Thoughts on improving MSU basketball

[ndvet]

Not at all. I sure get a kick out of reading how darn easy it must be. I wonder how many posters on here played or coached at the collegiate level? Count me as a yes on both.

So since you're so much smarter than the rest of us, what do you think MSU should do? I assume stay the course? That's a legit solution-but it won't be very popular considering past results. BTW I did play a couple of years of college ball-but I it turns out I wasn't very good.

Those are your words pal but thanks for the compliment!

[MSU01]

Not at all. I sure get a kick out of reading how darn easy it must be. I wonder how many posters on here played or coached at the collegiate level? Count me as a yes on both.

Where are people saying it's easy? My playing career ended in middle school, but when I shell out several hundred dollars a year to support MSU basketball I feel like I have at least earned the right to express my opinion. I should probably just not bother anymore, but I care about MSU and love basketball too much to do that.

That's the beauty of these message boards..we all get express our opinions and tell each other if we feel we are full of it. You could be the town mechanic or heart surgeon for all I know. My father shelled out over 150k to get a six way bypass, it doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about when I criticize the hospital because he had to have a stent put in two years later. Pt being, if you haven't done it you don't know how hard it is to do! If it were as easy as "bringing in better players and improving the atmosphere" don't you think that would have crossed Huse or fields minds by now?

Fair enough. Although I didn't say recruit better players, I suggested that MSU focus less on JC players and more on high school players. That is my opinion, and there certainly is a high probability that I'm full of it!

[ndvet]

Not at all. I sure get a kick out of reading how darn easy it must be. I wonder how many posters on here played or coached at the collegiate level? Count me as a yes on both.

Where are people saying it's easy? My playing career ended in middle school, but when I shell out several hundred dollars a year to support MSU basketball I feel like I have at least earned the right to express my opinion. I should probably just not bother anymore, but I care about MSU and love basketball too much to do that.

That's the beauty of these message boards..we all get express our opinions and tell each other if we feel we are full of it. You could be the town mechanic or heart surgeon for all I know. My father shelled out over 150k to get a six way bypass, it doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about when I criticize the hospital because he had to have a stent put in two years later. Pt being, if you haven't done it you don't know how hard it is to do! If it were as easy as "bringing in better players and improving the atmosphere" don't you think that would have crossed Huse or fields minds by now?

Fair enough. Although I didn't say recruit better players, I suggested that MSU focus less on JC players and more on high school players. That is my opinion, and there certainly is a high probability that I'm full of it!

You sound like it....hell, I know I am:) Truth is it might be too late for coach. He gets a three year, this place lights up like a xmas tree, he says "we're going to build this from the ground up with HS players, etc" and the job probably doesn't get done in three years (in my opinion a program rebuild takes 3-5 years). He gets a one year deal, goes the JC route, finds lightening in a bottle and wins, and he still didn't build the program, just got a quick fix. People don't like it, because in a year the JC's are gone and the program is still not established, albeit more attractice due to the recent winning season. Just hate to see coach go. He may be to backed into a corner to fight his way out. I just get a kick out of the posts where people say "he needs to recruit different/change the system/better facilities/etc". In my opinion the SINGLE BIGGEST issue people should be concerned about is the program turnaround. We'd all love to have 4 or 5 tough HS players every year to develop,but let me tell you ya can't make chicken soup from chicken crap. If they aren't their or won't come then your hands are tied.

[ndvet]

One other thing, I'm guessing the bulk of us don't know WHO coach has tried to bring in. He may have had 6 HS players in last year that he couldn't get to sign on that line. At that point he had to "settle" for a jc player, two or more that maybe were his second choices. A coach doesn't get everyone they want, and when they don't, they still have holes/rosters spots to fill. As for his system, coach has run a wide open offense for years....a motion offense in either a 5 or 4 out set. And granted I haven't seen all the games I'd have liked, but as a player no offense is funner than the motion...its playing basketball and making plays! I can still hear coach saying "Dammit, make a play!" "We need to make some plays guys". Its the same offense Knight ran at Indiana (unless coach has went 360). And yes, he does mix in sets, not over a 100 like Izzo does at Michigan st (Imagine trying to remember that playbook) but several none the less. Suprising thing is that his teams always had offense to spare..I'm talking high octane scoring machines. Suprises me that they haven't put up that kind of offense...further reason why I believe he hasn't gotten the players he wanted or got ones that ideally weren't who he thought they were.

