Lady Griz show depth in new roster
11/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The recruiting process for a college basketball player is a long and selective one, but Lady Griz head coach Robin Selvig outdid himself when he found this year's new players to add to his elite roster.
Five new faces and one red-shirt from last year are ready to hustle, sweat and bleed for the Lady Griz.
Coach Selvig is stressing the importance of defense to his new players because he says that is the biggest adjustment players from high school need to make.
"You are playing against bigger, stronger, faster kids than you were," Selvig said. "We take a lot of pride in our defense here and we have a great defensive tradition. If they're going to play, they have to step up to that level if they're going to be successful."
Selvig said he's impressed by how hard the girls are hustling and learning plays and he's excited to see how this team develops because it has a lot of potential.
Crystal Baird, a 6-4 center, said she is excited to get back into competitive play after red-shirting last season.
"It was really hard not playing," Baird said, "but it will make me even more competitive because it gave me a year to work really hard. That helped me out a lot, so now I'm really motivated to play."
Baird took the summer as an opportunity to rebuild, playing against girls from her hometown in Chino, Calif. That's where Baird's career began not so many years ago. She had never played basketball before entering high school, but what she lacked in skill she made up for in height.
During high school, Baird said, she never thought she was good enough to play basketball at the college level, but she has proved that she is qualified to be a Lady Griz.
Another contributor to the Lady Griz inside game is 6-3 post Hollie Tyler.
This Idaho native is a star athlete in both basketball and track and field.
"I'm better at track so to speak," said Tyler. "But I don't have the love for it that I do for basketball."
Tyler's passion for the game forced her to pursue her basketball career first and foremost. Fortunately for Tyler, and for Grizzly athletics, she will have the chance to participate in the track and field's spring season.
Currently Tyler is completely focused on basketball. She couldn't be more enthusiastic about her choice to come to UM for the opportunity to play ball as a true freshman."I love it here, I love the coaches," Tyler said. "When I came here on my recruiting trip the team really had good unity, everyone is friends with everybody."
Stemming from the strong senior leadership of Laura Valley, Simarron Schildt, Cheryl Keller, Jamie Fariss and Amy Phillips, the Lady Griz have a strong sense of team unity. All of the younger players stressed that the support from the older girls has made a significant impact on their smooth and quick transition into college basketball.
Two freshman, Juliann Keller and Aimee Montes, join their older sisters, Cheryl Keller and LeAnn Montes, as Lady Grizzlies. The team doesn't expect any sisterly squabbles or family favoring; these sets of sisters are strictly business.
The Keller sisters are accustomed to playing together. When Juliann was a freshman and Cheryl a senior, they both played on the varsity high school team in Malta.
Juliann knew she wanted to play for the Lady Griz ever since her sister was recruited. Juliann said she is excited to play with her sister again, but whether she will get the chance will be determined by how fast she recovers from her ankle injury. She experienced a severe sprain three weeks ago and is still unsure of how long her recovery will take.
The younger Montes is trying to walk on to the Lady Griz basketball team. The 5-8 guard from Great Falls plays the same position as her older sister. "It can be difficult at the beginning of the season because girls are competing for positions," Selvig said.
Lynsey Monaco, a 5-10 guard from Dillon, is going to be a major threat at the three-point line this season as she proved at the preseason scrimmage last week. Monaco says that her awareness on the court and knowledge of the game. Half the battle for freshmen basketball plaers is keeping their jitters under control, but not for Monaco, whose composure on the court is nothing but calm and confident. Monaco is currently more worried about finding a healthy balance between basketball and academics.
"The amount of time put in by student athletes is harder than people think it is," said Monaco. "But it is all worth it."
Another freshman who pleasantly surprised coach Selvig at the preseason scrimmage was a 6-foot forward from Oregon, Jody McLeod. Selvig isn't sure if he is going to offer McLeod a chance to red-shirt, but it may be a good possibility because she would have to share power forward responsibilities with Valley and Schildt.
