Photo by: Tommy Martino
Trio of Grizzlies recognized by Big Sky Conference
3/10/2020 10:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FARMINGTON, Utah – Three Grizzlies were recognized by the Big Sky Conference on Tuesday, as the league announced its all-conference selections and individual award-winners. Sayeed Pridgett was named to the All-Big Sky first team for the second year in a row and was joined by senior teammate Kendal Manuel, who earned second-team accolades.
Freshman Derrick Carter-Hollinger was named the league's Freshman of the Year.
Pridgett was a unanimous selection – meaning he earned first-team votes from every league coach – and deservedly so. Head coach Travis DeCuire has previously stated that he has never coached a more versatile player, and the stats back up that claim.
Not only is he a scorer – ranking third in Big Sky play with 20.0 points per game – but he also makes more than half of his shots (.511, fourth). Pridgett is the league's only player to rank in the top 10 in Big Sky play for scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists.
Throughout the entire season he was even better – despite Montana playing the nation's seventh-toughest non-conference schedule – ranking in the top five for each of the four categories, plus steals.
On a national level, Pridgett ranks in the top 40 for both scoring and minutes played, and has led the Grizzlies for rebounding 20 times, assists 19 times, scoring on 19 occasions and steals in 13 games. He has scored 20 or more points 13 times, including 30 or more in three games.
Pridgett will finish his career ranked in the top five in school history for scoring and steals, and in the top 15 for assists and rebounding.
"It's hard to describe what a guy like Sayeed brings," DeCuire said. "His commitment to his game, to his team, to winning… It all came together as a senior. He has evolved from a scorer to a guy who can make things happen with the ball in his hands. His decision making has improved, and has allowed us to be a team that can potentially win 20 games."
For a player like Pridgett, though, he wants more than first-team recognition. It's a tremendous honor to be named one of the top three players in the Big Sky, but the decorated player earned first-team recognition in 2019 as well, and was picked to the preseason All-Big Sky team.
DeCuire took a similar approach with Pridgett that he did last year with Ahmaad Rorie, telling him a Big Sky tournament MVP and trip to March Madness will mean more than the end-of-season player-of-the-year award. Rorie took that message to heart and was named MVP after leading the Grizzlies to a Big Sky tournament title. Pridgett will try and follow in his former roommate's footsteps, who he passed on the career scoring list last week.
"Motivation is never hard to come by for an athlete that is hungry like Sayeed," DeCuire said. "It's fuel to the fire to refocus and make sure everyone is on the same page going into the tournament. I think he still has some things to prove, as we all do, and we're excited about the opportunity."
Montana has had just one player-of-the-year honorees in the past 28 seasons, despite winning seven regular-season championships and finishing runner up eight more times during that span. Pridgett is the 16th Grizzly to earn two All-Big Sky first-team selections during his career.
Manuel began his collegiate career at Oregon State, but returned to his home state following his sophomore season, where he has become a force for the Grizzlies and the Big Sky Conference. A season ago, Manuel was named the league's newcomer of the year and top reserve. Now as a starter – Manuel has started every game and ranks in the top 40 nationally for minutes played – he is even better.
Manuel scored in double figures in 19 of 20 Big Sky games, and ranks ninth in the league with 16.4 points per game. Despite shooting nearly half of his shots from 3-point range, he ranks sixth in the league with a .472 field-goal percentage, including a .433 clip from deep. Manuel made 42 3-pointers during league play, a figure which ranks fifth.
Manuel not only leads the Big Sky for free-throw shooting, but is one of the nation's top shooters from the line, ranking sixth. He is expected to break Anthony Johnson's school record with a .883 career free-throw percentage.
"Kendal's biggest asset is his ability to impact winning on both sides of the ball," DeCuire said. "When he's dialed in defensively, we're a way better team. On offense, his ability to create his own shot has improved and has led to a very high field-goal percentage.
"It's been fun to watch a guy like him commit to his body and his skillset, and see some results."
Carter-Hollinger doesn't like talking about the fact that he just recently turned 18 years old, but it's true, and it's part of his story. It's also what makes his level of play this season even more impressive.
During his collegiate debut, the El Cajon, California, native scored 15 points at Stanford. It was just the beginning, as he worked his way into the starting lineup, where he has started 17 times, including 10 games in a row to close the regular season.
It was his performance at Eastern Washington in mid-January, though, that put the league on notice. In a dominating win over the Eagles, Carter-Hollinger scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting while pulling down 14 rebounds and blocking four shots. All three stats are career bests, and three days later the freshman was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week – the league's first true freshman to receive such recognition since 2017, and the first Grizzly ever to do so.
"Normally teams that are heavily reliant on freshmen struggle to find ways to win, but DJ has helped us compete for a championship," DeCuire said. "I think it's big for him, and says a lot for our future."
