The Montana Grizzlies have a chance to make it two.
But you'll have to forgive the Griz if they'd rather not talk about March Madness in November.
And as the Griz are quick to point out, it's sometimes a thin line that separates the champions from the also-rans. In their run to the league tournament title in 2005, Weber State knocked off overwhelming favorite Portland State in the semifinals in Portland, leaving the door open for the Griz to squeeze past the Wildcats the next night. Last season, if Rodney Stuckey's last-second shot was another inch to the right, Eastern Washington would have played Northern Arizona for the right to go to the Dance. There would have been no No. 12 seed, no first-round win over Nevada.
“Let's face it, a lot of things fell in place for us the last couple of years,” Tinkle said. “There's some luck involved, but we always live by the phrase that the harder you work the luckier you may get, and we'll continue along those lines.”
The Griz, though, won't have to rely entirely on luck for the chance to join Weber State (1978-80) as the only schools to three-peat. They return the second-leading scorer in the league, junior center Andrew Strait, as well as four other players - sophomores Jordan Hasquet and Kyle Sharp, junior Matt Martin and senior Matt Dlouhy - who made starts at one time or another during their 24-7 season. They lost a pair of hard-nosed guards in Kevin Criswell - the school's fifth all-time scorer - and Virgil Matthews, but return a wealth of players experienced in big-game atmospheres.
“The guys who have been there know what to expect,” Dlouhy said. “Us veterans will have to pull the younger guys along in the beginning. As they get more experience, it will prepare them for the Big Sky tourney and the NCAAs.”
Strait (6-foot-8, 245 pounds) emerged as the Grizzlies' go-to guy last season, leading the team in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (6.4). He's one Griz who isn't afraid of talking about going back to the NCAAs.
“Once you see what it's like to be in the national spotlight, it's such a different feeling than being on the floor in Missoula,” Strait said. “Once you get your feet wet a little bit, the whole goal of the next season is to get back.”
Strait will get plenty of help on the front line from Hasquet (6-9, 245), who averaged 16.2 ppg over Montana's final five games last season, and any combination of players that may include Dlouhy (who will also play the off guard), Mike Chavez, Sharp, and junior college transfer Gus Chase.
“Our interior play and our depth are two big keys,” Tinkle said. “That depth is only good if the guys you call on are ready to play, day in and day out. We were a little disappointed in that last Friday ( against Rocky Mountain College). We've addressed those issues and they've been good in the last couple of days of practice.”
Martin and senior Bryan Ellis are each likely to see time at point guard while Martin can play shooting guard as well. Sophomore Austin Swift, freshman Ryan Staudacher, Dlouhy and even Hasquet will see time on the wing.
“I think we'll be a better perimeter shooting team than some people give us credit for, with Matt Martin, Bryan Ellis, Matt Dlouhy and Staudacher and on and on and on,” Tinkle said. “We've got some guys who can shoot it if we're taking good shots.”
Versatility may also be a trademark of this season's Griz. Tinkle has experimented with playing both Ellis and Martin at the same time, and he's toyed with the idea of playing the 6-9 Hasquet, an adept 3-point shooter, on the wing.
“This year people will see an incredible amount of combinations,” Dlouhy said. “If one person is having a bad game, there's no reason to keep them in. Having that depth is going to be great for us. We won't have to fight through players struggling.”
“We have a nice little two-headed monster there with Matt Martin and Bryan Ellis,” Tinkle said. “Their weaknesses are kind of the other's strengths. When we see Matt Dlouhy make jumpers like he did against Concordia, and then somebody like Ryan Staudacher, who hit them against Rocky, and throw in the fact that Martin and Ellis are going to be able to shoot the ball, well it gets you excited. We know what we have on the interior. If we can make shots consistently on the perimeter, teams might have to pick their poison to defend us.”
Tinkle said fans will notice only subtle differences in the team's style of play, compared to the past two years under Krystkowiak. Perhaps a little more freedom on offense “if the players earn it,” and some dialed up pressure on defense.
“In our man-to-man and our zone defense, we're going to be a little more aggressive, which means not necessarily gambling, but we're going to try to pressure farther out than just the 3-point line,” Tinkle said. “We may get beat on a backdoor or a lob over the top from time to time, but we're hoping that that might create some more possessions for us.”
After their season opener Friday at home against Montana State-Northern, the Griz won't play in Missoula again until Dec. 3 against Boise State. In between will be road games at Utah Valley State and Wyoming, as well as a trip to the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., over Thanksgiving weekend. The Griz will open there against West Virginia. Also in the field are Arkansas, Southern Illinois, Marist, Minnesota, Virginia Tech and Western Michigan.
“It's a challenging schedule,” Tinkle said. “We wanted to upgrade it; as a staff last year we talked about it. We wanted to get tested on the road early. That goes a long way in developing your team's toughness and character, depending on how we come out of it obviously.”
Those tough tests could help, though, come February and March.
“We're not going to worry too much about success,” Tinkle said. “It's like when you teach at summer camps. When you teach kids how to shoot, you want them to use the proper form and you tell them not to worry about the result, whether it goes in or not. For now, let's just concentrate on getting your form right. Once you do that, you'll be able to enjoy success down the road.
“That's what we're doing with our team. Let's not worry about the results too much early on, let's just make sure we're doing it the right way and the rest will take care of itself.”
NOTES: Tinkle said he has talked to freshmen Zach Graves and Dave Vanderjagt about sitting out as redshirts, but the decision will be up to the players and their families. ... Freshman Jovanni Sims, who played at a prep school last season, has yet to receive the go-ahead to practice from the NCAA Clearinghouse. ... Sophomore Charlie Cox, who transferred from Montana-Western, must sit out this season.
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at sportsdesk@missoulian.com.
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