grizzlyjournal
Well-known member
With all of the “Panic & doom in Babylon” over at the eGriz football board tonight, I figured it was a good time for some levity and a glint of optimism regarding the 2015-16 Grizzly basketball team, which held an officiated scrimmage Saturday morning in Dahlberg Arena. Kyle Sample of the Missoulian watched the full scrimmage, so I expect he will probably have a far more comprehensive and accurate write up than my observations below.
I caught a little less than half of the scrimmage, not nearly enough to make a solid evaluation. But there was enough action to develop some initial observations. Remember, these are initial observations.
Who did not play:
• Mario Dunn, with a soft cast on his left hand nearly up to his elbow, kept stats on the sideline.
* Riley Bradshaw sat behind the bench in street clothing. No info on why he did not play.
• Jared Samuelson was suited up but did not play when I watched the action.
Walk-ons Zachary Camel and Aaron Misipeka-Ward played only briefly, during the scrimmage 4-minute overtime. Both played cautiously, though Camel showed some good defensive balance and aggressiveness.
I’m going to cover the positions from 5-to-1, for a reason.
POST (5)
• Fabijan Krslovic keeps getting identified as a power forward but -- as he did through most of last season -- played post throughout the second half. Physically, Krslovic looks exactly like he did last season... perhaps slightly under-bulked for a post. But his game is a combination of solid man-on low-block aggressiveness both offensively and defensively. Didn’t back down to anyone, but is no longer the biggest Griz on the floor. Krslovic did not make many offensive moves during scrimmage, but played outstanding off-ball defense, made a steal, had a couple of batted passes, and covers the hign-low defensive wings in the aggressive Griz man-on D very well. Earlier this week coach DeCuire said Krslovic would be called upon to score from the low post, though his major contribution today was on defense.
• Bryden Boehning, today, was a physical example why redshirting big young kids is such a good policy. Boehning has bulked up considerably, played very physically and aggressively, and was a constant disruption in the key. After receiving a pretty pass from point guard Michael Oguine, and a slight hesitation, Boehning smoothly banked-in a 6-foot hook-banker from the right side. If he can make that consistently, there won’t be many defenders big enough to stop him. I was particularly impressed with Boehning’s physical aggressiveness. He didn’t play like a freshman, showed a good, wide base, and moved well in the Griz hi-low early D wing defense to paint defense. After today, I believe that Montana may have the best post rotation in Krslovic and Boehning it’s had in a number of years, though it’s possible that Krslovic may play the 4 some.
POWER FORWARDS (4)
• Martin Breunig (4/PF) Fit, physically toned and aggressive in the blocks, Martin took several shots from short range, but missed several and seemed a bit frustrated by tight, physical defense from several of the younger front court players. It’s obvious that perimeter players are directed to locate Martin, who was on the receiving end of several good feeds from the perimeter. Breunig did not play any high post while I watched, so he did not do any dribble-enter drives that I saw.
• Power forward backups: My best guess (from this scrimmage) is that Gavin DeJong and Samuelson will play PF/4. DeJong has put on some weight, moves very well (especially defensively) and hit the boards hard on both ends of the floor. He’s fairly slim, but solid and played most of the second half, but didn’t make any offensive moves to score. I have a feeing that DeJong will get an early opportunity to sub for Breunig, but mainly as a defensive sub and not (initially) as s scorer. Samuelson (as stated above) did not play while I watched.
WING/SHOOTING FORWARD (3): Last season Montana rotated some guards between the 3 and 2, which is also possible this season.
So, keep in mind that Brandon Gfeller may play the 2 at times. After several years of a severe lack of depth at wing, Montana may well be four-deep at the position this season. Yes. Four deep, though freshman Trevor Spoja could possibly redshirt. Spoja didn’t play many minutes, but nailed a pretty wing trey and played with solid balance. Didn’t see him dribble much.
• Brandon Gfeller returns as a starter, and (with this season’s guard personnel) seems to fit best at wing, though he played a lot of 2 last season. Gfeller played with the confidence of a vet, handled the ball well on the perimeter, and took the shots when he had them. Same release, but he played Saturday with confidence and drilled several of his arcing long-range daggers.
