Our Achilles Heel

[Grizbballfan14]

Anytime your opponent hits 5/6 well contested 3s you're going to have a tough time winning.

I actually thought this was our most impressive performance despite the loss. The defense wasnt as good as it could be, but our offense looked better than it has all season. I think our biggest issue right now is depth. When Anderson and Owens are in foul trouble our next tallest player right now is only 6'5". But we have 2 sizable additions coming back in the next month or two, so that should help.

Maybe it's just me, but I've been pretty impressed with Anderson. He doesnt have the size yet, but he does a good job of altering shots at the rim and is an athletic post player. Yes he got into foul trouble easily, but a couple of those were questionable calls. Especially #5

Just a couple of interesting stats to throw in:

Mack Anderson has won all 4 tip offs this season

Anderson and Falls were the only players with a positive +/- against Tech.

 

[PlayerRep]

Anytime your opponent hits 5/6 well contested 3s you're going to have a tough time winning.

I actually thought this was our most impressive performance despite the loss. The defense wasnt as good as it could be, but our offense looked better than it has all season. I think our biggest issue right now is depth. When Anderson and Owens are in foul trouble our next tallest player right now is only 6'5". But we have 2 sizable additions coming back in the next month or two, so that should help.

Maybe it's just me, but I've been pretty impressed with Anderson. He doesnt have the size yet, but he does a good job of altering shots at the rim and is an athletic post player. Yes he got into foul trouble easily, but a couple of those were questionable calls. Especially #5

Just a couple of interesting stats to throw in:

Mack Anderson has won all 4 tip offs this season

Anderson and Falls were the only players with a positive +/- against Tech.

Good points. I agree, altho I hadn't seen prior games so don't know about the first part of your second para.

 

[Zirg]

Kelby Kramer's first three games at Minnesota State. Realize this is D2 and no idea of competition level.....but probably comparable to Tech and/or Northern (??) against whom UM's big guy has not shined.

Rebounds: 18, 7, 14
Blocks: 8, 4, 3
Points: 5, 4, 11

Was surprised to see this kid start a couple big games and look OK while at Montana...then fell off the map. Did coaches see that much more in Anderson?

Kelby Kramer was NOT a D-1 talent, period. It might have been a mistake to recruit him, but not for letting him go. You cherry-picked some nice-looking stats but Kramer also has 13 fouls and 9 turnovers in 3 games and is 2-6 from the FT line. He can block a few shots and rebound obviously (he's 7'), but has hands of steel and has no idea how to score besides easy layups and dunks.

Anderson, while not as tall as Kramer, has so-much more obvious basketball skills and athleticism that can be honed. Is he ideal? No. Is he better than Kramer? No question.

 

[Zirg]

Okay, we have excuses. We are young. (True.) Our kids played at Arkansas, had a long flight home, practised at two in the afternoon, then played a game they should have won with Washington looming, the perfect trap game. (True.) It's all Timmy's fault. (False!)

But let's step back and take a longer look: Our lack of a post presence.

Usually, when we step up to play a Power Five team, the size of the opponent, the quality of their post play, is the big difference. When a Montana Tech steps up to play us, you'd think that would be their problem as well.

But last night, it was not. I don't know who their post player was, but he had enough clever moves down low that he had to be guarded, and he put our kids in foul trouble. I mean, an NAIA team showed up on our home floor with a better post play than we had. That is the atomic and sub-atomic truth of that game last night.

Which is about the only criticism I can level at Travis. In his six-year tenure at Montana, he has recruited one legit post player who panned out, Jamar Akoh. Alphonso Anderson, who just has a big game for Utah State, left the program. Karl Nicholas washed out. Ben Carter and Kelby Kramer were not the answers. In an ideal world, all four of those guys would still be in the program, contributing.

Instead, we're left with Mack Anderson, who as a sophomore at 207 pounds is not yet the answer; Michael Steadman who is not yet eligible; Selcuk who is not yet eligible; and Jared Samuelson who is hurt.

Yes, I know, this is the era of the three-ball; post players are becoming obsolete. But even if you're a team dependent on the three-ball, you need an inside-outside game to set up those treys. Tech had that last night; we did not.

At this point, I think we have too many vulnerabilities to contend. I mean right now, you shut down Pridgett, and you've shut down our offense. Don't think teams don't know this. In addition to the quality of their players, Tech was masterful in its game plan. It's a blueprint others will notice, doubling and tripling Pridgett.

But next year, with a few legit post players, watch out! We gonna be tough. But we have to have that post play.

I totally agree about your point concerning Travis' being less successful recruiting and developing quality big-men, which I guess isn't surprising since he was a guard and is obviously better at identifying, developing and recruiting guard talent. We've been deep at guard for many years.

 

[Mousegriz]

Kelby Kramer's first three games at Minnesota State. Realize this is D2 and no idea of competition level.....but probably comparable to Tech and/or Northern (??) against whom UM's big guy has not shined.

