Four Grizzlies earn Big Sky Conference accolades
3/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Four University of Montana men??s basketball players were recognized by the Big Sky Conference on Thursday as a part of the annual all-conference selections. Sophomore forward Jordan Hasquet was named first team all-conference, junior forward Andrew Strait was named to the second team, senior guard Bryan Ellis was named Defensive Player of the Year and freshman guard Cameron Rundles was named the league??s Freshman of the Year.
The all-conference teams were selected by the nine Big Sky Conference basketball coaches. For the first time since 1988-89, the Big Sky selected a first team and a second team, as well as honorable mention team. Since 1990, the Big Sky announced one All-Conference team, and honorable mention picks.
??When the team has success, we can start to enjoy individual success,?? head coach Wayne Tinkle said. ??It??s a tribute to our guys and their efforts this season. We finished at 10-6, as one of three teams to get to double-figure wins in league play. This recognition is a credit to our guys and what they did in league.??
Hasquet, a 6-9 wing from Missoula, Mont., averaged 13.3 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per contest in 2006-07. Hasquet shot 50.0 percent from the field (91-of-182) and 79.3 percent from the free throw line while appearing in all 30 of UM??s games this season.
Hasquet??s season rebounding average ranked sixth among Big Sky Conference performers. He averaged a team-high 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during league play. Hasquet recorded six double-doubles during the regular season.
??Jordan carried the load in scoring and rebounding and really picked up the leadership role for us in the second half of the season,?? Tinkle said. ??It??s neat to see that because he is our hardest worker day-in and day-out.??
Strait, a 6-8 post from Yakima, Wash., registered a team-best 14.9 points per outing while ranking second with 6.4 rebounds per game. He ranked second among Big Sky Conference competitors in blocked shots, averaging 1.14 rejections per contest for at total of 32. Strait shot 60.2 percent from the field (180-of-299) which ranked fourth in league. His scoring average ranked fifth among Big Sky players, while he ranked ninth in rebounding average.
For the second consecutive season Strait averaged a team-high in minutes played, logging 31.57 per outing in 28 games played. Strait, who was a unanimous all-conference selection a year ago, missed two of UM??s conference clashes due to illness. His scoring average dipped to 13.4 in Big Sky play, but his rebound average improved to 6.6 per contest.
??Just another solid year,?? Tinkle said. ??We told Andrew going into the season if he averaged similar stats that he did last year, it would be a great year because everyone already knew about him. The new format (first and second teams) was a little unfair to him. People in the Big Sky know he is a first team all-league player.??
Ellis, a point guard from Detroit, Mich., is the first Grizzly to win Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 5.8 points per contests while leading the team with a 4.1 assists and a 1.6 steals per game average. He ranked fourth in the Big Sky in assists, while ranking fifth in steals and assist to turnover ratio (1.59).
Ellis registered at least one steal in 22 of the 29 games he played this season, tallying two or more steals on 16 occasions. He recorded a career-high four steals on two different outings this season, in a 72-65 neutral-site win over Minnesota and an 80-72 loss at Sacramento State.
??The coaches around the league talked about how he could change the momentum of the game with his defensive playmaking,?? Tinkle said. ??I??m really proud of Bryan because he fought through some tough times and he really played big for us in his senior year.??
Rundles, a 6-1 combo guard from Minneapolis, Minn., averaged 8.2 points per game while playing in all 30 of the Grizzlies?? games in his true-freshman campaign. Rundles not only led the team, but also the league in 3-point field goal percentage, hitting on 48.1 percent from behind the arc (38-of-79).
Rundles, who started at guard in 21 of the final 22 contests, ranked second on the team in assists at 2.1 per game, with his scoring average ranking fourth. He upped his scoring average a full point to 9.3 per game in Big Sky play while appearing in all 16 league games. Rundles is the first Grizzly to win Freshman of the Year since Darren Engellant in 1989.
??It was really good to see Cameron get recognized,?? Tinkle said. ??He put in so much effort. He had some ups and downs, but continued to work hard for the team and really played well for us down the stretch.??
