high school basketball tournament time

[SonomaCat]

Is any one (newspapers, TV stations ect) posting game results from around the state this week end?

The Tribune is doing a good job of posting updates from the Northern C games as they finish. So far, Winifred beat Centerville and Power beat Big Sandy, so Winifred vs. Power is the first semifinal tomorrow night.

[John K]

Is any one (newspapers, TV stations ect) posting game results from around the state this week end?

The Tribune is doing a good job of posting updates from the Northern C games as they finish. So far, Winifred beat Centerville and Power beat Big Sandy, so Winifred vs. Power is the first semifinal tomorrow night.

Speaking of Big Sandy, does anyone know what kind of a season MSU recruit Blake Brumwell has had this year. It seems like a lot of people are sort of on the fence about whether or not he is a legitimate D-I player, and I was just curious if he has done anything this season to sway that opinion in one direction or the other?

[mslacat]

Brumwell is averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds. His team mate Corbin Pearson (6-5) is averaging 23 points a game. I am told that Pearson benefited early in the season from teams packing it in the paint and double and tripling the post. Pearson is a very good 3 point shooter. I never saw Brumwell in person and my source might be considered a Brumwell fan so...

His scoring averages were up significantly the second half of the season from the first half. I think an area he will need to work on his redshirt year (assumption on my part) though is defending without fouling.

BAC- Where did you find the updated scores on the Great Fall Trib site? I could not find them.

[HiLineCat]

If Brumwell doesn't make it on the basketball court maybe Coach Ash will use him as an O-lineman. He's already 6-7 and 240 lbs. Beef him up to 280 and lets see what he can do.

[redspartancat]

Brumwell will struggle as a college player. He might have been able to get by if he were another 4-5 inches taller, but he doesn't quite have the athleticism needed right now. He is a big strong kid and dominates some high school games, but not against players that are near his size.

[SonomaCat]

BAC- Where did you find the updated scores on the Great Fall Trib site? I could not find them.

They were posting really short stories in the main news section (front page) after each game.

My gut feeling is that Brumwell would have a lot better chance of success in football at MSU.

[RedCat]

BAC- Where did you find the updated scores on the Great Fall Trib site? I could not find them.

They were posting really short stories in the main news section (front page) after each game.

My gut feeling is that Brumwell would have a lot better chance of success in football at MSU.

Yeah, I would be very surpised if he ever sees any time for the Cats. I wish him the best but just don't see it happenining.

Pearson is a better player and a better prospect than Brumwell.



On a side note...Brumwell should have told Lachner where to go during that game yesterday. Lachner was on his ass pretty much the whole game for being in foul trouble.

[John K]

I can't believe that his name has slipped my mind, but who was the kid from Big Sandy that signed to play for football for MSU a few years ago? I seem to recall that he was considered to be a very good prospect, but I believe he left the program after his redshirt season. I think he may have been part of Kramer's last recruiting class in 2007. Can anyone refresh my memory?

[wbtfg]

I can't believe that his name has slipped my mind, but who was the kid from Big Sandy that signed to play for football for MSU a few years ago? I seem to recall that he was considered to be a very good prospect, but I believe he left the program after his redshirt season. I think he may have been part of Kramer's last recruiting class in 2007. Can anyone refresh my memory?

Mason Ophus. He was in Kramer's 2004 class which was perhaps Kramer's worst recruiting class (which is really saying something).

[John K]

I can't believe that his name has slipped my mind, but who was the kid from Big Sandy that signed to play for football for MSU a few years ago? I seem to recall that he was considered to be a very good prospect, but I believe he left the program after his redshirt season. I think he may have been part of Kramer's last recruiting class in 2007. Can anyone refresh my memory?

Mason Ophus. He was in Kramer's 2004 class which was perhaps Kramer's worst recruiting class (which is really saying something).

Wow, it was that long ago already? Time goes fast! Although, I'm not sure what you meant by "which is really saying something"? Whatever his faults may have been, I think he generally did a pretty good job of bringing in talented players.

[wbtfg]

I can't believe that his name has slipped my mind, but who was the kid from Big Sandy that signed to play for football for MSU a few years ago? I seem to recall that he was considered to be a very good prospect, but I believe he left the program after his redshirt season. I think he may have been part of Kramer's last recruiting class in 2007. Can anyone refresh my memory?

Mason Ophus. He was in Kramer's 2004 class which was perhaps Kramer's worst recruiting class (which is really saying something).