Rebounds: 18, 7, 14
Blocks: 8, 4, 3
Points: 5, 4, 11

Was surprised to see this kid start a couple big games and look OK while at Montana...then fell off the map. Did coaches see that much more in Anderson?

Kelby Kramer was NOT a D-1 talent, period. It might have been a mistake to recruit him, but not for letting him go. You cherry-picked some nice-looking stats but Kramer also has 13 fouls and 9 turnovers in 3 games and is 2-6 from the FT line. He can block a few shots and rebound obviously (he's 7'), but has hands of steel and has no idea how to score besides easy layups and dunks.

Anderson, while not as tall as Kramer, has so-much more obvious basketball skills and athleticism that can be honed. Is he ideal? No. Is he better than Kramer? No question.

Cherry picked some for Mack too......vs. Northern (6 rebs. 3 points) and Tech (2 rebs and 2 pts....Tech's post had 6 rebs. and 15 points) and Stanford (1 reb. 0 points). To his credit vs. Arkansas (7 rebs. 9 points). I understand he's a raw true sophomore.....but "much more obvious basketball skills"?? I've not kept track of where his points are coming from. In the Northern, Tech and Stanford games it would be easy (he totaled 5 points!!) With his "obvious more skills" did those 5 points come from an assortment of smooth jumpers and silky drives to the hole.......or from ONE easy layup, ONE dunk and ONE free throw?

 

[PlayerRep]

Anderson's minutes have been 13, 19, 25 and 13. The Tech post played 30.5 minutes. The refs screwed Anderson on at least a couple fouls.

 

[Mousegriz]

Anderson's minutes have been 13, 19, 25 and 13. The Tech post played 30.5 minutes. The refs screwed Anderson on at least a couple fouls.

The Tech post scored more points in this game than Anderson has in four.

 

[PlayerRep]

Anderson's minutes have been 13, 19, 25 and 13. The Tech post played 30.5 minutes. The refs screwed Anderson on at least a couple fouls.

The Tech post scored more points in this game than Anderson has in four.

The Tech post was good at getting to the hoop from low in the post and a good player. On a per minute basis, Anderson had more rebounds per minute than the Tech post. Coming into the UM game, the Tech post was averaging 13.8 points, 8 rebounds and 27 minutes. The Tech post didn't play against Stanford and Arkansas.

 

[Mousegriz]

Anderson's minutes have been 13, 19, 25 and 13. The Tech post played 30.5 minutes. The refs screwed Anderson on at least a couple fouls.

The Tech post scored more points in this game than Anderson has in four.

The Tech post was good at getting to the hoop from low in the post and a good player. On a per minute basis, Anderson had more rebounds per minute than the Tech post. Coming into the UM game, the Tech post was averaging 13.8 points, 8 rebounds and 27 minutes. The Tech post didn't play against Stanford and Arkansas.

Wonder how the Tech kid would do vs. Minnesota State? Did Griz give him a look coming out of Helena High? Nice size at 6'7" 220lbs. By any measure (outside of maybe rebounds per minute??) he outplayed the Griz posts in the game. Staying out of foul trouble is an overlooked but very important basketball skill.

 

[CleanHOUSE]

It would have helped if Anderson had played more than 13 minutes.

Really? Mac has bad hands and terrible footwork. He fouls because he reaches. He gets in foul trouble almost every game. The Tech kids were more physical and just bodied him up. Mac may have peaked last January in the Cat game in Bozeman. He doesn't look like he has improved since last season, and may have regressed. I'm not sure he could start for the Orediggers.

Yeah Mac confuses me because he looks very athletic runs the floor well, but he fumbles the ball so much, just butter fingers. He actually gets in decent position a lot but then bumbles the ball and loses his advantage. He's like a receiver who gets open but never gets run after the catch because he can't catch the ball in stride. He gets open down low, ball gets to him, takes extra half second to get a handle on the ball, shot not open anymore.

Did he fumble the ball last night? I didn’t notice that.

I was more speaking of in general and what I saw last year. I was actually ok with him the other night even though he got in foul trouble. I like to see him be more assertive, he was more aggressive in the 2nd half of the Arkansas game and it continued in the M-Tech game. He's athletic and moves well, but I have not seen it translate to production on the court. Last year I was surprised he couldn't run away with the post job because athletically/ coordination wise he was a good bit ahead of Kramer and the big Aussie kid (although I thought he actually had the best combo of size and agility long term), but Mac never really distinguished himself.
I think part of that is that is he just takes to long to transition from getting the ball into a offensive move...and so good court positioning never translated into production,
My hope is that that was mostly because he just wasn't looking to get the ball and do something with it last year, I want him to be quick and decisive with the ball and try and dictate a little then I will have a better idea of what he is capable of.