not bad.
four losses, three on the road--washington, denver, colorado state. all close games, all winnable. two excellent road victories, at oregon, at loyola marymount. only one big clunker--northern colorado. at home, conference. bad.
still, who woulda predicted we would be this good so far? not out of the realm of possibility that the griz could be 14-0 right now, nationally ranked.
positives:
1. development of qvale. best big man at montana since engellant.
2. a.j.--nuff said.
3. cherry: pretty much as advertised. quickest player at montana in years, adjusting nicely to the college game. huge upside if shooting improves.
4. selvig--playing hurt, but playing. any minute from him is a good minute.
5. defense. especially with cherry and young, this team has the permiter tenacity its lacked in prior years. with qvale in the paint, team capable of playing stellar defense.
6. recruiting: griz got the kid i was hoping for (kareem jamar) plus a kid who may have been a gift (vaughn autry), with a couple of big men (reader and hutchison) in the wings. and we've got one more slot to fill (woods?) athleticism and height on the way.
disappointments (all with a silver lining):
1. young. can kill a great falls, but has largely disappeared against the better teams. still, could quickly turn into a positive if he adjusts to this level of play.
2. ward. a disappointment only when compared to andrew strait. still, a tough kid in the paint, could turn quickly into a surprise as he matures at this level.
3. staudacher. not the breakout year we were all hoping for. shot remains inconsistent. still, a potential assassin from deep, could heat up in conference.
4. mcgillis. doesn't seem to be playing within himself. jacking up a three late at denver was not the shot we needed in that situation, not the shot you'd expect from an experienced fifth-senior. still, an athletic role player who will help in conference.
prognosis? excellent. big dance a real possibility, with a seeding that could get us past a first round game.
four losses, three on the road--washington, denver, colorado state. all close games, all winnable. two excellent road victories, at oregon, at loyola marymount. only one big clunker--northern colorado. at home, conference. bad.
still, who woulda predicted we would be this good so far? not out of the realm of possibility that the griz could be 14-0 right now, nationally ranked.
positives:
1. development of qvale. best big man at montana since engellant.
2. a.j.--nuff said.
3. cherry: pretty much as advertised. quickest player at montana in years, adjusting nicely to the college game. huge upside if shooting improves.
4. selvig--playing hurt, but playing. any minute from him is a good minute.
5. defense. especially with cherry and young, this team has the permiter tenacity its lacked in prior years. with qvale in the paint, team capable of playing stellar defense.
6. recruiting: griz got the kid i was hoping for (kareem jamar) plus a kid who may have been a gift (vaughn autry), with a couple of big men (reader and hutchison) in the wings. and we've got one more slot to fill (woods?) athleticism and height on the way.
disappointments (all with a silver lining):
1. young. can kill a great falls, but has largely disappeared against the better teams. still, could quickly turn into a positive if he adjusts to this level of play.
2. ward. a disappointment only when compared to andrew strait. still, a tough kid in the paint, could turn quickly into a surprise as he matures at this level.
3. staudacher. not the breakout year we were all hoping for. shot remains inconsistent. still, a potential assassin from deep, could heat up in conference.
4. mcgillis. doesn't seem to be playing within himself. jacking up a three late at denver was not the shot we needed in that situation, not the shot you'd expect from an experienced fifth-senior. still, an athletic role player who will help in conference.
prognosis? excellent. big dance a real possibility, with a seeding that could get us past a first round game.
