The Bobcat Nation

Did I miss a thread on this game or is everyone so down on the MBB team that there wasn't a thread???? Also, I didn't see Bobby Howard in the box score, is he hurt??

Bobby didn't dress out. He looked liked he was favoring his ankle.
And yes, personally, I was too bummed to even think about doing a thread. We are not good this year. Hopefully we can grow and turn it around next year.

Coach Huse mentioned in his postgame interview that Bobby was injured but did not elaborate.

I am a little bit down on this team. They play hard but I don't know how talented we really are as a whole. Coach Huse has mentioned several times that the kids are running the offense correctly and getting open shots but we never seam to make them on a consistent basis. One player may get hot but the lack of support across the board is lacking in the scoring department.

Somebody else that has watched them play in person would know a lot more about it than I.

On the ladies side of basketball:

I have been paying a lot more attention to the women's team this year as they brought back a lot of talent and are in the middle of a tight playoff race. Their offense is fun to watch and it looks like the Cats may have a freshman of the year candidate in Katie Bussey. I really like how Coach Binford has built this team. They are struggling for consistency but are capable of beating and have beaten the top teams in the Big Sky. They should finish in the top 3 when all is said and done.

It is Howards knee, he tweeked it in the sac st. game. Out maybe two weeks. Lets remember that the preseason pick for us was to finish 8th. That doesn,t mean I am not upset with the season. Like last night game, there are others we should have won with better free throw shooting and making some of the point blank shots we missed. ( counted 7 missed bunnies) This is a young team and will be good in the future.

This is the poorest shooting Bobcat team I can remember. And it doesn't matter what type of shot-layup, bunny, 10 foot jumper, three pointer, freethrow. I thought it might Huse's schemes-but last night there were open shots all over the place-and bricks were flying. How many nights have we had shooting percentages in the low 30's? Way too many.

hardhatcat wrote:It is Howards knee, he tweeked it in the sac st. game. Out maybe two weeks. Lets remember that the preseason pick for us was to finish 8th. That doesn,t mean I am not upset with the season. Like last night game, there are others we should have won with better free throw shooting and making some of the point blank shots we missed. ( counted 7 missed bunnies) This is a young team and will be good in the future.

exactly. The core of this team are sophmores with one that has not been red shirted. These guys will be good, it will just take time

Drove over from Helena last night for the game; my sixth game of the season, and definitely my last. Here's my observations from last night:

-- This team is really not very good. Can they become good? At this point, I'm not sure. They struggle with even the basic fundamentals of the game - missed free throws, turnovers, dribbling with their heads down, getting caught out of position. The first game I watched was the Nevada game early on in the season, and this team has gotten progressively worse since then. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how they managed to notch wins against teams like Weber, Portland State, Oregon State, & Colorado.
-- BelgradeBobcat mentioned that this one of the poorest shooting teams he's seen and I have to agree. I really thought guys like Rush and Piepoli had the chance to become real scorers, but it just hasn't been the case. I've mentioned this several times before and it's worth noting again - this team has absolutely no leadership - ZERO! Last night, there was not a single guy willing to step up and lead this team. And our shot selection sucks. How many times do we have to watch guys like Bynum and Navarre dribble around until there's 5-6 seconds left on the shot clock and then drive the lane, knees and elbows a-flyin', and then throw up some prayer that barely draws iron?
-- A quick glance at the two teams rosters would tell anyone with any kind of basketball knowledge that the Cats were heavily over-matched down low. ISU's team consists of a seven-footer and two other guys that go 6'-11". We don't have any big men other than Mbunga and Anderson. And quite frankly, Mbubnga has been abused these last few games. He just seems lost. And Cody is big and that's about all you can say. He's got the quickness of a sloth. He continues to jump out into the high post to guard and then gets burned down low because he can't get back down fast enough. But yet, last night, we continue to try to pound it down low. I just don't understand.
-- Not sure what's going on with Coach Huse. Maybe he's just as frustrated as the rest of us, but he needs to step up and calm these young men down. Just before the half, Hennessey was in the ball game and made a move to the basket. At this point we had been down by 10 and clawed our way back to within 6. I think Hennessey was just trying to create something. Anyway, it was an easy strip and ISU took a fast break down the floor and scored an easy bunny. During the timeout, Huse was literally screaming at Hennessesy (I could hear him and I was sitting on the opposite side of the court all the way up in section 208). The others around me just started laughing and said there goes Huse on another of his typical rants. All the while this is going on, the assistant coaches are huddled together on the floor just standing around while the team is over on the bench trying to compose themselves. I've done some coaching before, and I wouldn't have called that an efficient use of a timeout. I think there is some real disconnect between the coaches and players right now.

Anyway, here we go again - the traditional Bobcat flop in the last month or so of the season. It wasn't like ISU played a spectacular game - hell, they only shot 43% from the floor, 25% from 3-point, and only 65% from the charity stripe. Anytime you hold a team to stats like that, you have a pretty darn good chance of winning the game. Problem is, we shot it worse 36% from the floor and 63% from the line! Sorry, I'm just ranting. Maybe I expecting more than this team can give. It just seems like we got rid of one coaching regime and what we got may be worse than we had before, because the results continue to be just as miserable.

