Signing day

[mslacat]

Today is the first day of the fall or early signing period. MSU sent out an email earlier today, saying that they would not be making any official announcements on signings for either the men's or women's programs until tomorrow. The men are expected to sign 4 player with possibly a fifth before the end of the signing period that end November 18th. The four expected commits are listed below. A possible fifth commit would most likely be a athletic power forward, a few weeks ago Huse mentioned that was a priority. The Women are expected to sign at least three recruits and again the expected signee's are listed below. I do not know if a fourth signee is to be expected from Binford's program this fall but it is possible as they do have on more scholarship to offer.

Montana State Men:

PG – Casey Trujeque 5-10 Price high school, California
SG – Chris McCall 6-3 Cheyenne high school, Nevada
SF – Shawn Reid 6-5 Post Falls high school Idaho
C – Blake Brumwell 6-8 Big Sandy high school, Montana

Montana State Women:

PG – Ausha Cole 5-6 Gilbert high school, Arizona
PG – Kate Webb 5-8 Runaway Bay, Queensland Australia
SF – Emily Allen 6-0 Runaway Bay, Queensland Australia

Note all recruits so far are high school kids.

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[Billings Cat]

mslacat,

I wonder if Binford is looking to sign a Montana player with the remaining scholarship? The Lady Cats truly got trounced by the Lady Griz on the in-state recruiting for next year's freshmen class. With the 5 that already committed to Selvig (including Cole from right in Bozeman) and Pfau from Loyola signing with Weber State, I wonder if Binford will now just hold out to see if any in-state players shake out during the upcoming season and sign a player late. I think it's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that MSU and UM can both compete in the Big Sky with in-state players playing prominent roles in women's basketball, so I hope she signs at least one Montana player this year. I'll admit that otherwise, I'll be a bit disappointed.

[mslacat]

mslacat,

I wonder if Binford is looking to sign a Montana player with the remaining scholarship? The Lady Cats truly got trounced by the Lady Griz on the in-state recruiting for next year's freshmen class. With the 5 that already committed to Selvig (including Cole from right in Bozeman) and Pfau from Loyola signing with Weber State, I wonder if Binford will now just hold out to see if any in-state players shake out during the upcoming season and sign a player late. I think it's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that MSU and UM can both compete in the Big Sky with in-state players playing prominent roles in women's basketball, so I hope she signs at least one Montana player this year. I'll admit that otherwise, I'll be a bit disappointed.

You know I keep hearing how Montana State got trounced Montana this year recruiting the Montana prospects this year. The Billings Gazette said as much and even the Great Fall Tribune said as much earlier this year, but no one really wants to acknowledged what happened last year. Montana State landed Hamilton's Ashley Albert, Fairfield's Ashley Albert, and Highwood's Rachel Semansky while the Griz landed ...... well not one Montana Athlete. For the first time in 28 years the famed Robin Selvig was skunked head to head by those lowly Bobcat's in instate recruiting! It was swept under the rug and nobody would dare mention it.

I have come to expect this attitude from the State media, and Griz fans BUT....... Here!

Listen Binford and her staff went after the Montana athletes that they felt would fit the Bobcat system and some times just because the Griz feel a girl will fit their system does not mean they will fit in in the Bobcat system. I believe the Bobcat's wanted Lexi Nelson from Butte pretty bad, from what i can tell she was their #2 in state target behind Jordan Sullivan. The Griz had Nelson #5 on their chart. Coaches look at athletes differently. The Bobcat's also went after Sullivan pretty hard but they realistic about her. I could be wrong but I was told by friends in Glendive that Binford made a very big impact on Sullivan but she could not over come the fact that Robin Selvig is her UNCLE.

Clearly, the lady Griz did skunk the Bobcat Women this year, just like Binford did to Selvig last year. Selvig recruits talent first and then adjust his system around the players. Binford recruits player that will fit her system (running agile and movement). This is why Selvig will have 10 shooting guards on his roster next year and only one so so point guard. Selivg has a long history of making it work. So far in her young coaching career, though Binford has been very successful in recruiting players that can excel in her program. As a matter of fact I would say Binford has a far better record at this than either Tinkle or Huse. Can you name a Binford recruit who has failed!

