missoulajournal

GAME NOTES: Hutch ready in the clutch; cranking up the 'D'

BY; GLENN JUNKERT

Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle often talks about the sometimes fragile tension between starters and reserves -- those players who see a lot of on-court game time and those  who are not as experienced, not as skilled -- but who are still expected to compete hard in daily practice.

Tinkle refers to those bench players as equally important to starters. But it’s a message that’s hard for reserves to absorb. Especially if a player hasn’t seen game action for several games. Those five or six younger players, are expected to compete at full throttle in daily practice, and then, when game-time approaches, turn around and cheer-on their teammate starters, the guys they battle against each day in practice.

Usually a sub’s best hope is to play at least a couple of minutes at the end of a game or -- on rare occasions when a starter gets into foul trouble -- be prepared to step in and play at their highest level.

Two such players on this year’s team are post players Billy Reader and Eric Hutchison (pictured shooting in photo right) Tinkle has frequently described the two as important players in Montana’s future... a high compliment, but also a way of saying that neither would probably see much action this season... particularly when senior center Brian Qvale was on the floor.

But Thursday, redshirt freshman Hutchison got a shout from Tinkle early in Montana’s 64-44 win over Sacramento State. Qvale collected two early fouls. Time for the young center to step into the fray.

Hutchison was ready and -- in 11 minutes of action -- played tough physical defense, snared seven rebounds, and scored two points. Tinkle praised Hutchison for his readiness:

“Hutch gave us a huge boost,” said Tinkle with admiration. “Hutch came in when we needed to get a little toughness under the rim and gave us a huge, huge boost.”

Then Tinkle elaborated: “It’s a credit to Eric for buying in, keeping a positive attitude through it all. He hasn’t played a ton, and because of that, when we called on him, he responded in a positive way.

“We send that message all the time (to younger players). Sometimes kids get caught up in minutes, and this-and-that... and then harbor some negative thoughts. And when it’s their turn, there’s no way they can have success.

“So that’s what makes me proud of his contributions tonight,” said Tinkle.


CRANKING UP THE DEFENSE -- The Grizzlies -- the best defensive team in the Big Sky -- cinched up their defensive intensity with last week’s sweep of Sacramento State and Northern Colorado. Montana held the Hornets to 44 points and the Bears to 42, their best defensive efforts since holding Eastern Washington to 47 points on January 13th and Idaho to a season’s best 33 points on Dec. 18.

Montana lowered its Scoring Defense to a sparkling 59.6 points per game, best in the Big Sky by a whopping 5.4 points per game (Northern Colorado is second at 65 ppg allowd), and good enough for a national NCAA Division 1 rank of 15th. Montana’s national Field Goal Percentage allowed of 38.8 percent is even better, a NCAA rank of 13th. Montana is also ranked 30th nationally in blocked shots.
 
“Our guys really bought-in to the defensive game plan, and just showed a lot of heart and discipline and toughness out there,” said Tinkle.

The Bears... “were the team that out-toughed us down in Greeley and we were kind of ashamed of that, so we challenged our guys to kind of flip that around this time and I thought they did a nice job.

“It didn’t necessarily come from me,” Tinkle asserted. “Derek Selvig, since we beat Sac State, told our guys, ‘Now is the time to step it up.’  Derek was the real leader for us over the last day and a half and it’s no surprise he had the success that he did out on the court tonight.

“One thing about this group,” said Tinkle. “They’re not going to get content. They’ve learned some lessons, so we’ll keep our feet on the ground and keep chipping away because we know we can play even better than we did tonight."

FAN FRENZIED?

Despite Montana’s championship caliber play this year, it wasn’t until 6542 fans showed up for Saturday’s win over Northern Colorado that Montana officials were able to celebrate the results. Thursday’s attendance was a disappointing 3725, which had several officials puzzled. PHOTO ABOVE: Student fans at Saturday's Griz-UNC game.

Several Griz players specifically noted Saturday’s fan support. “The crowd was great and we love em, and we feed off of their energy,” said freshman guard Kareem Jamar afterwards.

“The crowd was great,” said Qvale. “We all noticed them in warmups. They get us going and we usually get off to a great start when we have a crowd like this. It’s great to see... Coach Tinks talks about it all the time to see basketball back in Missoula.”

With Saturday’s attendance added, Montana is now averaging 4081 per game in conference play, good enough for second behind Big Sky leader Weber State (6000 per-game average), and well above the next best team, Montana State (at 3260 per game).

