Espe commits to the Griz

[Colter_Nuanez]

Norwegian Espe signs with Griz hoops - http://skylinesportsmt.com/norwegian-es ... riz-hoops/

[mslacat]

So as far as I can tell that is the first time Fish has gone head to head with the Griz for a recruit.

[mslacatfan]

So as far as I can tell that is the first time Fish has gone head to head with the Griz for a recruit.

was this a surprise to you? Curious what your thoughts are on him going with the griz.

Personally I would rather see the Cats get another solid center and/or PF.... we are pretty loaded with guards, especially with Bonton (sp?) coming in next year, who looks INCREDIBLE!

[mslacat]

So as far as I can tell that is the first time Fish has gone head to head with the Griz for a recruit.

was this a surprise to you? Curious what your thoughts are on him going with the griz.

Personally I would rather see the Cats get another solid center and/or PF.... we are pretty loaded with guards, especially with Bonton (sp?) coming in next year, who looks INCREDIBLE!

I am only surprised they have only gone head to head more often. With Huse and Tinkle I bet they went head to head at LEAST once or twice a year. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. While it is true Frey and him knew each other and played with and against one another that can hurt you if you play the same position and behind the the other player. Frey and Espe know each other very well as basketball players and it will make for a very interesting 3 year.

Personally I still wish we sign either PFs Likayi or Gaffney but it sounds like the coaches want a PG

[msu_agfan]

I see Likayi has signed with Casper college, so it will need to be someone else: http://twitter.com/CasperMBB/status/853375367087742976

[mslacat]

I see Likayi has signed with Casper college, so it will need to be someone else: http://twitter.com/CasperMBB/status/853375367087742976

Not necessarily. If he has the grades and a D-1 wants him he can move on. A NJCAA letter of intent generally locks a player into a JC/CC school. The are releases for a player to move on to a NCAA school but it has to happen before the first day of classes. Again the big question would be did he go the JC route due to grades or lack of D-1 offers because of his knee injury

[msu_agfan]

I see Likayi has signed with Casper college, so it will need to be someone else: http://twitter.com/CasperMBB/status/853375367087742976

Not necessarily. If he has the grades and a D-1 wants him he can move on. A NJCAA letter of intent generally locks a player into a JC/CC school. The are releases for a player to move on to a NCAA school but it has to happen before the first day of classes. Again the big question would be did he go the JC route due to grades or lack of D-1 offers because of his knee injury

Interesting, will be interesting to see how things pan out. I see the griz also signed a foreign player that is a 7 footer, might be reason to have our coaches move to signing a bigger guy? I doubt it would affect their game plan, but you never know.

[mslacat]

Maybe I should let sleeping dogs lie, but this has been interesting to follow the past few months. I am going to try to be as straight with this as possible and put my Bobcat loyalties aside. I have talked to people very much in the know with both the Bobcat and Griz basketball recruiting this spring, and when I put all the stories together you see a consistent narrative of who Espe recruitment took place this spring. I find it interesting, other may not.

1st recruiting needs: By mid season both Fish and DeCuire knew that this spring prioity was to sign a quality point guard who could contribute next year. Decuire wanted more help at the PG because it appeared Ahmaad Rorie was the only option next year for backing up the PG spot and they wanted him shooting Decuire was looking pretty hard at the JC ranks, but he was really with MSU Freshman Harald Frey also so he sent a coach to Europe to scout for players. What impressed DeCuire was not just the talent level but Frey's poise and he was very comfortable playing with college level of physicality. Fish was looking a little at the JC ranks but not to seriuosly, instead he was looking primarily at Europe and the US high school ranks. Fish wanted a player who could take over the PG duties when Hall left the game leaving Frey to shoot more, He also thought Frey was more effective when he did not have to play 36 minutes a game. Also important Fish wanted more 3 point shooting options out of his front court.

Frey vrs Espe: Talked with a couple folks over the net who have seen both play and what it seems to come down to is, when comparing the two Frey is coaches son and it shows. Frey also a much better deeper shooter. Espe is more athletic and stronger. If you look at their final year stats (same league, same age, Espe a year after Frey). They were dead even in assist, but Frey had a small edge over Espe in pts,rbs, shooting %'s. Frey's team won the championship his last year and was tourney MVP, Espe winning record team. Frey and Espe have played together on some national teams but Espe has always backed up Frey at the point.

Recruiting: Both UM and MSU had scouted Espe and liked him. MSU inquired about an official visit to Bozeman and UM jumped on that visit to get one for themselves (standard practice for European Recruits). UM got him first and their selling pitch was we have top Big Sky Conference team where you can be our Harald Frey, if you go to Bozeman you will be Frey's understudy! Truth is Espe and Frey have played with one another and against one another and Espe has always played in Frey's shadow. When Espe left Missoula his mind was already made up, and I am told when he got to Bozeman he pretty much told the coaches as much. MSU never offered him, Griz say that is only because MSU knew he would not sign so why embarrass themselves by losing s recruit to the Griz. From the Bobcat side its hard to believe it did not play a factor but the official word from Fish was that he was looking for a deep three point threat also from the point guard. That is not Espe. Fish can back it up though as he had 2-3 other PG's in for recruiting visits that he also did not offer because they where not the three point threat he was hoping for. In the end the Griz signed Espe and the Bobcat signed 6-1 PG Lassi Nikkarinen who does seem to meet all the qualification Fish had on his job description (granted after the fact)


So yes did the Griz did beat the Bobcats for a recruit - It Appears so. In the end though did the Bobcat's get the man they wanted/needed - It Appears so. Depending on your loyalties you can bend the facts to meet the out come you like. From my perspective, though, this was a win/win for both the Bobcats and Griz. I think Espe may be a better fit for the Griz and Nikkarinen for the Bobcat, but I think it is going to be real fun watching Espe vrs Nikkarinen but even more fun to watch Frey vrs Espe. I think Espe is going to come into the Bobcat-Griz game with a little extra motivation and a chip on his shoulder and wanting to get out from Frey's shadow.

[phantom]

The old adage in recruiting is true: The guy that you don't get might beat you once or twice a year. When you get the wrong guy, he beats you every day. It's not about beating Montana for recruits, it's about getting the right guy.