Billy Reader Transfers to College of Southern Idaho

Word has come out that sophomore forward Billy Reader will be transferring from Montana to JUCO College of Southern Idaho. The first source I saw was David Bashore on Twitter.

Reader was a redshirt freshman this season, but he was declared ineligible for the second semester. The academic troubles continued, and eventually he decided to move on (likely with Coach Tinkle's blessing) and resume his career at CSI.

Reader didn't get a ton of time, but he flashed some nice talent. He was perhaps the Grizzlies best true post scorer, and he would have gotten better with time. However, he struggled with defensive assignments, and that is a good way to not get consistent minutes until Tinkle.

With post Derek Selvig graduating, the frontcourt rotation after incumbent Mathias Ward is a bit up for grabs. Returnee Eric Hutchison could get a look (as could true freshman Andy Martin), but my money at this point is on Marko Kavacevic to eventually earn the starter minutes. It will be an interesting battle to watch on the team that will be projected to win the conference for the second straight season.

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Montana Beats Long Beach State 73-71

Photo from The Missoulian

I will get to more on the Thanksgiving holiday soon, but for now I just wanted to focus on the biggest game in the Big Sky over the break - Montana beating Long Beach State 73-71 in Missoula.

Long Beach State was a team that was a getting a lot of respect on national blogs like CBS, as well as being ranked #8 in the Mid-Major top 25. However, I knew Montana had the talent to beat them, and they showed it on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies admittedly had no answer for TJ Robinson, but the key was that they slowed down Casper Ware, who had an inefficient 15 points. Ware is the best player in the Big West, and the Griz should be commended for their work on him. It was a team effort too, as Will Cherry was plagued by some foul trouble and was only able to play 27 minutes (though Cherry did score 13 points, all in the second half).

The biggest key other than defense on Ware was that the big guys stepped up. Here are the lines for the four bigs:

Derek Selvig - 25 mins, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Billy Reader - 21 mins, 8 points, 2 rebounds
Mathias Ward - 21 mins, 9 points, 8 rebounds
Eric Hutchison - 11 mins, 5 points, 2 rebounds

Anytime Montana can get 36 points and 18 rebounds from their PF/C spots, they are going to be extremely difficult to beat. It was a very encouraging effort from all those guys.

Of course, Montana is still not getting much respect for the win (probably in part because they lost at North Dakota on Wednesday -- but a lot of teams are going to lose to UND this year, they have a really solid team). From CBS:

Long Beach State has its opportunities against big boys, but it can't blow the games like it did against Montana, falling 73-71. Louisville is next.

No talk on how the Grizzlies forced Casper Ware into 4/12 shooting with their typical stifling defense, but talk of the 49ers "blowing the game." As if the Big Sky needed more locker room material, that certainly works.

Huge win for Montana and the Big Sky as a whole.

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Derek Selvig Returns As Montana Beats San Diego

Montana took down San Diego for a nice road victory on Sunday, but the biggest story for them was the return of big man Derek Selvig.

In Montana's 73-60 victory, Selvig did not start, but he played 23 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Selvig opened things up a bit for the Griz, who had their best offensive output of the season. Montana shot a sizzling 60% from the field.

Kareem Jamar was the high scorer with 14, including 4/4 from beyond the arc. He also had 5 assists and 5 rebounds. They also got 13 points from Will Cherry, but he did turn the ball over 7 times. The big key was contributions from the big men. Billy Reader had the best game of his young career, with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Mathias Ward contributed 10 points as well.

If Montana can consistently get efforts like that from the big men, they are a serious threat to Weber State. Suddenly, the 1 point victory over Great Falls is forgotten, and the Griz are looking like one of the top 2 teams in the Big Sky again.

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Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado gave a nice effort, losing 78-69 against Northern Iowa, but it just wasn't enough.

The star of the game for the Bears was guard Paul Garnica, who finished with a career high 22 points. He also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Garnica shot 6/9 from downtown, and is slowly morphing into their go-to guy. Tate Unruh was the only other guy in double figures, as he had 12 points. The Bears were undone by their 25 turnovers, as well as lack of production up front. Five Panthers scored in double figures.

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Montana Beats Idaho, Some Questions Still Remain

Montana took down Idaho 57-52 on Thursday night, mostly on the back of an outstanding game by junior PG Will Cherry.

