Marko Kovacevic Commits to Utah

Marko Kovacevic was supposed to be a key member of Montana's frontcourt this season before he was ruled ineligible because of academic issues.

Now he will definitely never suit up for the Grizzlies, as the Salt Lake Tribune reports that he has committed to the University of Utah, and will play there after spending another year at Western Nebraska Community College.

He looked like he would have been a solid start for the Grizzlies, and the Big Sky is a little worse since he is not eligible to play this year. Hopefully he has a successful career.

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Where Will Montana Get Frontcourt Production?

 

When the preseason polls come out, it is likely that Montana will be ranked first in both the coaches and media polls, even with Will Cherry missing the start of the season. It is understandable, because they were that good last year, and they do return a lot of talent.

However, the elephant in the room for them is this - where are they going to get frontcourt production?

On one hand, they were not a frontcourt dominated team last year. Their best post up player was probably their two guard, Kareem Jamar (which will be the case again this year), and their big men were not guys that would go down on the block. However, Derek Selvig (their starting five last year), added a bunch of production in many ways. Art Steward (their starting three), was a glue guy that did it all for the Grizzlies. I think these guys will be missed a little bit more than people think.

Mathias Ward is the returning frontcourt player for Montana. He is an outstanding player that averaged almost 11 points per game, and you could see him getting more comfortable as the season went along. He will be a major part of their offense. However, his game is as a jump shooter. He will not provide inside scoring.

Part of the frontcourt production was supposed to be taken care of by JUCO big man Marko Kovacevic, who averaged 12 and 8 last year in junior college. He looked like he could be the legitimate post threat that Montana did not have last year. However, he was ruled academically ineligible, and likely won't be able to play all season.

Who does that leave? Eric Hutchison is the most experienced, though he played just 7.2 minutes per game last year. He is a banger, and the Grizzlies hope he can provide tough defense and rebounding down low. Spencer Coleman is projected to start at the three, but there is word that he could play some smallball four as well. He will be a stud, and playing the four could provide them with their most talented lineup. Michael Weisner got a little time as well, but at a skinny 6'7'' might not hold up to the rigors of playing too much as a post player.

Then there are a couple of freshmen options. Andy Martin is a little more traditional as a big man, since he is a legit 7-footer, but he seems too raw to be a consistent threat. The more likely option could be Jake Wiley. Like Coleman, he is a bit of a hybrid 3/4 game, but he has a lot of potential because of his athletic abilities, especially on the defensive end.

There are lots of potential options, but nobody experienced that they know can rebound or score in the post. This is the biggest question mark for the Grizzlies heading into the season, even more than the loss of Cherry early in the year. How the young guys develop, and how Wayne Tinkle hashes out his rotation, will play big roles in whether or not Montana can repeat as Big Sky champions.

How do you guys see it shaking out?

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Marko Kovacevic Ruled Ineligible

It has been a rough week for the Montana Grizzlies, and as a result, the Big Sky race appears to be even more open.

There were some rumors floating around, and Yahoo's Jeff Eisenberg has confirmed, that Montana big man Marko Kovacevic has been ruled academically ineligible.

Kovacevic, a potential replacement for graduated center Derek Selvig, has been ruled academically ineligible next season because he did not achieve a high enough grade in a math class he took at Western Nebraska Community College, a source said. Montana is appealing the ruling and hopes to receive definitive word from the NCAA sometime next month.

Assuming they do not win their appeal, tt is a big blow for Montana's frontcourt, because they do not have much depth there. It appeared that Kovacevic was going to be in line to start, and would have been the post scorer they didn't really have last year.

Mathias Ward will play the 4 or 5, but he is a jump shooter (a really good one). Eric Hutchison should get plenty of minutes, but he doesn't bring much offensively. Andy Martin was a redshirt candidate, but will probably play this year though he is raw. As Mslacat pointed out in the comments of an earlier post, this could open up playing time for Spencer Coleman (my projected starter at the three) and freshman Jake Wiley to get plenty of minutes at the four.

It looks like Montana will be extremely perimeter-oriented once again.

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Montana Signs Marko Kovacevic

Montana has signed their third recruit, and not surprisingly, it is another big man. Bob Meseroll reports that the Grizzlies have signed junior college big man Marko Kovacevic from Western Nebraska Community College.

Kovacevic, from Beograde, Serbia, averaged 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots a game for Western Nebraska last season as a sophomore. He shot 66 percent from the field and 59 percent from the free-throw line.

“He’s a quality person, first and foremost,” Tinkle said. “He came to our country two years ago without speaking a lick of English, and he has progressed in that area and is a great student, very disciplined, and a player of high character.

“We really think he’s going to provide some back-to-the-basket scoring for us. He’s very skilled. He can use either hand very effectively to finish around the basket. He’s also a really, really talented passer. He has surprising length and athleticism and we just feel that adding a big guy of his caliber to what we have coming back could really prove to be a huge factor for us next season.”

If he could provide that, it would be big for them, because that was a facet of the offense they didn't really have last year. Big men Derek Selvig and Mathias Ward were better from the perimeter, which usually meant that off guard Kareem Jamar was their best option for post scoring.

Montana could have nice depth up front, which was an issue last season. Mathias Ward is back, and he was their third leading scorer. Eric Hutchison could be a solid defender and rebounder with another year of development. If Billy Reader is academically eligible, he could be their best big man. And now they have signed Kovacevic and Andy Martin, though there is a chance Martin could redshirt.

Montana will be the team to beat next season.

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