I thought that opie the ref had his typical night, not that it would have made a difference in the outcome. i really liked the charging call on Rush...

He is the worst ref I have seen at this level.

I'm pretty anxious to get Swita and Budinich in here next season. 2 more tall guys up front will help.

Yep, I will continue to support the guys and hope they do well... but not too impressed with what I've seen. For one example... it absolutely floors me how a DI basketball team can shoot so crappy from the charity stripe. I watched Great Falls CMR play the other night and these HIGH SCHOOL kids shot 31-35 from the line. Tanner Bleskin (Bobcat wide receiver now!) went 17 for 17. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the free throw line is about the same distance from the hoop in high school as in college...

A lot of missed calls, that really hurt.

We missed bunnies that we shouldn't have missed, 6'11 guys will do that to you I guess.

And the key to the game from my perspective...
Whenever ISU would bobble the ball off their knee, make a stupid pass, whatever...it seemed to magically bounce into their hands, sometimes for a wide-open shot...they'd run upcourt with two more points like they ran a good play or something... ISU probably avoided turnovers on 8 plays that could've so easily gone the other way. It was just uncanny, and I don't think that kind of luck would happen again.

Wow.. Another raving complaint on Huse. I have played for coaches that yell and scream and I have worked for bosses with similar management styles. Yelling every once in a while to make a point can be necessary, but it appears Huse style is losing his coaches, his players and now the fans with his constant yelling at the players. A person likes to be appraied for their work and effort. A ture leader will know when to lash his team memebers with appraise and when to dish out the dirt. From many comments on this board this year, I do not think Huse has the leadership skills to lead his team through difficult times. I hope the AD will have a long talk with Huse about his manager style concerning his coaches and players. Oh, wait a minute. Fields is the AD. I guess he will have to find away to make Huse look bad and him look good before he takes any action. Maybe losing all those coaches last year was more do to Huse than we all realize.

BobCatFan wrote:Wow.. Another raving complaint on Huse. I have played for coaches that yell and scream and I have worked for bosses with similar management styles. Yelling every once in a while to make a point can be necessary, but it appears Huse style is losing his coaches, his players and now the fans with his constant yelling at the players. A person likes to be appraied for their work and effort. A ture leader will know when to lash his team memebers with appraise and when to dish out the dirt. From many comments on this board this year, I do not think Huse has the leadership skills to lead his team through difficult times. I hope the AD will have a long talk with Huse about his manager style concerning his coaches and players. Oh, wait a minute. Fields is the AD. I guess he will have to find away to make Huse look bad and him look good before he takes any action. Maybe losing all those coaches last year was more do to Huse than we all realize.

Waaaaaaa................... the coach yelled at me.

The Cats shot 36% from the floor and 27% from beyond the arc- no team is going to win with those kind of stats and the coach should be in a pissy mood.

GOKATS wrote:

BobCatFan wrote:Wow.. Another raving complaint on Huse. I have played for coaches that yell and scream and I have worked for bosses with similar management styles. Yelling every once in a while to make a point can be necessary, but it appears Huse style is losing his coaches, his players and now the fans with his constant yelling at the players. A person likes to be appraied for their work and effort. A ture leader will know when to lash his team memebers with appraise and when to dish out the dirt. From many comments on this board this year, I do not think Huse has the leadership skills to lead his team through difficult times. I hope the AD will have a long talk with Huse about his manager style concerning his coaches and players. Oh, wait a minute. Fields is the AD. I guess he will have to find away to make Huse look bad and him look good before he takes any action. Maybe losing all those coaches last year was more do to Huse than we all realize.

Waaaaaaa................... the coach yelled at me.

The Cats shot 36% from the floor and 27% from beyond the arc- no team is going to win with those kind of stats and the coach should be in a pissy mood.

I played for for coaches that yelled and some that didn't yell. There's no problem with yelling at a kid sometimes to get his attention or to make a point. But if you are honest with yourself and watch Huse with an unbiased point of view, he takes it overboard. Overboard to the point where it gets in the way of actually coaching. I never once said anything about being too hard on the guys. Sometimes a little kick in the ass in necessary to get someone's attention. But this seems to be his thing - the Cats fall behind, Huse panics, and then decides to blow, completely ignoring the situation at hand. Jeezus H. Kee-rist, some of you people need to take the blue & gold blinders off and look at things realistically. Like it or not, Huse's style is not getting results, and it's losing the interest of his assistant coaches, his players, and the fans.

How long should it take for a new coach to make an impact in college BB? IMO you should see the benefit by year three. This is year three for Huse and I don't think his three year record is as good as Durham's worst three years combined. I am all for giving him more time but what do we expect to change?

So what say all of you? If there's no significant improvement next season, should Huse be gone?

