Tonight's game vs. Rocky Mountain College

[BobcatDel]

Rocky looks just as good if not better , this game should not even be close, which is pathetic!
And to think some of the guys for Rocky were not even looked at by the bobcats. Including (The the Montana kids)
Logie - put your bench in and maybe you can keep up with Rocky, who’s players were not considered by your program because they were good enough to play for you
Montana kids are good enough to play at this level, and if your gonna lose , do it with Montana kids on the floor. smh

There are three Montana players that have been in and one starts. It would be immediate terms for dismissal if a coach at UM or MSU tried to build a team of all Montana players or even a core group. Even if there was only one D1 school here it would be a train wreck.

3 for Rocky how many other of our kids are not getting recruited by MSU or UM?? Answer is 10-12 at least with skills that can play.

To be sure I understand…are you saying there are 10-12 Montana kids capable of playing D1 basketball? Is that just men or men and women? Which 10-12 kids are you thinking can make it at UM or MSU? I was thinking more like maybe 3 to 4 a year.

I think it’s lower than that unless you’re including end of bench players.

Probably right. Cats currently have two sitting. I actually enjoyed watching Robinson from Lewistown in early practice sessions…but not sure if he can make a big contribution in a few years.

[TheBigCat]

At least 12 currently can make a roster

[TheBigCat]

Gees wow ! REMINDER , we just got beat by Rocky
To be clear just ( Men) I think 10-12 who are currently playing could get significant playing time At the D1 level. Just look at all the Montana schools alone that have rosters full of Montana kids NAIA, MSUb, JUCO, who are comparable to Rocky kids and that play a lot.
Famous, hugs, and others,can all play D1 at some capacity they just never get a fair chance. Montana kids get overlooked even in there own state. It’s a damn shame !
Have a fair and even tryout system let them play against each other.
Just because you give kid a full scholarship does not mean he gets to start!

[PapaG]

Gees wow ! REMINDER , we just got beat by Rocky
To be clear just ( Men) I think 10-12 who are currently playing could get significant playing time At the D1 level. Just look at all the Montana schools alone that have rosters full of Montana kids NAIA, MSUb, JUCO, who are comparable to Rocky kids and that play a lot.
Famous, hugs, and others,can all play D1 at some capacity they just never get a fair chance. Montana kids get overlooked even in there own state. It’s a damn shame !
Have a fair and even tryout system let them play against each other.
Just because you give kid a full scholarship does not mean he gets to start!

New Zealand
Florida
New Zealand
Tennessee
Billings, MT

Those are Rocky’s starters. Maybe Cal should recruit Montana players since MSU beat them last week if we’re going to wildly overreact to one Bobcat basketball game with basically a new team.

I played AA basketball for a decent team. Granted, it was over 30 years ago but had I been able to grow up playing with and against the guys from out-of-state in our Shroyer pickup games, I’d have been much better for it. @Domako used to play in those games after his eligibility was up and there was nothing like him in Montana HS basketball. Imagine him in today’s outside-oriented game.

Read what I posted earlier about a family member who plays HS now, is one of the best players in the state, and simply is not a D1 prospect.

[BobcatDel]

Gees wow ! REMINDER , we just got beat by Rocky
To be clear just ( Men) I think 10-12 who are currently playing could get significant playing time At the D1 level. Just look at all the Montana schools alone that have rosters full of Montana kids NAIA, MSUb, JUCO, who are comparable to Rocky kids and that play a lot.
Famous, hugs, and others,can all play D1 at some capacity they just never get a fair chance. Montana kids get overlooked even in there own state. It’s a damn shame !
Have a fair and even tryout system let them play against each other.
Just because you give kid a full scholarship does not mean he gets to start!

Well I guess I have to agree to disagree. A coach would have to be a danged fool if he had a group of players and he wasn’t giving them all a shot to play and prove their potential. Especially after spending time and money recruiting them. Coach better sort out and use the most talented players he has that fit his offensive and defensive schemes. A Coach is not going to leave more talented guys riding the bench if his objective is to win games.

I gave you two fairly recent examples above….Bellach got playing time in a Bobcat uniform in games and I loved the kid but he was better going to Tech to get the playing time he wanted. And there was no way Owens was going to get major playing time behind the folks Sprinkle had leading the Cats at guard. He had a great game against us tonight and is talented but if he had stayed with Sprinkle teams and Darius was still here he wouldn’t be playing much, more a significant backup role…..leaving was right choice for him.

[TheBigCat]

I said look at all the rosters on all the college teams in MT CURRENTLY! and tell me what you think. ? I don’t know who your relative is but you might be surprised how he would do in a setting with D1 players.
Also last year the best players by far were the 3 from class A- If you watched the HIT It was obvious. Yes agreed last year only 2 players were solid D1 guys, both from Lewistown.

[TheBigCat]

My point exactly !
How do you even know the coach knows who his best played are?