[ndvet]

Not at all. I sure get a kick out of reading how darn easy it must be. I wonder how many posters on here played or coached at the collegiate level? Count me as a yes on both.

Where are people saying it's easy? My playing career ended in middle school, but when I shell out several hundred dollars a year to support MSU basketball I feel like I have at least earned the right to express my opinion. I should probably just not bother anymore, but I care about MSU and love basketball too much to do that.

That's the beauty of these message boards..we all get express our opinions and tell each other if we feel we are full of it. You could be the town mechanic or heart surgeon for all I know. My father shelled out over 150k to get a six way bypass, it doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about when I criticize the hospital because he had to have a stent put in two years later. Pt being, if you haven't done it you don't know how hard it is to do! If it were as easy as "bringing in better players and improving the atmosphere" don't you think that would have crossed Huse or fields minds by now?

Fair enough. Although I didn't say recruit better players, I suggested that MSU focus less on JC players and more on high school players. That is my opinion, and there certainly is a high probability that I'm full of it!

You sound like it....hell, I know I am:) Truth is it might be too late for coach. He gets a three year, this place lights up like a xmas tree, he says "we're going to build this from the ground up with HS players, etc" and the job probably doesn't get done in three years (in my opinion a program rebuild takes 3-5 years). He gets a one year deal, goes the JC route, finds lightening in a bottle and wins, and he still didn't build the program, just got a quick fix. People don't like it, because in a year the JC's are gone and the program is still not established, albeit more attractice due to the recent winning season. Just hate to see coach go. He may be to backed into a corner to fight his way out. I just get a kick out of the posts where people say "he needs to recruit different/change the system/better facilities/etc". In my opinion the SINGLE BIGGEST issue people should be concerned about is the program turnaround. We'd all love to have 4 or 5 tough HS players every year to develop,but let me tell you ya can't make chicken soup from chicken crap. If they aren't their or won't come then your hands are tied.

Sorry I meant PLAYER TURNOVER for biggest concern.

[aucat]

Well, we could bring back the Wheat Montana blimp. That was always fun as to when the goodies would be released overhead.

So, is this why UM is playing for the BSC IN MISSOULA for both the men and women---that they have a nice arena and do fun things at the games?

I think it has to do with coaches and players. Win, and everything else will take care of itself!

[ndvet]

Not at all. I sure get a kick out of reading how darn easy it must be. I wonder how many posters on here played or coached at the collegiate level? Count me as a yes on both.

So since you're so much smarter than the rest of us, what do you think MSU should do? I assume stay the course? That's a legit solution-but it won't be very popular considering past results. BTW I did play a couple of years of college ball-but I it turns out I wasn't very good.

Alright Bobcat I'm ready to answer, but first I need a few things:
1) is this from huses perspective or a brand new hire?
2) is its Huse what kind of deal did he get?
3) please give me a breakdown of the roster with size and year of eligibility next season.

--I'll do the rest! If ya see Hensal around tell him I still have his cd!

[gtapp]

One other thing, I'm guessing the bulk of us don't know WHO coach has tried to bring in. He may have had 6 HS players in last year that he couldn't get to sign on that line. At that point he had to "settle" for a jc player, two or more that maybe were his second choices. A coach doesn't get everyone they want, and when they don't, they still have holes/rosters spots to fill. As for his system, coach has run a wide open offense for years....a motion offense in either a 5 or 4 out set. And granted I haven't seen all the games I'd have liked, but as a player no offense is funner than the motion...its playing basketball and making plays! I can still hear coach saying "Dammit, make a play!" "We need to make some plays guys". Its the same offense Knight ran at Indiana (unless coach has went 360). And yes, he does mix in sets, not over a 100 like Izzo does at Michigan st (Imagine trying to remember that playbook) but several none the less. Suprising thing is that his teams always had offense to spare..I'm talking high octane scoring machines. Suprises me that they haven't put up that kind of offense...further reason why I believe he hasn't gotten the players he wanted or got ones that ideally weren't who he thought they were.

