Mike Brown Ends Up at Colorado Christian

According to a post from a family member on a message board, former Weber State guard Mike Brown will be playing basketball at Colorado Christian after transferring from the Wildcats.

I just wanted to post an update for those of you who have wondered where Michael would end up playing. He was fortunate enough to have had quite a few options, but has finally settled on Colorado Christian.

It was a difficult decision for Michael to leave Weber State, because he loved his teammates, and really enjoyed his time there, but he realized that he needed to be at a school where he could pursue an education that was more in line with his future goals--working in some form of ministry. I know he is very thankful for the experiences he had, the friendships he made, and the opportunity to be a Wildcat. I also want to thank all of you for being such loyal and supportive fans of the team. Being part of a D1 basketball team was Michael's dream for a very long time, and it's a memory that he will always cherish, in part because the fans made it such an incredible experience. This transfer just moves him closer to another dream that has become his lifelong plan--being able to help people.

I also offer my thanks to those who have been so supportive to Michael at school, in basketball, and on these boards. I'll be there supporting Weber State as much as I can next season (at least as long as they don't schedule any games against CCU)!

Brown was a freshmen last year, but did not see a lot of game action. Still, a lot of people were excited about his potential. From all accounts he is a great kid, and we wish him luck at his next stop (and beyond).

And since Colorado Christian is in Lakewood, CO (where I live and work), maybe I'll even have to go catch one of his games!

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Northern Arizona and Idaho State Take Care Of Business

Picture from Idaho State website.

Northern Arizona and Idaho State had a couple of easy ones on Friday, and thankfully they went out and took care of business in games they should have and did dominate.

The Lumberjacks got their first win against Arizona Christian, winning 103-42. The game was never in doubt, as the Lumberjacks took a 27 point lead into halftime and dominated the second half even more. It is not a game that will boost any resumes or look impressive, but sometimes it is good to just get that first win and to experience playing well to boost confidence. Five players posted double figures, including Stallon Saldivar (with a career-high 17 points and 9 assists) and freshman James Douglas (with 18 points).

They should have another easy win on Tuesday as they take on Northern New Mexico, an NAIA team that has been throttled by both Weber State and Montana State this season.

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Meanwhile, Idaho State took out Colorado Christian 93-66, though it was only a 9 point game at halftime. The Bengals had 6 guys in double figures, led by 16 points from Andre' Hatchett. It was a very nice offensive performance, but Coach O'Brien wasn't super pleased with the first half defense:

“The first six minutes we played like we had been practicing and played with a lot of intensity on the defensive end of the floor,” O'Brien said. “That resulted in some running and easy shot opportunities. They were really frustrated with what they were going to do offensively. They were having a hard time handling Chase, Kenny and Andre's pressure. The last 12 minutes of the half we backed off defensively and started lining up between the ball and the rim. All we did was give up lay ups and commit fouls.”

Still, they figured it out in the second half and coasted for an easy victory. The win improves them to 1-2.

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Montana State Hosts Exhibition Tonight

Montana State will host Colorado Christian tonight in an exhibition, which should be one of the most interesting exhibitions in the Big Sky.

The Bobcats are breaking in a lot of new guys, and I would say their starting five and rotation is a bit more fluid perhaps than any other team in the Conference, so the start of play (other than the intrasquad scrimmage) could tell us a few things about the team.

"I can't say we've had a bunch of guys step forward and grasp spots yet," he said. "We obviously have a starter back at the point guard in Rod Singleton, but Mike Dison has had a great fall. At virtually every other spot we're almost a two-headed monster. We have a couple options at every position, each with different strengths. We're not going to get too caught up in who's starting, especially early on."

If I had to guess, I would say the starting lineup will look something like:

1 Rod Singleton
2/3 Xavier Johnson-Blount
2/3 Jamie Stewart
4 Mohammed Fall
5 Jeff Budinich

But a lot of things are very unsettled, especially in the post.

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