Recruiting of Montana D-1 Basketball Players

[wapiti]

There is a senior at Class C Arlee that is really good at dribbling and shooting. He is only 5 10, but he should be considered as a recruit.
If he can out-dribble a full court press he is worthy having on the team.
I think the player I am thinking of is Will Mesteth.

[BelgradeBobcat]

There is a senior at Class C Arlee that is really good at dribbling and shooting. He is only 5 10, but he should be considered as a recruit.
If he can out-dribble a full court press he is worthy having on the team.
I think the player I am thinking of is Will Mesteth.

Yeah that kid can really shoot it, but if anyone on Arlee gets a look it's probably Philip Malatere who's a walking triple-double...and sometimes quadruple-double. Really an amazing player, but like Mesteth-probably deemed too small for D-1.
http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-basketba ... p-malatare

[Catlady]

Montana's July 2017 population was 1,050,493.
57.2% of division I basketball players are African American descendants
29.4% of division I basketball players are white Americans descendants
0.6% of Montana's population are of African American descent
89.2 of Montana's population are of white descent

Steve Kerr was only on his NBA team because he could shoot. Montana has a lot of kids who can shoot a damn basketball--and they can even make layups in transition!

Exactly. MSU is not deep on ball handlers and shooters. You can find shooters and guys who are confident in dribbling the basketball in the state of Montana.

Thanks to SWX and Root, I get to watch a lot of Summit, WCC and MW ball games. Amazing how many white kids are on their teams and each conference will probably get at least two teams into the tournament. Plus! There are some Indian kids on some of the teams!

I ****** DON'T CARE IF A KID IS BLACK, WHITE, YELLOW OR GREEN IF HE CAN PLAY BASKETBALL AT A D-1 LEVEL AND OUR COACH (WHOM EVER MIGHT BE HERE AT THE TIME) CAN COACH THAT TYPE OF PLAYER I WANT HIM TO BE A BOBCAT!

Are we really still having this conversation? I too was feeling this thread had more racial overtones versus home grown talent. Coaches get paid to win. They’ll go out and find what is in their opinion, the best talent available that fits the teams needs. Sad that in 2018 we’re having this discussion. Talent comes in many colors and sizes. Would be nice if we had more Montana kids, but I think it’s important to let Fish and Binford recruit as they see fit. Let’s get back to talking about winning Bobcat basketball.

[BobcatDel]

There is a senior at Class C Arlee that is really good at dribbling and shooting. He is only 5 10, but he should be considered as a recruit.
If he can out-dribble a full court press he is worthy having on the team.
I think the player I am thinking of is Will Mesteth.

Yeah that kid can really shoot it, but if anyone on Arlee gets a look it's probably Philip Malatere who's a walking triple-double...and sometimes quadruple-double. Really an amazing player, but like Mesteth-probably deemed too small for D-1.
http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-basketba ... p-malatare

I have watched Malataire for 3 years now. Besides being a good shot and dribbler, he is a good leaper, has quick hands and great passer. I mentioned him to Coach Fish to at least look at him....I think I used the words "he plays a bit like a small version of Pete Marivich". My only concern with him is could he play in a more disciplined team setting. I haven't seen Arlee yet this year but in the past they ran a pretty wide open free style game and Malataire made it happen. Fun kid to watch and would be fun to at least give him a try. But we probably need some "bigs" more than a small guard at this point.

[Catlady]

I’m not a Weber State, Montana or Idaho fan. What I do like is the balance the men have with inside and outside play. When the outside is cold, they pound the inside. When the inside is double teamed they open it up with outside shooting. Coach Fish desperately needs an inside presence. Sam tries hard, but he’s overwhelmed in the paint. If you look at the top 3 men’s team, Montana, Idaho and Weber State all have a dominating inside presence. Although the Big Sky is a guards league, they benefit from having dominating post play. Simple blueprint for success.

Im not sure what’s available on the graduate transfer market, but we need help or we’re wasting Tyler’s last year.

