grizzlyjournal said:
I watched the GrizWBB scrimmage. I'll post some impressions later today.
I've covered & watched the Montana GrizWBB team for a long time & confess that any analysis at this point, given the huge transitions in coaching and players, is almost impossible for me. There is no doubt that coach Brian Holsinger has already installed an entirely new program manual for Montana women's basketball and last night he opened the first page. The best place to start would be to read these two stories first, https://406mtsports.com/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/montana-lady-griz-show-shooting-promise-in-maroon-silver-scrimmage-wednesday/article_8234b549-1337-564c-8956-1b333a23d924.html
https://gogriz.com/news/2021/10/27/womens-basketball-scrimmage-ends-in-46-46-draw.aspx because they give a strong clue about coach Holsinger and how he'll run/manage his Griz (hint: some strong similarities to one not-named great former head coach).
Here's why: Read these quotes from the GoGriz story: "We're nowhere near where we need to be defensively. That was the biggest thing for me," said Holsinger. "It's not unusual but it's something we have to improve. "We have to establish a culture of every day grinding out the defensive end and understanding what that feels like and just continuing to understand what it takes to be a great team." The new head coach left no doubt that he will demand a defensive intensity from his players that started at last night's scrimmage (he could be easily heard throughout the scrimmage).
There were also HUGE differences evident early on. The first pre-game warmup drill was so utterly unique to Montana women's basketball, that I feel it's important to stress. For a full 10 minutes, the players ran through a drill where every player shot a 3-point shot (receiving a pass from a mid-key player) from six different spots on the floor (baseline, baseline, wing, wing and two centeer positions beyone the tip of the key). Only one player, Abby Anderson, stepped inside the arc to shoot. I've seen teams run this drill, but never a Montana team.
Secondly... Montana's offense: One scrimmage is not enough for me to describe it fully, but this team's "motion offense" will have a lot more motion and a lot less standing with the ball held high in a "passing game" set. Holsinger's offense employs a continual flow from the tip of the key to the baseline where the point guards maintain their dribble and force dribble penetration into the key. When that happens, the posts and wings then rotate from low to high post positions in a way that keeps them from being double-teamed by opposing players. If the point guard is stopped, they'll often make a quick pass to a wing or rub off of a high screen for a quick 15-18 foot jumper, depending where (or if) any low post player is double-teamed. It was ragged, but I could see that Holsinger's offense will combat double-team defense against its post players. I'll leave it at this, because I need to study it more to get a better look at it. I'll say this: it looks similar to the offenses I've seen run by Gonzaga and Idaho State. Just a shot in the dark at this point, though.
Individually, I think it's too early to profile the players, other than to say they were all very nervous. I really liked the balance and vision of Katerina Tsineke, the advanced point-guard skills of Lamprini Polymeni (she doesn't have a classic point guard profile), the lightning quick trigger of Haley Huard's perimeter shot, the low post strength, grit and balance-amid-physical-contact of Dani Bartsch (no redshirt for her!); The excellent balance and defensive positioning of Lisa Kiefer; how much fun it was to watch Sammy Fatkin to play at full speed without an invisible choker collar! Kyndal Keller's ability to post up against guard defenders; and Nyah Morris-Nelson's defensive balance on the perimeter. Sophia, Carmen and Abby are who they are: among the proven top rank in the Big Sky. It'll be fun to see how all the pieces start fitting together. Frankly, I can see Sammy as a 2, but playing wing a lot; I can see Dani as a top level backup; I can see Tsineke in a point rotation with Stiles; I can see Huard as becoming a top-level wing by midseason, and I believe that both Keller and Polymeni will play... I just am not certain how they'll fit in. Of course, Kylie Frohlich and Willa Albrecht didn't play but are still part of the mix. OK This is a jumble. Anyone with other views etc. etc?
https://twitter.com/quartzglen/status/1453772654733774850
