Top 20 Departing #12: Spencer Coleman

I am counting down the top 20 players that are departing the Big Sky via graduation, transfer, or any other way.

When Wayne Tinkle looked at the depth chart for next season, Spencer Coleman had to be have been a big part of it. During his junior year, his first in Montana, he got better and better as the season went along, and looked primed to be one of the key cogs in the Grizzlies' title defense.

Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out that way, as Coleman was dismissed from Montana this offseason.

Coleman was a versatile 6'6'' forward, someone who could play multiple positions for them on both ends of the court. He was tough enough and a good enough rebounder that he could play minutes at the four, and may even have started there this year. He was also a good enough shooter that he could probably give them minutes at the two in a pinch.

Offensively, Coleman did a little bit of everything. He shot 39% from downtown this year, 56% from two-point range, and 77% from the stripe. He was able to score in a multitude of ways, and didn't need the ball to be effective, which made him a great complementary player. His True Shooting % was a solid 60.5%.

He grabbed 15.3% of defensive rebounds, and 6.2% of offensive rebounds. Not great rates, but good enough to be a contributor on the glass. He was an average but willing passer. His ability to defend multiple spots was big for Montana last year, as they had a shortage of frontcourt depth.

After fighting a bit for minutes early last season, Coleman seemed to gain the trust of Tinkle as things went along. Hopefully his story will be a cautionary one for other Big Sky players - make good decisions off the court, or it won't matter what you do on the court.

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Spencer Coleman Dismissed From Montana

Last month, Montana forward Spencer Coleman was arrested for DUI, which was his second alcohol-related offense within the past four months. I speculated that this probably wouldn't cause him to be dismissed from the team, it would at the very least warrant a lengthy suspension. Apparently, I was wrong - Coleman has been dismissed from the team.

While no reason was given for the dismissal, it seems fairly obvious to be able to read between the lines. The Grizzlies have been getting into an alarming amount of off-court trouble over the past year, and this should send a loud and clear message to the team.
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Coleman averaged 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last year, and seemed to get better as the year went along and he got more comfortable. The Grizzlies will be thin in the frontcourt, and no doubt Coleman would have had a major part of the rotation.

There is no doubt that Coleman is a big loss. He was a good offensive player last year - he shot over 56% on two-pointers, and 39% from behind the arc. He was a solid rebounder, with a 15.3 DR%, which was second best on the team among the top eight guys. He was a well regarded junior college recruit heading into the year, and would have been an anchor upfront for the Grizzlies.

However, if I have learned anything covering the Big Sky, it is not to doubt Wayne Tinkle. On paper, it's tough to see how they will replace his production with the guys on the roster. But they always seem to find a way.

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Spencer Coleman Arrested For DUI

Off the court, it already was not the best offseason for Montana and coach Wayne Tinkle. Things got a little bit worse this week when senior forward Spencer Coleman was arrested for a DUI - his second alcohol-related offense in four months.

Spencer C. Coleman, 21, was cited for driving under the influence, a misdemeanor. In February, before he turned 21, he was cited for speeding and being a minor in possession of alcohol.

Coleman was arrested at about 2:45 a.m. Monday after a Missoula police officer spotted a broken tail lamp on his 1997 black Nissan Maxima, which was stopped in the middle of the 200 block of Ryman Street, according to the affidavit in the case.

Wayne Tinkle had a comment:

“We’re evaluating the situation,” said basketball coach Wayne Tinkle. “Obviously we take those things very seriously. We’ll follow the student conduct code and act as swiftly as we can given the circumstances.”

This is alarmingly becoming a trend for the Grizzlies. Off the top of my head, there are two incidents with Coleman, a DUI for guard Kevin Henderson earlier this year, and the incident involving Keron DeShields and Will Cherry last month. Regardless of whether the verdicts are eventually guilty or not guilty, it certainly reflects poorly for the Grizzlies.

While this probably doesn't warrant a dismissal from the team, I would expect a lengthy suspension for Coleman, given that it is a second offense so soon, in addition to all of the problems players have been finding themselves getting into. They need to put an end to this publicity, and the best way would perhaps be giving Coleman a swift and steep punishment. Hopefully that would be enough to help convince Coleman that there are serious consequences to his actions, and help deter the rest of the Grizzlies from making similarly poor decisions.

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What Does Montana Look Like Without Cherry and Ward?