[Joe Bobcat]

At least 12 currently can make a roster

According to NCAA stats there were 8 Division1 mens basketball players from Montana in the '22-'23 season.
Maybe just maybe there actually are 12 that could make a D1 roster but maybe just maybe some that could make a D1 roster choose to play at a different level for one reason or another, playing time being one reason. I'd bet that if you were to ask every Montana kid that is playing college hoops the majority by far would say they are happy at the competition level they are at. It sure is nice to see that you're all up in arms for them though.

[TheBigCat]

At least 12 currently can make a roster

According to NCAA stats there were 8 Division1 mens basketball players from Montana in the '22-'23 season.
Maybe just maybe there actually are 12 that could make a D1 roster but maybe just maybe some that could make a D1 roster choose to play at a different level for one reason or another, playing time being one reason. I'd bet that if you were to ask every Montana kid that is playing college hoops the majority by far would say they are happy at the competition level they are at. It sure is nice to see that you're all up in arms for them though.

[TheBigCat]

Again you are missing the point! Who cares about JUST NCAA. I said college , all levels currently! I say MONTANA kids deserve a FAIR chance first and foremost to play for a D1 MT team ( quit recruiting out of state just because yih think they are better.)
Look- Take all the best Montana kids in the last 6 years (Covid that’s what we have to account for)
Those kids would not only beat MSU but Rocky as well. But most were overlooked by bad recruiting. Everybody always bitches about our fans not being into it. Get some local kids and that will change ! win or lose the atmosphere and gate total $ will speak for itself

[Desert_Bobcat]

Just because I was curious with all this MT player talk:
Since the 2018-19 season there have been 14 MT natives to hold a roster spot for either UM or MSU (6 @ UM // 8 @ MSU)
In that time only 4 (Ladan Ricketts, Caleb Bellach, Kendal Manuel, Mack Anderson) have made a significant impact to the team (playing more than 1 year and consistently seeing the floor in that time) the other 10 are/were bench riders and team GPA boosters or have transferred to lower level of competition.

The issue isn’t finding players in the state. Anyone can be D1. It’s whether or not they’re skilled enough to make a difference. The talent level of the Cats the last 2 years has required the coaches to go out of state and the region to find talent to compete. The team this year might just need a couple homegrown guys with some work ethic to help turn the tide next year. I like seeing MT and regional kids on the floor just the same as anyone else. However I also care more about winning than making sure we hold ‘x’ number of spots for MT kids. If they can make a difference, great! Stats have shown though that a majority of guys in the state just aren’t good enough to make a meaningful impact at the D1 level.

Fruit for thought, if you were that Lewiston kid playing ball at Wasatch Academy in Utah would you rather play at either MT school or would you want to go someplace bigger (Utah St, Colorado, Washington) with better facilities and have a smaller role, but maybe a better overall experience? Because with the little D1 talent the state holds, you’re also competing with bigger fish with exponentially better resources.

[Camo_Cat]

Made the trip to Bozeman a day early for the football game just to catch a basketball game since I am not able to make very many. This is what I saw tonight:

-- This team plays lazy basketball. A lot of standing around on offense with little off-ball movement, sloppy passes, and poor shot selection. On defense, they play like their feet are planted in cement, and no aggression rebounding the ball or efforts to put a body on a body to box out.
-- We were told that we would see a different style of ball this year, that Logie's style of play was up-tempo, full-court ball. I saw very little of that. In fact, we looked like the slower of the two teams tonight.
-- This team has no shooter. Patterson can get hot, but he's spotty. Gorake shows a spark. Ford hit a couple of three's, but his shot has gotten funky this year. The ball is spinning sideways out of his hand and has little chance of hitting the mark. Outside of that, no one can shot. And for a team with little size, that's a recipe for disaster.
-- The crowd is non-existent. No noise, no excitement, and few warm bodies in the stands. You can tell with Danny gone and bunch of the guys from last year gone, it's like someone let the air out of the balloon.

From what I saw in person tonight, I am not very hopeful for the conference season. Unless Logie can find lightning in a bottle, this team will finish near the bottom of conference this season.

[tetoncat]

Again you are missing the point! Who cares about JUST NCAA. I said college , all levels currently! I say MONTANA kids deserve a FAIR chance first and foremost to play for a D1 MT team ( quit recruiting out of state just because yih think they are better.)
Look- Take all the best Montana kids in the last 6 years (Covid that’s what we have to account for)
Those kids would not only beat MSU but Rocky as well. But most were overlooked by bad recruiting. Everybody always bitches about our fans not being into it. Get some local kids and that will change ! win or lose the atmosphere and gate total $ will speak for itself

They might beat this year's version of MSU and Rocky. They would not beat last year's version of MSU nor the one this year if Sprinkle stayed.

You are missing a huge point I feel. Many of them might have had a chance like Bellach and Germar who then didn't earn time and chose to drop down and excel. Are you saying those kids didn't get fair chances.

