Keron DeShields and Will Cherry Arrested

I am pretty sure that what a coach wants most for the offseason is for his players to get through it without incident. Unfortunately, that won't be happening for Wayne Tinkle. Per The Missoulian:

Two University of Montana basketball players, Will Cherry and Keron DeShields, were arrested along with a third man early Saturday morning after a disturbance downtown, according to the University of Montana and Missoula police.

The incident was reported at 2:04 a.m. at 125 W. Front St., according to Sgt. Rick Stevenson. Police didn’t identify the business, but that’s the address for Stockman’s Bar.

Cherry, 22, faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, while DeShields, 20, is charged with disorderly conduct. A 34-year-old man, Jason Shawn Snyder, is charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, as well as disorderly conduct.

You all know Cherry, who has been an All Big Sky player for the last three years, and was the heart and soul of a Grizzlies team that had a ton of success over the past two years. He is a fringe NBA prospect, though you figure this certainly doesn't help his chances, unfortunately. From the interactions I've had with him and from everything I have heard, he is a good kid, but one bad incident can sometimes make a reputation. Hopefully it won't, in this case.

DeShields is coming off a promising year, and would be a big part of the Grizzlies rotation next season. It remains to be seen what his punishment will be seen, as Montana obviously will need to let things play out a bit:

“Will is still enrolled and is graduating in a couple of weeks. Keron is moving forward with us. The student-athlete conduct code is pretty clear-cut. We have to make sure we have all the facts before we make any decisions. Obviously, it’s a situation we would have preferred didn’t happen with our student-athletes.”

Montana athletic director Kent Haslam echoed Tinkle’s comments.

“I’m certain there will be punishments levied,” Haslam said.

“(The student-athlete code of conduct) has a variety of parameters. We have quite a bit of latitude in what we can do. It does set minimums based on the category of the offense. It runs everything from being put on probation, to a formal reprimand, to notifying the parents all the way up to suspension of games and then the top punishment is removal from the team.

“We’ll want to understand completely what happened and we’ll rely on a police report and other incident reports.”

Hopefully it's a one time, isolated incident. At the very least, it's a reminder to all athletes that they are a microscope, and one mistake, or one time of putting yourself in the wrong situation and doing something dumb can have a huge impact on your future.

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Two Named to Mid-Major All-America Team

I missed this when it came out about a week ago, but two Big Sky players have been named to the Lou Henson All-America team, which is one squad of the 25 best mid-major players.

Will Cherry for Montana and Troy Huff of North Dakota made the team. It was the second straight year that Cherry got the honor.

Cherry averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He was also the Big Sky defensive player of the year, and one of the best perimeter defenders in the country.

In his first year in the league, Troy Huff put up 19.2 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals. He will enter the 2013-14 season as one of the favorites for Big Sky POY.

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Montana is The Big Sky Champion

Stop me if you have heard this before - Montana has beaten Weber State to win the Big Sky Championship. It has to be like a bad, recurring dream for the Wildcats, who have now been ousted by the Grizzlies in the Big Sky tournament for four straight seasons.

It seemed like it was going to be the time that Weber State finally beat Montana and erased the demons. Montana was playing without Mathias Ward, their leading scorer. Will Cherry was not far removed from re-injuring his foot to the point where it was feared it was broken. Statistically, Weber State was the better team this year, with better offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. Matchup wise, it seemed like they had a huge edge upfront that would be tough for the Grizzlies to overcome.

None of it mattered. Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar simply would not let the Grizzlies lose.

Cherry struggled from the field in the first half, but made big play after big play in the second half. He finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. In a two point game late, it was Will Cherry hitting his only three pointer of the game to give Montana a five point lead. It was Cherry hitting the last two free throws to put Montana up four with 10 seconds left. Time and time again, it was Cherry going to the rim and finishing strong in traffic. He was not going to be denied.

Of course, he had help from Kareem Jamar, the Big Sky Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. He finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was aggressive time and time again, overpowering Scott Bamforth (an excellent defender) on the drive and in the post. He was 9/13 from the floor, and make countless big plays in the second half. Jamar and Cherry were the best players on the court.