Now named the league's Freshman of the Year, Carter-Hollinger is the first Grizzly to receive that honor since Cameron Rundles in 2007, also joining Griz greats Kevin Criswell (2003) and Daren Engellant (1989) on the short list.
After graduating 75 percent of the team's minutes and the majority of its scoring and rebounding from a season ago, the Grizzlies were in need of someone to step up and fill a void. Carter-Hollinger has done so during his debut season, leading the team for blocks, ranking second for rebounding and adding a scoring touch when needed, with eight double-digit performances.
While the league has several quality freshmen – including two more on Montana's floor each night – Carter-Hollinger was a pick that makes sense. He leads all Big Sky freshmen for rebounding and blocks, and is making more than 60 percent of his shots.
The next step, for Carter-Hollinger, will be to keep it going.
Criswell, who was the league's top freshman in 2003, went on to become a two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection, finishing his career ranked in the top five in school history for scoring and steals, and still holds Montana's record with 218 career 3-pointers made.
Engellant was a three-time first-team All-Big Sky pick, was a 1,000-point scorer, and ranks second in school history for career rebounds and blocked shots.
"This is just the beginning," DeCuire said of Carter-Hollinger. "During the spring and summer, and moving forward, you have to redefine yourself and set new goals and continue to work. The level of expectation is elevated with the award, and it will be a fun ride to see what DJ does with it."
Individual Award Winners
Most Valuable Player: Mason Peatling, Eastern Washington
Newcomer of the Year: Jubrile Belo, Montana State
Freshman of the Year: Derrick Carter-Hollinger, Montana
Defensive Player of the Year: Jonah Radebaugh, Northern Colorado
Top Reserve: Kai Edwards, Northern Colorado
Freshman Derrick Carter-Hollinger was named the league's Freshman of the Year.
Pridgett was a unanimous selection – meaning he earned first-team votes from every league coach – and deservedly so. Head coach Travis DeCuire has previously stated that he has never coached a more versatile player, and the stats back up that claim.
Not only is he a scorer – ranking third in Big Sky play with 20.0 points per game – but he also makes more than half of his shots (.511, fourth). Pridgett is the league's only player to rank in the top 10 in Big Sky play for scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists.
Throughout the entire season he was even better – despite Montana playing the nation's seventh-toughest non-conference schedule – ranking in the top five for each of the four categories, plus steals.
On a national level, Pridgett ranks in the top 40 for both scoring and minutes played, and has led the Grizzlies for rebounding 20 times, assists 19 times, scoring on 19 occasions and steals in 13 games. He has scored 20 or more points 13 times, including 30 or more in three games.
Pridgett will finish his career ranked in the top five in school history for scoring and steals, and in the top 15 for assists and rebounding.
"It's hard to describe what a guy like Sayeed brings," DeCuire said. "His commitment to his game, to his team, to winning… It all came together as a senior. He has evolved from a scorer to a guy who can make things happen with the ball in his hands. His decision making has improved, and has allowed us to be a team that can potentially win 20 games."
For a player like Pridgett, though, he wants more than first-team recognition. It's a tremendous honor to be named one of the top three players in the Big Sky, but the decorated player earned first-team recognition in 2019 as well, and was picked to the preseason All-Big Sky team.
DeCuire took a similar approach with Pridgett that he did last year with Ahmaad Rorie, telling him a Big Sky tournament MVP and trip to March Madness will mean more than the end-of-season player-of-the-year award. Rorie took that message to heart and was named MVP after leading the Grizzlies to a Big Sky tournament title. Pridgett will try and follow in his former roommate's footsteps, who he passed on the career scoring list last week.
"Motivation is never hard to come by for an athlete that is hungry like Sayeed," DeCuire said. "It's fuel to the fire to refocus and make sure everyone is on the same page going into the tournament. I think he still has some things to prove, as we all do, and we're excited about the opportunity."
Montana has had just one player-of-the-year honorees in the past 28 seasons, despite winning seven regular-season championships and finishing runner up eight more times during that span. Pridgett is the 16th Grizzly to earn two All-Big Sky first-team selections during his career.
Manuel began his collegiate career at Oregon State, but returned to his home state following his sophomore season, where he has become a force for the Grizzlies and the Big Sky Conference. A season ago, Manuel was named the league's newcomer of the year and top reserve. Now as a starter – Manuel has started every game and ranks in the top 40 nationally for minutes played – he is even better.
Manuel scored in double figures in 19 of 20 Big Sky games, and ranks ninth in the league with 16.4 points per game. Despite shooting nearly half of his shots from 3-point range, he ranks sixth in the league with a .472 field-goal percentage, including a .433 clip from deep. Manuel made 42 3-pointers during league play, a figure which ranks fifth.
