Idaho Primer

As you are most likely aware, Idaho will be joining the Big Sky next season. If you are like me, you don't really know all that much about Idaho. They made it to the WAC title game, we know that much, but what else should we know about their team next season?

(Note: I'm just going through their roster. I will be the first to admit I may have something wrong, or there may be something I don't know. This is just meant to be a quick look at what they might look like next season.)

Last season, they finished 16-18, 7-9 in the WAC. Their strength was offense (so they will fit right into the Big Sky!), as they scored 1.05 PPP (154th in the country(, while allowing 1.12 PPP (312th in the country). The previous year, they scored 1.08 PPP (57th), and allowed 1.12 PPP (337th). They play at a relatively high pace - their tempo would have been the third fastest in the Big Sky after Eastern Washington and North Dakota.

Based on minutes played, they lose two of their top six players, including former Big Sky member Glen Dean, and Stephen Madison. Dean averaged 9.0 points and 2.4 assists, while Madison led the team at 20.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. So those are big losses, but there still should be some good returning talent on hand.

The leading scorer will likely be guard Connor Hill, who averaged 14.2 PPG this past season. He shot 41% on threes last season, while taking over seven of them per game. He shot 234 threes vs 127 twos, though that ratio is a good thing when you are shooting such a solid percentage. He doesn't grab many rebounds or create shots for others, but he doesn't turn the ball over either.

Getting him the ball will be the job of Mike Scott, who will also be a senior. He is an average scorer, but he had a nice 22.4 Assist Rate vs just a 13.7 TO Rate. He has the chance to be a good lead guard for the Vandals. Another guy that shows promise is guard Sekou Wiggs. As a freshman last season, he was third on the team in scoring, and third in rebounding. He doesn't have much of an outside shot yet, but he is relentless attacking the rim, and was 26th in the country in the rate of fouls that he drew. He shot 66% from the stripe, and if he can boost that up a little bit, he can be a big-time scorer for the Vandals this season.

A couple others guys to touch on is big man Ty Egbert, who was also solid as a freshman. He played 12 minutes a game, but showed flashes of being a good contributor. He shot 59% on his limited attempts (though he was awful at the FT line). Joining him up front could be Bira Seck, an excellent rebounder that snagged 11.1% of offensive rebounds and 19.2% of defensive rebounds.

As I look into the recruiting class for the teams, I will research more on them, but this was a quick look at their roster. Would appreciate any insight from those that are a bit more knowledgeable about the Vandals.

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Glen Dean Will Transfer to Idaho

This is not Big Sky related per se, but I am thinking it will be of interest to Big Sky fans.

Glen Dean, who started his career at Eastern Washington before transferring to Utah, will now transfer to Idaho for his senior season. Dean will be a senior but eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer. He averaged 5.5 points per game last year for the Utes.

His connection to Idaho is obvious - former Eastern Washington head coach Kirk Earlywine is the director of player development for the Vandals, which I am sure was a huge influence for him. After transferring from EWU, Dean had to undergo brain surgery, so I think everyone is happy to see that he has made a successful recovery. Dean has the talent to be a nice player for the Vandals in his final collegiate season.

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Story on Former EWU Guard Glen Dean

Whenever the words brain surgery are in the title of a story, you know it is scary.

Point guard Glen Dean underwent successful brain surgery Wednesday at University Hospital to repair an undisclosed condition. The Spokesman Review, in Spokane, Wash., reported that Dean suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his brain.

Best wishes to Dean for a full and speedy recovery, hopefully we will see him back out on the court.

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Departing Stars of The Big Sky Conference

It may be bad form to link to your own posts, but so be it.

Just in case you missed it (I posted these awhile ago, and readership has gone up since then), I wrote up some posts about how certain teams will replace their departed stars. In case you are interested, here are the posts:

Eastern Washington - Glen Dean
Idaho State - Broderick Gilchrist, Deividas Busma
Montana - Brian Qvale
Montana State - Bobby Howard, Erik Rush
Northern Arizona - Cameron Jones
Northern Colorado - Devon Beitzel

If you are interested in having me look at any other departed players and the holes they are leaving, just let me know and I would be happy to write up my thoughts.