Bottom line is Huse has had 7 years and can't get it done. True, the next coach may not either but you have to keep trying. MSU has had successful teams and can again with a coach who can recruit better players who stay for 4-5 years. ANY school can win with the right coach. Look at the U of Wyoming in football. IMO the hardest place to recruit in the country and they have had a few teams do well over the years with the right coach. If a coach can't do it in 7 history would suggest it will never happen. If good HS players won't sign at MSU that is more of a reflection on the coach than on MSU and/or Bozeman.

[ndvet]

One other thing, I'm guessing the bulk of us don't know WHO coach has tried to bring in. He may have had 6 HS players in last year that he couldn't get to sign on that line. At that point he had to "settle" for a jc player, two or more that maybe were his second choices. A coach doesn't get everyone they want, and when they don't, they still have holes/rosters spots to fill. As for his system, coach has run a wide open offense for years....a motion offense in either a 5 or 4 out set. And granted I haven't seen all the games I'd have liked, but as a player no offense is funner than the motion...its playing basketball and making plays! I can still hear coach saying "Dammit, make a play!" "We need to make some plays guys". Its the same offense Knight ran at Indiana (unless coach has went 360). And yes, he does mix in sets, not over a 100 like Izzo does at Michigan st (Imagine trying to remember that playbook) but several none the less. Suprising thing is that his teams always had offense to spare..I'm talking high octane scoring machines. Suprises me that they haven't put up that kind of offense...further reason why I believe he hasn't gotten the players he wanted or got ones that ideally weren't who he thought they were.

Bottom line is Huse has had 7 years and can't get it done. True, the next coach may not either but you have to keep trying. MSU has had successful teams and can again with a coach who can recruit better players who stay for 4-5 years. ANY school can win with the right coach. Look at the U of Wyoming in football. IMO the hardest place to recruit in the country and they have had a few teams do well over the years with the right coach. If a coach can't do it in 7 history would suggest it will never happen. If good HS players won't sign at MSU that is more of a reflection on the coach than on MSU and/or Bozeman.

"Can't get it done"-BS. Hasn't got it done--amen. Football vs basketball equals apples vs oranges. We all want stud hs players to develop. I don't know the hs crop in montana had. I know what North Dakota has and there are only two kids in the State I'd consider this year if I was in charge of und or NDSU-Jacobson from shanley and haggler from North Star--in the entire state. That I'd even consider to be worth a look at the DI level.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Alright Bobcat I'm ready to answer, but first I need a few things:
1) is this from huses perspective or a brand new hire?
2) is its Huse what kind of deal did he get?
3) please give me a breakdown of the roster with size and year of eligibility next season.

--I'll do the rest! If ya see Hensal around tell him I still have his cd!

1. Whatever you want. I posted in another thread after we won 3 of our last 4 in the regular season and ended up tied for 4th in the league that considering what we have coming back, that Huse will probably be retained. Other than pissing off NDSU football fans, Fields doesn't seem like the Steinbrenner type and Huse hasn't been terrible enough to warrant the ax.

2. As has been speculated by our beat reporters-Huse probably only gets a one year deal. So if he is retained he's working without a net.

3. Key returners (heights and weights are probably not exact):
Flavian Davis-6'5" 240lb powerforward. Probably our best chance to be a conference first teamer. Strong, can score the ball in a variety of ways with three point range if left open. He had 30 against the griz. He plays below the rim, but I love his game and I think he'll have a great year. Will be a senior

Paul Egwuonwu listed at 6'9" 235lbs (I don't think he's near that tall). Excellent skills. Jumps well and has a soft touch. He and Davis have developed some nice chemistry late in the season. Has a chance to be one of the best true centers MSU has had in many, many years but needs to shoot a higher percentage close in. Seems to lose focus sometimes and has too many unforced turnovers. Maybe he's too easy going. I think they need to poke him with a sharp stick all summer so he develops a mean streak. Had a lot of double-doubles this season. Will be a senior.

