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LOCATION: Missoula, MT
CONFERENCE: Big Sky
LAST SEASON: 13-14
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-10 (7th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Grizzlies
COLORS: Copper, Silver & Gold
HOMECOURT: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)
COACH: Don Holst (Northern Arizona '75)
record at school 13-14 (1 year)
career record 13-14 (1 year)
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ASSISTANTS: Larry Krystkowiak (Montana '97)
Jim Sampson (Wartburg College '81)
Todd Schmautz (Montana Tech '92)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 21-20-21-16-13
RPI (last 5 years) 63-114-121-145-230
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for conference tournament.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Montana coach Don Holst must hope that the darkest hour truly is just before dawn. The Grizzlies posted their first losing season since 1977 last year, missing out on the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the first time since that season. Their conference record of 6-10 was their worst in nearly 30 years. They played their home games in a high school gym in front of the smallest crowds since the school started tracking such things. And Holst coached the season wearing an interim label in front of his title. So why is Holst itching to get this season started?
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES B
The Grizzlies should benefit from playing in their new arena. They had a stretch of nearly a month last season between games in Missoula, which contributed mightily to their poor start in league play. Matt Williams and Mike Warhank will get their points, but where the rest of the offense will come from remains to be seen. The Grizzlies were second in the Big Sky in scoring defense last season, but seventh in scoring. The Grizzlies' biggest weakness is in the middle. If Dominique Davis can't step up his game to take the burden off Williams, then Williams will have to work his way around and through a lot of big bodies to get to the basket. A quicker start in conference seems mandatory the Grizzlies play six of their final eight league games on the road. A berth in the league tournament is realistic, but the Grizzlies will have to fight to the wire to get it. |
First, Montana fans rallied around Holst in the closing weeks of the season and helped get that interim label dropped. Second, after a 1-8 start in league play, the Grizzlies rallied and won five of six, including a 24-point victory over eventual league champion Weber State. Only a loss on the last day of the season kept the Grizzlies from their 22nd straight trip to the league tournament. Third, the Grizzlies will move back into Dahlberg Arena, which has been renovated to the tune of nearly $14 million. And last, Holst has a bona fide star in power forward Matt Williams to build around. All those things have Holst optimistic heading into his second season. "Season ticket sales are up and people are really excited," Holst said. "Things seem to be more settled. But just getting into the new facility isn't going to guarantee us anything. The teams coming in will want to play their best ball against you." Those teams will have to contend with Williams, a 6-7 senior who was seventh in the league in scoring (15.2 ppg), second in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.559) in his first year after transferring from Columbia (Calif.) Junior College. "I wish we had him for another two years," Holst said. "He's our best player, but he's not satisfied. He's been working real hard this summer on his mid-range shooting. We've got to run him around a little more." Shooting guard Mike Warhank (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 52 assists, 26 steals) could help loosen up things inside for Williams. The 6-3 senior was 24th in the nation in three-point accuracy last season (.441 percent) and shot 85 percent from the free-throw line. Montana got a jolt in late September, when starting point guard Kyle Keyes (6.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg), a 6-2 senior, blew out his knee during a pickup game and was lost for the season. Keyes will take a medical redshirt year and return next season. With Keyes gone, that leaves 6-1 sophomore Shane Christensen (3.2 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 37 assists) and 6-0 freshman Sam Riddle to handle the point. The Grizzlies have a number of options at small forward, something that can't be said about their situation at center, which could necessitate a three-forward look. Jared Buckmaster (5.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg), a 6-8 junior, showed signs of fulfilling the promise he showed as a freshman. Buckmaster has good touch from outside (20 of 38, or .526 percent, from three-point range) and can take the ball to the basket when he wants. Ryan Slider (4.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg), an athletic 6-5 sophomore, also has a shot at filling the starting slot at small forward. Slider played in six games last season before taking an injury redshirt as the result of a concussion. "Buckmaster, Keyes and Slider they're our question marks," Holst said. "I know what we'll get out of Williams and Warhank." Dominique Davis, a 6-9 fifth-year senior, is the leading contender to start at center if the Grizzlies choose a conventional look. Davis (2.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg) played just nine minutes a game last season. "He hasn't proven himself offensively," Holst said. Travis Greenwalt (1.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg), a 6-8, 225-pound sophomore, gives the Grizzlies another big body to put in the middle. The only Grizzlies' recruit other than Riddle expected to have much of an impact this season is Dan Carter, a 6-7 junior from Lane (Ore.) Community College. Carter averaged 21.5 points and 10 rebounds a game last season. "He's solid, functional, efficient," Holst said. Montana will be without small forward Jason Collins (6.8 ppg and 3.4 rpg), who was not offered a scholarship for his senior season because of disciplinary reasons. "My expectations are higher this year," Holst said. "I want to win more games and finish higher in league, hopefully in the upper echelon. I don't see us at the bottom of the pack."
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