It seems almost certain that Will Cherry will miss the rest of the season, with reports that he re-broke his foot. Mathias Ward's status is less certain, but there is at least a very good chance he will miss this week's games, where they will travel to take on Montana State and Southern Utah.

What do they lose with those two guys? All season long, it has been said that the Grizzlies biggest thing going for them was the big 3. That was - Ward, Cherry, and Kareem Jamar. Obviously, this would take out 2/3 of that trio. Ward and Cherry account for almost 40% of the team's scoring. Ward is the best midrange shooter in the Big Sky, and Cherry is the best defender in the Big Sky.

They can't replace Cherry's defense. That is no offense to the rest of the team, it's just that there is nobody in the conference (and not many in America) that are as good as Cherry. He is second all time in the Big Sky in steals. But how will they go about replacing these guys' offensive production? Here are some things to watch:

1) Kareem Jamar has to be the man - Simply put, Jamar has to be at his best every game. With Cherry out (and possibly even if Cherry is healthy), Jamar is the best player in the conference. He averages 14 PPG, 6 RPG, and 4 APG.  He is now Montana's best scorer, rebounder, and passer. He has to do it all for them right now, and he is good enough to do that. On Saturday, he was two assists away from a triple-double, and that was no aberration. They will rely heavily on Jamar.

2) Spencer Coleman and Mike Weisner need to step up - Coleman and Weisner are probably more traditional threes, but they will be asked to play a ton of four and possibly even some five down the stretch. Over the last couple of years, the Grizzlies offense has been at its best when they have five guys that can step away from the hoop and shoot. They did that this year when Ward was at the five, and one of these guys at the four. Now, one of them might be asked to play center often. Both guys can hit the outside shot (Weisner in particular has been excellent from outside), but the key will be how they rebound and defend.

3) Keron DeShields and Jordan Gregory can no longer be role players - We looked at these guys closely before the season began, but now their contributions will be more important than ever. Both have made nice strides this year, but Wayne Tinkle is going to need them to be consistent offensive threats for the Grizzlies. Gregory has been the more efficient scorer this year, shooting 53% on twos and 43% from downtown. DeShields is a guy that Tinkle loves for his toughness and fearlessness, but he has been a little inconsistent offensively. He is only an average outside shooter (but better facilitator than Gregory), but he needs to take the next step without Cherry.

Looking at the roster... if Cherry and Ward are done for the rest of the year (or at least, however long they are out), the Grizzlies need these three things to happen. They have more traditional big men (Eric Hutchison and Andy Martin) but both guys have only been effective in spurts, and they are slow-footed post men. The Grizzlies have performed best with a quick lineup of shooters, and a lineup of DeShields-Gregory-Jamar-Coleman-Weisner is the best chance at that. But it's hard to say how that lineup would perform defensively and on the glass. I suspect we will find out down the stretch.

Wayne Tinkle is the best coach in the Big Sky. He has proven this over the year. But this may be his biggest challenge.

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Weber State and Montana Still Atop Big Sky Pecking Order

Like last year, there is one thing we know in the Big Sky - it's Montana and Weber State up top, and then everyone else below. We already knew this, but it was reinforced on Thursday night.

Weber State got the biggest win of the night, as Northern Colorado came to the Dee Events Center and got blown out by the Wildcats, 79-54. The Wildcats never trailed in the game, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead and never looking back.

The charge was led by Scott Bamforth, the senior guard who is really rounding into form. He scored 22 points in 22 minutes on 8/14 shooting, and is now looking like the guy that most projected to be an all-conference player. Beyond him, as is their key, there was a ton of balance. Eight other players scored, and they had 17 assists on 30 buckets. They have so many guys that can hurt you in so many ways, they must be extremely difficult to gameplan for.

Northern Colorado was hoping to be competitive in this game, but they came out like they were still thinking about how they lost at the end to Southern Utah. UNC turned it over 21 times and couldn't get stops, as Weber State shot 57% in the first half. They are a year older, but are plagued by the same issues that derailed last season.

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On the other side, Eastern Washington made things interesting for awhile, but Montana pulled away in the second half for an 81-66 win.

Showing that the Grizzlies have some depth of their own, they were led in scoring by Jordan Gregory and Spencer Coleman. Gregory had 17 points on 6/7 shooting, while Coleman had 15 points and 5 rebounds. Those two guys are huge for them, so if they can get consistent production from both, the Big Sky race will be very fun to watch.

Will Cherry struggled shooting the ball, but found other ways to contribute. He had nine assists, and sparked a defense that allowed EWU to shoot just 4/16 from beyond the arc.