As always, I am in awe of Wayne Tinkle. Last year, when Montana went 15-1, it was impressive. This year, going 19-1, battling through the injuries and the lack of depth and experience upfront, it was simply an incredible coaching job.All of the credit in the world to Montana. For the second straight year, they are going to the Big Dance. After picking Weber State to win the tournament, I have a lesson learned - never go against Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, and Wayne Tinkle. Those guys just don't lose.

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Montana Extends Home Winning Streak to Advance to Title Game

Our dream Big Sky finals matchup awaits us: Montana vs Weber State, part 3. How did they get there? On Friday night, Montana took some punches from Northern Colorado, but wound up with a 14 point win.


Counting conference tournament games, make that 30 straight home conference victories for Montana. Behind a raucous crowd, they got off to an 11-0 start against Northern Colorado and never trailed in the ballgame. The Bears fought back all night, but the Grizzlies just seemed like they would not let them get closer than about six after the early stages of the second half, eventually winning 70-56 after extending the lead in garbage time.

Before the game, we talked about how the Bears might have the advantage down low, but they would need to slow down the quicker Montana guards. That did not happen in this game. Will Cherry (21 points, 3 assists) and Kareem Jamar (19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) seemed to go anywhere they pleased in this game, and they were just too quick and physical for Tevin Svihovec and Tate Unruh. On the other wise, Unruh and Svihovec couldn't get things going offensively.

Unruh did not play a bad game, his shots were just not falling. He finished 2/11 from the floor, including 2/10 from downtown. He is a guy that keeps shooting, and that is the gameplan. He still had six rebounds and four assists, but the fact that he wasn't hitting was big. Svihovec struggled all game. He was 1/9 from the floor, finishing with six points. He also had four turnovers, and was making poor offensive decisions all night. His development this offseason will be the key for UNC next season.

Connor Osborne played great in this game, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He was a force. Derrick Barden had 18 points and 7 rebounds, but it was a quiet 18 and 7. Montana's bigs played well enough to get the win, while UNC's guards did not. That was the difference in the game. Andy Martin had some productive minutes in the second half, while Eric Hutchison had some in the first half.

So, it all adds up to Montana hosting Weber State for the Big Sky championship. Again. 7pm mountain time on Saturday night - it is going to be a fun one, that is for sure.

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Will Cherry Could Play Saturday

I mentioned this in my review post, but it was worth it's own spot here. From Bob Meseroll comes some great news for Montana fans, and really for fans of the Big Sky.

Montana will honor seniors Mathias Ward and Will Cherry in its regular-season finale Saturday night against Northern Arizona. Ward is done for the season after having surgery on his injured left foot on Wednesday. Cherry, who has missed three straight games with an injury to his right foot, was in uniform Thursday night, but did not play. Rumor has it Cherry will see some minutes on Saturday.

Obviously if he is at the point where he may see minutes Saturday, that bodes well for his chances of playing in the Big Sky tournament. That could change things dramatically. Without Cherry or Mathias Ward, Weber State would likely be a big favorite in the tournament no matter where it is played. If Cherry is back, that could change everything.

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Possible Good News on Will Cherry

As always, from Bob Meseroll:

“I’m able to walk on it without the boot around the house without being in pain,” Cherry said. “It’s the best it’s felt since the injury. I don’t want to jinx anything, but there’s still hopes for me to come back and finish this year.”

At the very least, hope that he could return is a lot better than things initially looked.

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Injury Updates on Will Cherry and Mathias Ward

Stellar updates from Bob Meseroll on Will Cherry and Mathias Ward, and their upcoming status.

First, Will Cherry:

“It was kind of the same, but it was more when I came down that I heard it pop,” Cherry said. “I instantly thought it broke. There was no way I could have gone back in the game. It was the same exact feeling as when I broke it.”

X-rays on Sunday, though, did not show a break and a more detailed look with a CT scan on Monday confirmed the X-rays.