But when non-conference games are added to the totals, attendance drops considerably at Dahlberg Arena. Montana's per-game average of 3647 stands at third in the Big Sky behind Idaho State (3672) and first place Weber State (4889) whose average of all games is significantly higher than Montana's conference numbers.

NCAA DIVISION 1 BASKETBALL STATISTICS FOR FEB. 15

TEAM STATISTICS
• Montana is ranked 15th in team Scoring Defense with a per-game average of 59.6
• Montana is ranked 13th in team Field Goal Percentage allowed with a per-game average of 38.

• Tied for 30th in team blocks with a per-game average of 5.0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
• Brian Qvale is ranked 6th nationally in Blocked Shots with a per-game average of 3.2
• Will Cherry is ranked 9th nationally in steals with a per-game average of 2.8


BIG SKY STATISTICS
The Grizzlies are ranked in the top three in 13 of the 22 Big Sky Conference Team statistical categories:

First -- Scoring Defense: 59.6 allowed per game
First -- Scoring Margin:  +8.1
Third -- Field Goal percentage: .462
First -- FG percentage Defense: .388
First -- 3-Point Field Goal percentage defense: .321
Third -- Field Goal Rebounding Offense: 35.3
Second -- Rebounding Margin: +2.4
First -- Blocked Shots: 5.0
Second -- Assists: 13.2
First -- Steals: 6.8
Second -- Turnover margin: +1.20
Second -- Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 1.1
Second -- Defensive Rebounds: 24.7

PHOTOS: (TOP) Brian Selvig scores, (Bottom) Will Cherry Drives against UNC's Devon Beitzel.

BIG SKY INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
• Scoring average: Will Cherry ranked fourth with a 15.0 per-game average, Brian Qvale ranked 6th with a 14.8 per-game average
• Rebounding Average: Brian Qvale is ranked first with an 8.8 per-game average
• Field Goal Percentage: Qvale is ranked second with a .631 per-game average
• Assists: Cherry is ranked third with a 4.1 per-game average, while Derek Selvig is ranked 9th with a 2.9 per-game average
• Steals: Will Cherry is ranked first with a 2.8 per-game average
• 3-Point Field Goal Average: Selvig is ranked 8th with a .425 average
• Blocked Shots: Qvale is ranked first with a 3.2 prer-game average
• Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: Cherry is ranked second with a 2.0 ratio
• Offensive Rebounds: Qvale is ranked second with a 3.2 per-game average
• Defensive Rebounds: Qvale is ranked second with a 5.6 per-game average

GRIZ MOVE UP to 16th IN MID-MAJOR POLL
Montana moved up one notch in the College Insider’s Mid-Major Poll for Feb. 15. The Grizzlies are  ranked #16th, up one from 17 last week. Montana is the only Big Sky team to receive points in this week’s ranking. Other western Mid-Major teams to earn rankings are: Gonzaga at 10th, Portland (which beat the Griz 58-54 Dec. 3) at 21st, and Long Beach State at 27th. The Griz travel to Long Beach State in a televised marquee Bracket Buster game on Saturday.

GAME PHOTOS: Griz v.s. Northern Colorado

Game action photos of Montana's 55-42 win over the Northern Colorado Bears are now posted on the Grizzly Journal photo site. Montana's twin towers, 6-11 Brian Qvale and 7-0 Derek paced the Grizzlies with 22 and 18 points respectively and were, as a result, were the subject of most photos.

You can view  the photos by clicking on the photograph of Selvig or of Qvale to the right.

Or, simply click on the header below to get direct access to the Grizzly Journal game gallery.

GRIZZLIES 55, BEARS 42

 

Shawn, Art, Kareem & Will on Griz Win over Bears

A couple of items from Grizzly Journal on a Valentine's Day Monday that shows the Montana Grizzlies back in first place in the Big Sky Conference with a 10-3/18-7 record.

FIRST: I was able to conduct brief interviews with all five GRIZ starters -- and sixth man Will Cherry -- for Saturday's 55-42 win over the Northern Colorado Bears. PART ONE of the interviews -- featuring Griz leaders Brian Qvale and Derek Selvig -- was posted yesterday. PART TWO can be viewed now, simply by clicking on the video panel photo of Shawn Stockton below,which also features quotes from Art Steward, Kareem Jamar and Cherry. OR, click on the bold-faced bold, underlined header directly below.

In the interview, I asked each player the same three questions:

1 -- How big was this win for the Griz?