[IwasCatInNC]

My experience as an "undersized" AA point guard at 5'11 from the late 1980s (which was actually not at all undersized in Montana, which is a clue) is that most players from Montana just don't have the length and athleticism to play D1 ball. Even way back then, what turned out to be a life-long friend at MSU dominated the AA title game in 1989 played at Metra for Kalispell with 22/12 from the paint and he's 6'3". He did end up at MSU running track. My HS team flamed out Saturday morning and didn't make it until Saturday night, and all of us on that team minus one player were better at either football or baseball, with one guy better at tennis, odd as that is.

Also, very few Montana HS kids then, and I imagine even now, trained for and played basketball only. It was a seasonal sport for 10 out of 12 players my senior year, only one of those two got playing time. When you have 6'4" players having to play the post because the size isn't in the state, the tall kid even in grade school gets stuck playing in the paint, and they don't have a chance because they never get to develop an outside game with ball-handling and passing skills, and especially perimeter defense.

Throw in that there haven't been any real in-state freaks with real NBA/D1 post size like Kryskowiak/Engellant/Leachman in a few decades, and what do you do other than take a chance on an in-state guard who is likely to be undersized from Day One. A Tres Tinkle is so rare in Montana, but then again, so are parents who are very tall and who coach basketball, so that was Tres' life growing up. I still wonder if he'd have stayed in Missoula if Wayne hadn't got the OSU job.

Greg, you talking about Lon Staub?

[GRIZFNZ]

My experience as an "undersized" AA point guard at 5'11 from the late 1980s (which was actually not at all undersized in Montana, which is a clue) is that most players from Montana just don't have the length and athleticism to play D1 ball. Even way back then, what turned out to be a life-long friend at MSU dominated the AA title game in 1989 played at Metra for Kalispell with 22/12 from the paint and he's 6'3". He did end up at MSU running track. My HS team flamed out Saturday morning and didn't make it until Saturday night, and all of us on that team minus one player were better at either football or baseball, with one guy better at tennis, odd as that is.

Also, very few Montana HS kids then, and I imagine even now, trained for and played basketball only. It was a seasonal sport for 10 out of 12 players my senior year, only one of those two got playing time. When you have 6'4" players having to play the post because the size isn't in the state, the tall kid even in grade school gets stuck playing in the paint, and they don't have a chance because they never get to develop an outside game with ball-handling and passing skills, and especially perimeter defense.

Throw in that there haven't been any real in-state freaks with real NBA/D1 post size like Kryskowiak/Engellant/Leachman in a few decades, and what do you do other than take a chance on an in-state guard who is likely to be undersized from Day One. A Tres Tinkle is so rare in Montana, but then again, so are parents who are very tall and who coach basketball, so that was Tres' life growing up. I still wonder if he'd have stayed in Missoula if Wayne hadn't got the OSU job.

Greg, you talking about Lon Staub?

Savick


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[BelgradeBobcat]

Sweet spin move by Philip Malatere of Arlee. Note the super quick move and then the actual making of the layup...a skill very few current members of the Montana State men's basketball team can accomplish. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969767957462073344

[PapaG]

My experience as an "undersized" AA point guard at 5'11 from the late 1980s (which was actually not at all undersized in Montana, which is a clue) is that most players from Montana just don't have the length and athleticism to play D1 ball. Even way back then, what turned out to be a life-long friend at MSU dominated the AA title game in 1989 played at Metra for Kalispell with 22/12 from the paint and he's 6'3". He did end up at MSU running track. My HS team flamed out Saturday morning and didn't make it until Saturday night, and all of us on that team minus one player were better at either football or baseball, with one guy better at tennis, odd as that is.

Also, very few Montana HS kids then, and I imagine even now, trained for and played basketball only. It was a seasonal sport for 10 out of 12 players my senior year, only one of those two got playing time. When you have 6'4" players having to play the post because the size isn't in the state, the tall kid even in grade school gets stuck playing in the paint, and they don't have a chance because they never get to develop an outside game with ball-handling and passing skills, and especially perimeter defense.