This year 6 Montana girls high school players have signed/ committed to D-1 programs this year. Libby's 6-1 Jackie Mee is the only player left who, I personally think is a no-brainer D-1 prospect. Obviously Selvig and Binford do not agree. Who are you going to trust? I do not think either coach will sign a Montana athlete just for the purpose of signing a Montana athlete. Binford is and will be behind the eight-ball when recruiting Montana athletes, but she is making head way, big time.

[Billings Cat]

For the first time in 28 years the famed Robin Selvig was skunked head to head by those lowly Bobcat's in instate recruiting! It was swept under the rug and nobody would dare mention it.

I believe the Bobcat's wanted Lexi Nelson from Butte pretty bad, from what i can tell she was their #2 in state target behind Jordan Sullivan. The Griz had Nelson #5 on their chart.

The Bobcat's also went after Sullivan pretty hard but they realistic about her. I could be wrong but I was told by friends in Glendive that Binford made a very big impact on Sullivan but she could not over come the fact that Robin Selvig is her UNCLE.

So far in her young coaching career, though Binford has been very successful in recruiting players that can excel in her program. As a matter of fact I would say Binford has a far better record at this than either Tinkle or Huse. Can you name a Binford recruit who has failed!

Libby's 6-1 Jackie Mee is the only player left who, I personally think is a no-brainer D-1 prospect.

mslacat,

You really do get some great information, but you’ve seriously got to remove your blinders a bit on that post.

For a few years now, the consensus has been that last year’s recruiting class was not as strong as this year’s class for in-state girls’ basketball. It’s also been well known that Selvig spent almost no time recruiting any in-state players out of that class besides the big prize that he so hoped and probably prayed for (i.e. Tinkle) and that he’s also been looking towards this year’s class for some time and was willing to hold scholarships open in anticipation. This was probably helped by the fact that his two nieces played on Bill Hill’s AAU team along with two of his other signees this year for a couple seasons giving him some insight all of these kids. I’m not saying that Semansky, Albert, and Banis aren’t good players and Selvig may have very well missed the mark on them, but it’s hard to trumpet it as such a recruiting coup when it was somewhat of a victory by default since they really weren’t competing for the same players for the most part. Also, let me say that I agree that despite what some folks say, Selvig is not perfect when it comes to recruiting—case in point his recruiting Conway out of Billings West over Tuomi at Billings Senior. Tuomi goes on to be a 1st team all-Big Sky stud at Weber State who jumps in when Selvig drops out and Conway has a very, very pedestrian career for the Lady Griz.

In terms of this year’s class, I’d really make just three comments. If Nelson truly was the #2 recruit on the list for Binford, but was just #5 (out of 5) for Selvig, then that’s a huge defeat. I don’t know how you can paint it any other way. Second, I’d agree with Binford that Sullivan is the top in-state player in the class this year, but given the obvious and despite what your sources told you from Sidney about making a “big impact” on her, was it “realistic” for Binford to make Sullivan the number one in-state recruiting target (which is pretty much what you said) for the Cats? And this, of course, bared out exactly the way that everyone pretty much said it would starting when the Sullivan was a freshman. Finally, I’ve maintained all along that I’d be shocked if Hill, Cole, and Nelson all end up being outstanding players for the Lady Griz—I say one will be very good, one will eventually contribute, and one will not. I think they just don’t know which is which so they’ve basically signed three very similar players knowing that sometimes it’s just a numbers game.

Recruiting is far from an exact science and while I do think that Binford HAS been successful in recruiting, for you to say that she has not had ANY FAILURES among her recruits is absolute lunacy like howling at the moon and gnashing your teeth. A failure in recruiting is when a player leaves a program without contributing to it. My timing might not be right on all of these, but I think I've got all the names correct. So, in Binford’s first year, you’ve got Rachel Pauli from Big Timber who left after a year. In her second year, you’ve got signee Callie Goff from Oregon City, Oregon who hasn’t been heard from since. In year three there were signees Alyssa McGuinnis from Colorado and Gianne Fleming from Phoenix who’ve also disappeared and aren’t on the roster. Now, these numbers aren’t excessive in terms of turnover, but these can’t all be called successes either, can they? And, I’ll give Binford a free ride on turnover of players she didn’t recruit during her first year—Brandy Buckless and Eliza Dy, but it’s harder for me to get many warm fuzzies when Amanda DeHaan from Manhattan Christian decides not to play and Jenny Herringer who’s played for Binford for 3 years decides not to play her senior year.

