Men's basketball opens season Friday
10/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The 2008-09 University of Montana???s 2008-09 edition of Grizzly basketball will hold its first practice on Friday, Oct. 17th at 5:00 p.m. in??Dahlberg Arena.
The Grizzlies return five lettermen, three of whom are returning starters, as well as two newcomers who have played at the Division I level. Also in the mix are a pair of junior college transfers, a promising 7-foot redshirt, and three players from the high school ranks.
The Grizzlies are coming off a 14-16 overall record and an 8-8 (tied for third) Big Sky Conference slate.
Returning starters include 6-9 senior forward Jordan Hasquet, 6-2 senior point guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor, and junior guard Ryan Staudacher.
Montana needs to replace graduated forward Andrew Strait and guard Matt Martin. Both players ended up on UM???s career scoring list, Strait at fifth with 1,617 career points and Martin at 23rd with 1,021. Strait???s 721 career rebounds rank him eighth in school history.
A rare four-year starter, Hasquet led the Grizzlies in scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.2) last season when he was an honorable mention all-league pick. Staudacher started all 30 games a year ago and was fourth on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg), while Elgin-Taylor (20 starts) led the Big Sky in assist/turnover ratio (1.93).
The Griz return two talented lettermen in 6-7 senior forward Kyle Sharp (seven starts) and 6-11 sophomore center Brian Qvale (eight starts). Sharp was ranked among the league???s leading rebounder with 4.0 boards a game, while Qvale was second in blocks with 1.5 a contest.
Also back is redshirt freshman Derek Selvig, a 7-0 forward-center who can not only defend in the post, but also shoot from three-point range.
The two players with Division I experience are 6-6 junior forward Jack McGillis and 6-4 sophomore guard Michael Taylor. They had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, as they transferred from Oregon State and Eastern Washington, respectively.
"Developing some team chemistry early will be a key for us," said third-year head coach Wayne Tinkle, who is 31-31 at his alma mater. "With Jack McGillis, along with Michael Taylor and Derek Selvig coming off redshirt years, we are looking for those three players to really pay some dividends for us early on."
Two other key additions are 6-4 forward Vassy Banny and 6-2 guard Anthony Johnson, both juniors, who came to Montana via Salt Lake Community College and Yakima Valley Community College.
Joining the Griz from the prep ranks are 6-6 forward Nyandigisi (Digs) Moikobu (Rainier High School in Seattle), 6-1 guard Shawn Stockton (Ferris High School in Spokane), and 6-7 forward Mathias Ward from Gig Harbor High School (Wash.).
"We feel very good about our returning players, as well as our newcomers," Tinkle said. "Basically we have eight or nine new guys who did not compete for playing time last year and that???s always a concern. But, what we like about it is their level of toughness and their commitment to succeed. Patience will be the key with all the new guys, but I know we will have more talent and more toughness out there."
The Grizzlies annual Silver-Maroon scrimmage is Tuesday, Oct. 28.