[HighPlainsBobcat]

From 406Sports….. “The beauty of college basketball is when you have an experienced team that knows who they are and comes out and executes,” Logie added. "In 40 minutes, a lot of things can happen and you saw that tonight. That's certainly maybe a lesson that some of our guys needed to learn. It's not one that is news to me, coming from where I've come from. So if this is the way we have to learn that lesson, then it's all about our response and our attitude to that.”

Time will be the arbiter. We’ll see who buys in.

GoCatsGo

[TheBigCat]

Again you are missing the point! Who cares about JUST NCAA. I said college , all levels currently! I say MONTANA kids deserve a FAIR chance first and foremost to play for a D1 MT team ( quit recruiting out of state just because yih think they are better.)
Look- Take all the best Montana kids in the last 6 years (Covid that’s what we have to account for)
Those kids would not only beat MSU but Rocky as well. But most were overlooked by bad recruiting. Everybody always bitches about our fans not being into it. Get some local kids and that will change ! win or lose the atmosphere and gate total $ will speak for itself

They might beat this year's version of MSU and Rocky. They would not beat last year's version of MSU nor the one this year if Sprinkle stayed.

You are missing a huge point I feel. Many of them might have had a chance like Bellach and Germar who then didn't earn time and chose to drop down and excel. Are you saying those kids didn't get fair chances.

Yes exactly they would best this years version that’s what the point was.
I don’t know about Bellach snd Germar :if they got a fair shot. I am saying Montana kids don’t get even invited on a visit (official or anything else)
Question then- If out of state players are so much better MT kids then why did we just get beat by an NAIA TEAM ?

[MSU01]

Interesting that MSU has been more competitive against all of its Division 1 opponents this year than it was against Rocky last night. Pretty far fall from beating a (bad) Pac-12 team on the road to this result, but that's sports for you. Adversity can be a good thing if the team responds to it in a positive fashion (see the 2021 football team). We will see what happens, I'll still be there supporting the team whenever I can get to Bozeman for a game!

[lv2hoop]

The Rocky men had this game circled on their calendar for months - both the players and coaches. That's how the D2's and NAIA teams are as they feel overlooked and underrated so when they get a chance to play a D1 school, it's game on.

Even our squad last year that won a lot of basketball games didn't beat MSU-Billings by more than about 7-8 points.

[tetoncat]

Again you are missing the point! Who cares about JUST NCAA. I said college , all levels currently! I say MONTANA kids deserve a FAIR chance first and foremost to play for a D1 MT team ( quit recruiting out of state just because yih think they are better.)
Look- Take all the best Montana kids in the last 6 years (Covid that’s what we have to account for)
Those kids would not only beat MSU but Rocky as well. But most were overlooked by bad recruiting. Everybody always bitches about our fans not being into it. Get some local kids and that will change ! win or lose the atmosphere and gate total $ will speak for itself

They might beat this year's version of MSU and Rocky. They would not beat last year's version of MSU nor the one this year if Sprinkle stayed.

You are missing a huge point I feel. Many of them might have had a chance like Bellach and Germar who then didn't earn time and chose to drop down and excel. Are you saying those kids didn't get fair chances.

Yes exactly they would best this years version that’s what the point was.
I don’t know about Bellach snd Germar :if they got a fair shot. I am saying Montana kids don’t get even invited on a visit (official or anything else)
Question then- If out of state players are so much better MT kids then why did we just get beat by an NAIA TEAM ?

Pretty easy analysis if you want to have an open opinion. Cats were gutted by graduation, transfers, and loss of recruits when Sprinkle left. Even the best MT kids were signed somewhere else by time Logie was hired. He got the best available players he could get to come here in the short time he had to fill the roster. Pretty sure Rocky has a lot of guys who have been in the program multiple years. And if there are so many D1 MT kids available each year why do Western, Northern, Rocky, Providence, Tech, Carroll, and MSUB have out of state kids playing.

[bshsmsu]

I realize it is early, but the lack of progress is concerning. 7 games in, and we actually seem to be regressing. We don't have the talent that we have had the last couple of years, but we are more talented than Rocky, or even Green Bay for that matter. Would like to see more urgency in protecting the Brick - not a great crowd last night, but after watching last night (and last Monday) I don't blame people for not being on their feet or coming back. I will continue to come to the games and support the Cats through thick and thin, but the team didn't seem too bothered by getting embarrassed by an NAIA opponent, which can be hard to watch. Completely agree on the lack of Montana kids - probably won't sniff the NCAA tourney with a roster full of Montana kids, but having no Montana kids on the roster and performing like that is inexcusable.

[nanacat]

Only one example, but I knew a superstar high school post player. Strong inside, great shooter from in or outside, very dependable and consistent. Got to college and got moved to guard. He hadn't played guard except sparingly as a freshman in high school. But at 6'2" he wasn't a college level post player. He played one year and quit bball.

Regarding MT players, how often is that the case? They may have exceptional talent in high school but especially those playing Class B and C, they don't have tons of competition to really develop their talent, therefore recruiters aren't looking at them the same way as AA players, and out of state where the competition level is so much higher.