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Head Coach Brian Holsinger Interview

Adam H

Well-known member
Adam and Angel take a dive into an interview with new head coach of Lady Griz basketball Brian Holsinger. Brian goes into how his career started and the things he learned and has put into how he runs a program.  Also, Brian talks about what he envisions for the program in the future. Brian tells us stories from each of his stops and a funny recruiting story you want to hear. Help us out by give our podcast a rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast.

Podbean
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/n5x734/BrianHolsinger.mp3

Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fight-on-montana/id1501297246
 
That was a fun and informative interview. Not too much information about the players, but a lot about the roller-coaster life of a coach (and the importance of what is valued).
 
GrizBaba said:
That was a fun and informative interview. Not too much information about the players, but a lot about the roller-coaster life of a coach (and the importance of what is valued).

Thanks glad you liked it. Please get in contact with us to tell us what you would like to hear by getting us on our social media on Instagram, Twitter , and facebook page @fightonmontana. Also make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. It helps us tremendously.
 
I finally found an hour to listen this morning. Nice work on the interview.

Anyone who has any doubts about Coach Holsinger as a human being or a coach should listen. If you are concerned about his understanding of the legacy of the Lady Griz program or how he treats the players, you should listen. Haslam appears to have performed well with this hire. If the Lady Griz are not at the top of the conference again by his third season here, I’ll be shocked.
 
No use in belaboring the obvious: Holsinger is off to a great start.

Retaining Sullivan and hiring Harris was good. Bringing Tinkle aboard was bold and unexpected, a great hire. Like, wow!

But also: Signing Draya Wacker. This had a statement behind it: We're sticking with exceptional Montana kids no matter the physical risks. I think she'll be a great player for us.

Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

Two goals now for this program: Restoring the Lady Griz reputation as a "Big Sky Power;" but also, as Holsinger mentions in this interview, getting to the Sweet 16.

The first goal? A slam dunk. This will happen faster than anybody expects.

The second goal? Horse of another color. That color being, black. As in good high-quality American Black athletes. You can rule the Big Sky with some combination of Montana athletes and European imports, but you can't make the Sweet 16 with just them.

For somebody who always hoped the Lady Griz would make noise on the national level, the Selvig era was disappointing after a promising early start. For all the times we won the Big Sky, it's been 25 years since we made in to the second round of the Big Dance, with most of those losses being humiliating blowouts. Upper level teams were bigger, longer, quicker, their rosters dotted with outstanding Black talent.

Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.
 
citay said:
No use in belaboring the obvious: Holsinger is off to a great start.

Retaining Sullivan and hiring Harris was good. Bringing Tinkle aboard was bold and unexpected, a great hire. Like, wow!

But also: Signing Draya Wacker. This had a statement behind it: We're sticking with exceptional Montana kids no matter the physical risks. I think she'll be a great player for us.

Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

Two goals now for this program: Restoring the Lady Griz reputation as a "Big Sky Power;" but also, as Holsinger mentions in this interview, getting to the Sweet 16.

The first goal? A slam dunk. This will happen faster than anybody expects.

The second goal? Horse of another color. That color being, black. As in good high-quality American Black athletes. You can rule the Big Sky with some combination of Montana athletes and European imports, but you can't make the Sweet 16 with just them.

For somebody who always hoped the Lady Griz would make noise on the national level, the Selvig era was disappointing after a promising early start. For all the times we won the Big Sky, it's been 25 years since we made in to the second round of the Big Dance, with most of those losses being humiliating blowouts. Upper level teams were bigger, longer, quicker, their rosters dotted with outstanding Black talent.

Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.

Citay:

You realize, don't you, that Katerina Tsineke, the incoming transfer from East Carolina and Greece, is a black woman?
 
maroonandsilver said:
citay said:
No use in belaboring the obvious: Holsinger is off to a great start.

Retaining Sullivan and hiring Harris was good. Bringing Tinkle aboard was bold and unexpected, a great hire. Like, wow!

But also: Signing Draya Wacker. This had a statement behind it: We're sticking with exceptional Montana kids no matter the physical risks. I think she'll be a great player for us.

Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

Two goals now for this program: Restoring the Lady Griz reputation as a "Big Sky Power;" but also, as Holsinger mentions in this interview, getting to the Sweet 16.

The first goal? A slam dunk. This will happen faster than anybody expects.

The second goal? Horse of another color. That color being, black. As in good high-quality American Black athletes. You can rule the Big Sky with some combination of Montana athletes and European imports, but you can't make the Sweet 16 with just them.

For somebody who always hoped the Lady Griz would make noise on the national level, the Selvig era was disappointing after a promising early start. For all the times we won the Big Sky, it's been 25 years since we made in to the second round of the Big Dance, with most of those losses being humiliating blowouts. Upper level teams were bigger, longer, quicker, their rosters dotted with outstanding Black talent.

Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.

Citay:

You realize, don't you, that Katerina Tsineke, the incoming transfer from East Carolina and Greece, is a black woman?