“They actually said it looked exactly the same as my last checkup. (Jan. 28),” Cherry said.

Cherry said there is no timetable yet for his return.

“That’s a hard call,” Cherry said when asked if he thought he would play for the Griz again. “As of right now I don’t know too much. I haven’t walked an ounce on it since. I want to say I’ll give it a week to see how it’s feeling. Right now it feels as if something’s wrong, but nobody knows what it is. That’s the confusing part and that’s the scary part because I don’t know what the percentages are of me going back out there and this time breaking it.

To me, that sounds like a guy that has probably played his last game in a Montana uniform. That would be more than understandable, especially when dealing with a recurring injury like that. Everyone wants to see Cherry back in a Montana uniform, myself included. But hopefully he doesn't feel any pressure to do anything other than what is best for his future. Knowing what I know of the Montana program, I don't think there will be any pressure placed on Cherry, which is good.

Then, Mathias Ward:

Ward missed Saturday’s overtime loss at Davidson after spraining the arch in his left foot late in a win at Idaho State.

“I just came down on someone’s foot wrong, twisted it and felt something pop,” Ward said Tuesday.

Doctors have told Ward he could possibly recover in time to play in the Big Sky tournament, which begins March 14 in either Missoula or Ogden.

“I’m hoping to come back sooner than that,” Ward said.

This fits basically with what we knew of the injury initially - that Ward was likely out until the tournament, with a chance to come back earlier. It seems as though that is still true.

So in order to keep the top spot, the Grizzlies are going to have to win two road games this weekend without two of their top three players.

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X-Rays Negative on Will Cherry

This is good news, from Bob Meseroll:

X-rays on the Grizzles’ senior point guard’s injured right foot were negative. Cherry re-injured the foot -the same one he broke in September – during Montana’s overtime loss to Davidson on Saturday. I don’t have any additional info for now, but will post updates when I do.

Obviously he is still hurt, so I am not sure what this means in terms of his status for the rest of the season. But at the very least, this is good news for him long-term, and there is at least a chance it seems now that it will mean good news for Montana short-term.

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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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Will Cherry Suffers Foot Injury

In the offseason, Will Cherry suffered a broken foot and missed most of the non-conference season. In Saturday's Bracket Busters game against Davidson, he re-injured his foot, and it could be serious. From Bob Meseroll:

Then with 4:40 to play, Will Cherry came up lame. He spent the rest of the game on the bench with ice on his right foot, the same one he broke back in September. He said after the game that it feels the same as it did when he broke it during a pick-up game.

“That’s what he says, but obviously we won’t know anything until we get an X-ray,” Tinkle said. “He said it feels the same, but who knows? Obviously, if that’s true, it’s not a good thing.”

Eventually, we can get into what the potential loss of Cherry means for Montana, and their chances in the Big Sky. In the meantime, let's all hope for the best. Cherry is a good kid, and a great player. There has been talk of an NBA career for him (and I think he is good enough to play at the next level), but obviously a serious foot injury wouldn't help, as players from the Big Sky already face longer odds.

Cherry is the most talented player in the Big Sky, and one of the best perimeter defenders in America. He has had a fantastic career for the Grizzlies. Hopefully we will get to see him again in a Montana uniform.

EDIT: This is not confirmed, but the word is that Cherry has indeed re-broken his foot. If that is the case, we wish him a speedy recovery.

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ESPN Article on Will Cherry

Last week, Myron Medcalf of ESPN wrote a nice article on Montana guard Will Cherry, and battling through adversity of an injury this offseason.

Frustration and concerns about his future had replaced his typically vibrant demeanor because he had no promises that he would regain his former on-court swagger. "Those two or three months were probably the two or three hardest months of my life," he said. "I've never had to deal with adversity like that. I probably cried about [it] twice just thinking about what I could lose."

On those nights, he called Yvette Martin.

Like any good mother, she soothed the pain. But she also preached the message she'd reiterated since Cherry was a boy: Fight for what you want.