Looking In On Larry Krystowiak

Solid blog post by ESPN on new Utah (and former Montana coach and player) Head Man Larry Krystowiak.

But in two seasons as a college head coach before leaving for the pros, Krystkowiak twice led his alma mater, Montana, to the NCAA tournament. His last college victory came in the 2006 tourney, when his gritty 12th-seeded Grizzlies upended Nevada in the first round.

Current Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, then an assistant under Krystkowiak, doesn’t recall much of a celebration after the team’s upset win. Krystkowiak had instilled a sense of confidence that made it seem like just another victory.

“We expected to beat Nevada,” Tinkle said. “People that watched that game said, ‘Why weren’t you doing cartwheels?’”

If Krystowiak is going to have success early in his career, he will need some help from former Eastern Washington PG Glen Dean, who transferred to Utah and will be eligible in 2012-13. It will be interesting to see if Krystowiak is able to achieve success for a depleted Utes club.

How Will Eastern Washington Replace Glen Dean?

We are slowly making our way through the departed stars of the Big Sky, and now it is time to take a look at the one who didn't go via graduation - Glen Dean of Eastern Washington.

After the firing of Kirk Earlywine and hiring of Jim Hayford, Dean originally said he was going to be sticking around for the Eagles, before changing his mind and departing for Utah, where he will have to sit out a season. On first blush, a Big Sky team (that finished 10-20) losing a 2nd team Big Sky performer as a sophomore sounds like a huge loss, but the good thing for EWU is that they are deep in the backcourt and should have the talent to make up for his departure.

Returning, they have 3 guards that got a lot of PT last season and will not be fazed by having bigger roles this year. The best among them may be Jeffrey Forbes, who had the highest ORtg on the team as a sophomore. What made him so effective was his 3-point shooting, as it was at 41% on 134 attempts (compared to 92 2PT attempts). He could stand to improve his assist rate, but he doesn't commit a ton of turnovers and his true shooting % was a cool 58%.

Also back are a couple of guys that can put up points in a hurry. One is Cliff Colimon, who averaged 10.4 PPG as a junior, including scoring 27 points in the Eagles Big Sky Tourney game against Weber St. After Dean, he had the highest ARate on the team, but also has a propensity to turn the ball over. There is nothing wrong with his 51.3 EFG%, and if he can combine it with being a little better of a distributor for EWU, he will be a very solid contributor.

Quick - name the player on EWU that scored 39 points in a game last season? Bet you didn't say Kevin Winford, who also had a 28 point game. Ait 5'11'', he doesn't pull down many rebounds, and doesn't get a lot of assists (though he has a solid TO rate), but he is a streak shooter than can put up points in a hurry. He took a team high 187 3s last year, making a respectable 35%. If he can push that up even a couple points, he will be extremely dangerous.

Then there are a couple of newcomes who should have big roles for EWU. One is Collin Chiverton, a JUCO recruit who should immediately be one of the best athletes in the Big Sky. He is a wing player, but will be counted on heavily to put points on the board. He was a top 150 recruit out of high school and looks to be a difference-maker for Jim Hayford.

Then there is redshirt Willie Hankins, a guy that EWU fans are very excited about. If he can stay motivated and play consistently, he could be a starter and have a big role in the offense. EWU spread the ball around well last year, and with diverse options in the backcourt such as Hankins, it is easy to envision a similar scenario this year.

Eastern Washington was an interesting team stylistically last season as they were one of the smallest teams in the country and yet played at a below-average tempo. It will be interesting to see if Jim Hayford brings more of a running style to Cheney, because even with the loss of Dean, they will be guard-oriented. My gut feeling is that we could see the Eagles finish in the top half of the Big Sky, and get some office space nyc.

