grizzlyjournal
Well-known member
I went to the Lady Griz Invitational tourney this weekend and watched Montana beat two quality opponents (86-70 over Northern Illinois U and 62-56 over Cal Davis). The wins, combined with Montana losses to Gonzaga and South Dakota, give an early sign that Shannon Schweyen’s team has to potential to push its way into the upper tier of the Big Sky after two years of pain and frustration.
The Big Sky is probably not ranked as a conference quite as high as the men’s teams, but it’s no slouch nonetheless. The two class teams of the Big Sky so far are Northern Colorado, followed closely by Portland State. Tonight’s NCAA D1 Women’s Power Poll https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/ncaa-womens-basketball-rpi has the Bears ranked at 33 nationally, while PSU is 11 spots down at 44.
Guess what: Montana’s solid weekend boosted them to 92nd, due in part to South Dakota shooting up to 11th nationally, with Gonzaga at 41. Cal Davis, despite the loss to the Griz, is ranked 73rd, while Northern Illinois is at 147.
Here’s how all Big Sky teams compare in NCAA D1 rankings.
33 — Northern Colorado
44 — Portland State
92 — Montana
100 - Montana State
107 - Sacramento State
113 - Idaho
122 - Northern Arizona
177 - Southern Utah
278 - Eastern Washington
291 - Weber State
Of course it’s early and some teams are ranked low because they haven’t yet played much of a D1 schedule.
Senior post Jace Henderson and junior point McKenzie Johnston played monster tourney games and made the all-tourney team (Jace was MVP). Henderson scored 30 points, had 14 boards and sn impressive 11 assists. Johnston scored 33 points, 13 assists and 3 total turnovers. These two constitute the core of Montana’s game. A front line is shaping up, though… and there are some surprises.
Montana played without Madi Schoening (injury) and Sophia Stiles (reported to be returning, but still on the bench). Despite their absence, Montana is surprisingly giving signs of being able to go eight players deep, a number that will possibly go up when Schoening returns, with hints of a 10-player rotation combo. Compare that to the last two years! There are clear signs of this team, because of its youth, being vastly improved by the mid point of conference play. Montana had SIX players in double-figures scoring on the weekend (Johnston, Henderson & Stockholm both games and Mayhue, Goligoski, and Harrington in one game) . If they continue with this diverse attack, they’ll be tough to defend.
Without belaboring any kind of play-by-play, here are some general impressions.
The VERY GOOD: I’m putting Emma Stockholm and Gabbi Harrington first – not because they’re better than other front line players, but because of how much they’ve stepped up their games. Stockholm has made a quantum leap up for Montana, and appears considerably stronger than last season. She has solidified Griz paint presence on offense and defense.
[media]https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1069359267176542208[/media]
Considerably. Stockholm’s weekend numbers: points–23; rebounds–12 against Davis & 9 against NIU; 50 minutes and only 2 turnovers. Harrington made the best of her redshirt year, is visibly stronger, and now plays wing/small forward when Montana rotates to a 3-forward-to-2-guard lineup (usually in for Goligoski). Harrington’s 2-game stats: 23 points in 46 minutes, 15 (!) rebounds, 4-4 on steal to t.o. ratio, and two clutch baseline treys vs. Davis.
https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1069346494023528448
The GOOD: Taylor Goligoski gives Montana quickness and outside scoring in a lineup paired with Johnston and freshman guard starter Katie Mayhue. A lineup with some real intrigue as the season progresses and Mayhue adjusts to the college game. Goligoski notched 13 points and 7 rebounds in 25 points on Saturday, but fell off a bit Sunday. But with the slashing quickness of Mayhue, the signs of a versatile offensive attack will give Montana two very different on-floor games. Mayhue, still adjusting to the college game, has huge potential for transforming Montana’s game. If that happens, it’s possible the Griz could pull some surprises toward the end of Big Sky play.
[media]https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1068998985216446464[/media]
DEPTH (more good): Montana’s depth seems to have tripled from last season with the addition of 6-2 redshirt frosh Abby Anderson (5 min.); 5-11 , shooting guard Jordan Schweyen (22 min.); 6-0 forward Kylie Froelich (9 min); and 6-1 p/pf Carmen Gfeller (24 min). All are talented players still adjusting to the college game… and learning to play within themselves. IF any (or more) of these players start making adjustments, Montana will have more depth than I’ve seen since 2005-06. The player with most potential impact is Gfeller… not because she’s better, but because Montana really needs another solid in-paint presence as the season grinds all players down.
I suppose this sounds like overt optimism. Well, maybe… since the last two years were so hard on coaches, players and fans. But I didn’t rate Montana at 92, the Griz did. I like being optimistic. I guess we’ll see how they can progress.
I do know this: Coach Schweyen has build the foundation of a powerhouse program, particularly when looking at 2019 recruits. She’ll get the experience and leadership of three veterans of the past two years (Johnston, Henderson, Schoening) itching to turn things around.
