new style for montana?

[citygriz]

i've just been watching the mizzou-uconn game, and am reminded once again of my favorite style of basketball--full court pressure on defense, get-the-ball-out-and-run on offense. this evens up the talent level (no question uconn has better athletes) and means a team is almost never out of a game, since it's a style that can score bunches of points in a hurry. i saw paul westhead take inferior talent at loyala marymount and put that school on the national basketball map. of course, before that, john wooden used full-court pressure defense to win his first national championship with a team whose tallest player was 6'5". not to mention how entertaining it is. loyala marymount was on national tv almost every week that westhead was there, and i've been riveted to this mizzou game like no other i've seen so far in the tournament.

could we play basketball this way at montana?

well, will cherry has been playing this style of ball for four years at mcclymonds, while a.j. and mcgillis have the athleticism. if we're to believe mslacat, we may now be recruiting a quick 5'9" point guard from the jaycee ranks. build such a system around cherry and you'd bring fans back to dahlberg in droves, just the way don read built the football program with a wide-open offense that was even referred to as "grass baksetball." i think you'd also open up a lot more shots for two talented players who have trouble getting their shots in a more controlled offense, staudacher and qvale.

well, mizzou did it, and we have a lot in common with them--a state university with gold in its history as a school color, and a strong journalism school. why not us too?

 

[mtgrizrule]

I too like watching this style the way Missouri, Arkansas (with Nolan Richardson coaching), play it. As for LMU's style, I hated it, they played very little defense. Missouri and Arkansas play(ed) tough effective defense half and fullcourt, and pass the ball around quickly. LMU very little passing once they crossed half court. I too think this would help get fans in the stands. It would work in the BSC, but come the NCAA's we would meet up teams more athletic than us. It would be a matter of us playing a near perfect game to win, so not alot would change as for us making a NCAA run. I do not see Qvale as a big in a running offense. Selvig though, could be very effective with it.

I will admit, I wonder why we do not trap and press more with AJ, CET/soon to be Cherry, McGillis, with Selvig or Qvale defending the paint. A few years ago the likes of Ellis, Dloughy, Mayes could have been very effective. Larry used the trap with Dloughy and Matthews very effectively and at very opportune times. We had nowhere near the paint defense then than we do now.

At least defensively, I think we should go with it more often. Offensively, I do not know how well our bigs would adjust.

 

[Spanky]

Citygriz....I agree if we, in fact, have the talent.

 

[CerealCityGriz]

Those were the days: Arkansas and the "Forty Minutes of Hell" , UNLV with Johnson, Ackles, Hunt, Augmon, and Anthony, and of course LMU. LMU was fun to watch cause it reminded me of what some of us called "Indian Ball" in Helena. "Indian Ball" of course is when you would get some guys of Native American descent playing at Memorial Park and they would run all damn day but never play defense.

 

[Spanky]

Cereal....if you would have seen Larry Prettyweasel play, you would know that Indian ball can include outstanding defense.

 

[Paytonlives]

Cereal....if you would have seen Larry Prettyweasel play, you would know that Indian ball can include outstanding defense.

On my list for best names of all times PRETTY WEASEL

 

[Spanky]

He is a Crow Indian, however, his grandfather was a full blooded Sioux. There was a Pretty Weasel who was part of the Oglala Sioux led by Crazy Horse.