Wow, it was that long ago already? Time goes fast! Although, I'm not sure what you meant by "which is really saying something"? Whatever his faults may have been, I think he generally did a pretty good job of bringing in talented players.

I don't want to hijack this thread...but when you get a chance, take a look at all Kramer's signing day classes. There were really only 2 or 3 that were marginally strong.

[John K]

I can't believe that his name has slipped my mind, but who was the kid from Big Sandy that signed to play for football for MSU a few years ago? I seem to recall that he was considered to be a very good prospect, but I believe he left the program after his redshirt season. I think he may have been part of Kramer's last recruiting class in 2007. Can anyone refresh my memory?

Mason Ophus. He was in Kramer's 2004 class which was perhaps Kramer's worst recruiting class (which is really saying something).

Wow, it was that long ago already? Time goes fast! Although, I'm not sure what you meant by "which is really saying something"? Whatever his faults may have been, I think he generally did a pretty good job of bringing in talented players.

I don't want to hijack this thread...but when you get a chance, take a look at all Kramer's signing day classes. There were really only 2 or 3 that were marginally strong.

I would respectfully disagree, but I don't want to hijack this thread either, so I will leave it at that. Back to the question about Brumwell, it seems almost unanimous among BNers that he is not a legitimate D-I prospect, so what gives? Is Huse overly desperate to recruit some Montana kids, for the sake of rekindling interest in the program? What do people think about Colt Idol? Do you think he will eventually become a solid BSC player?

[bcats]

My hope is that Brumwell does make the switch to football because he would be a beast. I strongly believe that both Pearson and Stulc are better more polished all around players. They are only 1 to 2 inches shorter but much more basketball athletic and both shoot the 3 extremely well. I would encourage anyone in the Great Falls area go and watch them play and come up with different conclusion. Stulc had 31 points that included 5 threes and a dunk standing still off of two feet in traffic against Centerville. He has signed at Rocky. Pearson I have no idea where he will sign but he is the best player on Big Sandy's team.

[whitetrashgriz]

I would respectfully disagree, but I don't want to hijack this thread either, so I will leave it at that. Back to the question about Brumwell, it seems almost unanimous among BNers that he is not a legitimate D-I prospect, so what gives? Is Huse overly desperate to recruit some Montana kids, for the sake of rekindling interest in the program? What do people think about Colt Idol? Do you think he will eventually become a solid BSC player?

very good questions. as for brumwell, i can't say for sure what the reasoning is behind his signing. but i'll give huse the benefit of the doubt although there seems to be a trend of him reaching for players. i've only seen brumwell play in a couple summer tournies but lets just say that i was really surprised to hear about his commitment after watching him play. it will be a real feel-good story if he pans out, but i honestly don't see it happening.

idol is a fun player to speculate on. i think he has a ton of talent. i think he plays with a lot of confidence. and i think he's smart. i honestly wouldn't be shocked if he ended up contributing, but i wouldn't be shocked if he left the program either. not many thought durham had the game to play at this level either, and while he was never a superstar, i'd say he held his own just fine. but he worked his butt off harder than most people realize. i don't see any reason why colt couldn't do the same thing. but he seems like a good kid, and i'm really pulling for him to stick it out, work hard, and help our team.

[wasacatfan]

I went to the Winifred Power game tonight what a great game both teams very disiplined Power has some very good athletes the Somerfeld boys were impressive. Stulc from Winifred had an off night I think for him I believe he had 15-18 something like that but he seemed a little off, very good player though I would like to see him in a Bobcat uni but as was stated earlier he is going to Rocky which he will have a good career by the way Power won by 5 or 6

[wasacatfan]

My bad Power actually won 53-49

[cat-o-nine]

I honestly can't figure the recruiting mindset that Huse has (or dUMb for that matter) when it comes to Montana kids. The number of Montana kids on either roster is pathetic. And good players are out there but end up playing at Carroll or Rocky because these coaches think they need to go out of State for every player in order to be competitive. I disagree. Look at MSU's history and tell me we don't have a lot of Montana players who were major contributors to successful teams in the past. Names like Hashly, Durham, Sprinkle, Finberg and of course Ferch. My theory is that Montana kids will give you more effort because they are more emotionally invested in our State having a winning program. Plus, it obviously helps with fan support to see kids we know playing at this level.

That said, I have never understood the Colt Idol thing and have even less confidence in the Brumwell choice. Idol never really stood out in High School when compared to a large number of other players that were coming out of High School last year. Maybe I'm missing something.