Antonio Biglow-6'0 left handed point guard. Was in Huse's dog house for much of the season and voted most likely underclassman not to come back by some on on this message board. He was the California Junior college player of the year and probably Huse's most highly regarded recruit ever. Redshirted last year to get his academics in order. Super quick, tenacious defender, good ball handling skills, medicore outside shooter-streaky. Drove Weber's guards nuts in our victory over the Wildcats in January. Had 27 against NAU in the game that got us in the Big Sky tournament, but played poorly against Northern Colorado in the tournament. Very up and down season for him. If he comes back he could lead the Big Sky in steals. Will be a senior.

Marcus Colbert-6'0 stocky point guard. Started most of this season as a true freshman. The best thing about a freshman is they become a sophomore. Seems like a great kid. Needs to work on his three pointer, but has shown he can hit them. If he stays healthy and keeps improving he can have a hall of fame type career here.

Calen Coleman-6'2 JC transfer shooting guard. Had to fill the roll of Xavier Blount late in the season when Blount broke his foot. Another inconsistent streaky outside shooter. Huse will plug him into the 2 or 3 spot as needed. Will be a senior.

Mike Dison-Another quick 6'0 guard. Played limited minutes this season as a sophomore. Too inconsistent and turnover prone. I was hoping for more from him this season but he got buried on the bench and usually only made a cameo apperance the first half. Did have a big games agaisnt EWU and Northern Colorado when Colbert was hurt. Will be a junior

Danny Robison-6'7" 230lb power forward from Billings. HIs true freshman season was marred by a bout of mono. When he came back he proved to be an effective sub for Davis. Good defender and rebounder. I think he has a chance to be a really nice player for us.

Blake Brumwell-6'7" 250lb center from Big Sandy. Egwuonwu's backup. Has a nice baby hook shot. Struggles to do anything but foul on the defensive end. Slow. Probably should be playing offensive tackle on the football team. A crowd favorite. He's improved exponentially from his freshman season, but he's always going to be a role player. Will be a junior.

Eric Norman and Jeff Budinich-both 6'10" all-airport guys (makes your team look impressive walking through the airport). Both are very tall and skinny. Both like to play on the perimeter but really can't do it in Huse's motion offense. Both like to launch threes. Neither plays much. Norman will be a junior and Budinich a senior next season. Major liabilities on defense. I had high hopes for these guys, and maybe if the right assistant coach takes them under his wing, they can transform into legit d-1 contributors-but that hasn't happend so far.
...
Key losses-Christian Moon. All conference honorable mention shooting guard. Our best outside shooter and team glue-guy. He will be missed.
And Xavier Blound. Small forward-physical player, team leader. Had a hard career at MSU-ended up missing the end of both of his two seasons here, last year because of injuries suffered in a bar fight, and this year because of a stress fracture in his foot. We missed him desparately in our tournament game.
...
Redshirt: Ryan Shannon. A 6'7" forward from Washington. Don't know what kind of game he has.
...
Signees: So far I think we have two signees, both high school guards, one from Kansas and one from Utah. From what I've read one's a shooter and one's an athlete. Ideally at least one redshirts-but who knows. Huse rarely redshirts his freshmen.

If everybody comes back, this is probably the best returning team Huse has had in a few years. The problem is, the top teams in the league return even better players. Montana has the conference player of the year coming back along with a couple of 7 footers, and a bevy of outside shooters, Weber's underclassmen on the their bench would probably have finished 3rd in the Big Sky this year on their own, North Dakota has everybody back, Northern Colorado has everybody back. So the best we can probably hope for is 4th or 5th. MSU missed a real opportunity with the Big Sky being way down, to make a move-but the league is going to get way better in the next few years. Can Huse and MSU keep up?