• Jack Lopez in size, rebounding ability and defensive savvy, looks like a better fit at wing and he was on the floor a lot. Lopez’ defense was very solid and he loves to tangle for boards. He showed some of the hesitance at shooting today that he did last season. With Montana’s depth at 4, I expect Lopez won’t have to sub in at the 4 defensively as he did last year. Expect both juniors to get pushed by ...
• Bobby Moorehead,one of Montana’s two impressive freshmen. Moorehead handles the ball like a 2-guard, dribbles with exceptional balance, and has a lightning quick shot.... at which he is deadly accurate from long range. He is a shooter! He didn’t drive to the bucket much, but was always ready to shoot from long range... and did so with efficiency and aplomb. He also rebounds very, very well. He’s a multi-skilled wing in the Delvon Anderson, Roger Fastings mold. It’s too early to make predictions, but Bobby seems to have the skills to contribute early and extensively this year. He’s lacking a bit in lateral defensive quickness... but then that’s a problem all (or most) freshmen struggle with.
POINT & SHOOTING GUARDS (1 & 2): With both Mario Dunn (point) and Riley Bradshaw (two) not playing, it was difficult to beak into positions. Keep in mind that Gfeller and Moorehead will be capable of playing two in some of Montana’s offensive schemes. Three impressive newcomers. I’ll start with the young man who will NOT play this season,
• Ahmaad Rorie. Ahmad -- in stature, quickness and style -- defines balance. Whether on or off the dribble, Rorie played with graceful balance. Exceptionally quick on defense with smooth lateral skill, Rorie shows the signs of being a top-caliber defender. But his skills on offense appear more varied. He has a deft shoulder-high passing skill and fed the big guys with lightning quick passes. He has a very good first-step and drives with good hops and smoothness. That said,
• JC transfer Walter Wright possesses similar balance, though at 5-11 is much smaller. Wright is also an outstanding passer and the big guys better be ready, Wright’s passes are sharp, darting and accurate. He fed both Breunig and Boehning with shoulder-high entry passes that led them to the bucket for easy scores. Wright has a lightning quick dribble-enter move down the lane, but seemed a bit overwhelmed at times in the tall timber. I’m certain it’s something he’ll adapt to. Wright plays solid D, but will need to keep his opponent out of the key, since he’s overmatched in size. The other super frosh,
• Michael Oguine, will not be denied. He plays with a mental skill set similar to Will Cherry. Though he showed some signs of poor decision making on offense (driving instead of passing to an open teammate) that will come with time. Oguine has one of the quickest first-step drives I’ve seen in a freshman, and is unafraid of heavy traffic. He flashes a quick release from the wing that’s smooth, floating and deadly. But when his defender moves up to defend it, M.O. is quick on the drive. That said, Michael’s most advanced skill may be his man-on defense. It’s too early to tell, but I did not once see him beat by a driving opponent. He has long arms and disrupts perimeter passes at all angles. He stripped both Wright and Rorie on their dribble enter drives and both were very careful around him. Physically? He has long legs and arms, but incredibly quick reflexes. He’s just a freshman and will need time to develop, but by mid-season could be a force in Montana’s perimeter defensive game.
So... general conclusions (remember, this is only the first practice)
• I’m a bit surprised by, but very encouraged with Bryden Boehning’s toughness and presence. He has the potential to solidify Montana’s post to free up Martin Breunig’s offensive game.
• Walter Wright is small and may struggle against larger point guards, but he ran his team very capably and intelligently. He didn’t make many mistakes. He appeared to look to make the pass first, but had a very quick pull-up shot with a quick release.
• But I was most surprised and impressed with Michael Oguine. He has game. Physical, mental and in-your-face tough. He will not back down. As Fabijan Krslovic was the surprise player from last year who helped a raw-but-talented team build an identity, Michael Oguine has that potential this season.
When Dunn returns and Bradshaw gets suited up, this Montana Griz team will have more versatility and depth than it had last season. It has the potential to have the back court style and potency of the days when Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar stepped on the floor together. I write that knowing it’s early... and that the Griz will have to wait a season for Ahmaad Rorie to contribute... but it's a benefit to the Griz to have Ahmaad push the other guards in practice. I also write this knowing that Montana’s pre-season schedule is brutal. So we may have to wait until mid season to see if they actually DO put it together. But the watching is the fun part.