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Weber State Is The Best Team in the Big Sky

The standings will show that Montana is 14-1, while Weber State is 13-2. The Grizzlies still have Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar, who might be the two best players in the conference. They still have Wayne Tinkle, the best coach in the Big Sky. But on Thursday night, Weber State clearly looked like the best team in the Big Sky.

The Wildcats beat Montana 87-63 on Thursday night in Ogden, and the game was never really in doubt from about midway through the first half and on. Montana's record-setting winning streak ended with a thud, as they had no answer for Weber on either end of the court.

Weber has been the best defensive team in the Big Sky this year, so it was appropriate that they got started in this game defensively. Montana scored just 24 first half points, because the Wildcats were using their athleticism to shut down everything. Kareem Jamar had no room to operate (finishing with 4 points), and that caused Will Cherry to press a bit. The Grizzlies turned the ball over early, and WSU just got more and more aggressive.

Offensively, Weber State aggressively pounded the ball down low, and they got whatever they wanted. Kyle Tresnak had 19 points on 8/10 shooting, and Frank Otis had 14 points on 5/7 shooting. This is a winning blueprint for Weber, because the Grizzlies don't have the size to match up. Put it this way... when Tresnak or Otis have the ball down low, Montana does not even have one guy to match up defensively with them them, let alone a defender for each guy. They got anything they wanted inside, and that was not a fluke.

WSU also got big games from Gelaun Wheelwright (14 points, 4/4 from downtown) and Davion Berry (16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), as those two guys seemed to have an answer for Montana often in the second half.  Anytime the Grizzlies threatened to threaten (it would be a stretch to say they threatened in the second half), there was an answer.

On the year, Weber State has been the better offensive team by a smidgen, while being much better defensively. The fact that they lost by 2 to Montana and slipped against Montana State (which the Grizzlies almost did as well) does not change the fact that on a neutral court, Weber State is the better team.

However, that is the ace in Montana's hand. If they win out, they have home-cpurt advantage in the Big Sky tournament, meaning that if the teams meet again, it would be in Missoula. The Grizzlies have a tough schedule down the stretch, but with Tinkle at the helm and a leader like Will Cherry on the court, it would not surprise anyone if the Big Sky will still go through Montana.

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Will Cherry Moving Up Records Lists

From Bob Meseroll, Will Cherry is moving up Montana and Big Sky career lists:

Cherry scored 28 points in Montana’s 76-74 win over Weber State on Saturday night, the Grizzlies’ sixth win over the Wildcats in their last eight meetings. Cherry passed Ken McKenzie (1973-75) for eighth place on the career scoring list with 1,332 points. McKenzie finished with 1,321. Next up is No. 7 Jordan Hasquet, who scored 1,396 from 2006-09.

Cherry, already UM’s all-time leader in steals with 243, moved within four of Northern Arizona’s Tom DeBerry on the Big Sky’s all-time list with four more thefts Saturday against the Wildcats. DeBerry had 247 from 1974-76. Nevada’s Kevin Soares (1988-92) is No. 2 on the list with 255 and Sac State’s DaShawn Freeman (2002-06) is the all-time leader with 283.

With three assists against the Wildcats, Cherry now has 360 for his career, one behind Doug Selvig (1980-84) for eighth place on UM’s career list. Roger Fasting (1988-92) is No. 7 with 363, JR Camel (1996-98) is No. 6 with 365 and Marc Glass (1980-84) is No. 5 at 369.

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Montana Has Won 23 Straight Big Sky Games

Last year, Montana started 4-1 in Big Sky play before winning their last 11 regular season conference games (to finish 15-1), and then won two games in the Big Sky tournament. This year, they have started conference play at 10-0, pushing their Big Sky winning streak to 23 games overall, 21 straight in regular season play.

The record is 24 straight regular season conference wins, set by Weber State back in the 60s. Here is the upcoming schedule:

@ Portland State
@ Eastern Washington
Northern Colorado
North Dakota

It is four games they will be favored to win. The toughest might be the first... on the road at Portland State. The Vikings have been very tough at home this year, going 3-1 so far in conference play, with the only loss being in OT to Weber State.