I do! And I'm very encouraged by that. And I also realize that the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is black, so Greece is capable of producing great black players.

I also do not want to depend on Europe as a pipeline for good black talent--which is why I stressed American black talent. Like, for instance, on the Men's side, Ray Lucien, Micheal Ray Richardson, Derrick Pope, Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, Ahmaad Rorie, Michael Oguine, Jamar Akoh, and any number of players on our current team, with full apologies to all the black talent that has graced the court for the men over the past many years that I have neglected to mention.

Over the entire history of the Women's program, going back to the 1970's, I can count the number of black players on one hand with two fingers blown off. Good luck on getting to the Sweet 16 with that recruiting history.
 
citay said:
maroonandsilver said:
Citay:

You realize, don't you, that Katerina Tsineke, the incoming transfer from East Carolina and Greece, is a black woman?

I do! And I'm very encouraged by that. And I also realize that the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is black, so Greece is capable of producing great black players.

I also do not want to depend on Europe as a pipeline for good black talent--which is why I stressed American black talent. Like, for instance, on the Men's side, Ray Lucien, Micheal Ray Richardson, Derrick Pope, Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, Ahmaad Rorie, Michael Oguine, Jamar Akoh, and any number of players on our current team, with full apologies to all the black talent that has graced the court for the men over the past many years that I have neglected to mention.

Over the entire history of the Women's program, going back to the 1970's, I can count the number of black players on one hand with two fingers blown off. Good luck on getting to the Sweet 16 with that recruiting history.

Why can't we just recruit great players, regardless of their ethnicity? Have you considered that it just might be more difficult to recruit black lady players to Montana than black men players? Most black men players have aspirations to play professional basketball following college. Not so with lady players at a Mid-Major school. I just think that it is much more difficult to recruit ethnic minority lady players to places like Missoula, Bozeman, Moscow, Southern Utah, etc.
 
hunt-ducks said:
citay said:
I do! And I'm very encouraged by that. And I also realize that the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is black, so Greece is capable of producing great black players.

I also do not want to depend on Europe as a pipeline for good black talent--which is why I stressed American black talent. Like, for instance, on the Men's side, Ray Lucien, Micheal Ray Richardson, Derrick Pope, Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, Ahmaad Rorie, Michael Oguine, Jamar Akoh, and any number of players on our current team, with full apologies to all the black talent that has graced the court for the men over the past many years that I have neglected to mention.

Over the entire history of the Women's program, going back to the 1970's, I can count the number of black players on one hand with two fingers blown off. Good luck on getting to the Sweet 16 with that recruiting history.

Why can't we just recruit great players, regardless of their ethnicity? Have you considered that it just might be more difficult to recruit black lady players to Montana than black men players? Most black men players have aspirations to play professional basketball following college. Not so with lady players at a Mid-Major school. I just think that it is much more difficult to recruit ethnic minority lady players to places like Missoula, Bozeman, Moscow, Southern Utah, etc.

"Why can't we just recruit great players, regardless of their ethnicity? "

Hah! Run that statement by any GM of any NBA or NFL team and they'd laugh you out of their office!

Have you happened to notice the "ethnicity" of the Top 100 NBA players of all time?

My argument for this Board is a tired old subject, I know. I pretty much stopped because it fell on deaf ears with the prior regimes. But I'm hoping the new one reads this and pays attention. If Holsinger is serious about getting us to the Sweet 16, he needs to.
 
More questions I'd have liked to hear asked in this interview:

--How has the late start affected recruiting? Will you save a few scholarships for next year or fill them all this year?

--What do you look for in recruits? Who have been your most successful? Any "can't misses" that bombed?

--You mentioned that you're big on defense. But what about the other side of the ball? How about the three-point shot. Do you embrace it? Do you feel it has changed the game? Once the final stats are in for next year, where will Montana rank on three-point shots attempted?

--Also: Is it your style to run, or play a slower more-patterned offense?

--One of the applicants for this job was Mark Campbell, the former assistant at your one-time rival, Oregon, now the head coach at Sac State. How well do you know Mark? Did you ever cross paths on the recruiting trail? Do you see this as a new rivalry, or that his success could be a measuring stick as to whether Montana made the right choice?

One other note about this interview. Please stop already with "How did it feel?" I know you're trying to elicit an emotional response but it's not the way to get one, any more than "thoughts and prayers" conveys any true feeling after a mass shooting.

And a final final. Listen to Tootell and Nuanez. Those guys are prepared, crisp in their questions and sharp in follow-ups. Very few "ahs," "ers," or "likes" in the delivery. The Gold Standard of sports podcasts in Montana.
 
citay said:
No use in belaboring the obvious: Holsinger is off to a great start.

Retaining Sullivan and hiring Harris was good. Bringing Tinkle aboard was bold and unexpected, a great hire. Like, wow!

But also: Signing Draya Wacker. This had a statement behind it: We're sticking with exceptional Montana kids no matter the physical risks. I think she'll be a great player for us.

Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

Two goals now for this program: Restoring the Lady Griz reputation as a "Big Sky Power;" but also, as Holsinger mentions in this interview, getting to the Sweet 16.