Finally, after seeing Mee play this summer, I’ll admit that I’m shocked that you consider her to be a “no-brainer D1 prospect.” That is unless every player on Billy Hill’s AAU team is a no-brainer D1 prospect (and sorry, Bill, but they ain’t). That said I hope for Mee that maybe Binford and Selvig have both missed the boat and she can come back and bite them in the butt like Tuomi did.

[mslacat]

OK I am going to take this down a notch. I waited until today to respond and I am went back and reread your first thread over again and read your response a couple time to make sure I understood where you were coming from.

This is what I take is the major thrust of your first post:

Six Montana girls have signed with D-1 programs, Montana State (Binford) has signed no Montana girls (got trounced). If Binford does not go out and sign a Montana girl you will be disappointed.

Get used to being disappointed, it comes with recruiting and college ball. You do not always win all of your games against your rival, and you sometimes do not get all of the recruits you want. I am not sure who you want Binford to sign, is there someone you have in mind? Six girls have signed and the one girl who seems to be the only possible 7 prospect you do not like. I will fully admit to you, that of the players out of Montana that Binford wanted/recruited/offered she did not get them. What I can tell you though that of the 6 prospects who did sign with D-1 schools MSU offered less than 1/2 of them. Signing players who you do not think can be successful in your program to make a booster or two happy is a good way to get yourself fired division 1 ball.

With your response though, you seem to want to make some other points and I will address them.

The overall point that I am, personally, getting from both your original post and your response - whether you intend this or not - is that if Robin Selvig signs a Montana player they must be good and if he does not they must not be all that good.

Your point 1 - Last year’s class was not as good as this year’s class. This is going to be a he said he said kind of thing because as I type this post not one member of either class has played even a minute of college basketball. The consensus that you are hearing from is not the same consensus I am hearing from. I believe that 2009 class is deeper with 6 players (so far) signing with D-1 programs, as compared to 5 players last year. Tinkle is one of those once every 15-20 years type of players, so she starts to skew the scale a little bit, but Ashley Albert is in my opinion (and many others) far better than prospect than everyone in 2010 aside from Sullivan. Semansky and Banis do not take a back seat to any of the 2010 class and I would argue better than 2-3 of this year’s class. Megan Patterson who signed with Weber last year is at least as good of prospect as Phau who also signed with Weber this year. If there is a difference it is not as great as you might think, but we will not know for a few years. BTW: next years girls’ class is the class that is really looking to be a down year.

Your Point 2 - “Selvig spent almost no time recruiting any in-state players (in 2009 class)”, or as most of my Griz friend tell it “Binford only got Albert, Semansky and Bannis because Selvig did not want them”. How much time is “almost no time”? In the world of recruiting you can measure how serious a coach is in recruiting a player by the number of letter, number of phone call, does the coach visit your school, but the best way to tell if a coach is serious about recruiting you is DID THEY OFFER YOU. It does not get any more serious, than if they offer you one of their precious full ride scholarships. In truth, nothing else matters, but whether a coach will put their money where their mouth is. Selvig offered Albert, Banis, and Semansky. I have never heard of a coach, offering a scholarship to a player, but hoping that that player will not take it. If you do not want a player you do not offer them.

Your Point 3 - Not landing Nelson is a huge defeat. It is a defeat. I was not in the room when the coaches were told that Nelson committed to the Griz, so I do not know how they reacted, but it happens and they move on. Let’s not make more out of this than it is. They lost out on a good recruit to the arch rival. It will happen to Ash this year, it will happen to Hauck this year. Honestly it is tough recruiting against the Lady Griz in Montana.

Your Point 4 - Should Sullivan have been the #1 in state target and Nelson #2. This is silly. Do you recruit who you think might be un-recruitable? I am not going to make that call. To be honest Sullivan might have been #2 and Nelson #1 I don’t know for sure, but I will leave that at that. If you do not like it so be it.