Throw in that there haven't been any real in-state freaks with real NBA/D1 post size like Kryskowiak/Engellant/Leachman in a few decades, and what do you do other than take a chance on an in-state guard who is likely to be undersized from Day One. A Tres Tinkle is so rare in Montana, but then again, so are parents who are very tall and who coach basketball, so that was Tres' life growing up. I still wonder if he'd have stayed in Missoula if Wayne hadn't got the OSU job.

Greg, you talking about Lon Staub?

First name is correct. Last initial too.

[PapaG]

Sweet spin move by Philip Malatere of Arlee. Note the super quick move and then the actual making of the layup...a skill very few current members of the Montana State men's basketball team can accomplish. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969767957462073344

It's a nice move but the tallest guy protecting the rim looks to be about 6'2" at best. That's not that unique a move with nobody protecting the rim.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Sweet spin move by Philip Malatere of Arlee. Note the super quick move and then the actual making of the layup...a skill very few current members of the Montana State men's basketball team can accomplish. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969767957462073344

It's a nice move but the tallest guy protecting the rim looks to be about 6'2" at best. That's not that unique a move with nobody protecting the rim.

Last night, first offensive possession. Neumann has a wide open layup-something any 8th grader would make...blew it. It was like that all night. And our current Bobcats are not much taller than 6'2" and not protecting the rim.

Anyway-watching these high school games its just refreshing to see kids making free throws, making layups, and making three pointers all in high pressure situations. I wish our D-1 college players could do that.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Another Class C kid who could never play for the Bobcats. Caleb Bellach of Manhattan Christian with the long 3. He's just a junior-about 6'5". Notice how after he shoots it, it goes in. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969790507063787520

Looks like a rematch of last year's State C title game with Manhattan Christian against Arlee. Arlee will be the heavy favorite.

[mslacat]

I have heard the MSU coaches have been following Bellach this season along with the 6-5 kid from Lewiston (who I cannot remember his name right now)


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[Cataholic]

Sweet spin move by Philip Malatere of Arlee. Note the super quick move and then the actual making of the layup...a skill very few current members of the Montana State men's basketball team can accomplish. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969767957462073344

It's a nice move but the tallest guy protecting the rim looks to be about 6'2" at best. That's not that unique a move with nobody protecting the rim.

I watched the game last night. Malatare was impressive but not sure he is D1 caliber only because of the style of play. It was very undisciplined play (but super entertaining). There were more half court passes to beat the defense getting back than I have ever seen in a high school basketball game. Arlee has a solid 3 to 4 players that could play AA but then the talent starts to drop. Scobey was good, but some of his moves probably won’t translate to a higher level. How will his jump shot fade with a 6’4” athletic wingman guarding him? With that being said, Malatare can play! Easily a Frontier level guy. He can shoot, is quick, can handle the ball, has a great basketball IQ with a fiery will to win. He was ill last night and actually was vomiting during a timeout. He still dropped in 28 points, many which were in crucial situations. On one possession, he was pushing the ball down court, dribbled it off his leg at a high speed, and as it was heading out of bounds about 20 feet away, he was able to run it down and while going out of bounds, he cradled the ball and called a timeout. One of the best mental plays I have ever seen in high school. A couple of his moves (especially the spin moves) left me in awe. I did not see the athleticism that we look for in D1 players like Tres Tinkle, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. If I was Fish, I would get him to a camp and see what he can do against some higher level guys.

[Cataholic]

Another Class C kid who could never play for the Bobcats. Caleb Bellach of Manhattan Christian with the long 3. He's just a junior-about 6'5". Notice how after he shoots it, it goes in. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969790507063787520

Looks like a rematch of last year's State C title game with Manhattan Christian against Arlee. Arlee will be the heavy favorite.

Bellach’s Dad played basketball for Montana Tech and is in their hall of fame. He had 35 points last night on 12 of 24 shooting. Can’t wait to see the final tonight.