This year, I think that there are several players who deserved looks over Brumwell, including Stulc and Pearson. Another is the Hennessy kid out of Glendive. Man that kid can shoot! And handle the ball. I live in Laurel and watched him go against our great defense and he was amazing. What about the Muller kid out of Billings West? He's not real big, but can handle the ball and shoot. Plus, recruiting him might increase the possibility that we could get his little brother to come play when he graduates - that kid will play and contribute for a D-1 school, no doubt in my mind.

Why not give more Montana kids a chance? Not saying we need an "all Montana" team, but there is enough talent here to warrant seeing 3-5 Montana kids on both the Cats and Griz rosters. I believe they would make both programs better.

That's the end of my diatribe.

[wbtfg]

but there is enough talent here to warrant seeing 3-5 Montana kids on both the Cats and Griz rosters

I believe we have 3 don't we?

Howard
Idol
Davis

Also, have Brumwell and Little set to join the ranks in the coming years.

[whitetrashgriz]

I honestly can't figure the recruiting mindset that Huse has when it comes to Montana kids. The number of Montana kids on either roster is pathetic.

after reading this part of yuor post i honestly thought we were on the same page, but i couldn't disagree more. i think both huse and tinkle have reached for kids in montana, who probably won't be much more than roll players if they ever see any time at all. just look at the players you listed in your example. you're going back 30 plus years! basketball is evolving, and the truth of the matter is the in-state kids often aren't good enough to play at the d1 level. i don't have an answer as to why that is...but it is clear to see. i agree that we might have missed the boat on garland. but even that is up for debate, and i think it's true that he wouldn't put up eye popping stats at this level. look at the best montana kids over the last ten or so years, and look how their careers ended up. conway was one of the best players i had seen in this state playing for west. he hardly played for the cats. lasosky was a great high school guy too. and while he played a lot for the cats, and certainly had his moments, he was far from a star. danny faaborg and jack mcgillis were also stars in high school. so was justin brown...although to be fair his msu career was cut short by injury. these are guys that were montana gatorade players and ended up being role players here. hell, the best montana kid the griz have had in a while was criswell who if i'm not mistaken was a walk-on.

people need to see that there is a huge difference between recruiting football and basketball in this state. you can take more risks in football, and you have a better chance of landing a diamond in the rough. not near as easy in basketball, and coach ash has said so himself. he made it very clear that huse has a far more uphill battle in the recruiting process. if anything, i think huse is taking too many chances with in-state kids. i think you have to take the best guys you can get no matter where they are from. if a stud comes out of our state then great, take him. like we did with howard. and durr. and faaborg. and dissly. and durham. and conway. and sprinks. and brown. and laz. etc.etc.etc. but this state doesn't produce enough division one hoops talent to go after more than a couple kids every year. as for idol, if i'm not mistaken he was a walk-on. huse saw a guy that works hard, and plays good defense, so it makes perfect sense to keep him around and let him prove himself. he's not hurting anything, and if we're lucky maybe he'll surprise us.

[mslacat]

I want to make a few points.

- Colt Idol is a walk-on as is Steven Davis by some of the post here I am not sure if that is clear.

- I really believe that the 2000's have been shy of a lot of basketball talent. There has been some very good players, yes but just not a lot of them.

- I have said it quite a few times before it seems the D-1 coaches in Montana are more willing to take chances on out of State kids (and fail) than in state kids.

- It is my firm belief that many of the kids who could have been good basketball stars for the UM and MSU programs are now putting their efforts into playing football. Montana is a football crazy state right now. Montana's better athletes want to play football.

- For every Montana kid who failed at MSU or UM I will name a Montana kid who became d-1 despite being told he would not.

- For every Montana kid who failed at MSU or UM I will name two out of State kids who failed

- For every out of State kid who failed I can name a Montana kid who did not get a chance that year but now looks like he should have.

- 20/20 hind site makes all of look like basketball genius.

- If Doug Hasley was coming out of high school today non of you would be thrilled about him. he was not that highly regarded back then and would not be today. but once he got to college.

- 10 or more years ago the really good Montana kids wanted/hoped/dreamed to play for Montana State or Montana now they settle for it. The 2 schools are going to have a hard time landing these kids in the future ala Huestis.

- 13 scholarships, 13 scholarships, 13 scholarships, 13 scholarships I can not say this enough. With the old 15 scholarships the schools could sign a Fellows, Faaborg, Sullivan or Garland.

- I am curious to see what happens when Tinkles son or Huse's sons get to be high school seniors. If there dad's are still here, and if they are as good as they look to be, will they go out of state.