2. -- How important was Montana's defense in this win? and,

3. -- What must the Griz do now in its battle for the Big Sky Conference title?

I let the players' answers speak for them as a group.

Watch PART TWO of that video series here: Shawn, Art, Kareem & Will on Griz Win over Bears 

 

SECOND: Gallery photos of Montana's 64-44 win over the Sacramento State Hornets are now available at the Grizzly Journal photo site. Photo gallery can be viewed by clicking on the action shot of Kareem Jamar directly to the right.

In case you haven't checked it out yet, you can get a pretty good picture of how the conference title race is shaping up at the Big Sky Conference site:

Big Sky Conference

Selvig, Qvale discuss Montana's 55-42 win over Northern Colorado

BY: GLENN JUNKERT

Montana senior center Brian Qvale and junior power forward Derek Selvig credited a well-executed defensive game plan for the Grizzlies' 55-42 win over the Northern Colorado Bears Saturday.

WATCH the post-game video by Grizzly Journal by clicking the photo panel below. Selvig and Qvale discuss the win and look forward to the final games of the conference season.

Selvig gave the Grizzlies a jump-start with a power post layup and a trey from the tip of the key that turned into a four-point play, giving the Griz a 12-2 lead they would not relinquish.

The teams are now tied for first place in the Big Sky Conference men's standings with identical 10-3 records, while the Weber State Wildcats, at 8-4, are in third place.

Montana expanded its first-half lead to as many as 19 in the first half, finishing with a 15-point, 35-20 halftime lead.

Selvig got the Griz off to a quick start in the opening minute of the second half, stealing a pass and driving the length of the court for a slam that gave Montana a 37-20 lead. Montana exended its lead gradually, building up to a 19-point margin at the 16:49 point of the second half. Though the Bears mounted several mini-rallies, they could get no closer than 12.

Qvale logged yet another double-double for the Griz, scoring 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field while pulling down 13 rebounds and notching two blocks and a steal. Selvig scored 18 points on 6-of-11 scoring, chipped in a block and a steal, and led the Griz in assists with five.

Led by Qvale's presence, the Grizzlies outscored the Bears 30-16 in the paint.

Despite allowing Bears senior guard Devon Beitzel 22 points -- more than half of Northern Colorado's points -- Montana shut down the rest of the team in points allowed and in a suffocating defense that held the Bears to 23.3 percent shooting overall.

For the second straight game Montana was outrebounded, but that was the only telling statistic in an otherwise dominating Grizzly performance teamwide.

Sophomore point guard Will Cherry was visibly slowed by his yet not-fully healed ankle sprain, but had four points and two assists while playing solidly on both ends of the floor for 31 minutes.

Freshman guard Kareem Jamar had four points, two assists and a block. But he provided a solid presence on defense and under the boards with seven rebounds. Junior forward Art Steward scored four points, had two assists, a block and a steal.

The second-highest Bears' scorer was backup forward Mike Proctor.

Watch GRIZZLY JOURNAL's video of Selvig and Qvale's post-game comments. Click on the photo panel below OR on the header below:

Selvig, Qvale discuss Montana's 55-42 win over Northern Colorado

 

 

Will Cherry says he was at 60% in Griz win over Northern Colorado

BY: GLENN JUNKERT

 Montana sophomore point guard Will Cherry told me after Montana's 55-42 victory over the Northern Colorado Bears that he was at "6 or 7" (out of 10) on the floor Saturday night.

These photos demonstrate what 60 percent for Will Cherry looks like...

Cherry had four points, three rebounds and two assists against a single turnover in 31 minutes of action.

Cherry said he'd be icing his ankle over the weekend and be ready to go by Monday.

COMING UP soon: Got good interviews post-game from Derek Selvig and Brian Qvale and will run it in place of a game story. Good comments by Selvig -- who scored 18 points, had five assists, a block and a steal -- and from Qvale, who logged yet another double-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

 

Montana overcomes early foul trouble, swats Hornets 64-44

BY: GLENN JUNKERT

With Montana center Brian Qvale and starting guard Shawn Stockton on the bench for 15 minutes with two fouls apiece, the early stages of the Grizzlies’ 64-44 win over the Sacramento State Hornets Thursday had all the makings of disaster.

But The Griz -- bouyed by two treys and a layup from freshman guard Kareem Jamar, and stellar defense and rebounding from reserve frosh center Eric Hutchison -- battled to a 33-23 halftime lead over the Hornets before pulling to an early 20-point second half lead, which they maintained for the 20-point Big Sky Conference victory before 3725 fans in Dahlberg Arena.

Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle -- minus the services of sophomore floor leader Will Cherry for the second straight game -- shuttled three reserve guards into his two guard slots in a first half that seemed dangerously close to falling apart for Montana.

“I was going to hold tryouts at halftine,” joked Tinkle, “thinking we might have to pull some guys out of the crowd.”

But Jamar, junior guard Jordan Wood, and freshman true point guard Vaughn Autry settled down against relentless full-court Hornet pressure, and engineered several early-offense buckets against the Sac State press while Stockton watched from the bench... all despite Montana’s horrendous 33.3 percent from the field in the first frame.

Hutchison -- whose 11 minutes was the most he’s played this season -- snared six first-half rebounds, played dominating low post defense in Qvale’s absence, and received high praise from his coach for his inspired effort.

“Hutch gave us a big boost,” said Tinkle. “We couldn’t rebound the ball and they kicked our butts on the boards... but Hutch came in when we needed to get a little toughness under the rim and gave us a huge, huge boost.”

PHOTOS: (TOP) Freshman guard Kareem Jamar is fouled by Hornet defender John Dickson on this second-half drive to the bucket. Jamar, who scored a game high 14 points, made one of two free throws. (Middle) Montana freshman center Eric Hutchison puts up a shot after grabbing an offensive board in first half play. Hutchison grabbed seven rebounds in 11 minutes of action. (Bottom) Montana senior center Brian Qvale battles low post pressure from Hornet defenders Pete Rakocevic and Duro Bjegovic in second half action. Qvale finished with 14 points and six blocked shots.

Qvale expressed frustration with his early foul problems. “I hate sitting and watching,” said Qvale. “Especially 16 minutes, or whatever.”

Montana’s second half was a complete reversal of the ragged first frame. Qvale scored a layup on a nifty assist from forward Derek Selvig in the opening phases of second-half play, igniting a 17-2 scoring burst to give Montana a commanding 50-25 lead with 12:05 remaining in the game.

Stockton and Qvale were both instrumental in Montana’s efficient second-half play. Qvale finished with a game-high 14 points, which he shared with Jamar, and six monstrous blocks, while Stockton ran Montana’s press-breaker and half-court offense with poise and efficiency.

“We were finishing around the basket in the second half,” said Qvale. “In the second half we started attacking and the baskets started going in.”

Selvig shrugged off a poor shooting night (3-for-10) with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals in an efficient game-long effort. Jamar finished with three treys, a driving first-half layup, three assists and a block. Junior wing Art Steward logged an equally steady game, scoring 10 points, dishing three assists, and anchoring Montana’s suffocating second-half zone with five steals.

The Grizzlies reversed their first-half shooting woes, knocking in 52.2 percent from the field in the second frame, while finishing with a solid 7-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc, keyed by Jamar’s three makes in four shots.

Jamar said that Montana players didn’t think they had to prove they could win without Cherry.

“We didn’t look at the game like that,” said Jamar. “We know how deep we are. Obviously we know how big Will Cherry is to our team, but I don’ think it was anything we had to prove. We just had to go out there and play our game.”

The Griz, despite game-long full-court pressure from the Hornets, logged an efficient 12-to-9 assist-to-turnover ratio and scored a whopping 20 points off of Hornet turnovers.

No other Griz scored more than five points, though five scored.

The Hornets were led by guard Sultan Toles-Bey’s 11 points, and 10 from reserve forward Duro Bjegovic.

The Hornets outrebounded Montana 40-33, but the Griz zone pressure forced 19 Hornet turnovers.

Tinkle, who confessed post-game that he was very worried about the Hornets, expressed relief at his player’s solid team play.

“The guys took care of business,” said Tinkle. “And that says a lot... it says a lot and it’s going to mean a lot for our guys down the stretch, knowing that they won, they beat a dangerous team, and in a tough situation without Will Cherry.”

The Grizzlies now focus on Saturday’s critical clash with first-place Northern Colorado, who beat Montana State 86-77 Thursday in Bozeman.

“We’re hungry,” said Jamar referring to the Bears. “We’ve got that game circled on our calendars... We’re ready to play.”

Tinkle was unsure if Cherry would be cleared to play Saturday, speculating that the decision would be made sometime immediately prior to tipoff.