[BelgradeBobcat]

I watched the game last night. Malatare was impressive but not sure he is D1 caliber only because of the style of play. It was very undisciplined play (but super entertaining). There were more half court passes to beat the defense getting back than I have ever seen in a high school basketball game. Arlee has a solid 3 to 4 players that could play AA but then the talent starts to drop. Scobey was good, but some of his moves probably won’t translate to a higher level. How will his jump shot fade with a 6’4” athletic wingman guarding him? With that being said, Malatare can play! Easily a Frontier level guy. He can shoot, is quick, can handle the ball, has a great basketball IQ with a fiery will to win. He was ill last night and actually was vomiting during a timeout. He still dropped in 28 points, many which were in crucial situations. On one possession, he was pushing the ball down court, dribbled it off his leg at a high speed, and as it was heading out of bounds about 20 feet away, he was able to run it down and while going out of bounds, he cradled the ball and called a timeout. One of the best mental plays I have ever seen in high school. A couple of his moves (especially the spin moves) left me in awe. I did not see the athleticism that we look for in D1 players like Tres Tinkle, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. If I was Fish, I would get him to a camp and see what he can do against some higher level guys.

I'm mostly being tongue in cheek with these recent posts. It's just frustrating to see these high school kids doing simple fundamental things that most of our D-1 Bobcat players can't. If a kid like Malatere were going to get a D-1 offer he'd have to prove he could compete at a high level junior college first. He reminds me a little bit of Jeremiah Dominquez from Portland State who led the Vikings to back to back NCAA tournaments. Dominquez was tiny and not terribly athletic, but he was a nightmare to play against.

[catsack]

Sweet spin move by Philip Malatere of Arlee. Note the super quick move and then the actual making of the layup...a skill very few current members of the Montana State men's basketball team can accomplish. https://twitter.com/jordyhansen/status/969767957462073344

It's a nice move but the tallest guy protecting the rim looks to be about 6'2" at best. That's not that unique a move with nobody protecting the rim.

I watched the game last night. Malatare was impressive but not sure he is D1 caliber only because of the style of play. It was very undisciplined play (but super entertaining). There were more half court passes to beat the defense getting back than I have ever seen in a high school basketball game. Arlee has a solid 3 to 4 players that could play AA but then the talent starts to drop. Scobey was good, but some of his moves probably won’t translate to a higher level. How will his jump shot fade with a 6’4” athletic wingman guarding him? With that being said, Malatare can play! Easily a Frontier level guy. He can shoot, is quick, can handle the ball, has a great basketball IQ with a fiery will to win. He was ill last night and actually was vomiting during a timeout. He still dropped in 28 points, many which were in crucial situations. On one possession, he was pushing the ball down court, dribbled it off his leg at a high speed, and as it was heading out of bounds about 20 feet away, he was able to run it down and while going out of bounds, he cradled the ball and called a timeout. One of the best mental plays I have ever seen in high school. A couple of his moves (especially the spin moves) left me in awe. I did not see the athleticism that we look for in D1 players like Tres Tinkle, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. If I was Fish, I would get him to a camp and see what he can do against some higher level guys.

I heard he was a beast at Griz camps last summer! I know he has at least a walk on offer with the griz !

[gtapp]

So which is better: Going 7-9 with mostly out of state players or 6-10 with 3 or 4 in state players? And which would give you the largest attendance?

[Cat Grad]

So which is better: Going 7-9 with mostly out of state players or 6-10 with 3 or 4 in state players? And which would give you the largest attendance?

You are a smart ass after my own heart! I will buy you a beer someday...

Edit* Especially if the kids were from the schools they turn out the lights for district, division and state tournaments. Couldn't imagine what it would look like if all of Fort Peck and the Crow Reservation showed up on game day in bozeman at MSU for home games!

[BelgradeBobcat]

So which is better: Going 7-9 with mostly out of state players or 6-10 with 3 or 4 in state players? And which would give you the largest attendance?

How far down our board do we have to go before we find a kid who will sign with MSU? Fish has had offers out all over the country all season. The kid that finally falls to us is probably averaging 8 points per game and shoots 20% from the three point line at some JC somewhere. How many 10's of thousands of dollars are spent on recruits we don't get? If we're gonna suck anyway, and there's no end in sight to the sucking, I'd rather have some in state guys, who have MSU as their first choice, and who might play like they give a damn. We can give all the recruiting money we save to the football program and both teams will be better off.