Montana (16-14) will host a Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinal game this Saturday against Idaho State (13-16). Tip-time is slated for 7:05 p.m. (MTN) at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
The all-conference teams were selected by the nine Big Sky Conference basketball coaches. For the first time since 1988-89, the Big Sky selected a first team and a second team, as well as honorable mention team. Since 1990, the Big Sky announced one All-Conference team, and honorable mention picks.
??When the team has success, we can start to enjoy individual success,?? head coach Wayne Tinkle said. ??It??s a tribute to our guys and their efforts this season. We finished at 10-6, as one of three teams to get to double-figure wins in league play. This recognition is a credit to our guys and what they did in league.??
Hasquet, a 6-9 wing from Missoula, Mont., averaged 13.3 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per contest in 2006-07. Hasquet shot 50.0 percent from the field (91-of-182) and 79.3 percent from the free throw line while appearing in all 30 of UM??s games this season.
Hasquet??s season rebounding average ranked sixth among Big Sky Conference performers. He averaged a team-high 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during league play. Hasquet recorded six double-doubles during the regular season.
??Jordan carried the load in scoring and rebounding and really picked up the leadership role for us in the second half of the season,?? Tinkle said. ??It??s neat to see that because he is our hardest worker day-in and day-out.??
Strait, a 6-8 post from Yakima, Wash., registered a team-best 14.9 points per outing while ranking second with 6.4 rebounds per game. He ranked second among Big Sky Conference competitors in blocked shots, averaging 1.14 rejections per contest for at total of 32. Strait shot 60.2 percent from the field (180-of-299) which ranked fourth in league. His scoring average ranked fifth among Big Sky players, while he ranked ninth in rebounding average.
For the second consecutive season Strait averaged a team-high in minutes played, logging 31.57 per outing in 28 games played. Strait, who was a unanimous all-conference selection a year ago, missed two of UM??s conference clashes due to illness. His scoring average dipped to 13.4 in Big Sky play, but his rebound average improved to 6.6 per contest.
??Just another solid year,?? Tinkle said. ??We told Andrew going into the season if he averaged similar stats that he did last year, it would be a great year because everyone already knew about him. The new format (first and second teams) was a little unfair to him. People in the Big Sky know he is a first team all-league player.??
Ellis, a point guard from Detroit, Mich., is the first Grizzly to win Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 5.8 points per contests while leading the team with a 4.1 assists and a 1.6 steals per game average. He ranked fourth in the Big Sky in assists, while ranking fifth in steals and assist to turnover ratio (1.59).
Ellis registered at least one steal in 22 of the 29 games he played this season, tallying two or more steals on 16 occasions. He recorded a career-high four steals on two different outings this season, in a 72-65 neutral-site win over Minnesota and an 80-72 loss at Sacramento State.
??The coaches around the league talked about how he could change the momentum of the game with his defensive playmaking,?? Tinkle said. ??I??m really proud of Bryan because he fought through some tough times and he really played big for us in his senior year.??
Rundles, a 6-1 combo guard from Minneapolis, Minn., averaged 8.2 points per game while playing in all 30 of the Grizzlies?? games in his true-freshman campaign. Rundles not only led the team, but also the league in 3-point field goal percentage, hitting on 48.1 percent from behind the arc (38-of-79).
Rundles, who started at guard in 21 of the final 22 contests, ranked second on the team in assists at 2.1 per game, with his scoring average ranking fourth. He upped his scoring average a full point to 9.3 per game in Big Sky play while appearing in all 16 league games. Rundles is the first Grizzly to win Freshman of the Year since Darren Engellant in 1989.
??It was really good to see Cameron get recognized,?? Tinkle said. ??He put in so much effort. He had some ups and downs, but continued to work hard for the team and really played well for us down the stretch.??
Montana (16-14) will host a Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinal game this Saturday against Idaho State (13-16). Tip-time is slated for 7:05 p.m. (MTN) at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
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