Your point 5 - Recruiting success: How do you define recruiting success? I accept your definition as your definition. Truth be told of the of the past two Montana class neither of us know who will play four years and who will get home sick and go home, and neither do any of the coaches. I was talking identifying quality D-1 players and bring them into your program. Even of the players you mentioned most of them had the talent and ability to play D-1 ball with in the program, they left for other reasons out side of basketball. When I talked about failure, I am talking about a Zach Graves (UM men) and / or Shaun Thomas (MSU men), who were signed to scholarships and were clearly not D-1 material. But I will accept your definition, it just was not what I talking about.

My point though is I have to trust Binford (and Selvig for that matter) that they can identify which players can excel in her system and which may not. If the Montana State was only interested in 2-3 players of the 6, I will trust that they know what they are doing. I think Binford has proven herself to me.

I think that is all I want to say now.

[Catfan6969]

I've been an avid follower of the women's team for quite some time, in fact I have done and am currently doing the PA for them. mslacat, I agree with most everything you said so therefore this is NOT directed at you. I would also add this: I am a huge fan of Selvig and what he's accomplished in 30+ years...over 700 wins is big time. And for the longet time, he had a direct pipeline from anywhere in the state to Montana. What really messed up the Cats, was the entire decade. It started with Sheehan getting the boot, then McCarthy screwing up royally. The job was his for as long as he wanted it, but we all know what happened there. That in itself set the program back to the point where we are at now. And I for one have to say that job both on and off the court that Binford, Saneholtz, Scanson, and now Close have done is remarkable. The top 5 gpa's in the nation, the recruiting, the on court performance speaks for itself, and have any of the girls gotten in trouble off the court? NO. Not even a DUI like a certain homegrown talent playing in missoula. It has taken Binford until now, year 5 to rebuild and re-establish the Montana State women's program. Everyone was pissed a few years ago when the "MT" girls weren't playing. Well guess what, after talking with the coaches, and being a coach's kid, I completely understand this statement....they were too slow for the style of play. Binford has an up-tempo style that she has finally gotten her OWN recruits to run. Perry is well, Perry. Bussey, Strand, Perry could all win Conference player of the year this year or in the future, as well as Schmitt.

Another thing that the Bobcats have lacked since Cass Bauer is a true presence underneath. Nubia was great and so was Krisslynn, but neither were the physical beast, and I mean that in the best way, that a program has to have to compete in the Big Sky. They finally have it for years to come with Bak, and Banis, and to an extent, Semansky.

One sign the Cats are closer....the coaches picked them 3rd in the league just 6 points behind the griz. While it's true that I grew up in Montana and love the state, it really doesn't matter to me where the players come from. No matter the sport, give me super athletes that can play the game smart and successfully, graduate, and stay out of trouble, then I don't give 2 ****** where they are from. Nobody seemed to complain about the Stubbs girls (Australia), or Mercer, or Wallace, or Nubia...and everyone loves Erica Perry, Strand and Bussey. None of them were/are from our beloved state. And I don't remember many of the Cat men from MT that everyone "loves"...

Maybe instead of bitching about where our players are from, ie football...then just support the product on the floor. And maybe actually show up to support the Women. I remember the late 90's when the women would on occasion outdraw the men, much like the Lady Griz.

In closing, this is year 5 of the Binford era and she has done nothing but build year after year...I know the girls aren't happy with a .500 conference record and that will change this year. It wouldn't surprise me when they host the conference tourney in March. They are young, but experienced at the same time, and exciting to watch. Get out and support the women and watch a well-coached team that plays their hearts out.

[mslacat]

The Bobcats sign their second two recruits. That gives the Cats the four signins that were expected. I think they may have one more offer out their who could take their fifth scholarship, but most likely they will wait to fill it in the spring.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana State added athleticism and versatility to the perimeter Monday, signing guard Chris McCall and forward Shawn Reid to National Letters-of-Intent.

McCall brings a wide array of skills to the Bobcat program. The 6-3 guard averaged 12 points and seven assists per game as a junior at Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas. He earned Second Team All-State honors, as well.