PREVIEW: Griz youth need to step up large against Hornets, Bears

BY: ROYCE BIDWELL

Missoula, Montana.... no two better words to hear for the Montana Grizzly men's basketball team, after an injury marred, deflating, and frustrating road trip. A road trip that saw Montana go from top of the mountain in a battle for first, to drop -- with two losses -- to second in conference standings.

Home stands are always welcomed, but even more so after their road struggles at Ogden and Flagstaff. Can Dalhberg and GRIZ fans make it “home sweet home” again for the GRIZ?  That will be answered this weekend, with home-court clashes against Sacramento State on Thursday and first place Northern Colorado on Saturday.

Speaking of answers... the GRIZ need to find answers to who, what, when, and how to play without it's young leader, point guard Will Cherry, who sprained his ankle early in the second half against Weber State.

I am sure Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle welcomed full practice time to prepare everything, and everyone without Cherry. Granted, the GRIZ -- with only one day to adjust to Cherry’s injury -- struggled against Northern Arizona. A long bus trip as part of the route from Ogden to Flagstaff, combined with very little preparation time, obviously contributed to the struggles. Offensively, they missed Cherry’s ability to break down defenses, draw fouls, set up teammates, and run the offense.  Defensively, they missed his momentum-changing ability to dominate, and lead to easy fast break points. Overall, they missed his leadership, tenacity, and court sense. All those things showed against the Lumberjacks.

In this case, practice time this past week became more valuable, and, it’s safe to say... "No Allen Iverson practice rants would be tolerated." Guards Shawn Stockton, and Vaughn Autry will have to step up large as “Ones” to replace Cherry at point guard. Stockton has experience; nonetheless, he has to be reintroduced to being an executor again.

PHOTOS: (TOP) Griz freshman guard/wing Kareem Jamar, in Motana's home court win over Cal Fullerton. (Middle) Freshman point guard Vaughn Autry drives the lane in Montana's win over Weber State. (Bottom) Shawn Stockton dishes a pass against Weber State's defense.

Autry is a very good ball handler, good shooter, and physically very capable of being a very good point guard. Inexperience running a NCAA Division 1 offense is his biggest obstacle. No longer does he have the luxury of learning from Will. His role has been, or will soon be, elevated from minor contributor, to major contributor, with major expectations.

I am sure Tinkle and staff gave Autry plenty of on-the-job training all week in practice. likely running sets and plays over and over just to get him the necessary repetitions, recognition, and experience to handle all minutes, and situations he will be faced with. I honestly believe Montana just did not have the necessary time to prepare him in the middle of that long road swing.

Who else will step up for the Griz? I will not be surprised to see many more minutes for Kareem Jamar at shooting guard. He is an impressive young player. He has the court sense, smarts, and “game” to be great at the shooting guard. I really do not see much of an adjustment for him here. Jamar is just a natural basketball player, no matter what position he is at. Art Steward will likely man most of the small forward minutes. Depending on match ups, do not be surprised to see spot mintues for Derek Selvig here too. Mathias Ward will likely see time at both power forward and center. A healthy Eric Hutchison would certainly help. I just suspect he may be dealing with an injury, otherwise he would be seeing some more minutes.

The schedule this week certainly gives the GRIZ an advantage for breaking in players at new roles. Facing Sacramento State before Northern Colorado is much better for Montana than the other way around. Both games will be crucial swing games for Montana. The GRIZ know they need to play well, and build confidence against Sacramento State.  Also, Northern Colorado fully knows an always tough Montana State team will not let up on anyone. Montana State will be very physical against Northern Colorado.  Regardless of how Montana does, I expect a very worn-down Northern Colorado. Hard to fathom Montana State doing the Griz a favor, but it looks like that favor is hopefully in store this weekend. I wonder how that sounds to Montana State fans right now?

As for Sacramento State, Montana handled them pretty easily at Sacramento. The Hornets do not match up well with the Griz in the low blocks. As always, Brian Qvale and Selvig will be the difference in this game if their young guards can dish the ball to them. I expect the GRIZ to get much needed confidence, and experience in Cherry's absence in this game. I expect some inconsistent execution from Montana. It will not be enough for Sacramento State to pull off an upset. 

Will the GRIZ be heading into the Northern Colorado game with new-found confidence? Or further frustration?  I will let you answer this for yourself. Better get to the game and find out for yourselves. Stay Tuned for Northern Colorado!  GO GRIZ!