In my opinion-the biggest needs are reliable, consistent shooting guards. Put a Gabe Rogers or Tate Unruh on this roster and you'd really have something. Moon had that role this year, but he was far from automatic. We need to spread out the defense so Davis and Egwuonwu can work one-on-one. The other need is a 6-10 or taller rebounder/shot blocker. Weber, Montana, North Dakota, and Northern Colorado have those guys. But they're hard to find-especially the kind who can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[ndvet]

Alright Bobcat I'm ready to answer, but first I need a few things:
1) is this from huses perspective or a brand new hire?
2) is its Huse what kind of deal did he get?
3) please give me a breakdown of the roster with size and year of eligibility next season.

--I'll do the rest! If ya see Hensal around tell him I still have his cd!

1. Whatever you want. I posted in another thread after we won 3 of our last 4 in the regular season and ended up tied for 4th in the league that considering what we have coming back, that Huse will probably be retained. Other than pissing off NDSU football fans, Fields doesn't seem like the Steinbrenner type and Huse hasn't been terrible enough to warrant the ax.

2. As has been speculated by our beat reporters-Huse probably only gets a one year deal. So if he is retained he's working without a net.

3. Key returners (heights and weights are probably not exact):
Flavian Davis-6'5" 240lb powerforward. Probably our best chance to be a conference first teamer. Strong, can score the ball in a variety of ways with three point range if left open. He had 30 against the griz. He plays below the rim, but I love his game and I think he'll have a great year. Will be a senior

Paul Egwuonwu listed at 6'9" 235lbs (I don't think he's near that tall). Excellent skills. Jumps well and has a soft touch. He and Davis have developed some nice chemistry late in the season. Has a chance to be one of the best true centers MSU has had in many, many years but needs to shoot a higher percentage close in. Seems to lose focus sometimes and has too many unforced turnovers. Maybe he's too easy going. I think they need to poke him with a sharp stick all summer so he develops a mean streak. Had a lot of double-doubles this season. Will be a senior.

Antonio Biglow-6'0 left handed point guard. Was in Huse's dog house for much of the season and voted most likely underclassman not to come back by some on on this message board. He was the California Junior college player of the year and probably Huse's most highly regarded recruit ever. Redshirted last year to get his academics in order. Super quick, tenacious defender, good ball handling skills, medicore outside shooter-streaky. Drove Weber's guards nuts in our victory over the Wildcats in January. Had 27 against NAU in the game that got us in the Big Sky tournament, but played poorly against Northern Colorado in the tournament. Very up and down season for him. If he comes back he could lead the Big Sky in steals. Will be a senior.

Marcus Colbert-6'0 stocky point guard. Started most of this season as a true freshman. The best thing about a freshman is they become a sophomore. Seems like a great kid. Needs to work on his three pointer, but has shown he can hit them. If he stays healthy and keeps improving he can have a hall of fame type career here.

Calen Coleman-6'2 JC transfer shooting guard. Had to fill the roll of Xavier Blount late in the season when Blount broke his foot. Another inconsistent streaky outside shooter. Huse will plug him into the 2 or 3 spot as needed. Will be a senior.

Mike Dison-Another quick 6'0 guard. Played limited minutes this season as a sophomore. Too inconsistent and turnover prone. I was hoping for more from him this season but he got buried on the bench and usually only made a cameo apperance the first half. Did have a big games agaisnt EWU and Northern Colorado when Colbert was hurt. Will be a junior

Danny Robison-6'7" 230lb power forward from Billings. HIs true freshman season was marred by a bout of mono. When he came back he proved to be an effective sub for Davis. Good defender and rebounder. I think he has a chance to be a really nice player for us.

Blake Brumwell-6'7" 250lb center from Big Sandy. Egwuonwu's backup. Has a nice baby hook shot. Struggles to do anything but foul on the defensive end. Slow. Probably should be playing offensive tackle on the football team. A crowd favorite. He's improved exponentially from his freshman season, but he's always going to be a role player. Will be a junior.