“Chris is a special player and can play any of the three perimeter positions,” Huse said. “He is an outstanding shooter and he’s athletic. He’s a winner, a competitor, and he’s a disciplined person who will bring leadership to our program at a young age. Cheyenne High School will be one of the top-ranked teams in Nevada, and his coach, Teral Fair, really does a great job. In addition, he played for one of the elite AAU programs in the country, the Las Vegas Prospects. I think Chris is prepared to help us from day one and he’s a great addition to our program on and off the floor.”

Reid comes to MSU from Post Falls, Idaho, High School, where he scored 13 points a game as a junior. The 6-5 forward chipped in nine rebounds and two assists an outing, as well, earning Inland Empire League Most Valuable Player honors. He scored 22 points and grabbed 20 boards at his school’s regional tournament last season to give Post Falls its first trip to the Idaho State Tournament as a 5A school, and earned MVP honors at the Coeur d’Alene Holiday Inn Express Invitational Tournament. He averaged 14 points, six rebounds and two assists as a sophomore, when he also earned All-Inland Empire honors.

“Shawn has had a very good high school career and has proven to be a complete scorer in that he can make threes and get to the rim. I like his versatility on the offensive end, and I expect with continued development he’ll fit nicely in our offense. It’s very nice to add another player from the region and he brings a high GPA to our program, as well. Shawn is a super kid and a great addition to Montana State.”
Montana State’s 2009-10 Signees

High School Signees
Name, Pos., Ht, Class*, Hometown, High School
Blake Brumwell, F-C, 6-8, Fr, Big Sandy, MT (Big Sandy)
Chris McCall, G, 6-3, Fr, Las Vegas, NV (Cheyenne)
Shawn Reid, F, 6-5, Fr, Post Falls, ID (Post Falls)
Casey Trujeque, G, 5-8, Fr, Los Angeles, CA (Price)
*-class during 2010-11 season

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[4everacatfan]

I've been an avid follower of the women's team for quite some time, in fact I have done and am currently doing the PA for them. mslacat, I agree with most everything you said so therefore this is NOT directed at you. I would also add this: I am a huge fan of Selvig and what he's accomplished in 30+ years...over 700 wins is big time. And for the longet time, he had a direct pipeline from anywhere in the state to Montana. What really messed up the Cats, was the entire decade. It started with Sheehan getting the boot, then McCarthy screwing up royally. The job was his for as long as he wanted it, but we all know what happened there. That in itself set the program back to the point where we are at now. And I for one have to say that job both on and off the court that Binford, Saneholtz, Scanson, and now Close have done is remarkable. The top 5 gpa's in the nation, the recruiting, the on court performance speaks for itself, and have any of the girls gotten in trouble off the court? NO. Not even a DUI like a certain homegrown talent playing in missoula. It has taken Binford until now, year 5 to rebuild and re-establish the Montana State women's program. Everyone was pissed a few years ago when the "MT" girls weren't playing. Well guess what, after talking with the coaches, and being a coach's kid, I completely understand this statement....they were too slow for the style of play. Binford has an up-tempo style that she has finally gotten her OWN recruits to run. Perry is well, Perry. Bussey, Strand, Perry could all win Conference player of the year this year or in the future, as well as Schmitt.

Another thing that the Bobcats have lacked since Cass Bauer is a true presence underneath. Nubia was great and so was Krisslynn, but neither were the physical beast, and I mean that in the best way, that a program has to have to compete in the Big Sky. They finally have it for years to come with Bak, and Banis, and to an extent, Semansky.

One sign the Cats are closer....the coaches picked them 3rd in the league just 6 points behind the griz. While it's true that I grew up in Montana and love the state, it really doesn't matter to me where the players come from. No matter the sport, give me super athletes that can play the game smart and successfully, graduate, and stay out of trouble, then I don't give 2 ****** where they are from. Nobody seemed to complain about the Stubbs girls (Australia), or Mercer, or Wallace, or Nubia...and everyone loves Erica Perry, Strand and Bussey. None of them were/are from our beloved state. And I don't remember many of the Cat men from MT that everyone "loves"...