His 24 points certainly didn't hurt. The career-high 11 rebounds - from a 6-foot-1 point guard - were crucial. His 4-for-6 effort from 3-point range certainly got the crowd of 2,684 fired up against the Grizzlies' former Big Sky Conference rival.

And the six points Cherry limited the Vandals' Deremy Geiger to - 10 below his team-best average - certainly looked big after the Griz survived a near second-half collapse.

After struggling a bit in the first two games of the year, Cherry played like the First-Team Big Sky player that he is against the Vandals. His 24 points and 11 rebounds were game highs, and the rebounds were especially important for a team that struggled rebounding earlier this season. He also led the team with 4 assists and 2 steals, and played outstanding defense on Idaho G Deremy Geigel. All in all, it is far to say he carried the Grizzlies.

Cherry needed to carry them on this game, because once again the frontcourt did not produce. Still without Derek Selvig, here is the stat line for the Grizzlies three bigs (Mathias Ward, Billy Reader, Eric Hutchison): 64 minutes, 9 points, 8 rebounds, 11 fouls. That is simply not going to get it done. Even if they do not provide a lot of offensive pop (which Selvig will help provide when he is back), they need to contribute rebounding the basketball, where they have not been good. Mathias Ward had 1 rebound in 32 minutes.

Montana is 3-1 but there is certainly a lot of work to be done to get to where they want to be. Wiith games at San Diego on Sunday, and then a trip to North Dakota and home date against Long Beach State next week, they quickly have a chance to pick up some nice wins. According to Griz Basketball, "Selvig was not in uniform Thursday, but he was out of the boot that he’s been wearing since spraining his left ankle in an exhibition win over Lewis-Clark State on Nov. 3."

The Grizzlies are getting better, but they need the bigs to show up this week. If they do, Montana has a chance to distingush themselves from a lot of the Big Sky.

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Montana Escapes With 60-59 Win Over Great Falls

Didn't watch the game and don't have time to go deep into it, but it is not a good sign for Montana that they narrowly beat Great Falls 60-59 at home.

From reports, Griz led by 11 at halftime and as much as 15 in the second half, but Great Falls came back to take a three point lead with 6:49 to play. It should be a good learning experience for the Griz. Kareem Jamar led the team with 14 and 14, and Billy Reader also had a nice game.

Montana fans, what happened?

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Montana Falls to Colorado State 64-58

I made the trek up to Ft. Collins on Friday night to watch Montana take on Colorado State, and was treated to a defensive slugfest. The Grizzlies shot 41% from the field, the Rams shot 40%, and neither team was in sync offensively (no doubt with help from the opposing defenses). Here are some of the notes from the game that I jotted down.

- The biggest factor in the game was the huge rebounding disparity. CSU outrebounded the Griz 43-24, including 11 offensive rebounds to 3. The biggest of the game was with about 35 seconds left. CSU was up 3 with the ball, and the shot clock was winding down. They had to force a shot, and because of a switch Will Cherry was stuck trying to box out Pierce Hornung (who finished with 12 rebounds), and Hornung rebounded the miss, and that was essentially the ballgame. At the end of the ballgame, the Griz lineup looked like: Cherry-Stockton-Jamar-Steward-Weisner.

- Of the big guys we talked about stepping in, Mathias Ward probably had the best game. He was 4/5 from the field and displayed good range on his jumpshot out to 18 feet. However, I suspect he was on the bench in crunch time because he only had 1 rebound in 20 minutes. Eric Hutchison was solid defensively in his 22 minutes of action, with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. He is not very skilled offensively, but he did use his body well to get a couple easy buckets. Billy Reader his a nice jump hook on the block early in the first half, but then essentially disappeared the rest of the game. He strangely is not appearing the box score that I got, but he definitely played (trust me!). He was simply not a factor.

- Will Cherry definitely still is inconsistent on his jump shot, which I thought was the biggest thing he needed to work on. He was 1/5 from beyond the arc, and all were good looks. He did hit a big 3 midway through the 2nd half, but missed an open one with the Griz down 59-56 with 2 minutes to play. He struggled a bit with his midrange jumper as well, as he missed a couple of good looks. I suspect that will come in time. He played almost the whole game and drew a tough defensive assignment, so I'm not sure if fatigue was a factor at all. He was assertive at the end of the game, and got to the foul line a couple times late to keep the game tight. I believe his first rest came with about 10 minutes left to play in the second half, and his absence was felt immediately. With Montana down 48-39, he sat on the bench and Montana immediately turned it over before they even got in their set. On the other end, Jesse Carr hit an open 3, and all of a sudden it was 51-39.