“A big part of our focus was to take that away from them, their attempts and their makes,” Tinkle said. “I wish we would have shored it up on the inside a little bit because they kind of did whatever they wanted in there in the second half. A big key for us was to hold them under five or six threes and we did that.”

Eastern Washington was playing with starting PG Justin Crogsile, who is no longer part of the team. From Jim Hayford, via Bob Meseroll:

“Justin is not a part of our team but it’s too early for me to make any additional comment,” EWU coach Jim Hayford said of the transfer from St. Joe’s.

I will try to find out more, but safe to say that the loss of Crogsile is a big blow on the court. It must be a big blow off the court as well, as he sat out last year as a redshirt and is apparently off the team now as conference play is just beginning.

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Montana's Rebounding is a Major Issue

On Saturday night, Montana hosted South Dakota State in a game that they could win, and would be big for their resume and for the conference (SDSU is ranked 14th in the mid-major poll). However, for Montana, the issue again was rebounding the basketball, which was a key factor in a 68-67 double OT loss. They had their chances:

The Jackrabbits jumped to a 59-53 lead with 3:01 left in the first overtime on a lay-up by junior forward Chad White. The Griz cut SDSU's lead to one (59-58) on a three-pointer by Weisner and a lay-up by senior forward Mathias Ward with 1:35 left to play.

Once again the Griz had a chance to take the lead, but junior guard-forward Kareem Jamar made just the first of his two free throw shots, and his charity shot knotted the game up at 59-all with five seconds left in the first OT. UM sophomore guard Keron DeShield fired up a desperation three-point attempt, but it was long and off to the left, forcing the second overtime.

On a more macro level, rebounding continues to be their Achilles' heel. The Jackrabbits had a 46-31 rebound advantage, including 14 offensive rebounds (leading to a 22-4 edge in second-half points for SDSU). As Bob Meseroll writes, in the Grizzlies' four losses, they are an astounding -50 in rebounding. They have an OR% of 16.6%, which is dead last in the country (347 out of 347).

They struggled rebounding last year, but there were a couple differences. One, Derek Selvig was there. He was much maligned in his career, but he was the best defensive rebounder on the team. Two, Will Cherry being out hurt, because he was a good rebounder from the PG spot and DeSheilds/Gregory aren't as good. It is not a great sign when getting your PG back will really help your rebounding woes, but that is the case for Montana.

Kareem Jamar is the team's best rebounder, and it's not even really close. Here is a look at the rebounding rates of everyone 6'7'' or taller on the Grizzlies:

By comparison, Konner Veteto of Sac State leads the conference with a 14.9 OR%, and Joel Bolomboy of Weber State leads with a 29.2 DR%. Montana's big men's rebounding numbers aren't just bad, they are terrible. They simply can't beat good teams if they continue to rebound like this.

The solutions are not obvious. Mathias Ward is their best big man because he is a really good offensive player, but he has shown throughout his career he doesn't add anything on the glass. Eric Hutchison showed flashes of being a good defender and rebounder last year, but those flashes haven't been there this season. Andy Martin can contribute in spurts, but he is probably a year or two away from being a guy they can really count on. Same for Jake Wiley.

The key might be Spencer Coleman. He is just 6'6'', but was a good rebounder at the JUCO level. He is a very talented player but has struggled making the transition to the DI level. Getting Will Cherry back will help, but the Grizzlies could really use Coleman turning into a legitimate Big Sky starting forward. The talent is still there to win the conference, but they need someone in the frontcourt to step up. So far, that hasn't happened.

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Colorado State Holds On 72-65 Over Montana

 

Montana is already playing without their star PG, Will Cherry. Four minutes into the game, they were playing without their other star for a while, as Kareem Jamar picked up his second foul and sat the rest of the half. Four minutes after that, their other experienced returner, Mathias Ward, picked up his second foul and sat for the rest of the half.

So it went all night for Wayne Tinkle and Montana, who battled foul trouble all game and seemed to be doing all they could possibly do to grind it out. For a half, it worked, as they went into the intermission ahead 34-27. At the break, CSU was outrebounding Montana 21-10, and that included a 14-1 edge in offensive rebounds. They couldn't buy a bucket in the paint, but they got a ton of chances.