Transfers Out Of The Big Sky (Part 1)

After checking out some of the transfers into the Big Sky, let's check some of the players transferring out (Note: this won't cover players who are leaving the teams because of personal issues or academics):

After the firing of head coach Kirk Earlywine (and his career record of 42-78), it shouldn't have been a surprise that some players might transfer out. Even at Arkansas, which had likely the most applauded hire of the offseason (with Mike Anderson), their best player, Rotnei Clarke, transferred out. So it's no surprise that they had a high number of transfers.

- Glen Dean (EWU) - After initially saying that he would stay and play for new coach Jim Hayford, he apparently changed his mind, and will transfer to Utah. There he will sit out a year, and have 2 years of eligibility remaining.

First, the bad news. He was the best player on the Eagles last year, finished 2nd team all Big Sky, and would have been one of the top candidates for POY in the Big Sky. He had a nice assist rate, cut down on his turnovers, and shot 42% from downtown (though just 36% from 2s). He would have been the biggest building block for Coach Hayford.

Now, the good news. EWU is very deep in the backcourt, and should be able to recover pretty well. Cliff Colimon will be a senior, and he score in a variety of ways (27 points in the Big Sky Tourney game last year). He was second on the team in assist rate, though they will need him to be a better distributor. Kevin Winford is probably the least known player to have scored 39 points in a single game last season. Jeffrey Forbes played almost 80% of the team's minutes last season and shot 90% from the FT line and 41% from 3PT.

In addition, Willie Hankins redshirted last season, and Eastern Washington folks are very excited about his potential. Wing man Collin Chiverton was a top 150 recruit out of high school, and should be in the running for Newcomer of the Year in the Big Sky after a successful JUCO career. Losing Dean will hurt them, but they should be able to make do just fine with all that backcourt talent coming back.

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- Rashano McRae and Carter Warnock (EWU) - Word came out that these two were going to be "exploring options in Division II and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics basketball teams." McRae played in 23 games as a junior (his first year), but had very minimal impact. The 6'7'' McRae scored only 21 points with 29 rebounds in 175 minutes of action. He played double digit minutes in his first four games, and then only 3 times for the rest of the season, so it should not be a huge loss, especially with the signing of JUCO F Jordan Hickert. I don't believe McRae has decided where he will go, or at least I have not seen anything.

Warnock was 6'9'' and redshirted his freshman year before deciding to leave with the coaching change. He is tall but thin, and likely would not have made a major impact for the team next season, despite a thin frontcourt. He transferred to Point Loma, which, if you hadn't heard of that university before right this moment, you are not alone.

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- Vaughn Autry (Montana) - Autry was seen as a solid recruit coming out of high school (he originally committed to Utah St before winding up at Montana), but things just didn't really work out in his year for the Griz. He averaged less than 10 minutes per game and scored 1.5 PPG, but has decided to transfer closer to his home in Los Angeles. From Mslacat in March of 2010:

I think with Autry’s athleticism and strong defensive skills will make it tough for him not to be in the mix for playing time next year. I think his skills will fit the needs the Griz will have next year. If he could develop a consistent three point shot it would be a lock.

I'm sure Wayne Tinkle would have liked to have kept Autry around, but they should have the depth to overcome his departure.

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- Casey Trujeque (Montana St) - This is another case of a player from California transferring to be closer to home. At 5'9'', Trujeque struggled to find his own shot as a freshman (shooting under 30%), but looked to have a nice future as a playmaker. He had an Assist Rate of 26.8, which is very solid, and was third on the team in assists despite playing about 9 minutes per game. He likely would have seen an increased role next year, and could have been starting by his junior year, so his loss will be felt in the Bobcats program.

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- David Arnold (Northern Colorado) - After two seasons, Arnold decided to transfer to MSU-Billings for his final two years. The CO native was not a big factor for the Bears, playing in only 9 games last year (after 21 as a freshman), and scoring 20 total points in his 2 seasons. While it is possible he could have earned more playing time, I can't imagine the Bears coaches are too broken up about his departure.

PART 2 to follow...