But Travis DeCuire is building a team in his mold. It’ll be a blast to see how far they can take it this season.
I caught a little less than half of the scrimmage, not nearly enough to make a solid evaluation. But there was enough action to develop some initial observations. Remember, these are initial observations.
Who did not play:
• Mario Dunn, with a soft cast on his left hand nearly up to his elbow, kept stats on the sideline.
* Riley Bradshaw sat behind the bench in street clothing. No info on why he did not play.
• Jared Samuelson was suited up but did not play when I watched the action.
Walk-ons Zachary Camel and Aaron Misipeka-Ward played only briefly, during the scrimmage 4-minute overtime. Both played cautiously, though Camel showed some good defensive balance and aggressiveness.
I’m going to cover the positions from 5-to-1, for a reason.
POST (5)
• Fabijan Krslovic keeps getting identified as a power forward but -- as he did through most of last season -- played post throughout the second half. Physically, Krslovic looks exactly like he did last season... perhaps slightly under-bulked for a post. But his game is a combination of solid man-on low-block aggressiveness both offensively and defensively. Didn’t back down to anyone, but is no longer the biggest Griz on the floor. Krslovic did not make many offensive moves during scrimmage, but played outstanding off-ball defense, made a steal, had a couple of batted passes, and covers the hign-low defensive wings in the aggressive Griz man-on D very well. Earlier this week coach DeCuire said Krslovic would be called upon to score from the low post, though his major contribution today was on defense.
• Bryden Boehning, today, was a physical example why redshirting big young kids is such a good policy. Boehning has bulked up considerably, played very physically and aggressively, and was a constant disruption in the key. After receiving a pretty pass from point guard Michael Oguine, and a slight hesitation, Boehning smoothly banked-in a 6-foot hook-banker from the right side. If he can make that consistently, there won’t be many defenders big enough to stop him. I was particularly impressed with Boehning’s physical aggressiveness. He didn’t play like a freshman, showed a good, wide base, and moved well in the Griz hi-low early D wing defense to paint defense. After today, I believe that Montana may have the best post rotation in Krslovic and Boehning it’s had in a number of years, though it’s possible that Krslovic may play the 4 some.
POWER FORWARDS (4)
• Martin Breunig (4/PF) Fit, physically toned and aggressive in the blocks, Martin took several shots from short range, but missed several and seemed a bit frustrated by tight, physical defense from several of the younger front court players. It’s obvious that perimeter players are directed to locate Martin, who was on the receiving end of several good feeds from the perimeter. Breunig did not play any high post while I watched, so he did not do any dribble-enter drives that I saw.
• Power forward backups: My best guess (from this scrimmage) is that Gavin DeJong and Samuelson will play PF/4. DeJong has put on some weight, moves very well (especially defensively) and hit the boards hard on both ends of the floor. He’s fairly slim, but solid and played most of the second half, but didn’t make any offensive moves to score. I have a feeing that DeJong will get an early opportunity to sub for Breunig, but mainly as a defensive sub and not (initially) as s scorer. Samuelson (as stated above) did not play while I watched.
WING/SHOOTING FORWARD (3): Last season Montana rotated some guards between the 3 and 2, which is also possible this season.
So, keep in mind that Brandon Gfeller may play the 2 at times. After several years of a severe lack of depth at wing, Montana may well be four-deep at the position this season. Yes. Four deep, though freshman Trevor Spoja could possibly redshirt. Spoja didn’t play many minutes, but nailed a pretty wing trey and played with solid balance. Didn’t see him dribble much.
• Brandon Gfeller returns as a starter, and (with this season’s guard personnel) seems to fit best at wing, though he played a lot of 2 last season. Gfeller played with the confidence of a vet, handled the ball well on the perimeter, and took the shots when he had them. Same release, but he played Saturday with confidence and drilled several of his arcing long-range daggers.
• Jack Lopez in size, rebounding ability and defensive savvy, looks like a better fit at wing and he was on the floor a lot. Lopez’ defense was very solid and he loves to tangle for boards. He showed some of the hesitance at shooting today that he did last season. With Montana’s depth at 4, I expect Lopez won’t have to sub in at the 4 defensively as he did last year. Expect both juniors to get pushed by ...