Regardless: this is a fun team to watch, one that (because they’re still so young) will assuredly get better as the season progresses. Go watch em. They’re a blast.
Here's a link to today's game photos: [media]https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1069418681803857920[/media]
The Big Sky is probably not ranked as a conference quite as high as the men’s teams, but it’s no slouch nonetheless. The two class teams of the Big Sky so far are Northern Colorado, followed closely by Portland State. Tonight’s NCAA D1 Women’s Power Poll https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/ncaa-womens-basketball-rpi has the Bears ranked at 33 nationally, while PSU is 11 spots down at 44.
Guess what: Montana’s solid weekend boosted them to 92nd, due in part to South Dakota shooting up to 11th nationally, with Gonzaga at 41. Cal Davis, despite the loss to the Griz, is ranked 73rd, while Northern Illinois is at 147.
Here’s how all Big Sky teams compare in NCAA D1 rankings.
33 — Northern Colorado
44 — Portland State
92 — Montana
100 - Montana State
107 - Sacramento State
113 - Idaho
122 - Northern Arizona
177 - Southern Utah
278 - Eastern Washington
291 - Weber State
Of course it’s early and some teams are ranked low because they haven’t yet played much of a D1 schedule.
Senior post Jace Henderson and junior point McKenzie Johnston played monster tourney games and made the all-tourney team (Jace was MVP). Henderson scored 30 points, had 14 boards and sn impressive 11 assists. Johnston scored 33 points, 13 assists and 3 total turnovers. These two constitute the core of Montana’s game. A front line is shaping up, though… and there are some surprises.
Montana played without Madi Schoening (injury) and Sophia Stiles (reported to be returning, but still on the bench). Despite their absence, Montana is surprisingly giving signs of being able to go eight players deep, a number that will possibly go up when Schoening returns, with hints of a 10-player rotation combo. Compare that to the last two years! There are clear signs of this team, because of its youth, being vastly improved by the mid point of conference play. Montana had SIX players in double-figures scoring on the weekend (Johnston, Henderson & Stockholm both games and Mayhue, Goligoski, and Harrington in one game) . If they continue with this diverse attack, they’ll be tough to defend.
Without belaboring any kind of play-by-play, here are some general impressions.
The VERY GOOD: I’m putting Emma Stockholm and Gabbi Harrington first – not because they’re better than other front line players, but because of how much they’ve stepped up their games. Stockholm has made a quantum leap up for Montana, and appears considerably stronger than last season. She has solidified Griz paint presence on offense and defense.
[media]https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1069359267176542208[/media]
Considerably. Stockholm’s weekend numbers: points–23; rebounds–12 against Davis & 9 against NIU; 50 minutes and only 2 turnovers. Harrington made the best of her redshirt year, is visibly stronger, and now plays wing/small forward when Montana rotates to a 3-forward-to-2-guard lineup (usually in for Goligoski). Harrington’s 2-game stats: 23 points in 46 minutes, 15 (!) rebounds, 4-4 on steal to t.o. ratio, and two clutch baseline treys vs. Davis.
https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1069346494023528448
The GOOD: Taylor Goligoski gives Montana quickness and outside scoring in a lineup paired with Johnston and freshman guard starter Katie Mayhue. A lineup with some real intrigue as the season progresses and Mayhue adjusts to the college game. Goligoski notched 13 points and 7 rebounds in 25 points on Saturday, but fell off a bit Sunday. But with the slashing quickness of Mayhue, the signs of a versatile offensive attack will give Montana two very different on-floor games. Mayhue, still adjusting to the college game, has huge potential for transforming Montana’s game. If that happens, it’s possible the Griz could pull some surprises toward the end of Big Sky play.
[media]https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1068998985216446464[/media]
DEPTH (more good): Montana’s depth seems to have tripled from last season with the addition of 6-2 redshirt frosh Abby Anderson (5 min.); 5-11 , shooting guard Jordan Schweyen (22 min.); 6-0 forward Kylie Froelich (9 min); and 6-1 p/pf Carmen Gfeller (24 min). All are talented players still adjusting to the college game… and learning to play within themselves. IF any (or more) of these players start making adjustments, Montana will have more depth than I’ve seen since 2005-06. The player with most potential impact is Gfeller… not because she’s better, but because Montana really needs another solid in-paint presence as the season grinds all players down.
I suppose this sounds like overt optimism. Well, maybe… since the last two years were so hard on coaches, players and fans. But I didn’t rate Montana at 92, the Griz did. I like being optimistic. I guess we’ll see how they can progress.
I do know this: Coach Schweyen has build the foundation of a powerhouse program, particularly when looking at 2019 recruits. She’ll get the experience and leadership of three veterans of the past two years (Johnston, Henderson, Schoening) itching to turn things around.
Regardless: this is a fun team to watch, one that (because they’re still so young) will assuredly get better as the season progresses. Go watch em. They’re a blast.
Here's a link to today's game photos: [media]https://twitter.com/MontanaGrizWBB/status/1069418681803857920[/media]
