Griz basketball signs two players to NLI's
11/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
University of Montana men??s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle announced Wednesday that Derek Selvig of Glendive, Mont., and Brian Qvale of Williston, N.D., have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Griz program for the 2007-08 season.
??It was great for our staff, a new staff, to get commitments from kids like Derek and Brian,?? Tinkle said. ??I think it kind of legitimized what we??re doing and the faith they had in the direction of the program.??
Selvig, a 6-10, 205-pound forward, will be a 2007 graduate of Dawson County High School. He was ranked by Rivals.com as a Top 150 overall player, ranking as high as No. 34 at the small forward position. He participated this past summer in the ABCD Camp in New Jersey, an invitational camp for the top prep basketball players in the country.
Selvig averaged 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals per game while earning first team all-conference accolades in his junior season at Dawson County High. In that season, he shot 70 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from the field. He is a three-year starter for the Tigers.
Other schools that Selvig considered included Arizona State, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Nevada, Oregon, Texas Tech, Utah State and Wisconsin.
??We??re very excited about the signing of Derek,?? Tinkle said. ??There were a lot of big schools involved in his recruitment. He??s a very versatile player with the ability to play inside and out. He needs a little bit of size and strength, but I see him having a bright future at Montana.??
"It pretty much came down to where I felt comfortable,?? Selvig said. ??I??ve known these coaches for a long time. I feel really good about coming in there and helping the team out."
Selvig comes to UM with a long line of Grizzly family lineage. His father and current high school basketball coach, Doug Selvig, was a standout basketball player at Montana from 1981-84. His mother, Anita (Novak) Selvig, played for the Lady Griz from 1981-85.
Selvig??s uncle, Robin Selvig, is a former Griz basketball player (1970-71 to 1973-74), who is entering his 29th year as head coach of the Lady Griz basketball program. His aunt, Sandy (Selvig) Sullivan, also played for the Lady Griz from (1978-81).
Selvig??s decision on UM came down to a pair of factors, location to home and his family ties with the university. ??With some of the schools, the distance from Montana was a factor,?? Selvig said. ??Also, both of my parents played there. My uncle is the women??s coach, so I have family there.??
Qvale (prounounced: KWALL ?C ee), a 6-11, 235-pound post player, will be a 2007 graduate of Williston High School. He was ranked by Rivals.com as one of the top recruits at the center position.
Qvale has helped lead the Coyotes to three consecutive state tournament appearances, finishing fourth, third and third in his freshman through junior seasons. The past two seasons he earned all-conference and all-state recognition, while also being selected to the conference and state all-tournament teams.
Qvale averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals per game in his junior season. He also shot 56 percent on field goals in that same campaign. As a sophomore Qvale registered 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game. He is a three-year starter for the Coyotes who is expected to surpass the 1,000 point mark in his upcoming senior season.
Qvale, the son of Sanford and Carol Qvale, also considered Boise State, Colorado State, Iowa State, Utah State, Washington State, Wichita State and Wyoming.
??Brian??s a big kid who has great athleticism,?? Tinkle said. ??He can get off the floor quickly and score around the basket. He??s just a bulldog who loves to bang down low. We saw him play against some highly talented teams this summer and he did not look out of place.??
??All around it??s a great school and a winning program,?? Qvale said. ??I liked Missoula, the players and the coaches a lot. The facilities were great. It just kind of felt right to me.??
Selvig and Qvale are the two newest additions to the Grizzly basketball program which has advanced to the last two NCAA Tournaments.
??The combination of Derek and Brian makes us excited for the future. We look forward to contributions from those two down the road,?? Tinkle said.
??It was great for our staff, a new staff, to get commitments from kids like Derek and Brian,?? Tinkle said. ??I think it kind of legitimized what we??re doing and the faith they had in the direction of the program.??
Selvig, a 6-10, 205-pound forward, will be a 2007 graduate of Dawson County High School. He was ranked by Rivals.com as a Top 150 overall player, ranking as high as No. 34 at the small forward position. He participated this past summer in the ABCD Camp in New Jersey, an invitational camp for the top prep basketball players in the country.
Selvig averaged 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals per game while earning first team all-conference accolades in his junior season at Dawson County High. In that season, he shot 70 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from the field. He is a three-year starter for the Tigers.
Other schools that Selvig considered included Arizona State, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Nevada, Oregon, Texas Tech, Utah State and Wisconsin.
??We??re very excited about the signing of Derek,?? Tinkle said. ??There were a lot of big schools involved in his recruitment. He??s a very versatile player with the ability to play inside and out. He needs a little bit of size and strength, but I see him having a bright future at Montana.??
"It pretty much came down to where I felt comfortable,?? Selvig said. ??I??ve known these coaches for a long time. I feel really good about coming in there and helping the team out."
Selvig comes to UM with a long line of Grizzly family lineage. His father and current high school basketball coach, Doug Selvig, was a standout basketball player at Montana from 1981-84. His mother, Anita (Novak) Selvig, played for the Lady Griz from 1981-85.
Selvig??s uncle, Robin Selvig, is a former Griz basketball player (1970-71 to 1973-74), who is entering his 29th year as head coach of the Lady Griz basketball program. His aunt, Sandy (Selvig) Sullivan, also played for the Lady Griz from (1978-81).
Selvig??s decision on UM came down to a pair of factors, location to home and his family ties with the university. ??With some of the schools, the distance from Montana was a factor,?? Selvig said. ??Also, both of my parents played there. My uncle is the women??s coach, so I have family there.??
Qvale (prounounced: KWALL ?C ee), a 6-11, 235-pound post player, will be a 2007 graduate of Williston High School. He was ranked by Rivals.com as one of the top recruits at the center position.
Qvale has helped lead the Coyotes to three consecutive state tournament appearances, finishing fourth, third and third in his freshman through junior seasons. The past two seasons he earned all-conference and all-state recognition, while also being selected to the conference and state all-tournament teams.
Qvale averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals per game in his junior season. He also shot 56 percent on field goals in that same campaign. As a sophomore Qvale registered 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game. He is a three-year starter for the Coyotes who is expected to surpass the 1,000 point mark in his upcoming senior season.
Qvale, the son of Sanford and Carol Qvale, also considered Boise State, Colorado State, Iowa State, Utah State, Washington State, Wichita State and Wyoming.
??Brian??s a big kid who has great athleticism,?? Tinkle said. ??He can get off the floor quickly and score around the basket. He??s just a bulldog who loves to bang down low. We saw him play against some highly talented teams this summer and he did not look out of place.??
??All around it??s a great school and a winning program,?? Qvale said. ??I liked Missoula, the players and the coaches a lot. The facilities were great. It just kind of felt right to me.??
Selvig and Qvale are the two newest additions to the Grizzly basketball program which has advanced to the last two NCAA Tournaments.
??The combination of Derek and Brian makes us excited for the future. We look forward to contributions from those two down the road,?? Tinkle said.
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