Maybe instead of bitching about where our players are from, ie football...then just support the product on the floor. And maybe actually show up to support the Women. I remember the late 90's when the women would on occasion outdraw the men, much like the Lady Griz.

In closing, this is year 5 of the Binford era and she has done nothing but build year after year...I know the girls aren't happy with a .500 conference record and that will change this year. It wouldn't surprise me when they host the conference tourney in March. They are young, but experienced at the same time, and exciting to watch. Get out and support the women and watch a well-coached team that plays their hearts out.

Ditto - These women are good and from Lady Griz faithful Binford and her staff did kick Robin's ass in the in-state war last year. Nelson yeh it would have been nice to get her but oh well. And from what I am hearing about next year's in-state class Trish is already on the right players. No offense to the Bozeman people but the Cole girl would never fit in Binford's uptempo style of play she is just too methodical. Players have to be able to fit the system and I am shocked Selvig gave her a scholarship. The freshman class that is at MSU now is one of the deepest and best in a long time and when they are done in 4 to 5 years they will have won a lot of cat - griz games. In this era you need amixture of in-state and out of state talent to win and that is what Trish and her staff have done. Go watch them you will not be disappointed!

[Billings Cat]

The overall point that I am, personally, getting from both your original post and your response - whether you intend this or not - is that if Robin Selvig signs a Montana player they must be good and if he does not they must not be all that good.

Your point 1 - I believe that 2009 class is deeper with 6 players (so far) signing with D-1 programs, as compared to 5 players last year.

Your Point 4 - Should Sullivan have been the #1 in state target and Nelson #2. This is silly. Do you recruit who you think might be un-recruitable? I am not going to make that call. To be honest Sullivan might have been #2 and Nelson #1 I don’t know for sure, but I will leave that at that. If you do not like it so be it.

Your point 5 - Even of the players you mentioned most of them had the talent and ability to play D-1 ball with in the program, they left for other reasons out side of basketball.

Mslacat,

I appreciate you comments and will continue to look forward to your blog and your comments on these boards, but I just want to clarify some things before moving on…

I must say that I’m a bit perplexed that you can actually read my post (multiple times, apparently) and come away with the idea that my overall point “is that if Robin Selvig signs a Montana player they must be good and if he does not they must not be all that good.” I think I said multiple times and in numerous ways that no coach, including Selvig, is perfect and even detailed his total airball on Tuomi in favour of Conway.

Again, we’d both agree that recruiting isn’t an exact science, and there are a ton of examples to prove that nobody is immune from making mistakes or missing opportunities. Cooke who’s now playing at Colorado State who is 4-0 after having beat both Montana and Wichita State last week is a perfect example. She was raw 6'2" in high school in Billings, but also very athletic, so ended up at Northwest CC in Powell for two years where she apparently developed tremendously. I’m willing to bet that Selvig and Binford had never even heard of her in high school, but after she scored 9 and grabbed 6 rebounds against the Griz perhaps Selvig’s scratching his head a little bit. Now, no one including me would have predicted this, but life being what it is, it’s ironic that Selvig fell over himself recruiting another post player in Cooke’s class who he and many others hailed as a huge recruiting coup—Tolbert from Hardin—who’s now burned her 2nd college program at Rocky Mountain College. IMNSHO, Selvig in his hubris ignored all the red flags that people in this part of the state knew about and just looked at what she could do on the court, so by my definition it was a recruiting failure, not because he didn’t recruit Cooke who's turned into a productive player in the Mountain West, but because he brought in a player in Tolbert who had little or no chance of succeeding anywhere beyond the court and that’s exactly what happened.