UM assistant Bill Evans: Teaching players to 'WANT TO' play defense

BY: GLENN JUNKERT

Montana assistant Coach Bill Evans was hired by heach coach Wayne Tinkle in the summer of 2007 after serving 15 years as head coach of the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds in Cedar City, Utah. During his tenure as Thunderbirds’ coach, Evans compiled a 209-223 record (most wins by a coach in SUU history), a .480 mark, and led his team to a 2001 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

PHOTO: Montana assistant coach Bill Evans congratulates long time Big Sky referee Byrne Haskins on his retirement at a game earlier this season.

Over Evans' 15 years as SUU coach, his Thunderbird teams had a reputation for hard-nosed defense. It’s a philosophy and a focus he still maintains, according to descriptions by several past and current Griz players, who credit Evans for daily teaching both a physical and mental focus on defense.

During one recent Montana practice session, Evans called a halt to the practice and -- in a stern, but fatherly voice, said: “You are NOT playing defense. You have to WANT to play defense in order to play defense. Ask yourselves, do YOU want to play defense? Your coaches want YOU to play defense. Now YOU have to decide if you want to play defense.”

This year’s Montana players have responded. As of Monday, February 7th, the Grizzlies were the top-ranked Big Sky Conference team in five team categories.

Evans, however, credits Montana head coach Wayne Tinkle as the architect of the Grizzlies’ defensive focus, and says he’s “fortunate” and “blessed” to have the opportunity to work with TInkle and the other members of the Grizzly coaching staff.

Recently, Grizzly Journal conducted a 15-minute interview with Evans. The transcript of that interview is printed below.
 
GRIZZLY JOURNAL --  Can you describe your early basketball experiences? Did you play college ball?

Well, I was a bad player. I played at Southern Utah. I was a bad player, but I always wanted to coach. I always wanted to do it. I’m glad I did. It’s been a great experience, it’s been a great career and I’ve really enjoyed it.

GJ -- How did you make your way to Montana?

You know, I’m very fortunate to be here. Initially, one of my former assistants at Southern Utah was going to come here and coach. Things didn’t work out (because) Coach Tinkle felt like he needed to go another direction, and so my former assistant said, “Well, why don’t you talk to Coach Evans?” And one thing led to another and Coach Tinkle ended up sticking his neck out a little bit in hiring an older guy.

I think the defensive end is a very important part of the floor and I think it takes less talent to do that, and so I guess my being an under-talented player in college and as a coach, too I.... I just think you can do that if you do it at a high level of intensity and your focus is good and you want to do that. If you want to do it. On the other end (offense) it takes more skill and more ability, you know., but on the defensive end you can work to accomplish things. It’s like anything... if you don’t want to do it, or you don’t want to do it at your best, then you’re going to get what you get, and the results are going to be bad. But I do think that it’s a lot easier to play at the defensive end than it is at the offensive end, let me tell you that.

Q: Several players from last year’s team -- Ryan Staudacher in particular -- told me that you helped to change their attitudes about defense, as well as how they play defense. What are the key factors in convincing college players to “buy into” hard-nosed defense?

EVANS: First off. We’re not going to be a good defensive team if Coach Tinkle doesn’t want us to be a good defensive team. Coach and I have talked a lot about defense and he’s far far brighter than me regarding basketball. I mean that seriously. He does things on the offensive end where he’ll see things that I can’t see. Defense is important to Coach Tinkle... if it wasn’t, then we wouldn’t be a good defensive team. 

PHOTO RIGHT: Evans and head coach Wayne Tinkle discuss strategy with assistant Andy Hill.

I appreciate the comments that Ryan made. I’m enthusiastic about basketball. I feel that I’m blessed that I can do this. We have a philosophy here, and it’s a simple plan. on how we guard screens, on how we guard ball screens. It’s a simple plan and our guys are able to understand what we want. They don’t look over at us and ask, “How are we going to guard that, coach?” They know how to guard because we work on it in practice. If we didn’t work on it, we wouldn’t be good at it.

The one thing that we have here... we have enough depth, that if you don’t do it the way that we want it done... the only thing we have to hold over their heads is the bench. But we don’t have to do that much because they understand that Coach Tinkle will use the bench. You know, in the pros, they fine you 50 thousand dollars. In college, you sit down. And Coach will do that. Guys don’t want to sit down next to me, so they’re going to guard the way we want them to guard. I think our auxiliary guys are very, very important to our success.

  Q: Early on, opponents like Portland and USF had success against the Griz by using a packed-in zone defense. Was that a “blessing in disguise” for the Griz? How important has it been for Montana to have success against zone defenses?