• Bobby Moorehead,one of Montana’s two impressive freshmen. Moorehead handles the ball like a 2-guard, dribbles with exceptional balance, and has a lightning quick shot.... at which he is deadly accurate from long range. He is a shooter! He didn’t drive to the bucket much, but was always ready to shoot from long range... and did so with efficiency and aplomb. He also rebounds very, very well. He’s a multi-skilled wing in the Delvon Anderson, Roger Fastings mold. It’s too early to make predictions, but Bobby seems to have the skills to contribute early and extensively this year. He’s lacking a bit in lateral defensive quickness... but then that’s a problem all (or most) freshmen struggle with.
POINT & SHOOTING GUARDS (1 & 2): With both Mario Dunn (point) and Riley Bradshaw (two) not playing, it was difficult to beak into positions. Keep in mind that Gfeller and Moorehead will be capable of playing two in some of Montana’s offensive schemes. Three impressive newcomers. I’ll start with the young man who will NOT play this season,
• Ahmaad Rorie. Ahmad -- in stature, quickness and style -- defines balance. Whether on or off the dribble, Rorie played with graceful balance. Exceptionally quick on defense with smooth lateral skill, Rorie shows the signs of being a top-caliber defender. But his skills on offense appear more varied. He has a deft shoulder-high passing skill and fed the big guys with lightning quick passes. He has a very good first-step and drives with good hops and smoothness. That said,
• JC transfer Walter Wright possesses similar balance, though at 5-11 is much smaller. Wright is also an outstanding passer and the big guys better be ready, Wright’s passes are sharp, darting and accurate. He fed both Breunig and Boehning with shoulder-high entry passes that led them to the bucket for easy scores. Wright has a lightning quick dribble-enter move down the lane, but seemed a bit overwhelmed at times in the tall timber. I’m certain it’s something he’ll adapt to. Wright plays solid D, but will need to keep his opponent out of the key, since he’s overmatched in size. The other super frosh,
• Michael Oguine, will not be denied. He plays with a mental skill set similar to Will Cherry. Though he showed some signs of poor decision making on offense (driving instead of passing to an open teammate) that will come with time. Oguine has one of the quickest first-step drives I’ve seen in a freshman, and is unafraid of heavy traffic. He flashes a quick release from the wing that’s smooth, floating and deadly. But when his defender moves up to defend it, M.O. is quick on the drive. That said, Michael’s most advanced skill may be his man-on defense. It’s too early to tell, but I did not once see him beat by a driving opponent. He has long arms and disrupts perimeter passes at all angles. He stripped both Wright and Rorie on their dribble enter drives and both were very careful around him. Physically? He has long legs and arms, but incredibly quick reflexes. He’s just a freshman and will need time to develop, but by mid-season could be a force in Montana’s perimeter defensive game.
So... general conclusions (remember, this is only the first practice)
• I’m a bit surprised by, but very encouraged with Bryden Boehning’s toughness and presence. He has the potential to solidify Montana’s post to free up Martin Breunig’s offensive game.
• Walter Wright is small and may struggle against larger point guards, but he ran his team very capably and intelligently. He didn’t make many mistakes. He appeared to look to make the pass first, but had a very quick pull-up shot with a quick release.
• But I was most surprised and impressed with Michael Oguine. He has game. Physical, mental and in-your-face tough. He will not back down. As Fabijan Krslovic was the surprise player from last year who helped a raw-but-talented team build an identity, Michael Oguine has that potential this season.
When Dunn returns and Bradshaw gets suited up, this Montana Griz team will have more versatility and depth than it had last season. It has the potential to have the back court style and potency of the days when Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar stepped on the floor together. I write that knowing it’s early... and that the Griz will have to wait a season for Ahmaad Rorie to contribute... but it's a benefit to the Griz to have Ahmaad push the other guards in practice. I also write this knowing that Montana’s pre-season schedule is brutal. So we may have to wait until mid season to see if they actually DO put it together. But the watching is the fun part.
But Travis DeCuire is building a team in his mold. It’ll be a blast to see how far they can take it this season.