On your Point #1, time will tell, but perhaps what I should have said is that overall the Class of 2010 is far more heralded than the Class of 2009 (besides Tinkle) in terms of publicity around the state. I’m certain that two of the players’ connection to Selvig has had something to do with this as does Bill Hill’s best Professor Harold Hill imitation. I am also a bit confused over which class you are referring to when you say, “I believe that 2009 class is deeper with 6 players (so far) signing with D-1 programs, as compared to 5 players last year.” Not sure if this was a typo, but the graduating class of 2009 was last year and the graduating class of 2010 (which I still believe the consensus is that it’s a deeper class than 2009). Also, it’s actually 6 players from the class of 2009 who signed with and are playing basketball at D1 schools—Tinkle (Stanford), Banis (MSU), Semansky (MSU), Albert (MSU), Patterson (Weber State), and Kufeld (Dartmouth). Some might consider Hildal with the Griz to be an in-state signee, but that’s really not the case at all. Additionally, 3 more players signed with D2 schools—Hollowell (MSUB), Denham (MSUB), and Foster (U. of Mary). The rest are at NAIA or D3 schools I believe including Wendell from Whitehall who was falsely rumoured to have signed with Washington State University. When everything washes out, it will be interesting to see the final numbers for the class of 2010.

On your Point #4, and your question, “Do you recruit who you think might be un-recruitable?” Short answer, “NO!” Long answer, “GOOD GOD, NO!” Face it, every once in a while you might win the recruiting lottery (see Adonal Foyle and Colgate), but you’ll never convince me that Binford ever had enough of a legitimate shot at Sullivan to say, “Let’s make her our number 1 priority.” And the only reason, I said Sullivan was ranked number 1 and Nelson number 2 for Binford was because you said as much in the first place and I’m taking your word for it. If, now, you’re going to backtrack and say that you really didn’t know that to be true, then why’d you say it in the first place? Fortunately (or unfortunately) many people take what you say as gospel on the recruiting front, so take that for what it’s worth whether you like it or not.

Finally, on your Point #5, when you wrote, “Even of the players you mentioned most of them had the talent and ability to play D-1 ball with in the program, [but] they left for other reasons out side of basketball.” Man, I do love your flair for making absolute statements. But, before I finish, let me remind you that I don’t think that the player turnover during Binford’s tenure has been out of the ordinary. However, if you honestly believe that not a single one of the players I mentioned left the MSU women's program because of basketball [and Binford], then just keep drinking that Kool-Aid! I only wish we could wager on this because this is a total sucker bet, and I know that to be an absolute fact.

[duelalumnicat]

SG – Chris McCall 6-3 Cheyenne high school, Nevada
SF – Shawn Reid 6-5 Post Falls high school Idaho


This is an interesting thread, and I don't necessarily mean to change the focus, but have McCall and Reid signed?

[mslacat]

SG – Chris McCall 6-3 Cheyenne high school, Nevada
SF – Shawn Reid 6-5 Post Falls high school Idaho


This is an interesting thread, and I don't necessarily mean to change the focus, but have McCall and Reid signed?

Yes. Their letter of Intents did not make into the MSU and go through the channels they needed to before Huse and the team left (Thursday afternoon) for the road trip to Nevada. They were announced Monday late afternoon. If you go a few post above these you will see a copy of the Press release by MSU. It is just hitting the newspapers today.

[Long Time Cat]

Question for mslacat: Do you know if the Cats are looking at the freshman point guard from North Idaho College, Michael Hale? I didn't know anything about him 3 weeks ago but after watching him play only 3 times I think he deserves a look. He is listed at 5'9" but may be shorter than that. He is amazingly quick (after the last game NIC Coach Phay described him as a one man fast break) and handles the ball and sees the floor very well. His size may be a problem but I watched that guy from Oregon that I think was only 5'6" do very well. I am not a scout and have never recommended anyone before, and don't even know how to do it, thus my post on BN. I would be interested in what you think and what you know.

[mslacat]

Question for mslacat: Do you know if the Cats are looking at the freshman point guard from North Idaho College, Michael Hale? I didn't know anything about him 3 weeks ago but after watching him play only 3 times I think he deserves a look. He is listed at 5'9" but may be shorter than that. He is amazingly quick (after the last game NIC Coach Phay described him as a one man fast break) and handles the ball and sees the floor very well. His size may be a problem but I watched that guy from Oregon that I think was only 5'6" do very well. I am not a scout and have never recommended anyone before, and don't even know how to do it, thus my post on BN. I would be interested in what you think and what you know.