EVANS -- I think those things were really important for us in league play. It doesn’t matter what we do outside of league. I’m glad we’re 16 and 7.  I’m glad we beat UCLA, I’m glad we beat Oregon State. I’m glad we beat Fullerton on the road. I’m glad we did that... and learning along the way. Certainly those games helped us for conference, but this is the most important time of year for us.

Early on we weren’t shooting the THREE very well, but we’ve got the right guys shooting. It doesn’t matter what zone teams play, you’re still one-on-one in the post and we still throw the ball into the post. And I think Derek is very good against zones because he’s such a good passer. And Art’s done a good job right around the basket against zones and so has Brian. We have enough good three-point shooting that you can’t just do this to Brian. You have to space it out a little bit and guard on the wing and on the corners... and Will is very good at getting into the gaps. So, I just think that we have enough components that we can play well against a man or a zone defense. 

GJ -- As of this weekend, MONTANA was leading the Big Sky in several categories including: Scoring Defense (61.0 ppg allowed); Field Goal Defense (.399); Blocked Shots (4.9 pg); Steals (6.8 pg); and, Defensive rebounds (24.8 pg). What do the players need to focus on to improve their defensive efficiency?

EVANS -- I think we’re playing well defensively. But I tell you one thing: don’t ever underestimate that big guy back there (Brian Qvale) who’s the all-time leading shot-blocker in the history of the school and the conference. You can’t ever underestimate what he does for us defensively. If you get beat off the dribble --  and that happens from time to time cause it happens to everybody -- they’ve still got to score the ball over a guy who’s really good at blocking shots.

One thing that Coach Tinkle and I were frustrated at early is that we weren’t as good at defending from the three point line. The way we guard... we might guard you differently than we guard Joe Blow, or Sam Stone or Adam Whatever... so consequently, if he’s a three-point shooter, we understand that and so we go guard that guy to take away that particular facet of his game.  So, when good shooters make open shots, we’re frustrated with that. Because he shouldn’t get open shots.

GJ -- At the beginning of this season, Montana was considered a young team, and a long shot to challenge for the Big Sky Conference title. Who and what are the factors for Montana’s success thus far?
   
EVANS -- Well, I think this team has very high character. I think that’s one thing that stands out. And I think that Coach Tinkle’s done an outstanding job of molding our TEAM (verbal emphasis). We have a good basketball team.

I think Will and Brian and Derek are really, really good players. And that helps, because good players help us become better coaches. I think that guys like Shawn Stockton and Jordon Wood and even talented guys like Kareem Jamar and Art Steward have accepted less responsibility at the offensive end because they understand what Coach wants to have done -- which is, simply, to throw the ball to Brian Qvale and get out of Will’s way.

Now, that’s a very simple explanation of what we do offensively, ecause we’re way more complex than that. And then, Derek presents matchup problems with his skill level and his understanding of the game, which are his strengths. He has tremendous skill level for a big guy.

GJ -- It just seems to get harder from here on out. What are 2-3 key factors for this young team to focus on from here on? PHOTO RIGHT -- Evans, Hill and Tinkle in a game earlier this season.
   
EVANS -- All the games from here on are really important for us. The road is tough. And it might be tougher for us with each game we play... to win on the road. They (all other Big Sky Conf. teams) all have good players, they all have good coaches. But Northern Arizona and Weber State have done something that we haven’t done: beat Northern Colorado. I understand that from here on they’re all critical (games).

So, from here on in the season, I think consistency and a balanced mind frame are equally important. I don’t think we should get overly elated when we win, because we don’t want to get overly dejected when we lose. Should we be happy when we win? Absolutely. Should we be disappointed when we lose? Asolutely. But we can’t go jump off a bridge because we lose, and we can’t get too excited when we win because we always have a next game.

That’s the thing about athletics: it should keep you grounded.  That’s the maturity we’ve got this year... so consequently, they have been keeping themselves grounded.

GJ -- What specific focus does this team need in order to Challenge for the Big Sky Title?

EVANS -- Complacency is a bad thing. We need to guard against complacency. We need to understand it’ll get you beat. I don’t think we need special things to get us all pumped up to play basketball. If they stay focused and understand the importance of every game, there are rewards at the end. And right now there are only 30 teams, maybe 50, that are playing for the opportunity to win a league championship, and we’re one of them. We have a chance to be one of them.

