Portal Begins (MBB)

[msu_agfan]

Trap Johnson leaving is a little concerning to me. It’s not like he showed anything to be getting a better offer. Hopefully it’s a case of just not like Bozeman/Montana rather than anything else.

Man, it is pretty discouraging.. I thought i was getting to be ok with this portal thing,, but good grief this kid didnt even play one game.. Starting to hope we dont find out we have a problem with the coach(es)...

[grizzh8r]

Trap Johnson leaving is a little concerning to me. It’s not like he showed anything to be getting a better offer. Hopefully it’s a case of just not like Bozeman/Montana rather than anything else.

Not like Bozeman, MT?! Sure doesn’t seem to be the trend these days.

Hopefully Logie can catch lightning in a bottle next season.

Did benching Walker damage the core fabric of the team?

There’s always going to be athletes that come here and realize they don’t like the place that much.

Sure but with 6 graduates and 3 older guys in portal it seems like a high recruit would figure it would be their time. Stay a year, show your stuff, better offers the next year if you choose. Just surprising how many across college don't like the place they chose, year after year.

When you're an 18-22 year old, the grass.ay seem perpetually greener elsewhere...

[AFCAT]

I don’t even know the players anymore. Having nearly a completely new team every single year just doesn’t seem to be sustainable at MSU. Might work for big schools, but I have my doubts it will work here. I guess time will tell.

[grizzh8r]

Well, I'm at least glad we got Sprinkle back at just the right time and were blessed with a wonderful run before all of the NIL madness started.

I really hope to someday eat my words, but with NIL and the transfer portal basically obliterating the low-major level of NCAA MBB, I just have this sinking/hopeless feeling that we'll never again experience teams like the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 Bobcats, let alone run of 4 straight Conference Tournament Championships.

[grizzh8r]

I don’t even know the players anymore. Having nearly a completely new team every single year just doesn’t seem to be sustainable at MSU. Might work for big schools, but I have my doubts it will work here. I guess time will tell.

Yep, pretty much where I'm at, too. Sprinkle brought me back to love college basketball again. Now I'm utterly disinterested, as MSU has basically ZERO shot to have any sort of sustained success moving forward.

[Desert_Bobcat]

I don’t even know the players anymore. Having nearly a completely new team every single year just doesn’t seem to be sustainable at MSU. Might work for big schools, but I have my doubts it will work here. I guess time will tell.

Yep, pretty much where I'm at, too. Sprinkle brought me back to love college basketball again. Now I'm utterly disinterested, as MSU has basically ZERO shot to have any sort of sustained success moving forward.

Welcome to the new life of a low/mid major college basketball fan. This will be the norm unless MSU boosters can put forth a yearly NIL budget that is somewhere in the $250-300k range. We know that’s not gonna happen because the big money boosters only care about football, not men’s and women’s hoops. And if I’m being honest, that might not even be enough money. It’s impossible to compete with the Power 4 conferences because they’re poaching players from this level and offering them 6 figures to play on their practice squads. The NCAA has completely ruined college athletics and I fear the genie cannot be put back into the jar.

The only way to make this “fair” again (if it ever was) is to set and enforce salary caps and have players sign contracts similar to pro contracts because that’s what they are at this point.

I do not blame any of the players for leaving. It sucks yeah, but if you get offered $200k or whatever the number is to play at ‘X’ school, man that’d be so hard to turn down. Specially considering you might only be getting $5-10k to stay in Bozeman if you’re lucky.
I wish we could go back to the days where a full ride scholarship and the hope of going further in the tournament was enough to keep players. But sadly those days are long gone. It’s about adapting or dying at this point. I trust Logie to find a squad who plays his brand of ball and who are more committed to the program and university.

Someone needs to get those billionaires and Saudi princes running around the Yellowstone Club to drop a couple bucks into the NIL fund. After all, $100 million dollars is really only a rounding error for most of them lol

[MSU01]

At least at our level, fortunately women's basketball appears to be somewhat less affected by the NIL money...for now. The movement there appears to be more driven by coaching changes or the desire to win, such as Esme's move from PSU to MSU. The men's game appears to have become more or less a fantasy basketball league where your favorite team is basically "drafting" a new roster every season. Maybe you're lucky and get to have a few of the same guys on the team for two or three years in a row.

[tetoncat]

I don’t even know the players anymore. Having nearly a completely new team every single year just doesn’t seem to be sustainable at MSU. Might work for big schools, but I have my doubts it will work here. I guess time will tell.