I am pretty sure Brad and most of the Big Sky coaches are aware of Hale, he had a pretty good reputation coming out of high school as a player. I do not know if Huse is recruiting him, but I do not who is. Out of high school he was recruited pretty heavily by Portland State, Eastern Washington and others. I believe at one point he may have committed to EWU, but then found out he had to go the JC route. Again I not 100% sure but I think Hale needs to attend a JC for two years before he can transfer to a D-1 school. As far as the Bobcats recruiting goes I believe the Cats were primarily looking for high school recruits this year and I can see that trend continuing. I think they did look at some JC combo guards, but when they got McCall he filled the need they were looking for. If Hale is a 2011 recruit I would suspect the Bobcats are looking at him, because their net will be cast pretty wide right now, but their over all preference would be for a freshman first, a three year JC second, and finally a 2 year JC. All of this tempered by how good a player is, immediate need versus long term need, and grades/character.

The thing to keep in mind about JC's and Brad's system is that he has had a bugger of a time bring JC (who are brought in to contribute immediately) and having them pick up his system in their first year. Just a guess on my part, but I would guess only about 60% of them have been able to pick it up in the in the preseason, which slows down the entire team. Most players (high school or JC) really need a full year in the system. Bynum and Navarre did it but their are plenty more who did not. That is why Huse has been pretty selective with his JC recruiting last spring and this fall.

[mslacat]

I have posted a complete list - well as complete as I could make it - 18 Big Sky programs (men's + women's) signings for the early period. With the exception of Weber State and Northern Colorado (men's) all of my info has come from official school press releases. The previous mentioned schools did not seem to want to announce theirs yet so maybe they might add to that list.

You can find the lists here

Montana and Montana State here
http://mslacat.wordpress.com/2009/11/24 ... d-wrap-up/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EWU, ISU., N. Colo., NAU, Weber, PSU, Sac State, here
http://mslacat.wordpress.com/2009/11/24 ... up-part-2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://mslacat.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Long Time Cat]

Question for mslacat: Do you know if the Cats are looking at the freshman point guard from North Idaho College, Michael Hale? I didn't know anything about him 3 weeks ago but after watching him play only 3 times I think he deserves a look. He is listed at 5'9" but may be shorter than that. He is amazingly quick (after the last game NIC Coach Phay described him as a one man fast break) and handles the ball and sees the floor very well. His size may be a problem but I watched that guy from Oregon that I think was only 5'6" do very well. I am not a scout and have never recommended anyone before, and don't even know how to do it, thus my post on BN. I would be interested in what you think and what you know.

I am pretty sure Brad and most of the Big Sky coaches are aware of Hale, he had a pretty good reputation coming out of high school as a player. I do not know if Huse is recruiting him, but I do not who is. Out of high school he was recruited pretty heavily by Portland State, Eastern Washington and others. I believe at one point he may have committed to EWU, but then found out he had to go the JC route. Again I not 100% sure but I think Hale needs to attend a JC for two years before he can transfer to a D-1 school. As far as the Bobcats recruiting goes I believe the Cats were primarily looking for high school recruits this year and I can see that trend continuing. I think they did look at some JC combo guards, but when they got McCall he filled the need they were looking for. If Hale is a 2011 recruit I would suspect the Bobcats are looking at him, because their net will be cast pretty wide right now, but their over all preference would be for a freshman first, a three year JC second, and finally a 2 year JC. All of this tempered by how good a player is, immediate need versus long term need, and grades/character.

The thing to keep in mind about JC's and Brad's system is that he has had a bugger of a time bring JC (who are brought in to contribute immediately) and having them pick up his system in their first year. Just a guess on my part, but I would guess only about 60% of them have been able to pick it up in the in the preseason, which slows down the entire team. Most players (high school or JC) really need a full year in the system. Bynum and Navarre did it but their are plenty more who did not. That is why Huse has been pretty selective with his JC recruiting last spring and this fall.

Thanks for the info. I knew if any body would know you would. The kid is a treat to watch. Last weekend NIC beat last years national champion by 20 points so it should be an entertaining year. Since I can't watch the Cats much anymore I'm glad we have NIC here. It is pretty good basketball.

[grizzh8r]

I see where Trujeque is rated a 72 according to the Montana State MBB homepage on ESPN.com (either a Rivals or Scout ranking, don't remember which one...)

That's as high a grade player as we have seen at MSU for quite a while, to my recollection.