- Art Steward and Kareem Jamar were both plagued with first half foul trouble, and that was a big factor. Montana struggled to get good looks without them in there, and the lack of Derek Selvig was definitely felt. They weren't able to get open shots, and it didn't seem like anyone other than Cherry was able to get a shot for himself or for a teammate. It almost seemed at times like the offense was running through Shawn Stockton.

- Kareem Jamar played an excellent second half, and he is a guy that can create shots. He is athletic, and good range on his jumper, and gets down low and battles for rebounds. They also effectively got him the ball on the block, and he showed an ability to score on smaller defenders down there. He was the best on the team last night at getting his own shot. He finished 5/10 with 12 points, and also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

- Two guys hit big 3s. With Montana down 30-20, Michael Weisner hit a big 3 to make it 30-23 going into the break, which had to be a nice lift (CSU coach Tim Miles said after the game... "33 hit a big shot at the end of the half... I don't even know his name"). Near the end of the game, Art Steward his a huge 3 to cut the lead to 58-56, and it looked like the Griz had momentum. Unfortunately, Wes Eikmeier responded with an NBA range 3 on the next possession, and Montana would never cut it to 2 again.

- Of the freshman, Kevin Henderson was the first to see action. He played two minutes but had little to no impact. Jordan Gregory played 6 minutes but also was unable to provide any type of spark. Keron DeShields did not play, but he was the guy that is always trying to sit closer to the coach on the bench to get noticed. It didn't work in this game, but I liked his attitude!

- The above photo of Coach Tinkle in the huddle talking to the guys was snapped by my lovely wife! Selvig was off to the left in the black sweatsuit. He was walking gingerly but his limp from the sprain was not too bad.

All in all, it is a disappointing loss but not a bad loss. I think it is definitely a game Montana thinks they could have won, but they were definitely impacted by the loss of Selvig, both in rebounding and in creating some shots for teammates. Miles said that Montana, "Came in a man down and really did a great job," but the Griz won't be taking a moral victory here. They had a chance to win a game on the road against a quality opponent and just came up a little bit short.

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Billy Hutchinson Will Start If Derek Selvig Can't Play

We took a look at what Montana's frontcourt looks like without Derek Selvig, and now there is an article from Montana Kaimin that confirms that Eric Hutchinson would get the start against Colorado State if Derek Selvig can't play.

"We're bringing him on the trip," Tinkle said. "I know it's probably unlikely he'll play, but I'm not ruling it out. If he's not ready, he's not ready. We're not going to make him play injured."

If the 7-foot, 230-pound Selvig is unable to play, Tinkle said it is likely 6-foot-9, 230-pound sophomore Eric Hutchison would start in his place.

It is a little interesting, as I thought Billy Reader would have gotten the start, since he played more minutes in their exhibition game, but Tinkle must have liked the strong rebounding ability of Hutchinson. Either way, Reader will certainly get a lot of minutes.

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Montana's Frontcourt Without Derek Selvig

The biggest question mark for Montana heading into the season was their frontcourt after the loss of Brian Qvale, and that frontcourt will have a little less depth for the opener on Friday. Derek Selvig, who hurt his ankle in their exhibition game, is a game-time decision according to Griz Central, but I have a hard time believing he will be ready to play.

In case he is not, Wayne Tinkle is going to have to improvise. The guy that will be most relied on is Mathias Ward, a skilled offensive player at 6'7''. Ward had 11 points in 23 minutes against Lewis-Clark State, and looks to be the top option in the post. He is not a great rebounder but he will provide some scoring inside.

A couple other guys that will see significant minutes are Billy Reader and Eric Hutchinson. Hutchinson is a sophomore that is a bit raw, but has a lot of upside as a defender and rebounder. In the exhibition he had 4 rebounds in 6 minutes. I think Reader will get the start, and he has a lot of upside. He is a redshirt freshman, but is offensively skilled.

Colorado State is not deep in the post, and that is a good thing for Montana. Beyond those three guys, the Grizzlies do not have a lot of places to turn to for help. I suspect we will see more than a couple four guard sets, with Art Steward, Kareem Jamar, or Kevin Henderson at the 4.

