Yes, I took a cold shower after my rant following the Portland State game. But a cold shower does not obviate the obvious needs for this program moving forward.
BIGS: The one stat that LEAPS out the box score of the championship game: Idaho outrebounded us 42-28! Four Vandals had as many or more rebounds as our leading rebounder. And that player was a GUARD, Money Williams, with five. That is PATHETIC.
Furthermore, this has been a problem for this program since DeCuire took over. Chapter and verse of great guards in this program, but a DEARTH of credible rim-protecting big men. And next year? Three more high school guards on the way, to add to a roster already loaded with guards.
Listen, small ball is dead. Bigs have learned to shoot. And if we can't get one or two bona fide rim protectors into this program, any hope of a Sweet Sixeen appearance is DOA. Whether DeCuire and his staff can get this done will be Priority ONE moving forward.
OFFENSE: I've been arguing for several years now for the football equivalent of an offensive coordinator for this program. DeCuire preaches defense, and he's good at it, give him full credit. But the scoring droughts have been all too frequent for years, and our inability to deal with a full-court press is criminal.
During halftime of the Portland State game, my Caorlina bud texted me about how impressed he was with Money Williams. But I said, "Believe me, we Griz fans know a 19-point lead is not safe. They'll throw a press at us and we'll blow it. Every Montana fan knows what's coming." And sure enough. A near-collapse--19 points in ten minutes--that would have been devastating. And DeCuire's comment that he likes to "make it interesting for Griz fans" did not tickle me one bit.
This is something any coach deals with from day one. Back in the way-distant-past John Wooden built a dynasty on the full-court press, but coaches eventually learned to deal with it. Later, when Paul Westhead took his pressing defense to the pro's, coaches easily dealt with it. But after all this, with all this history to study, DeCuire and his staff still don't know how to attack it, and our late-game collapses against the press have become commonplace. A good offensive coordinator could fix this in five minutes. It should have beenn fixed long ago.
MONEY: God love him. What a gutty performance! Too sick for even the shoot-around, and yet he leads us in points, rebounds and assists in a championship game. Does he return?
I highly doubt it--but we'll soon know. If he's a second round pick, go for it--especially if that team is Portland. He should know well ahead of the draft. Remember, age is working against him. Many pro teams want to draft the 18 and 19-year olds, and tutor them for three or four years, versus having them play out their college ball. So I'd expect Money to announce for the draft quite soon.
FINALLY: Yes, I know DeCuire is a legendary player and coach at Montana. I think he's a great guy, a builder of character. I know he's the reason Money stayed for three years, and the reason we've been able to recurit so many great guards through his tenure.
But this program has flaws, and I think it's the job of DeCuire's boss--the athletic director--to sit down and discuss them with him. Otherwise, we're in a predicable rut with this program: A tough pre-season schedule where we get clobbered; an inexplicable loss to the likes of a Montana Tech; a credible Big Sky run (which we SHOULD be making each and every year in a conference as weak as the BIg Sky); followed then, if we win the conference, by a shellacking at the Big Dance.
My goals have for this program have always been high, after the near upstet of UCLA back in 1975, after we came within one half of a Sweet Sixteen appearance back in 2005, and after our legendary coaching tree has given the school such basketball credibility. I've never felt smug about being a "Big Sky power."
The easist way to succeed is to lower your expectations. Too many on this board appaarnetly have.
BIGS: The one stat that LEAPS out the box score of the championship game: Idaho outrebounded us 42-28! Four Vandals had as many or more rebounds as our leading rebounder. And that player was a GUARD, Money Williams, with five. That is PATHETIC.
Furthermore, this has been a problem for this program since DeCuire took over. Chapter and verse of great guards in this program, but a DEARTH of credible rim-protecting big men. And next year? Three more high school guards on the way, to add to a roster already loaded with guards.
Listen, small ball is dead. Bigs have learned to shoot. And if we can't get one or two bona fide rim protectors into this program, any hope of a Sweet Sixeen appearance is DOA. Whether DeCuire and his staff can get this done will be Priority ONE moving forward.
OFFENSE: I've been arguing for several years now for the football equivalent of an offensive coordinator for this program. DeCuire preaches defense, and he's good at it, give him full credit. But the scoring droughts have been all too frequent for years, and our inability to deal with a full-court press is criminal.
During halftime of the Portland State game, my Caorlina bud texted me about how impressed he was with Money Williams. But I said, "Believe me, we Griz fans know a 19-point lead is not safe. They'll throw a press at us and we'll blow it. Every Montana fan knows what's coming." And sure enough. A near-collapse--19 points in ten minutes--that would have been devastating. And DeCuire's comment that he likes to "make it interesting for Griz fans" did not tickle me one bit.
This is something any coach deals with from day one. Back in the way-distant-past John Wooden built a dynasty on the full-court press, but coaches eventually learned to deal with it. Later, when Paul Westhead took his pressing defense to the pro's, coaches easily dealt with it. But after all this, with all this history to study, DeCuire and his staff still don't know how to attack it, and our late-game collapses against the press have become commonplace. A good offensive coordinator could fix this in five minutes. It should have beenn fixed long ago.
MONEY: God love him. What a gutty performance! Too sick for even the shoot-around, and yet he leads us in points, rebounds and assists in a championship game. Does he return?
I highly doubt it--but we'll soon know. If he's a second round pick, go for it--especially if that team is Portland. He should know well ahead of the draft. Remember, age is working against him. Many pro teams want to draft the 18 and 19-year olds, and tutor them for three or four years, versus having them play out their college ball. So I'd expect Money to announce for the draft quite soon.
FINALLY: Yes, I know DeCuire is a legendary player and coach at Montana. I think he's a great guy, a builder of character. I know he's the reason Money stayed for three years, and the reason we've been able to recurit so many great guards through his tenure.
But this program has flaws, and I think it's the job of DeCuire's boss--the athletic director--to sit down and discuss them with him. Otherwise, we're in a predicable rut with this program: A tough pre-season schedule where we get clobbered; an inexplicable loss to the likes of a Montana Tech; a credible Big Sky run (which we SHOULD be making each and every year in a conference as weak as the BIg Sky); followed then, if we win the conference, by a shellacking at the Big Dance.
My goals have for this program have always been high, after the near upstet of UCLA back in 1975, after we came within one half of a Sweet Sixteen appearance back in 2005, and after our legendary coaching tree has given the school such basketball credibility. I've never felt smug about being a "Big Sky power."
The easist way to succeed is to lower your expectations. Too many on this board appaarnetly have.
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