The first goal? A slam dunk. This will happen faster than anybody expects.

The second goal? Horse of another color. That color being, black. As in good high-quality American Black athletes. You can rule the Big Sky with some combination of Montana athletes and European imports, but you can't make the Sweet 16 with just them.

For somebody who always hoped the Lady Griz would make noise on the national level, the Selvig era was disappointing after a promising early start. For all the times we won the Big Sky, it's been 25 years since we made in to the second round of the Big Dance, with most of those losses being humiliating blowouts. Upper level teams were bigger, longer, quicker, their rosters dotted with outstanding Black talent.

Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.
:eek: :roll:
 
citay said:
Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.

I would suggest that you look back at the make-up of past OSU teams, and then evaluate based on the difficulty to recruit black players to Missoula compared to Corvallis.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
citay said:
Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.

I would suggest that you look back at the make-up of past OSU teams, and then evaluate based on the difficulty to recruit black players to Missoula compared to Corvallis.

Don't harsh that buzz, man!
 
citay said:
Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

PR's hiding from Wayne! Took his little old leather helmet and round football to the basement and will stay there until his UM Western women's basketball season begins.
 
Mousegriz said:
citay said:
Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

PR's hiding from Wayne! Took his little old leather helmet and round football to the basement and will stay there until his UM Western women's basketball season begins.

I have a feeling, he's likely traveling and paying no attention to egriz. Usually, he's away from here, this time of year.
 
citay said:
No use in belaboring the obvious: Holsinger is off to a great start.

Retaining Sullivan and hiring Harris was good. Bringing Tinkle aboard was bold and unexpected, a great hire. Like, wow!

But also: Signing Draya Wacker. This had a statement behind it: We're sticking with exceptional Montana kids no matter the physical risks. I think she'll be a great player for us.

Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

Two goals now for this program: Restoring the Lady Griz reputation as a "Big Sky Power;" but also, as Holsinger mentions in this interview, getting to the Sweet 16.

The first goal? A slam dunk. This will happen faster than anybody expects.

The second goal? Horse of another color. That color being, black. As in good high-quality American Black athletes. You can rule the Big Sky with some combination of Montana athletes and European imports, but you can't make the Sweet 16 with just them.

For somebody who always hoped the Lady Griz would make noise on the national level, the Selvig era was disappointing after a promising early start. For all the times we won the Big Sky, it's been 25 years since we made in to the second round of the Big Dance, with most of those losses being humiliating blowouts. Upper level teams were bigger, longer, quicker, their rosters dotted with outstanding Black talent.

Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.
Geezuz, you are becoming an embarrassment to most UM grads and fans. Your intention might be good, but.......................
 
GrizLA said:
citay said:
No use in belaboring the obvious: Holsinger is off to a great start.

Retaining Sullivan and hiring Harris was good. Bringing Tinkle aboard was bold and unexpected, a great hire. Like, wow!

But also: Signing Draya Wacker. This had a statement behind it: We're sticking with exceptional Montana kids no matter the physical risks. I think she'll be a great player for us.

Proof that Holsinger is doing well? Not a peep out of PR.

What a relief!

Two goals now for this program: Restoring the Lady Griz reputation as a "Big Sky Power;" but also, as Holsinger mentions in this interview, getting to the Sweet 16.

The first goal? A slam dunk. This will happen faster than anybody expects.

The second goal? Horse of another color. That color being, black. As in good high-quality American Black athletes. You can rule the Big Sky with some combination of Montana athletes and European imports, but you can't make the Sweet 16 with just them.

For somebody who always hoped the Lady Griz would make noise on the national level, the Selvig era was disappointing after a promising early start. For all the times we won the Big Sky, it's been 25 years since we made in to the second round of the Big Dance, with most of those losses being humiliating blowouts. Upper level teams were bigger, longer, quicker, their rosters dotted with outstanding Black talent.

Having now quieted the critical Montana contingent, and demonstrated an ability to bring in European talent, this will be Holsinger's next challenge, to recruit Black talent.

I'll be watching.
Geezuz, you are becoming an embarrassment to most UM grads and fans. Your intention might be good, but.......................

The REAL embarrassment is that a school playing Division One basketball for 47(!) years has only now signed its fourth black player.

Oh, and by the way, let's be clear on one thing: I don't give a damn what you or anybody else on this board thinks. I think for myself.
 
citay said:
Oh, and by the way, let's be clear on one thing: I don't give a damn what you or anybody else on this board thinks. I think for myself.

It is admirable that you don't care if others think you are a moron every time you bang this drum.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
citay said:
Oh, and by the way, let's be clear on one thing: I don't give a damn what you or anybody else on this board thinks. I think for myself.

It is admirable that you don't care if others think you are a moron every time you bang this drum.

Citay basketball IQ revealed when he mentions Giannis is black so Greece is capable of producing sounds really bad on many levels. Not only bad reasoning but also he seems to want to offend blacks and whites at same time…. And by the way he doesn’t give a damn
 
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