Because I don't live in Missoula, I don't have the personal connection to team members and coaches that so many on this board do. My interactions are limited to games in the Bay Area, where a couple years ago I met not only Delvon Anderson before his death, but also Ahmaad Rorie's Mom when Ahmaad was still a freshman at Oregon. A few years before that I met several of Mario Dunn's relatives. Always always they have great things to say about Montana.
This year I sat close to Kyle Owens's Mom at the Stanford game. And while we didn't speak, I could almost internalize the agony she was feeling, watching her son start in his first college game against Stanford. As it turns out, Stanford is better than anybody expected, 16-5 on the season, and 5-3 in the Pac12 with a ten point win last night against Oregon. And as might well be expected, Kyle looked lost--hesitant, tentative, a bit confused. Certainly not aggressive, and almost never looking for his shot. When he finally got to the free throw line--and missed--his Mom was some combination of deflated and angry--"C'mon Kyle!"
Flash forward to last night, and I was watching an entirely different player. Call it what you will--growing, maturing, blossoming--but last night we saw glimpses of the extraordinary player Kyle will grow into, the kind of player that Montana simply seldom gets--6'8" with an extraordinary skill set. And, yes, I'm just as high on Vazquez and Carter-Hollinger, two more true freshmen that are developing before our eyes.
But Kyle? Not withstanding the bias that comes from even this tentative personal connection, I believe he is going to be sensational before he's done at Montana--and last night's 14 points and six rebounds are only a hint.
This year I sat close to Kyle Owens's Mom at the Stanford game. And while we didn't speak, I could almost internalize the agony she was feeling, watching her son start in his first college game against Stanford. As it turns out, Stanford is better than anybody expected, 16-5 on the season, and 5-3 in the Pac12 with a ten point win last night against Oregon. And as might well be expected, Kyle looked lost--hesitant, tentative, a bit confused. Certainly not aggressive, and almost never looking for his shot. When he finally got to the free throw line--and missed--his Mom was some combination of deflated and angry--"C'mon Kyle!"
Flash forward to last night, and I was watching an entirely different player. Call it what you will--growing, maturing, blossoming--but last night we saw glimpses of the extraordinary player Kyle will grow into, the kind of player that Montana simply seldom gets--6'8" with an extraordinary skill set. And, yes, I'm just as high on Vazquez and Carter-Hollinger, two more true freshmen that are developing before our eyes.
But Kyle? Not withstanding the bias that comes from even this tentative personal connection, I believe he is going to be sensational before he's done at Montana--and last night's 14 points and six rebounds are only a hint.