They survived a tough game against Weber State thanks to a big day from Will Cherry, his best of the year. He finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. He is rounding into form for the Grizzlies, who again look like the team to beat in the Big Sky.

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Montana Beats Northern Colorado in Offensive Battle

 

On Saturday in Greeley, neither team was really able to stop the other. Montana shot 56% for the game, while Northern Colorado shot 50%. However, Montana was the team making the plays down the stretch in an 85-77 Grizzlies victory. It was a fun one to watch in person, as teams were making threes, putback dunks from UNC, and Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar doing their thing.

Kareem Jamar was his normal smooth self. He doesn't have athletic ability that jumps out at you, but he does everything well. He almost couldn't miss on this day, scoring 26 points on 9/10 shooting (including 4/5 from downtown). He also had six assists on the day. He was especially key late in the first half... with UNC up by as many as 15 points in the first half, Jamar was the spark Montana needed. In the last few minutes of the first half, he hit three threes, and drove in for an and-1.

Will Cherry also played a huge part in this game, scoring 21 points, while dishing out six assists and grabbing five rebounds. He is their emotional leader, and helped get them going in the second half, on a day when the crowd was a bit sleepy (attendance was 355, thanks to having the game opposite the Broncos game). It would have been an easy game to sleepwalk through, on the second leg of a road trip, but Cherry made sure the energy was there in the second half. Cherry and Jamar are fun to watch play together, because they know each other's games so well.

Not all is well for Montana, because they still struggle on the glass (UNC had 18 offensive rebounds), and they don't get hardly any post touches, but Cherry and Jamar can make up for a lot of other deficiencies.

For Northern Colorado, it was not a bad effort at all. Offensively, they played as well as they have all year against a quality opponent, turning it over just 7 times. BJ Hill said afterwards that it was about as well as they can play offensively. Tevin Svihovec was playing like he did last year, with 19 points. It was his best effort of the year. Derrick Barden was an absolute beast, with 21 points and 15 rebounds (8 of them offensive). I hope to write a little bit more on him in the near future, because he is a ton of fun to watch.

Defensively, though, the Bears still had a ton of issues. They have a tendency to lose guys (on a key possession late, with Montana up 78-73, Mathias Ward broke free near the end of the shot clock for an easy and-a, because the UNC defender lost track of him). They also struggle to help when the offense penetrates and gets past the first defender. The big men don't have great close outs, which is a problem against teams that can put four or five shooters on the floor, like the Grizzlies can. Add it all up, and it's a lot for the Bears on a day when the offense played well enough to win.

However, the game did showcase the talent that made me pick Northern Colorado to finish third before the year began. Barden and Tim Huskisson are the most athletic pair of forwards in the conference, and Tate Unruh and Svihovec provide plenty of spacing with their shooting ability. The pieces are in place, and they are getting better. The bad news is, at 1-5, they need to start winning some games quickly.

On the other side, Montana just continues to win. They move to 6-0 in Big Sky play. The scary thing for the rest of the conference is they already have a gaudy record, and Wayne Tinkle's teams always seem to get better as the season goes on.

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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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Will Cherry Could Play Saturday

According to reporter Shaun Rainey (with a quote from Wayne Tinkle)...

#Griz HC Tinkle "Will Cherry will be in uniform Sat and will be a game time decision against Carroll" ..cherry full participant at practice
— Shaun Rainey (@ShaunRainey) December 4, 2012

This is big for Montana, which has struggled a bit without Cherry. If he can be 100& and back in the swing of things by conference time, the Grizzlies will have to be feeling very good about things.

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Five Takeaways From the Weekend

It was a busy weekend in Big Sky country, so let's take a look at some takeaways from all of the games.