Eric Norman and Jeff Budinich-both 6'10" all-airport guys (makes your team look impressive walking through the airport). Both are very tall and skinny. Both like to play on the perimeter but really can't do it in Huse's motion offense. Both like to launch threes. Neither plays much. Norman will be a junior and Budinich a senior next season. Major liabilities on defense. I had high hopes for these guys, and maybe if the right assistant coach takes them under his wing, they can transform into legit d-1 contributors-but that hasn't happend so far.
...
Key losses-Christian Moon. All conference honorable mention shooting guard. Our best outside shooter and team glue-guy. He will be missed.
And Xavier Blound. Small forward-physical player, team leader. Had a hard career at MSU-ended up missing the end of both of his two seasons here, last year because of injuries suffered in a bar fight, and this year because of a stress fracture in his foot. We missed him desparately in our tournament game.
...
Redshirt: Ryan Shannon. A 6'7" forward from Washington. Don't know what kind of game he has.
...
Signees: So far I think we have two signees, both high school guards, one from Kansas and one from Utah. From what I've read one's a shooter and one's an athlete. Ideally at least one redshirts-but who knows. Huse rarely redshirts his freshmen.

If everybody comes back, this is probably the best returning team Huse has had in a few years. The problem is, the top teams in the league return even better players. Montana has the conference player of the year coming back along with a couple of 7 footers, and a bevy of outside shooters, Weber's underclassmen on the their bench would probably have finished 3rd in the Big Sky this year on their own, North Dakota has everybody back, Northern Colorado has everybody back. So the best we can probably hope for is 4th or 5th. MSU missed a real opportunity with the Big Sky being way down, to make a move-but the league is going to get way better in the next few years. Can Huse and MSU keep up?

In my opinion-the biggest needs are reliable, consistent shooting guards. Put a Gabe Rogers or Tate Unruh on this roster and you'd really have something. Moon had that role this year, but he was far from automatic. We need to spread out the defense so Davis and Egwuonwu can work one-on-one. The other need is a 6-10 or taller rebounder/shot blocker. Weber, Montana, North Dakota, and Northern Colorado have those guys. But they're hard to find-especially the kind who can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Well if I'm operating without a net and I'm Huse on a one year deal I use what appears to be 2 or 3 scholarships I have to pick up the best JC 2 guard and 4 man I can get. I thought your freshman pt guard and the 6'9 big man were two of your more effetive players. Not the answer you're looking for but without I net I need to catch lightening. I'd give bigelow a one way ticket home. From what I heard he needs it.

[ndvet]

Now Bobcat, if you're telling me Huse is shown the door and I'm up for the job, here's what I do:

1)Find out what kind of assistant coach budget I get. Can I hire 2 or 3 fulltime people? Are our salaries competitive? What sort of travel budget do we get? I need to bring in MY GUYS....guys that know my system, how to implement it, how to coach OFF OF me (I'm in charge, bad cop, good cop, etc). I want 3 guys I can trust. They need to be willing to spend a considerable amount of time on the road because we need to beat the bushes and recruit....guys that fit our system, our university, our team. I need an X and O guys, a guy to implement my defensive scheme, and a head recruiter/scouting person. I think I could do it with 3 full time guys---4 would be great along with a student assistant.

2)I got the job and my demands are met? Ok. Go home Bigelow, you're done.(of course I'm using knowledge that a new coach probably wouldn't have).

3)Get settled. Meet my team. Lay our absolute musts: You must go to class/you must be on time/you must stay out of trouble with the law. Get class schedules and check if guys go to class. If guys show up late punish them. Let them know the consequences.

4)Year one---implement my system (depending on how bair or full my cupboard is). Defensively we play up the line on the line man-force the sideline, bring tons of weakside help---fill and sink. I could go on for three pages on my defense but won't. Mix in a zone depending on my lineup (2/3 or 1-2-2) if we have high IQ perhaps a matchup zone, but we're going to rely on our man defense. Offensively, put big Paul in the middle, run four out motion with my sophomore pt guard knowing he has the reins. Start from scratch---how do we use screens? How do we draw defense and kick? What is a good shot or not? Develop roles---stick to those roles, don't accept roles, here's the bench or the door. Mix in a series of box/1-4 high sets (6-10 tops). Rub tons of elbows (boosters/campus leaders/students). Be visible. Have a smile. Sell it...preach patience. Demand kids play hard, no exceptions. Demand we act like gentlemen, no exceptions. Make it fun. More to come my baby is up......