Yep, pretty much where I'm at, too. Sprinkle brought me back to love college basketball again. Now I'm utterly disinterested, as MSU has basically ZERO shot to have any sort of sustained success moving forward.

Welcome to the new life of a low/mid major college basketball fan. This will be the norm unless MSU boosters can put forth a yearly NIL budget that is somewhere in the $250-300k range. We know that’s not gonna happen because the big money boosters only care about football, not men’s and women’s hoops. And if I’m being honest, that might not even be enough money. It’s impossible to compete with the Power 4 conferences because they’re poaching players from this level and offering them 6 figures to play on their practice squads. The NCAA has completely ruined college athletics and I fear the genie cannot be put back into the jar.

The only way to make this “fair” again (if it ever was) is to set and enforce salary caps and have players sign contracts similar to pro contracts because that’s what they are at this point.

I do not blame any of the players for leaving. It sucks yeah, but if you get offered $200k or whatever the number is to play at ‘X’ school, man that’d be so hard to turn down. Specially considering you might only be getting $5-10k to stay in Bozeman if you’re lucky.
I wish we could go back to the days where a full ride scholarship and the hope of going further in the tournament was enough to keep players. But sadly those days are long gone. It’s about adapting or dying at this point. I trust Logie to find a squad who plays his brand of ball and who are more committed to the program and university.

Someone needs to get those billionaires and Saudi princes running around the Yellowstone Club to drop a couple bucks into the NIL fund. After all, $100 million dollars is really only a rounding error for most of them lol

I thought maybe with Covid years running out it might be better. I do think there will be a time after enough players go to portal, don't find a home, drop down or move laterally for less money that it will get better. Maybe if these "agents" that are encouraging it will start having to guarantee some of the amounts. Zephir is an interesting case. We get him, plays okay, and has a guaranteed offer before leaving. What did he do that a coach saw this year but not last year? Are players told by other schools they don't have a spot left in 2024 so play somewhere else and we will get you next year?

[BelligerentBobcat]

Trap Johnson leaving is a little concerning to me. It’s not like he showed anything to be getting a better offer. Hopefully it’s a case of just not like Bozeman/Montana rather than anything else.

Not like Bozeman, MT?! Sure doesn’t seem to be the trend these days.

Hopefully Logie can catch lightning in a bottle next season.

Did benching Walker damage the core fabric of the team?

There’s always going to be athletes that come here and realize they don’t like the place that much.

Sure but with 6 graduates and 3 older guys in portal it seems like a high recruit would figure it would be their time. Stay a year, show your stuff, better offers the next year if you choose. Just surprising how many across college don't like the place they chose, year after year.

Like I said, I hope that he just didn’t like the place and that we don’t have a coaching issue. Time will tell.

[Camo_Cat]

I don’t even know the players anymore. Having nearly a completely new team every single year just doesn’t seem to be sustainable at MSU. Might work for big schools, but I have my doubts it will work here. I guess time will tell.

Exactly. The concern now would be guys like McMahon, Davis, and Miller looking around the room and deciding that they don't want to be part of complete rebuild for their senior season. A rebuild that may very well likely see the Cats struggle with all the new faces that will be coming in. At what point do those guys explore their NIL options and look elsewhere for a chance to win a title or championship?

[DwaineF]

Relax people, reacting to things that haven't happen is not good for your mental health. If you want to be pro-active, send a little money to the NIL fund. If everyone does that, a little becomes a bit more, maybe even a good bit more. I have seen flashes of great coach from Coach Logie. I believe he will get the most out of his players. Addressing the never seeing another 4 year run of championship, you are likely right. That was definitely the only time that has happened at MSU in my lifetime. I am thankful I got to see it.

[tetoncat]

I don’t even know the players anymore. Having nearly a completely new team every single year just doesn’t seem to be sustainable at MSU. Might work for big schools, but I have my doubts it will work here. I guess time will tell.

Exactly. The concern now would be guys like McMahon, Davis, and Miller looking around the room and deciding that they don't want to be part of complete rebuild for their senior season. A rebuild that may very well likely see the Cats struggle with all the new faces that will be coming in. At what point do those guys explore their NIL options and look elsewhere for a chance to win a title or championship?