The Lady Griz open the season Tuesday with an exhibition game against a Slovakian team at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Five new faces and one red-shirt from last year are ready to hustle, sweat and bleed for the Lady Griz.
Coach Selvig is stressing the importance of defense to his new players because he says that is the biggest adjustment players from high school need to make.
"You are playing against bigger, stronger, faster kids than you were," Selvig said. "We take a lot of pride in our defense here and we have a great defensive tradition. If they're going to play, they have to step up to that level if they're going to be successful."
Selvig said he's impressed by how hard the girls are hustling and learning plays and he's excited to see how this team develops because it has a lot of potential.
Crystal Baird, a 6-4 center, said she is excited to get back into competitive play after red-shirting last season.
"It was really hard not playing," Baird said, "but it will make me even more competitive because it gave me a year to work really hard. That helped me out a lot, so now I'm really motivated to play."
Baird took the summer as an opportunity to rebuild, playing against girls from her hometown in Chino, Calif. That's where Baird's career began not so many years ago. She had never played basketball before entering high school, but what she lacked in skill she made up for in height.
During high school, Baird said, she never thought she was good enough to play basketball at the college level, but she has proved that she is qualified to be a Lady Griz.
Another contributor to the Lady Griz inside game is 6-3 post Hollie Tyler.
This Idaho native is a star athlete in both basketball and track and field.
"I'm better at track so to speak," said Tyler. "But I don't have the love for it that I do for basketball."
Tyler's passion for the game forced her to pursue her basketball career first and foremost. Fortunately for Tyler, and for Grizzly athletics, she will have the chance to participate in the track and field's spring season.
Currently Tyler is completely focused on basketball. She couldn't be more enthusiastic about her choice to come to UM for the opportunity to play ball as a true freshman."I love it here, I love the coaches," Tyler said. "When I came here on my recruiting trip the team really had good unity, everyone is friends with everybody."
Stemming from the strong senior leadership of Laura Valley, Simarron Schildt, Cheryl Keller, Jamie Fariss and Amy Phillips, the Lady Griz have a strong sense of team unity. All of the younger players stressed that the support from the older girls has made a significant impact on their smooth and quick transition into college basketball.
Two freshman, Juliann Keller and Aimee Montes, join their older sisters, Cheryl Keller and LeAnn Montes, as Lady Grizzlies. The team doesn't expect any sisterly squabbles or family favoring; these sets of sisters are strictly business.
The Keller sisters are accustomed to playing together. When Juliann was a freshman and Cheryl a senior, they both played on the varsity high school team in Malta.
Juliann knew she wanted to play for the Lady Griz ever since her sister was recruited. Juliann said she is excited to play with her sister again, but whether she will get the chance will be determined by how fast she recovers from her ankle injury. She experienced a severe sprain three weeks ago and is still unsure of how long her recovery will take.
The younger Montes is trying to walk on to the Lady Griz basketball team. The 5-8 guard from Great Falls plays the same position as her older sister. "It can be difficult at the beginning of the season because girls are competing for positions," Selvig said.
Lynsey Monaco, a 5-10 guard from Dillon, is going to be a major threat at the three-point line this season as she proved at the preseason scrimmage last week. Monaco says that her awareness on the court and knowledge of the game. Half the battle for freshmen basketball plaers is keeping their jitters under control, but not for Monaco, whose composure on the court is nothing but calm and confident. Monaco is currently more worried about finding a healthy balance between basketball and academics.
"The amount of time put in by student athletes is harder than people think it is," said Monaco. "But it is all worth it."
Another freshman who pleasantly surprised coach Selvig at the preseason scrimmage was a 6-foot forward from Oregon, Jody McLeod. Selvig isn't sure if he is going to offer McLeod a chance to red-shirt, but it may be a good possibility because she would have to share power forward responsibilities with Valley and Schildt.
The Lady Griz open the season Tuesday with an exhibition game against a Slovakian team at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
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