[BelgradeBobcat]

Well if I'm operating without a net and I'm Huse on a one year deal I use what appears to be 2 or 3 scholarships I have to pick up the best JC 2 guard and 4 man I can get. I thought your freshman pt guard and the 6'9 big man were two of your more effetive players. Not the answer you're looking for but without I net I need to catch lightening. I'd give bigelow a one way ticket home. From what I heard he needs it.

I'm guessing we only have one-maybe two scholarships available. We lost Moon, Blount, and Jamie Stewart (dismissed from the team earlier in the season), and we've already signed two high schoolers. If we cut Biglow loose or if he doesn't want to come back that's one more. But in this day and age it's tough to just cut a scholarship guy because of APR issues. If you're APR gets too low you lose scholarhips and practice time (happened to Portland State last year), so Huse and Biglow might just be stuck with eachother. It definitely ties a coaches hands and it's one reason why they go the JC route because you only have to put up with a JC for two years whereas you have to put up with high schooler for 4-which is a long time if he doesn't pan out or is a locker room cancer.

But I agree. Shooting guards/forwards are an immediate need. Also you always go after a big guy whenever you can get him.

And that's probably our reality. One or two new pieces along with the rest of the team and coach coming back.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Now Bobcat, if you're telling me Huse is shown the door and I'm up for the job, here's what I do:

1)Find out what kind of assistant coach budget I get. Can I hire 2 or 3 fulltime people? Are our salaries competitive? What sort of travel budget do we get? I need to bring in MY GUYS....guys that know my system, how to implement it, how to coach OFF OF me (I'm in charge, bad cop, good cop, etc). I want 3 guys I can trust. They need to be willing to spend a considerable amount of time on the road because we need to beat the bushes and recruit....guys that fit our system, our university, our team. I need an X and O guys, a guy to implement my defensive scheme, and a head recruiter/scouting person. I think I could do it with 3 full time guys---4 would be great along with a student assistant.

2)I got the job and my demands are met? Ok. Go home Bigelow, you're done.(of course I'm using knowledge that a new coach probably wouldn't have).

3)Get settled. Meet my team. Lay our absolute musts: You must go to class/you must be on time/you must stay out of trouble with the law. Get class schedules and check if guys go to class. If guys show up late punish them. Let them know the consequences.

4)Year one---implement my system (depending on how bair or full my cupboard is). Defensively we play up the line on the line man-force the sideline, bring tons of weakside help---fill and sink. I could go on for three pages on my defense but won't. Mix in a zone depending on my lineup (2/3 or 1-2-2) if we have high IQ perhaps a matchup zone, but we're going to rely on our man defense. Offensively, put big Paul in the middle, run four out motion with my sophomore pt guard knowing he has the reins. Start from scratch---how do we use screens? How do we draw defense and kick? What is a good shot or not? Develop roles---stick to those roles, don't accept roles, here's the bench or the door. Mix in a series of box/1-4 high sets (6-10 tops). Rub tons of elbows (boosters/campus leaders/students). Be visible. Have a smile. Sell it...preach patience. Demand kids play hard, no exceptions. Demand we act like gentlemen, no exceptions. Make it fun. More to come my baby is up......

Sounds good so far...If I'm the AD I probably have a few questions:

Who do you know-who's in your "network"? Where do you have relationships with high school and JC coaches? Who did you recruit in your previous stops and how successful were your recruits. Are you close personal friends with Mark Few and will he send you his cast offs? That sort of thing. Recruiting is so much about who you know. In football we have a pipeline from Texas established. Can we establish a similar pipeline from somewhere in basketball? Where's the best place to go and get players who haven't been picked over by every other D-1 program first. Where do you find kids who want to come to a place like Bozeman for 4 years?

What's your philosophy on redshirting. Do you want freshmen to play right away or are you willing to redshirt them like we do with almost every football player?

What's your strength and conditioning program. Here at Montana State we may not have accesss to many college ready basketball players-but we might be able to build some. In football we redshrit our freshmen give them a season in the weight room and watch them transform. We don't do that as much in basketball. How do you get basketball players, who in my experience are notorious slackers in the weight room, to commit themselves to a program?

