Board index Bobcat Sports Boards Bobcat Basketball
FUTURE CATS
Discuss anything and everything relating to Bobcat Basketball here.
Moderators: rtb, kmax, SonomaCat
wbtfg
Golden Bobcat
Re: FUTURE CATS
Post by wbtfg » Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:58 pm
John K wrote: ↑
wbtfg wrote: ↑
arvcat2 wrote: ↑
VimSince03 wrote: ↑
KittieKop wrote: ↑
Apparently the unwritten rule on not ****** on student athletes doesn't apply anymore.......a few pretty low shots on two different threads about a student athlete who by all accounts took some personal risks coming all the way to MSU and has worked his butt off to be part of a team. If he ends up not continuing on here, fine and best of luck to him, but some of this is unnecessary. IMHO.
Mine was a low blow and I apologize. Lassi definitely improved this year and you can tell he has some fight in him on the defensive end.
My beef is more with the fact a good volume of Montana basketball players aren't being recruited by MSU as they once were and a handful of them are just as skilled as Lassi. I'm glad Fish got Bellach but MSU needs to do better with mining in-state talent. Let some MT kids develop at the next level and see what you get by year 3. Just my two cents.
Same applies to WBB too!
I agree 100%. I have been convinced for many years, that there are a handful of Montana kids currently playing in the Frontier Conference, that could be contributors for MSU....not necessarily all-BSC talents, but players who are good enough to be part of the regular rotation. And I also agree that this applies to both MBB and WBB.
I agree with this, however, the difficult part is that D-1 bball can only offer full scholarship or walk on spots. There aren't any partial scholarships at this level, like with football. It's really hard to predict how a raw unpolished player from a class B school who maybe didn't hit the AAU summer circut will develop at the D1 level.
It would be interesting to look back at the recruiting projections for Frontier Conference guys like Matt Wyman, Dane Warp. Taylor England, etc. Are these guys that were worthy of a D1 full ride scholarship out of high school?
Not to mention guys who are playing at the D-II level at MSU-B, with exhibit A obviously being Brendan Howard (although there have also been others in recent years). A guy who was freshman of the year in a good D-II conference, surely could be a contributor for the Cats. I don't really have any inside knowledge about what happened during the recruiting process with him, but it's a shame that kid isn't playing for MSU, rather than MSU-B.
MSU offered him a scholarship, but he initially signed with EWU. Not sure what happened at EWU, but it was pretty much a no brainer that he'd transfer to MSU-B as his brother, Bobby Howard, is an assistant coach and the Howard's are tight with Mick.
bpcats20
BobcatNation Letterman
Post by bpcats20 » Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:12 pm
It all depends on style of play you want to recruit to. Coach Fish had a specific plan he was recruiting to.
I think that Coach Sprinkle will have an immediate impact on recruiting in the state of Montana.
It will be interesting to see how he recruits against some of the pac12 schools that come calling for Montana kids from time to time.
At the end of the day Sprinkle knows that he has to win also and will be looking everywhere for players to help us. It
Honorable Mention All-BobcatNation
Post by imacat » Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:34 pm
This brings to mind a conversation I had with Coach Huse. He told me the quality of high school basketball has declined significantly in Montana. He found it very rare to find a Montana player with DI talent any more. He thought AAU ball was a major contributor to that decline. The emphasis is on individual play and team skills are not being coached. Players develop bad habits in AAU that they have a difficult time breaking. I found that interesting.
For context, this conversation took place just after he signed Danny Robison. He was excited about that signing.
Last edited by imacat on Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
CelticCat
Location: Mt Vernon, WA
Post by CelticCat » Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:35 pm
Howard signed with EWU out of high school, then transferred. Probably did it to play right away.
R&R Cat Cast - the only Bobcat fan podcast - https://anchor.fm/rrcatcast
Twitter - https://twitter.com/rrcatcast
John K
Location: Great Falls MT
Post by John K » Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:51 pm
I know the history of what actually transpired with him, and like you said, with Durham and Bobby H. at MSU-B, it was no big surprise that he transferred there after his first year at EWU. What I was referring to, when I said I had no inside knowledge, was why he signed with EWU in the first place, rather than MSU. I've heard a couple of conflicting stories about that, but I was completely shocked when he spurned MSU. I thought that MSU getting him, was about as close to a slam dunk as you're ever going to get in the recruiting game.
