (Doris) ranks seventh all time in career scoring (1,248 points) for the Montana women's team and whose aunt (Linda) is 14th in career rebounding (626).
Hasquet is the son of a former high school coach (Pete) who played one season of junior varsity ball at Montana when he wasn't watching his future bride compete. His father's good friend is former Grizzlies star player and head coach Larry Krystkowiak (now coach of the Milwaukee Bucks), who spent summers during a nine-year NBA playing career living in the Hasquet's basement.
Talk about ties that bind a program.
"Of course, we wanted Jordan to be where he was most happy, but didn't want him too far away from Montana," said Doris. "A lot of people really appreciate the fact he stayed home. You know, we're not the biggest state. I guess Montana kids develop chips on their shoulders and maybe don't think they're always given a fair shake. It makes them pretty tough.
"For us, it's pretty special to have all these players on the team listed from other places and Jordan as the hometown kid. I think it might have been scary for him at first -- there is some pressure that goes with it -- but also something he has really tried to enjoy, being able to play in front of all his family and friends."
Wayne Tinkle, also a former Montana player, is in his second season as head coach. He was an assistant coach on Pat Kennedy's staff when Hasquet was in high school. Tinkle had to sell Kennedy on the idea of signing Hasquet, the state's best prep player. In high school, Hasquet was allergic to the concept of shooting much of anything inside 15 feet, but Kennedy eventually bought the idea the kid could discover an aggressive nature. Things really took off when Krystkowiak replaced the departed Kennedy and had Hasquet redshirt his freshman season to gain strength.
"Jordan made a commitment and went nuts in the weight room," said Tinkle. "He's anything but soft now. … I've known Jordan since he was a little kid and followed his progress all the way up the different stages. Any time you have the best player in your state stay home and succeed, a kid who has such pride in the tradition and roots in the program, it all spills over to the rest of your team. And when he is your hardest worker -- day in and day out -- it can't help but make you better."
Lolo Peak is a hiking trail just outside Missoula, a steep climb that rewards you with spectacular views into the valley below. At four miles, you come to Carlton Ridge, elevation 8,252 feet. Hiking the trail is one of Hasquet's favorite hobbies in a place where the outdoors are to be respected and cherished. It's a place that reminds Hasquet (who took a recruiting trip to Santa Clara and also considered Montana State) why he chose to stay home and play.
"It's not Duke," he said. "But I'm still living my dream."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2965202
Special to ESPN.com
Montana a family affair
AP
Former Montana coach Larry Krystkowiak redshirted Hasquet, a decision that greatly aided the player's development. You always hear about this little boy:
He lives in all parts of the country. He is everywhere. He dribbles a ball and shoots baskets on cracked pavement or at neighborhood parks or inside empty gymnasiums. He dreams of one day wearing the jersey of Duke or UCLA or North Carolina or the like, of playing college basketball for a program synonymous with top-25 rankings and Final Four appearances and being as much part of Dick Vitale's vocabulary as the word "baby."
You rarely hear about this little boy:
He is born and raised in a place Lewis and Clark described as "scenes of visionary enchantment," a place of vast prairies and stunning mountain ranges and lush rivers and even a ghost town or two, a place whose magnificent beauty inspires best-selling books and Hollywood movies.
He is nurtured on the hoop traditions of a mid-major program set in a relaxing college town, the team his great-great-grandfather competed against and the one his grandfather, mother and aunt played for over the years. He momentarily entertains the idea of leaving home to play in college. But he doesn't. He stays.
"I just love it up here," said Montana junior forward Jordan Hasquet. "As a kid, I heard all the old stories. We'd scrape together tickets for games. A lot of the players lived near me. I would just be running around at all the games. It's pretty cool now to be part of that [legacy]."
Montana, located in picturesque Missoula, is one of those programs that annually owns the promise of being noticed one week each March. The Grizzlies are almost always good enough to contend for the automatic NCAA Tournament berth awarded the Big Sky Conference, where they'll do things like knock off a No. 5 seed in Nevada in 2006 and thus introduce the nation to weird little facts like comedian Dana Carvey being from Missoula and the state being home to the world's shortest river. (It's the Roe and it stretches a whopping 200 feet.)
March is also a time college fans not familiar with the Big Sky (meaning most everyone) learn about players like Hasquet. He is a 6-foot-9 junior forward who should challenge for conference player of the year honors this season. His roots in the program extend deeper than those of your basic red oak, although he almost wasn't offered a scholarship at Montana because of the fear that his game was too soft.
He has since proved every bit the player inside and out, averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in conference games last season. He's also hit 62 career 3-pointers.
It's a nice story for a kid whose great-great-grandfather (the not-so-legendary Heman Bird) played against the Grizzlies 100 years ago while traveling with a team from Red Wing, Minn. It's a treasured time for a player whose mother (Doris) ranks seventh all time in career scoring (1,248 points) for the Montana women's team and whose aunt (Linda) is 14th in career rebounding (626).
Hasquet is the son of a former high school coach (Pete) who played one season of junior varsity ball at Montana when he wasn't watching his future bride compete. His father's good friend is former Grizzlies star player and head coach Larry Krystkowiak (now coach of the Milwaukee Bucks), who spent summers during a nine-year NBA playing career living in the Hasquet's basement.
Talk about ties that bind a program.
"Of course, we wanted Jordan to be where he was most happy, but didn't want him too far away from Montana," said Doris. "A lot of people really appreciate the fact he stayed home. You know, we're not the biggest state. I guess Montana kids develop chips on their shoulders and maybe don't think they're always given a fair shake. It makes them pretty tough.
"For us, it's pretty special to have all these players on the team listed from other places and Jordan as the hometown kid. I think it might have been scary for him at first -- there is some pressure that goes with it -- but also something he has really tried to enjoy, being able to play in front of all his family and friends."
Wayne Tinkle, also a former Montana player, is in his second season as head coach. He was an assistant coach on Pat Kennedy's staff when Hasquet was in high school. Tinkle had to sell Kennedy on the idea of signing Hasquet, the state's best prep player. In high school, Hasquet was allergic to the concept of shooting much of anything inside 15 feet, but Kennedy eventually bought the idea the kid could discover an aggressive nature. Things really took off when Krystkowiak replaced the departed Kennedy and had Hasquet redshirt his freshman season to gain strength.
"Jordan made a commitment and went nuts in the weight room," said Tinkle. "He's anything but soft now. … I've known Jordan since he was a little kid and followed his progress all the way up the different stages. Any time you have the best player in your state stay home and succeed, a kid who has such pride in the tradition and roots in the program, it all spills over to the rest of your team. And when he is your hardest worker -- day in and day out -- it can't help but make you better."
Lolo Peak is a hiking trail just outside Missoula, a steep climb that rewards you with spectacular views into the valley below. At four miles, you come to Carlton Ridge, elevation 8,252 feet. Hiking the trail is one of Hasquet's favorite hobbies in a place where the outdoors are to be respected and cherished. It's a place that reminds Hasquet (who took a recruiting trip to Santa Clara and also considered Montana State) why he chose to stay home and play.
"It's not Duke," he said. "But I'm still living my dream."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2965202