Or how do you recruit good high school kids who don't know who their teammates are?
So interesting. NAIA kids stay for the most part. A few move with coaching changes or not a good fit, but most of them are ther 4 or 5 years. I guess the difference of levels and belief that they are NBA ready or maybe just good enough to be D1 and go get your bag while you can. Not sure how any one can graduate going to 3 schools in 5 years while playing a d1 sport

[tetoncat]

Relax people, reacting to things that haven't happen is not good for your mental health. If you want to be pro-active, send a little money to the NIL fund. If everyone does that, a little becomes a bit more, maybe even a good bit more. I have seen flashes of great coach from Coach Logie. I believe he will get the most out of his players. Addressing the never seeing another 4 year run of championship, you are likely right. That was definitely the only time that has happened at MSU in my lifetime. I am thankful I got to see it.

What things haven't happened? Large senior class with 1/2 transfers, 5 in portal, 2nd or 3rd year in a row of total rebuild. Everyone probably expects to lose a couple each year. Not this kind of turnover. Also not sure MSU has a fan base to reward kids moving, I guess we will see. Ponying up to bring someone who stays a year doesn't seem sustainable for this level unless it produces championships. That will be all recruiting since development is out the window.

[HighPlainsBobcat]

Trap Johnson leaving is a little concerning to me. It’s not like he showed anything to be getting a better offer. Hopefully it’s a case of just not like Bozeman/Montana rather than anything else.

Man, it is pretty discouraging.. I thought i was getting to be ok with this portal thing,, but good grief this kid didnt even play one game.. Starting to hope we dont find out we have a problem with the coach(es)...

Trap Johnson saying he intends to leave is definitely a head scratcher. Though I hardly think it's an indictment of the coaches. Could it be that there's other issues at play? Maybe he sees himself as bigger than the program? That he's "owed" something? It's hard telling since we're not privy to the intimacies of the conversations that have taken place. Let's face it, loyalty has left the chat! At least at the D1 level, up and down, player loyalty has shifted dramatically. Players like Patterson, Lecholat, as of now Miller, and McMahon are dying breed. It's rumored that the Cats only have $100k in NIL for mens hoops! That's not a lot of bread to spread around when the pressure to get and the ability to pay a player is so great. Logie and Co. are going to have to lean hard on the guys that are leaving to help sell the program. To help find those dawgs that just want to opportunity to play and have their education payed for.

[wbtfg]

Is Tyler Patterson a Hall of Famer? If so, is he the last MBB hall of famer we have for the foreseeable future?

[wapiti]

I see the MVP of the MonDak (JuCo) conference is available for recruitment.
He is a local kid from Manhattan Christian. Just finished up at Dawson in Glendive.

He would help sell tickets and is a very good player.
I think he would fit in Logie's system, but I am no expert on that.

Let's get him.

[Camo_Cat]

Is Tyler Patterson a Hall of Famer? If so, is he the last MBB hall of famer we have for the foreseeable future?

Yes! Here is a look at Tyler's resume for induction:
-- Scored over 1,000 points in his career
-- Most games played in MSU history
-- Most starts at same school among active players in D1
-- 2nd most 3-pointers made (only behind Tyler Hall)
-- MSU was 12-2 in the Big Sky tournament during his playing career

[AFCAT]

Is Tyler Patterson a Hall of Famer? If so, is he the last MBB hall of famer we have for the foreseeable future?

Tyler Hall, Robert Ford, Jubrile Bello, Harald Frey, Xavier Bishop, and Raequan Battle will all be in the Hall of Fame someday. I'd be willing to put money on that.

[MSU01]

Is Tyler Patterson a Hall of Famer? If so, is he the last MBB hall of famer we have for the foreseeable future?

Hopefully the 2022, 2023, and 2024 teams are inducted someday as going to three NCAA tournaments in a row is nearly unprecedented in the history of the Big Sky Conference. As for individual inductees we may see fewer of those over time as more and more players play for two or three (or more) different teams during their careers.

[grizzh8r]

Is Tyler Patterson a Hall of Famer? If so, is he the last MBB hall of famer we have for the foreseeable future?

Hopefully the 2022, 2023, and 2024 teams are inducted someday as going to three NCAA tournaments in a row is nearly unprecedented in the history of the Big Sky Conference. As for individual inductees we may see fewer of those over time as more and more players play for two or three (or more) different teams during their careers.

I'd bet a large sum of money that there will never be another BSC team to put a stretch together like that, ever again. At least as long as the current environment is maintained. At least with football, you've got dozens of players that generally return every year. NIL has completely nuked basketball. I doubt I'll ever watch another basketball game again. It's essentially become the NBA-lite. Disgusting.