It may or may not be fair, but I think that was viewed by many Bobcat fans as a real black eye for Fish. I think most people felt the same way I did...that Howard signing with MSU was pretty much a done deal, but Fish somehow let him slip away. It would have been one thing if he signed with a Pac-12 program or something, but to lose him to a rival BSC school was a hard pill to swallow.
desmond1957
BobcatNation Team Captain
Post by desmond1957 » Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:13 pm
After the way Huse screwed over his brother Bobby there was no way the Howard family was having anything to do w ith MSU, the decision had absolutely NOTHING to do with Fish!!
desmond1957 wrote: ↑
Again, I have no knowledge whatsoever about the back story, so I didn't know anything about the issues between Huse and Bobby H.
mslacat
Contact mslacat
Post by mslacat » Tue Apr 09, 2019 7:02 pm
Hey folks I am not an expert on the Howard Family but, have had plenty conversations with both Kathleen (dating back well before Bobby signed with the Bobcats) and Bobby about MSU basketball, Bobby's MSU experience and Brendan recruitment. While it is true MicK Durham is/has/will be a special coach in their eyes Bobby experience with Huse was nothing but positive. There is, as far as I can tell, absolute truth the Howard Family holds ANY ill will towards coach Huse. Huse was a hard coach, but have you met Bob Howard or Kathleen Howard there is no doubt in my mind that Bobby was ready for Huse. I know I had conversations with Kathleen during Bobby's playing career and she could be tough on coaches & players (rarely refs BTW) after a game. She had her opinions, but she respected who the coach was and the tough decisions they have to make. The Howard Family has ALWAYS been about the Blue and Gold of the Bobcats, but I have to think Family always comes before Team (look -it up). This brings us to Branden. He had only two real offers he was considering, Eastern Washington and Montana State. His choice to go to EWU had NOTHING to do with Huse or even his brother experience at MSU The two deciding factors were the coaches at EWU and the coaches at MSU period! He felt more comfortable with the coaches at EWU.
Cataholic
Member # Retired
Post by Cataholic » Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:45 pm
Is there anything precluding an NCAA coach from recruiting a player from an NAIA school? It may not be real "sportsmanlike" move, but some of these Frontier kids would probably love another shot to play D1 basketball.
BobcatNation Redshirt
Location: Big Timber, MT
Post by KIX » Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:20 am
imacat wrote: ↑
Huse's great eye for DI talent really translated into W's for the Cats...not sure he is a good source for recruitment advice.
Post by phantom » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:31 pm
mslacat wrote: ↑
The kid went to EWU and never played there. He wasn't good enough at EWU, but somehow that is a black mark on Fish's recruiting. There is a difference in level of play between the different levels. The old saying in recruiting is that if you miss getting a kid that is good enough to help you, he may beat you twice a year. You get the wrong kid successfully recruited and they beat you every day.
The vitriol towards Lassi in this thread is ridiculous. The kid worked his tail off and got a heck of a lot better. As a freshman, I wondered why they recruited him. This year, it was obvious and he played very well at times. From a perimeter standpoint, he was their best on ball defender. Hopefully, he'll continue to improve under coach Sprinkle and continue to help the Bobcats.
ilovethecats
Post by ilovethecats » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:43 pm
phantom wrote: ↑
Agree with this 100% Bashing players is always garbage in my eyes. Being wrong about a player you are bashing is even worse. The kid is showing he's working his but off and i'm not for one second convinced this school is too big for him.
Post by imacat » Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:17 pm
ilovethecats wrote: ↑
Well said. I agree ... 100%.
Post by mslacat » Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:30 pm
I did not bash Fish! I was not arguing what level of player he was. Fact both MSU and EWU were his final two schools. Fact: Both schools wanted him. I simply said this kid liked what EWU sold him on than what MSU sold him on! It ****** happens kids!!! The main point of my post, though, was to knock down the idea Branden did not come to MSU was because of some rumored bad feelings his family may have because of Huse. There are no bad feelings and Huse had nothing to do with Branden's decision.
GrizgradCatFan
Post by GrizgradCatFan » Fri Apr 12, 2019 3:33 am
My last comment on Lassi. I see a bunch of you guys got your panties in a bunch. I was just saying that there have been several guards the last two years who weren't seeing playing time at all and both of them were better athletes and I guarantee better players. Because they weren't on scholarship and he was they weren't getting the playing time. If any of you guys have ever watched the kid from Park City (Dallas) play he was easily a better than average frontier caliber player if he had chosen to go that route his last two years. He tried staying on here hoping to get a chance. If you don't believe me ask Colter N. as he has played with and against Dallas and would agree I guarantee. I know alot of you guys hold his thoughts in high regards. If anybody thinks Lassi is a better baller than him you have lost your mind. Fish was hoping that he caught lightning in a bottle twice with the euro's guards. I am not saying Lassi is a bad player and or bashing him. I am just saying he isn't D1 and if you guys think he is then you guys obviously want to keep going in the direction of losing seasons. I think he is a nice kid and yeah he left home to come here and make a go of it great. Give him a ribbon. Don't tell me you would start him over anybody else on the team. He isn't a horrible player. He would be a good frontier caliber player. He does have a high basketball IQ some of you have said and should as I believe someone said his dad is a coach so I am sure he has been learning from a young age. I am sure he is a great kid and looks like he gives it his all on the court. I see that the other players love playing with him and always tried to pick him up with comments or pat on the back if Fish came down hard on him. I wish Lassi the best of luck and he did shock me with his play on a couple of games last year, but I will still hold my stance that we aren't going to climb the Big Sky Conference with guards of his caliber. Again its nothing against him as a person or a player I just don't believe he is going to help us get back where we were when sprinkle was playing. Hey again is my opinion and if you don't like it then tuff #$#%.