1. Montana misses Will Cherry - They wound up getting a 67-66 win on a late three-pointer from Kevin Henderson, but it is clear that they are missing Will Cherry. Keron DeShields and Jordan Gregory are solid players now and will be good starters eventually, but they are not good or experienced enough right now to lighten the burden on Kareem Jamar. Jamar had 11 assists on the day (including on the Grizzlies' last two buckets, but was just 2/9 from the field, scoring eight points. Cherry is a lockdown defender, but he is also a creator on offense and a guy that defenses have to pay a lot of attention to because of his ability to get to the rim or hit the midrange jumper. They miss him offensively.

2. Weber State needs to find a go to scorer - In an dreadful game to watch, Weber State fell 65-55 to Utah State. While their free throw shooting was alarming (15/27), the bigger concern was their lack of an idea of where to go at the end of the game. Scott Bamforth (four points on 1/7 shooting) and Kyle Tresnak (five points on 1/5 shooting, and wasn't even on the court in crunch time) were supposed to be their all-conference guys, but neither was a factor at the end of the game.

Davion Berry led the team with 11 points, but was just 5/14 from the floor and 1/5 from the line. Gelaun Wheelwright is obviously talented, but showed his inexperience with some poor decisions down the stretch. On paper, WSU is as talented as anyone in the conference, but they need to find a pecking order at the end of games.

3. Idaho State is winless, but not hopeless - The Bengals fell to Wright State and Central Michigan, dropping them to 0-5. But they are slowing the game down and keeping things close (CMU needed a shot with 0.5 seconds left to beat them), and as a result they are in most games. They haven't allowed more than 60 points in a game (on the flip side, they have only cracked the 50 point mark once). They aren't the most talented team, so their best chance this year may be to slow things down and shorten games. They are embracing that, and it will eventually give them a win or two that will surprise some people.

4. Sacramento State keeps racking up wins - They trailed by as many as 14 against Central Arkansas, but used a 21-5 run in the second half en route to a 71-68 win. UCA scored 45 points in the first half, but the Hornets defense was locked in after the break, allowing just 23 points in the second frame. The star of the game was Konner Veteto, who had 19 and 11 off the bench for the Hornets (Joe Eberhard also had a double-double for Sac State). Veteto has always been a productive player when he has been able to stay on the court, and he was huge in this game.

5. Portland State may be closer to the bottom than the top - Both the coaches and media picked the Vikings to finish fifth, while I pegged them at eighth before the season. So far, I'm still sticking with my pick. It's not that they are losing (recent losses to Portland and especially Oklahoma State aren't terrible), but it is the way they are losing. They seem to be getting blown out every game. They trailed 51-30 at halftime against the Pilots, and were down 53-24 at one point to Okie State. Their defense is getting shredded, and they don't seem to know where to go for points without Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott. They have the talent to be a solid team, but thus far, they look like a long way from being able to show it.

Any other big storylines?

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Will Cherry is the 27th Best PG in America

According to CBS:

Will probably miss the first few weeks of the season with a broken foot, but he's on the NBA's radar due to his athleticism, improved offensive game and ability to dominate a game on the defensive side of the floor. -- J.G.

Last year, Damian Lillard starting the year high on people's lists, and ended the year as the best point guard in the country. This year, if Will Cherry is able to come back fully healthy from his foot injury, I suspect that by the end of the year he could be among the top ten best point guards in America. And that might be too low. He is simply that good, as he combines an improving offensive game with perhaps being the best perimeter defender in the country.

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Montana Ranked #10 in One Mid-Major Rankings

NBC Sports has one of the best college basketball blogs out there, and they released their preseason mid-major power rankings (top 15). One Big Sky team makes the list, and that is Montana:

10. Montana: Losing Will Cherry to a broken foot hurts a lot, but he’ll be back by league play and back to 100% by the NCAA tournament.

Player to know: Cherry is a potential star, but in his absence watch out for junior guard Kareem Jamar (13.6 points, 5.6 boards, 3.7 assists, 44.1% threes).
Can’t-miss game: Unfortunately, Cherry will be out against Colorado State and BYU, and maybe even against South Dakota State on Dec. 15th.

I have a feeling Weber State could be joining them on that list at some point this year.

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