Anyway-I know Huse has a very hard job. But there are only 345 D-1 head coaches in the entire country. It's a pretty exclusive group and it demands a high level of excellence to stay in it. It's the nature of the profession.

[orsalak]

Is there a way to start a club on campus of kids that will attend games and start cheers. There is no reason the students who are at the game should just sit on their butts. People are not likely to start cheers by themselves but if there is a group of 20-50 students in a group doing the same cheers at the same point in the game, every game eventually others will start to expect it and join in. if they have fun unique cheers more students will show up and be willing join in. Maybe a dorm can pull this together or maybe it starts with the football team showing up and cheering for their basketball brothers.
My ideas are a cheer when the other team travels, shoots an airball, gets called for a charge and when our team hits a three. I am looking for different cheers and not the canned cheers.
I am not saying we need to turn the Brick into Cameron Indoor but go for that type of idea. This is something that we as fans can help put in place. We have the ability to make the Brick a more imposing place to play.
Or we can complain about everything else.

[GRIZFNZ]

You can start clubs, give away t-shirts or pizza but It all comes down to winning. The Gonzaga Kennel Club and the Cameron Crazies didn't have a presence before the respective teams started winning league games/titles and making deep runs in the round of 64 on a consistent basis. As the teams started performing the train started rolling picking up the students along the way to the point where now student ticket demand is much greater than supply. To put it in context, demand for every single regular season game at Duke and Gonzaga is as high as it is for the annual cat griz football game.

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[Helcat72]

Huse is a good X's and O's coach....but his recruiting prowess is lacking...even if it was great...we don't know if the talented kids would want to come to MSU. They like things like being special.....Locker rooms and such that say "you are special" If we can't adopt a black culture/big city feeling in the town....we have to do what it looks like the Dakota teams have done....recruit more white kids who can play and fill in with a couple of black kids who will buy into the concept. I'm not sure that is possible with Huse's recruiting grounds.

It appears as if the Midwest and Washington has all of the big white kids who can play...and what the big Boys don't get, the U of M, Northern Colorado and Weber does.

Cripes when was the last time we had talent like Kareem Jamar, Will Cherry, Andy Martin, Michael Weisner, Spencer Coleman, Keron DeShields, Jordan Gregory, and Mathias Ward? and have them for four years!

I have been to every Bobcat game this year....and to me they are playing as hard as they can....but they just aren't as good or as deep as some of the teams they play. Paul Eguwanu (sp) had to play the entire game against UNC the other night because they had three guys who could score at will if he didn't. They just wore us down. To me this is partially due to the attrition we have gone through the past few years...is it Huse's fault? Who knows...he may just be the most unlucky coach around...but even when his bench is full....most are non scholarship walk-ons or projects.

Perhaps he knew that he couldn't get any of those kinds of players when he took the job...but he figured he would try and coach them up to over achieve...that's what it looks like to me....that may be what the deal was with Fields...."do what you can and lets see what happens, because you are the best we can get!"

[ilovethecats]

You can start clubs, give away t-shirts or pizza but It all comes down to winning. The Gonzaga Kennel Club and the Cameron Crazies didn't have a presence before the respective teams started winning league games/titles and making deep runs in the round of 64 on a consistent basis. As the teams started performing the train started rolling picking up the students along the way to the point where now student ticket demand is much greater than supply. To put it in context, demand for every single regular season game at Duke and Gonzaga is as high as it is for the annual cat griz football game.

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its really this simple. give me a thousand things the fans and community can do for the hoops program to create success and i'll give you one.....win.

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

Not at all. I sure get a kick out of reading how darn easy it must be. I wonder how many posters on here played or coached at the collegiate level? Count me as a yes on both.

So since you're so much smarter than the rest of us, what do you think MSU should do? I assume stay the course? That's a legit solution-but it won't be very popular considering past results. BTW I did play a couple of years of college ball-but I it turns out I wasn't very good.

Stay the course? I think seven years without improvement is a full course. Keeping Huse wouldn't be a solution. It would be a cop-out.