As far as you guys getting all bent out of shape on the Howard kid too. Here is my two cents. I played for his dad a long time ago and know the family fairly well. I was told from a very reputable source the Brendan wanted to start his own legacy and hence the reasoning for going to EWU. Then when he realized his playing time was going to be alot less than he had ever seen in his life and an opportunity to go play for his brother who has assisted with coaching him over 3/4's of his life why not. Also do you blame the kid for not going down there to play. They have several guys who should be playing here instead. The Samuelson kid started for the griz a couple games I believe as a freshman or sophmore. I would have loved to have him hear. He did well in Missoula, but was going to battle for minutes and knew he could go there and start from the get go. I think this also was seen by Brendan and why not come back and be a bigger fish in a smaller pond than be an average fish in a big pond.
I am a big bobcat fan and would love to see the Cats basketball rise to the top again. I attended every game I could when Nico, Quadre, Dewey, Hatler, Sullivan, Leachman, Sprinkle and Hatler all played. I miss those days. Again I will say it once again I never intended it to be a bashing of Lassi it was more of his caliber and that I think he would succeed on the court better at a frontier conference school. That is not bashing its just a thought. I never said he was a bad player. Good day!
Post by phantom » Fri Apr 12, 2019 6:02 am
GrizgradCatFan wrote: ↑
When you are bashing Lassi's "caliber" and saying he isn't good enough to play at Montana State, yes you are bashing him. Perhaps you don't really mean to sound like a horse's rear end, but when you say he's not a Division I player, yes you are bashing him. I don't know the kid at all, never met him, so I'll judge him by what I saw on the floor. As a freshman, not good. As a sophomore, much better. As he continues to get stronger, perhaps he can take the next step forward if he chooses. In the Big Sky, you need players to develop and continue to grow. He'll never be a star, but if he's your 8th or 9th guy next year, and he improves, the roster is stronger.
On any roster at any level, different things are going to get a kid on the floor. Sometimes kids play because they are solid defensively and run the offense well which allows the offense to flow. It can make no sense to people in the stands why that kid is on the floor, but a coach and coaching staff see kids play every single day in practice. When a kid isn't playing at all, there is a reason and it's not because a coach doesn't like him or has any other reason. Again, that's not a Montana State or Brian Fish comment. That is a universal truth around college basketball.
BLACKnBLUEnGOLD
Location: Back in the US, but not home
Post by BLACKnBLUEnGOLD » Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:49 am
"I'm not bashing him, I'm just saying the second guy off the bench on a BSC team that had a winning conference record is clearly and obviously not good enough to play in the Big Sky Conference."
We clearly and obviously have different definitions of "bashing."
"What's our job? Gettin the offense the ball! How we gonna do it? By any means necessary!"
-Trent King, Playmakers
Post by ilovethecats » Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:10 am
No panties in a bunch here. But when people start saying stupid crap like he wouldn't even be one of the better kids playing noon ball, or that you could just go to the ridge and grab a guy who'd be much better; that's crap. People always say stupid stuff like that about Cat players that are not stars in college. I heard the same stupid stuff about guys like Casey Durham, Carson Durr and Danny Faaborg too. And it was never true then and it's not true now.
Listen, no one is sitting here saying Lassi is an all-American or anything. But come on. He's improved a lot over the first time I saw him. He busts his butt and his teammates love him. That's good enough in my eyes. We have had countless players over the years that were borderline D1 players. Some improve and have a decent career with school paid for. Others transfer. But as of right now the dude is a Bobcat and doing things the right way and I'll support that.
Post by imacat » Fri Apr 19, 2019 7:40 pm
The Men's Basketball squad was out representing at the Golden Bobcats Awards Show last night! Harald Frey earned a Rising Leader Award, Lassi Nikkarinen won the Unsung Hero Award and Tyler Hall was awarded the Golden Bobcats MVP.
msu_agfan
Location: Central Montana
Post by msu_agfan » Sat Apr 20, 2019 12:00 pm
unsung hero award... sounds like some other people know he's a good guy. Oh, the other two are pretty decent too...
Animal Science/ Ag Business '96
Return to "Bobcat Basketball"
Bobcat Sports Boards
↳ Bobcat Football
↳ Bobcat Basketball
↳ Bobcat Track and Field, Golf, Skiing, Volleyball, Tennis, Cross Country, and General Bobcat News
↳ College Athletics
↳ High School Athletics
↳ Professional Sports
↳ Bobcat Hangout
↳ Discussing the Issues
↳ Bobcat Connections
↳ Smack Talk
↳ Site Feedback and Announcements