Oregonlive: Montana preview

[Mslacat]

Of all of the pre-season previews I have read, I think this nails it best. I would think Elgin Taylor will start in front of either Ryan Studacher (So.)/Kyle Sharp in a three guard line up. I do think though that Tinkle needs to put his stamp on this team!



Basketball Preview: Montana
Posted by Ian Ruder October 11, 2007 09:54AM
Categories: Basketball
Montana Grizzlies

Coach Wayne Tinkle (2nd Year)
2006-07: 17-15, 10-6 (3rd Big Sky)

Starts Retained: 66%
Minutes Returning: 58%

Projected Starting Five: G - Matt Martin (Sr.) G - Cameron Rundles (So.) F - Ryan Studacher (So.)/Kyle Sharp (Jr.) PF - Jordan Hasquet (Jr.) F/C - Andrew Strait (Sr.)

The Lowdown: Talent won't be the excuse if the Grizzlies aren't at the head of the Big Sky title hunt in Coach Wayne Tinkle's second year.

The Griz return four starters with star power including arguably the conference's top post duo in senior Andrew Strait and junior Jordan Hasquet. Last year, chemistry and maturity appeared to hold the Griz back from attaining their potential and all eyes will be on whether those issues persist.

Some of the problems may stem from Montana's backcourt makeup. Rundles earned his Freshman of the Year honors with dominant showings (see @ PSU) but also disappeared all too often and there's always the question of an underclassmen acting as floor general for an older team. Martin should be able to sympathize. He showed he belonged as a freshman too but has always had to fight for playing time because of inconsistency and his sometimes-too-fiery attitude.

Add in Hasquet's propensity for fouls and Strait's down-year last season (he went from First Team All-Big Sky to Second Team) and there are plenty of reasons to wonder whether this squad will underachieve again, but in all honesty all of this is nitpicking: the Griz have too much talent to be anything but favorites to win the Big Sky.

Newcomer To Watch: With four starters all but locked in, Tinkle thought he had the fifth starter on campus in the form of transfer Sean Watson. Then, a month ago, Watson up and left, citing homesickness. His departure left a big hole for Tinkle and a big decision. At 6-foot-5, Watson was the only player on the roster who fit the description of a small forward. Ryan Studacher, a 6-foot-4 sophomore shooter, and Kyle Sharp, a 6-7 junior, are the likely choices.

The Big Question: Who's going to man up?
Literally, the question is who will step up on the defensive end after the Griz lost their two top defenders (Bryan Ellis and Matt Dlouhy), metaphorically the question gets at another key issue facing Montana: who will lead this talented bunch?

As good as all the Grizzly players are, watching them last year they looked somewhat lost. A couple of minor suspensions, odd rotations and the eventual departure of a touted transfer reinforce the idea that all was not well in Dahlberg Arena.

Someone needs to become the face and voice of this talented crew ala David Patten last year in Weber State. The question is who? Strait hasn't shown a desire, Rundles is still a sophomore and Martin may be too fiery, leaving Hasquet as the logical choice

 

[Grizbacker1]

I am glad to see the hard work and the fact they get along this season. I think chemistry is something that was discussed a LOT last season.

Mature, conditioned Griz ready to start practice
Story by Bill Oram | October 12, 2007
Montana Kaimin
Soaked in sweat, University of Montana basketball player Greg Spurgetis was spotted running the stairs in Dahlberg Arena a few weeks ago. It was easy to tell that the 6-foot-4 junior had been there a while, and judging by the determination on his face, he didn’t plan on quitting soon.

Head coach Wayne Tinkle recently took a jog along the river with his kids. They came upon a handful of Griz players running sprints on the trail.


Junior forward Jordan Hasquet ran the M-Trail three times a week over the summer, Tinkle said.

The team starts official practices tonight at 7 p.m., but they’ve been working out together throughout the summer and fall.

“There’s a certain motivation there with this group of guys that I know, if we can continue, will only lead to good things,” Tinkle said.

Over the summer most of the players stayed in Missoula, taking classes and conditioning.

Spurgetis, whom Tinkle said has morphed from a practice player to someone who will be competing for playing time, said the team is the most dedicated he’s seen in his three years.

“I think more than anything, the guys that we have are absolutely hard workers,” he said. “In practice in the past there were guys that didn’t want to work hard and I don’t see that this year at all.”

Tinkle said this year was the first time the bulk of the players agreed to spend the summer in Missoula.

“We tried to institute that a couple years back, and there’d always be a few guys that would do it. But I believe off the heels of last season our guys got together and said, ‘let’s make a commitment to do this,’” he said.

The Griz return nine players from a team that finished 17-15 and reached the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament.

Over the summer, in addition to the tangible improvements, Tinkle said the team developed a chemistry that is the best he has seen in his seven years with the program.

“Something special happened where they really wanted to be here and developed some of those things that can only be developed in the off-season.” Tinkle said.

Sophomore guard Cameron Rundles, last season’s Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, said he’s seen that as well with his teammates.

“Last year we had a lot of talent, probably more talent than this year, but the chemistry wasn’t that strong,” said Rundles, who worked out daily over the summer in his hometown of Minneapolis.

Spurgetis agreed, saying, “Everyone gets along. We all hang out together. I don’t know, it’s just the past couple of years not everyone has gotten along, and that’s created some problems on the court.”

The season opener for the Griz is less than a month away, as Colorado State will come to Missoula on Nov. 9. In their preseason schedule, the Griz will definitely be tested. They travel to play national power Gonzaga on Nov. 11, and then compete in a tournament at Washington State the week of Thanksgiving.

“This is a team I think is pretty mature and that I think can handle being tested early,” Tinkle said. “It’s all preparation for league.”

Tonight’s practice is part of “Midnight Madness,” the time when coaches can officially start working with the teams. It used to actually be at midnight, but over the years the time has been pushed up to earlier in the evening. The defending regular-season conference champion Lady Griz also start practice today.
Rundles said he was excited to get the first practices underway.

“It just gets us a step closer to the real season,” he said