Manuel not only leads the Big Sky for free-throw shooting, but is one of the nation's top shooters from the line, ranking sixth. He is expected to break Anthony Johnson's school record with a .883 career free-throw percentage.
"Kendal's biggest asset is his ability to impact winning on both sides of the ball," DeCuire said. "When he's dialed in defensively, we're a way better team. On offense, his ability to create his own shot has improved and has led to a very high field-goal percentage.
"It's been fun to watch a guy like him commit to his body and his skillset, and see some results."
Carter-Hollinger doesn't like talking about the fact that he just recently turned 18 years old, but it's true, and it's part of his story. It's also what makes his level of play this season even more impressive.
During his collegiate debut, the El Cajon, California, native scored 15 points at Stanford. It was just the beginning, as he worked his way into the starting lineup, where he has started 17 times, including 10 games in a row to close the regular season.
It was his performance at Eastern Washington in mid-January, though, that put the league on notice. In a dominating win over the Eagles, Carter-Hollinger scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting while pulling down 14 rebounds and blocking four shots. All three stats are career bests, and three days later the freshman was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week – the league's first true freshman to receive such recognition since 2017, and the first Grizzly ever to do so.
"Normally teams that are heavily reliant on freshmen struggle to find ways to win, but DJ has helped us compete for a championship," DeCuire said. "I think it's big for him, and says a lot for our future."
Now named the league's Freshman of the Year, Carter-Hollinger is the first Grizzly to receive that honor since Cameron Rundles in 2007, also joining Griz greats Kevin Criswell (2003) and Daren Engellant (1989) on the short list.
After graduating 75 percent of the team's minutes and the majority of its scoring and rebounding from a season ago, the Grizzlies were in need of someone to step up and fill a void. Carter-Hollinger has done so during his debut season, leading the team for blocks, ranking second for rebounding and adding a scoring touch when needed, with eight double-digit performances.
While the league has several quality freshmen – including two more on Montana's floor each night – Carter-Hollinger was a pick that makes sense. He leads all Big Sky freshmen for rebounding and blocks, and is making more than 60 percent of his shots.
The next step, for Carter-Hollinger, will be to keep it going.
Criswell, who was the league's top freshman in 2003, went on to become a two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection, finishing his career ranked in the top five in school history for scoring and steals, and still holds Montana's record with 218 career 3-pointers made.
Engellant was a three-time first-team All-Big Sky pick, was a 1,000-point scorer, and ranks second in school history for career rebounds and blocked shots.
"This is just the beginning," DeCuire said of Carter-Hollinger. "During the spring and summer, and moving forward, you have to redefine yourself and set new goals and continue to work. The level of expectation is elevated with the award, and it will be a fun ride to see what DJ does with it."
| 2019-20 Big Sky Men's Basketball All-Conference Team | |||
| FIRST TEAM | |||
| Name | Position | Class | School |
| Mason Peatling* | Forward | Senior | Eastern Washington |
| Sayeed Pridgett*# | Guard | Senior | Montana |
| Jonah Radebaugh* | Guard | Senior | Northern Colorado |
| Harald Frey | Guard | Senior | Montana State |
| Holland Woods | Guard | Junior | Portland State |
| SECOND TEAM | |||
| Name | Position | Class | School |
| Jacob Davison | Guard | Junior | Eastern Washington |
| Jerrick Harding | Guard | Senior | Weber State |
| Kendal Manuel | Guard | Senior | Montana |
| Trevon Allen | Guard | Senior | Idaho |
| Bodie Hume | Guard | Sophomore | Northern Colorado |
| THIRD TEAM | |||
| Name | Position | Class | School |
| Joshua Patton | Center | Senior | Sacramento State |
| Cameron Shelton | Guard | Sophomore | Northern Arizona |
| Kim Aiken Jr. | Guard/Forward | Sophomore | Eastern Washington |
| Brooks DeBisschop | Forward | Senior | Northern Arizona |
| Jubrile Belo | Forward | Sophomore | Montana State |
| HONORABLE MENTION | |||
| Name | Position | Class | School |
| Bernie Andre | Forward | Junior | Northern Arizona |
| Cameron Oluyitan | Guard/Forward | Senior | Southern Utah |
| Sal Nuhu | Center | Senior | Portland State |
| Cody John | Guard | Senior | Weber State |
| Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa | Guard | Senior | Sacramento State |
| * Unanimous First Team Selection | |||
| # Two-time First Team Selection | |||
Individual Award Winners
Most Valuable Player: Mason Peatling, Eastern Washington
Newcomer of the Year: Jubrile Belo, Montana State
Freshman of the Year: Derrick Carter-Hollinger, Montana
Defensive Player of the Year: Jonah Radebaugh, Northern Colorado
Top Reserve: Kai Edwards, Northern Colorado
Players Mentioned
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