Old Skool Cat wrote:

GOKATS wrote:

BobCatFan wrote:Wow.. Another raving complaint on Huse. I have played for coaches that yell and scream and I have worked for bosses with similar management styles. Yelling every once in a while to make a point can be necessary, but it appears Huse style is losing his coaches, his players and now the fans with his constant yelling at the players. A person likes to be appraied for their work and effort. A ture leader will know when to lash his team memebers with appraise and when to dish out the dirt. From many comments on this board this year, I do not think Huse has the leadership skills to lead his team through difficult times. I hope the AD will have a long talk with Huse about his manager style concerning his coaches and players. Oh, wait a minute. Fields is the AD. I guess he will have to find away to make Huse look bad and him look good before he takes any action. Maybe losing all those coaches last year was more do to Huse than we all realize.

Waaaaaaa................... the coach yelled at me.

The Cats shot 36% from the floor and 27% from beyond the arc- no team is going to win with those kind of stats and the coach should be in a pissy mood.

I played for for coaches that yelled and some that didn't yell. There's no problem with yelling at a kid sometimes to get his attention or to make a point. But if you are honest with yourself and watch Huse with an unbiased point of view, he takes it overboard. Overboard to the point where it gets in the way of actually coaching. I never once said anything about being too hard on the guys. Sometimes a little kick in the ass in necessary to get someone's attention. But this seems to be his thing - the Cats fall behind, Huse panics, and then decides to blow, completely ignoring the situation at hand. Jeezus H. Kee-rist, some of you people need to take the blue & gold blinders off and look at things realistically. Like it or not, Huse's style is not getting results, and it's losing the interest of his assistant coaches, his players, and the fans.

I think you summed it up perfectly with that statement. I haven't really commented on the MBB team much this season, simply because I haven't followed them that closely, and that is a pretty major indictment of the program right there. I live and die with the Cats during football season, and used to follow MBB almost as fervently, back in the mid to late 90's when we were fielding consistent contenders. But I have really lost interest in MBB in recent years. It is bad enough that we haven't won a tourney game for 10 years, but at least we used to play a much more entertaining style of ball, so that win or lose, it was fun to watch the games. I watched all the games that have been on TV, and I found myself thinking that this team just isn't very entertaining to watch, not to mentinon not being very good. I have been a big supporter of Huse since the day he was hired, and everyone seemed to agree that we got the better coach (versus Tinkle) after Krysko left UM, but I am beginning to have my doubts about that. Idon't mean to pile on Huse when he's down, but we should have seen more progress in the program by now IMHO. We aren't any better than we were in his first season...maybe worse.

We need to fine another Dissly/Taylor/Durham type player to really carry this team and be a leader. Ever since those guys have been gone it hasn't been the same.

longhorn_22 wrote:So what say all of you? If there's no significant improvement next season, should Huse be gone?

Tough call. I will admit I was one of the many that wanted to see a switch from Durham to somebody else. I was also one of the many who adamantly supported Huse and thought we got the better of the two coaches between he and Tinkle. But if you look at the two programs, they are headed in opposite directions. I guess sometimes you need to be careful of what you wish for - you may just get it.

Three years is usually a good indicator of what you'll get in a head coach, and I'm not sure I am pleased with the style of play that Huse is trying to implement. That's not to say I don't support this team - I do very much! I drag my family over to Bozeman from Helena several times during b-ball season, only to drive back home bummed. But I keep going and will continue to keep going (my wife said last night on the way home that I deserve a medal for my enthusiasm and the fact that I was already talking about driving back over to Bozeman for the Weber State game on March 3rd). I'm just really disappointed that we cannot give a better effort considering our facilities, our campus, and fan base are better than most in this conference.

Contrary to what I may have stated on earlier in this thread, I think there are some guys on this team that have the potential to be ballers. Rush, Piepoli, Howard, Brown, Henderson (who, IMHO, had a monster impact last night and I really liked what I saw out of him), and Navarre are all guys I think have a world of talent. The question then becomes - who is going to bring that talent out and let it shine? Will someone step up and say, "This is my team, and I will lead!" Will Coach Huse get these guys to gel and learn to play as more cohesive unit on the floor?

Someone mentioned earlier that this team is young, and indeed they are, very young. So there's time. But bad play and bad attitudes become contagious and we need to turn it around the see positive results next season. I'm not sure this season can be fixed, but I'm no Nostradamus be any means. They could flat out surprise me. We need at least one more conference win, probably, to ensure our spot in the BSC tourney. But it's gonna be hard, as there are no gimmes left in Weber, Portland State, & Northern Colorado.

One blogger said it perfectly. " all the assistants huddled in the center of the floor." This is while Huse is coaching. That message tells you alot. The problem is the disconnect of players and coaches. Huse is rough and fair ---- but you need an assistant that motivates and counsels on mistakes or good play. This staff does not have this nor do their personalities show those traits.

You have a young team --- however next year is the year.... I would seriously look at making some changes on the assistant sides. What do Starr and Priebe real bring to this program? Carson we all know is the director of basketball operations. If Huse was to go I would look hard at Sprinkle.