Portal Begins (MBB)

[SACCAT]

Let the Portal news Begins!!!

BJ Kolly has reportedly entered the Portal (Via Twitter/X reports from Parker Cotton and others)

[4KornerKat]

[MSU01]

No surprise there given the limited minutes Kolly played all year followed by his benching along with Walker. That's now 7 players outgoing with 2 freshmen signed so far, so 5 spots that need to be filled pending more departures.

[lutecat]

You would think Walker would be in the portal right now already given he had a few weeks of sitting. Yous think he was ready to jump from the get go.

[4KornerKat]

You would think Walker would be in the portal right now already given he had a few weeks of sitting. Yous think he was ready to jump from the get go.

The Portal isn't actually open until March 24, but assuming Walker is fielding phone calls already.

[4KornerKat]

[GrizgradCatFan]

No surprise. Not a team player. They played better basketball without him

[lutecat]

Interesting article by Parker in the Chronicle. He may be just being polite but he says the right things. He seems to not bear any animosity.

[aucat]

Interesting article by Parker in the Chronicle. He may be just being polite but he says the right things. He seems to not bear any animosity.

I agree. I watched him on the bench in Boise and as far as I could tell he was always enthusiastic and supportive of his team.

[RickRund]

A question about Walker? What type of system does he seem to fit in?

[Joe Bobcat]

A question about Walker? What type of system does he seem to fit in?

Sad to say this but either a system that allows him to only play half court basketball or a program that convinces him to lose 15 pounds or more and in every way possible get in the best shape of his life and then always play hard and alert both sides of the ball.
A little harsh and there's far more to what type of system he'd fit in best but it's hard to deny the need for conditioning and hustle.

[Connor_jefferson]

Why are you guys hating on Walker like he wasn’t the leading scorer and leading rebounder? He came in and help us win another championship last year, y'all are straight hating on him you guys don’t know basketball at all when he wasn’t playing everyone was happy but when we lose and he doesn’t play you guys say we need him. He is going to flourish anywhere he goes and I hope the best for him. God’s speed.

[catscat]

A question about Walker? What type of system does he seem to fit in?

Seems to me his preferred system is one on five.

[MinnesotaBobcat]

Good luck to Brandon. Just never felt like his game fit with Logie’s system. I was surprised he didn’t portal after last season because this seemed pretty obvious when the team thrived when Olmsted thrived when he took some of Walker’s minutes.

[Long Time Cat]

No surprise there given the limited minutes Kolly played all year followed by his benching along with Walker. That's now 7 players outgoing with 2 freshmen signed so far, so 5 spots that need to be filled pending more departures.

I'm hoping he doesn't bring in a bunch of seniors. It seems like we need to build some continuity. I know that may be a lot to ask with the current portal situation, but I think it's worth a try.

[PapaG]

No surprise. Not a team player. They played better basketball without him

That’s unfair. He was a big part of last year’s NCAA tournament team and played well this season.

He just isn’t a good fit in Logie’s current system/roster and it showed late this season.

[RickRund]

No surprise. Not a team player. They played better basketball without him

That’s unfair. He was a big part of last year’s NCAA tournament team and played well this season.

He just isn’t a good fit in Logie’s current system/roster and it showed late this season.

And like I asked earlier, what system would he best compete in? A 3 on 3 type, Spokane's Hoop-Fest.

[SCVBobcat]

Not getting a second of playing time in the last 4 games, including a blow-out tourney loss, when you're the team's best scorer in the paint isn't just a case of being "a bad fit". It's punitive...

[mslacat]

The transfer portal for basketball—and possibly other sports—will officially open this Monday, the 24th. Up until now, most of what we’ve seen has been players announcing their intent to transfer or committing to new programs.

From what I’ve gathered, coaches have been frustrated with how long the transfer portal stays open, making roster planning difficult. In response, the NCAA has shortened the window this year, with the portal open from March 24 to April 22. One exception is if a program’s head coach is fired or leaves—players on that team will then have 30 days from the coach’s departure to enter the portal.

Last week, there was already a rush of players declaring their intent to transfer, but I expect things to really take off on Monday and Tuesday. With only 30 days to recruit, visit campuses, and commit, coaches are treating this process like speed dating. If we see any additional transfers from the Bobcat men’s team, I think they’ll happen early next week. On the women’s side, since their season just ended yesterday, transfer announcements may take longer. If any players from the women’s team enter the portal right away, I’d assume they had already made up their minds.

Right now, I’ve seen numbers around 200 male and 190 female Division I players announcing their intent to transfer. In the Big Sky, I’ve counted about six men and four women so far (three from ISU and Helena native Avery Kraft from PSU).

Bobcat Transfer Targets
Based on what I’ve heard and pieced together, Montana State has been active in reaching out to potential transfer targets. Here are some players I believe they’ve shown interest in over the past week:

Men’s Basketball:

Aliou Cissue (6'7" F - Bridgeport, D2)

Jikari Johnson (6'5" G - Trevecca U)

Brody Rowbury (6'11" F - SE Louisiana, originally from Idaho)

Sean Early (5'11" PG - Wheeling U, D2)

Christian King (6'8" F - Washington)

James Evans (6'6" G - UNLV)

CJ Jackson (6'7" F - Union, D2)

Parker Applegate (6'8" F - Union, D2)

Chase Dawson (6'0" PG - Mt. Olive)

Antonio Chandler (6'6" Wing/F - Southern Connecticut State, D2)

Mario Whitley (6'5" F - Eastern New Mexico, D2)

Adrian McIntyre (6'3" G - Westmont U, D2)

Drew Fielder (6'11" F - Georgetown)

Kollin Tolbert (6'3" G - Concord U, D2)

I want to be clear—I don’t have inside information on these players or the level of interest on either side. This list is based on names I’ve seen mentioned, but I have no way of knowing how serious the Bobcats are about any of them or if these players are seriously considering Montana State. That being said, I have heard James Evans from UNLV mentioned multiple times. Of course, this list could be outdated by next week.

Women’s Basketball
I haven’t heard much on the women’s side. One note—I was told that Montana State had shown interest in a BYU player whom Binford and her staff recruited out of Idaho in high school, but she committed to Oklahoma yesterday.

One major factor in all of this is NIL opportunities. A lot of these athletes are looking for financial incentives, and that’s going to have a big impact on who Coach Logie can realistically bring to Montana State.

I expect things to start moving quickly tomorrow, so stay tuned.

[tetoncat]

Are we really at a level that we can only get D2 and JC players. That seems to be most of what you listed and also shows on X.