After halftime, it was back and forth, but the Rams just had too much size. Colton Iverson was physically too strong for Montana's bigs, and it showed. He finished with an efficient 18 and 8, and was simply overpowering. Greg Smith also seemed to get almost any shot he wanted down low, finishing with 11. Pierce Hornung had 16 rebounds for CSU, playing with the flu, according to Larry Eustachy.

I don't want to dwell on it but it should be mentioned... Montana was not pleased at all with the refs in this game. At one point Tinkle actively looked like he was trying to get a technical, but the refs didn't call one on him. At another point it looked like he was going to take off his tie in frustration. Montana lost four guys to fouling out, and had 20 fouls called on them in the second half (33 for the game), and it was not a case of cheap fouls at the end of the game. CSU shot 41 free throws in the game, compared to 23 for Montana. In part, it makes sense because of the size difference, but I have to say there was a lot of questionable, ticky tack calls that went against the Grizzlies. On the other hand, Larry Eustachy wasn't thrilled with the refs either... he said after the game that one thing he has always hated about basketball was that guys can be out of the game on a judgment call, and he was referring to a couple of the late fouls on Wes Eikmeier, who also fouled out.

That said, Montana didn't lose the game because of the reffing, they lost because the Rams were simply superior down low. A 44-21 rebounding disadvantage is almost impossible to overcome. The Grizzlies almost did, but the wear and tear was too much by the end of the game.

If you are Montana staff, one thing they have to be excited about is the play of the young guard. Simply put, on a night when Kareem Jamar and Mathias Ward were not big factors (aside from the foul trouble, CSU put bigger guys on Jamar and were quick to help, which didn't give him many looks), Keron DeShields and Jordan Gregory kept the Grizzlies in the game.

Before the year, Tinkle said that DeShields had a ton of confidence, which could be a good or bad thing. On Friday night, both sides were on display, but the good far outweighed the bad. He forced a couple shots early in the shot clock, but other than that played an outstanding game. They are simply a tough team when he is on the court, and he brings a swagger to his game. He had 17, and was fearless taking it to the hoop, often at times when he was one of the few Grizzlies to stay aggressive offensively. Jordan Gregory hit some big shots from the outside, and generally made good decisions. The two combined to have 0 turnovers.

The duo also played great defensively, holding Wes Eikmeier and Dorian Green (two really good players) to 6/19 shooting. Tinkle needed at least one of them to step up in the absense of Will Cherry, and it appears that both of them are up to the task. Spencer Coleman was another guy that had a big impact once he got in the flow of the game, but he was also struck by foul trouble.

The bottom line for Montana is this... Colorado State is a tournament team. Their top six is really excellent, and their frontline can match up with almost anyone in the country. There are no Colton Iverson's in the Big Sky. It was a tough loss for the Grizzlies, but they played well, and they have a lot to build on after this game. If you had told most Montana fans that Jamar and Ward would combine for 14 points and play just 40 minutes between them, most would have expected the game to be more out of hand. That it was anyone's ballgame up to the very end is a testament to the program and system that Wayne Tinkle has in place.

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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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Spencer Coleman Signs With Montana

Montana continues to be busy on the recruiting front, as they signed their fourth player to scholarship. In this case, they inked 6'7'' JUCO Forward Spencer Coleman to a National Letter of Intent. He will be a junior for the Grizzlies next season.

Coleman averaged 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, also making 56 three-pointers last season. He has a versatile offensive game, and will be able to score in a variety of ways. Also, we know since Montana recruited him that he can also bring it on the defensive end.

"We are very excited to welcome Spencer Coleman into our program and to The University of Montana," said Tinkle, who has a career record of 116-71 at his alma mater. "He is a very skilled player, who we feel can play multiple positions. He has good size, good athleticism, and he can shoot it beyond the arc, he can post, and he can put the ball on the floor. He is a very good looking prospect and very solid student as well, which is obviously a priority for us.

"You look at what we lost on the perimeter with Art Steward, Shawn Stockton, and Jordan Wood -- we feel like he's kind of a blend of all of those guys," Tinkle said. "His ability to score inside and out will be a great addition to the guys we signed earlier. That wraps up our recruiting, and we really feel like we've answered all of our needs as we move forward with the players we have returning."

Montana lost small forward Art Steward to graduation, and Coleman seems to be a guy that will compete with incumbents Kevin Henderson and Keron DeShields for that starting spot. Coleman will arguably be the most seasoned of the three, and could be the favorite at this point (very early though). At the very least, they will have nice depth once again, especially with the growth of the freshmen wings.

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