BILL EVANS BIOGRAPHY: Bill Evans played college basketball at Southern Utah, which he credits as the starting point of a 34-year career in coaching. Evans has been a high school and college basketball coach, starting with a successful tenure as coach of the New Orleans Port Sulphur high school team, before moving on to the college level with stints as a volunteer assistant at Southern Utah (1983-4), a grad assistant at Idaho State University (1984-85), an assistant at Southern Utah (1985-86), and coach at Alaska Anchorage (1986-90) before serving as head coach at his alma mater Southern Utah from 1992-2007. Evans led the Thunderbirds to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001, coached 27 All-conference players and accumulated 209 career wins, most in SUU history.

Evans earned his B.A. degree in physical education at Southern Utah in 1972 and received a master’s degree in athletic administration from ISU in 1985.

Bill and his wife, Sunny, have five children: Quentin, Dave, Tori, Trajan, and Kansas.

GAME PHOTOS: Lady Griz v.s. Northern Arizona & Idaho State

Finally got game-action photos posted for the Lady Griz wins over Northern Arizona (84-61) and over Idaho State from a week earlier (61-54).

The Photos are in separate galleries on The Grizzly Journal photo site.

Photos of the Montana-Northern Arizona game can be viewed by clicking on the photo to the right, or clicking on the header below:

MONTANA 84, NORTHERN ARIZONA 61.

Photos of the Montana- Idaho State game can be viewed by clicking on the Montana-ISU action photo to the right, or on the header below:

MONTANA 61, IDAHO STATE 54

 

 

 

Injury to Cherry poses challenge to coaches, teammates

BY: ROYCE BIDWELL

Life on the road is never easy, usually difficult, and frustrating. The youthful Montana Grizzlies were introduced quite well to difficult, and frustrating at Weber State, and Northern Arizona. Until this road swing, Montana had overcome road swings with road splits, which often determines who hosts the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Montana's just finished road trip, its youth, and added adversity caused an unexpected turn for the worse. Will Cherry's ankle injury turned out to be a devastating blow a youthful Grizzly team was not ready for, and did not overcome. What will come from this road trip and Will Cherry's injury?

(1) COACHING CHALLENGE -- Wayne Tinkle's coaching staff will surely notice some things that need to again be improved and/or strategic changes to compensate for this injury. Wings Art Steward and Kareem Jamar will likely see additional minutes at shooting guard. Guard Shawn Stockton's role and importance has increased. Kareem Jamar impressed me with his intensity, attitude, and better than expected decision making.

(2) COMPETITION AT GUARD -- Competition for Cherry's minutes will likely step up intensity. Can any combination of Jordan Wood, Chase Adams, and Vaughn Autry adequately step up?  If so, Who will step up? Based on a game and a half, Montana has its work cut out to determine who it is and how.   Purely from a speculative point of view, in limited action, I have been more impressed with Freshman Vaughn Autry, and to me he is the best choice.

This difficult decision is entirely for the players to determine on the court, and the coaches to commit to. Do the GRIZ stay faithful to older players? Or do they give a very talented freshman room to grow this year, and for the future?  Usually the older players are given first chance in a close competition, and if they do not step up, opportunity then opens up for the younger ,talented player. In a sense, to date, Wayne Tinkle has already progressively done that prior to Will Cherry's injury.

Will it be time to test the younger player?  That decision is one only Tinkle, and his staff, can make. I do hope whatever the decision is, they stick with the player.  In my opinion, this is the biggest decision they have had to make this season. The reality of this decision is, it can, and likely will be the decision that makes or breaks the GRIZ for the remainder of the season. At the very least until Will Cherry's return.

PHOTOS -- Griz backup guards who will compete for playing time if injured starter Will Cherry is unable to return this week: (Top) Freshman Vaughn Autry, (Middle) junior Jordan Wood, (Bottom) sophomore Chase Adams.

Fortunately, Montana will have the luxury of being back home to test whatever the decision is. Home court alone should help relax each player. The support of home fans will make a huge difference toward making a difficult transition easier.

I wish a quick, and full recovery to Cherry. I also wish the team, and each player, the best during however long they are without Will Cherry. I will end this by letting Vaughn Autry, Jordan Wood, and Chase Adams know, "There is a reason each of you are playing Division 1 basketball."  That reason is a coaching staff that visualized each of you as Division 1 players. They know each of you are capable of great things, on and off the court. I know one, or all can pass this test with flying colors.

Here is to a successful return home of great GRIZ basketball.