Safe to say that whether Selvig is able to play a bit or not, we will quickly learn a lot about the rest of the post men for Wayne Tinkle's ballclub.

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Montana's Maroon-Silver Scrimmage Rundown

Griz Basketball has a very nice rundown on the Maroon-Silver scrimmage for Montana basketball, which happened on Thursday the 27th. He touched on (or had quotes about) the biggest issue facing the Grizzlies entering the season - frontcourt talent and depth.

One of the big questions entering the season will be how the Griz fill the shoes of Brian Qvale, the Big Sky Conference’s leading shot blocker who is now playing professionally in Turkey.

Selvig, junior Mathias Ward, sophomore Eric Hutchison and redshirt freshman Billy Reader all played well in the scrimmage.

“(Reader) and Hutch have come a long, long ways,” Selvig said. “Filling Brian’s shoes is going to take all four of us, me Mathias, Billy and Hutch.”

Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said Ward probably has the edge right now to start alongside Selvig in the low post.

Replacing Brian Qvale is a tall task (pun intended), and Montana doesn't have the personnel for a seamless transition. Derek Selvig is the only surefire starter, but he is not a traditional big man.

As Coach Wayne Tinkle said, Mathias Ward has the edge right now. He does some things well, but does not have the rebounding or defensive ability that you would want from a big, especially playing alongside Selvig. My guess is that by the end of the year Billy Reader is going to be the guy alongside Selvig. If they can get solid play from the 5 spot, it will be a great battle with them and Weber State.

The Missoulian also had a nice article on the scrimmage, with a lot of info on the post play, as well as a box score.

Who do you think will end up getting the most minutes down low for the Grizzlies?

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How Will Montana Replace Brian Qvale?

I suspect few people outside of the Big Sky know just how good Brian Qvale was last season (and throughout his career for Montana). He was the Big Sky Defensive POY last year, but he also finished 6th in the conference in scoring (at 14.9 PPG). At 8.8 RPG, he led the Big Sky in rebounding. With 3.0 blocks per game, he had 19 more blocks than anyone else in the conference. He shot 62.6% from the field, which was second in the Big Sky among player that shot more than 25 times on the season.

From KAJ18:

Tinkle has a large void to fill, as starter Brian Qvale has graduated. The 6-11 center led the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg), and was a first team All-Big Sky Conference pick and the league's "Defensive Player of the Year." He also set conference records for career blocks (247) and single-season (95 last year) rejections.

He was extremely efficient offensively, great on the boards, and the best defensive big man in the conference (and one of the best in the country). Safe to say Coach Wayne Tinkle wishes he had another season of eligibility.

All of this begs the question... how is Montana going to replace Brian Qvale?

The first person to look at is Derek Selvig, the 7-footer who has been a constant presence in the lineup. Even though he is a 7-footer, his game is very different from Qvale's. While Qvale was a traditional post player, Selvig is more skilled, and likes to move around the court more. He shot 100 3-pointers last year (making 39), but was not all that efficient inside the arc, shooting just 41.5% from 2s. He is one of the best passing big men in the country, and had an ARate of 19.8, second on the team behind Will Cherry. While his length will still cause defensive problems, it would be huge if he can improve rebounding the ball to make up for some of Qvale's loss.

Another guy that will be counted on is Mathias Ward, although he too is not a traditional big man. He is 6'7'', and a skilled offensive player, but is not great rebounding or on the defensive side of the ball. He has a nice midrange game, and shot over 50% last year (and an impressive 81% from the FT line). However, he struggled guarding physical posts, and posted mediocre rebound rates (7.1 OR%, 10.8 DR%). He can be effective in certain roles, but might have to be hidden a bit defensively. He brings a lot of versatility to the lineup though.

Then there are a couple of guys that played limited minutes as freshman, but will be called on to contribue in Billy Reader and Eric Hutchison. Both are 6'9'' and more traditional centers. Billy Reader seems to have the most upside, and he could be the best post scorer on the Montana roster. Hutchison is more raw, but could be a solid post defender and rebounder.

Without Qvale, things will certainly be different for Montana, as they will not have that dominant defensive big man and efficient low post scorer. It will be up to a combination of guys to replace him... If the bigs can get it done for Montana, another top 3 finish in the Big Sky seems very likely.