How bright is your school's future?
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:13 pm
Congrats to the GRIZ coaching staff for a great recruiting class. Pretty impressive to be mentioned here.
http://missoulian.com/sports/college/mo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 002e0.html
The men's basketball recruiting classes of Kentucky, Ohio State and North Carolina took the top three spots on ESPN.com's review of next fall's incoming classes.
While the media giant focused on what it considered the top 25 classes in the nation, it recently handed out letter grades for some of the country's top classes outside the top 25 in a "Best of the Rest" article.
Michael LaPlante of Scouts Inc. writes, "Many schools not in the power conferences (of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC) also had tremendous recruiting classes. Here is a look at some of the programs that brought in talented prospects that should translate into immediate success on the court."
LaPlante gave Detroit his highest grade with an A- and handed out a B+ to Central Michigan, New Mexico and St. Louis.
Montana was one of six teams earning a B, along with Dayton, Georgia Southern, Santa Clara, UTEP and VCU.
Of the Grizzlies' six-player class, LaPlante writes, "The Grizzles signed a big class with six incoming players. As a heralded and talented point guard, Vaughn Autry (Gardena, Calif./Junipero Serra) will be expected to lead this group early, while Kareem Jamar (Los Angeles/Westchester), who vaulted up the recruiting rankings, will be counted on to be an impact player from the wing."
Autry, 6-foot-2, signed with Montana during the NCAA's early signing period last November, along with Billy Reader, a 6-9 forward-center from Lake Oswego, Ore., and Michael Weisner, a 6-7 forward from Walla Walla, Wash.
Jamar, a 6-5 guard-forward, signed in April, along with Art Steward, a 6-4 wing from Casper (Wyo.) College and Jordan Wood, a 6-3 guard from Snow (Utah) College. Steward is from Casper, while Wood hails from Cedar City, Utah.
Steward and Wood will both be juniors in 2010-11.
LaPlante's article highlighted 12 recruiting classes in all, then gave honorable mention status to 28 additional programs. Among those was 2010 national runner-up Butler.
No other Big Sky Conference school was mentioned in the article.
"It's nice to see that our efforts on the recruiting trail are being recognized by someone as classy and knowledgeable as ESPN," said UM coach Wayne Tinkle, who recently concluded his fourth season at his alma mater. "It just goes to show (assistant coaches Andy Hill, Bill Evans and Freddie Owens) are doing a great job of not only identifying some talented guys but selling everything we have to offer.
"We've got a great thing to sell in the University of Montana and the Grizzly basketball program. It's nice to see that kids are attracted to that."
Montana went 22-10 last season. The Grizzlies won the Big Sky Conference postseason tournament, then as the No. 14 seed dropped a close decision to No. 3 New Mexico in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA tournament.
http://missoulian.com/sports/college/mo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 002e0.html
The men's basketball recruiting classes of Kentucky, Ohio State and North Carolina took the top three spots on ESPN.com's review of next fall's incoming classes.
While the media giant focused on what it considered the top 25 classes in the nation, it recently handed out letter grades for some of the country's top classes outside the top 25 in a "Best of the Rest" article.
Michael LaPlante of Scouts Inc. writes, "Many schools not in the power conferences (of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC) also had tremendous recruiting classes. Here is a look at some of the programs that brought in talented prospects that should translate into immediate success on the court."
LaPlante gave Detroit his highest grade with an A- and handed out a B+ to Central Michigan, New Mexico and St. Louis.
Montana was one of six teams earning a B, along with Dayton, Georgia Southern, Santa Clara, UTEP and VCU.
Of the Grizzlies' six-player class, LaPlante writes, "The Grizzles signed a big class with six incoming players. As a heralded and talented point guard, Vaughn Autry (Gardena, Calif./Junipero Serra) will be expected to lead this group early, while Kareem Jamar (Los Angeles/Westchester), who vaulted up the recruiting rankings, will be counted on to be an impact player from the wing."
Autry, 6-foot-2, signed with Montana during the NCAA's early signing period last November, along with Billy Reader, a 6-9 forward-center from Lake Oswego, Ore., and Michael Weisner, a 6-7 forward from Walla Walla, Wash.
Jamar, a 6-5 guard-forward, signed in April, along with Art Steward, a 6-4 wing from Casper (Wyo.) College and Jordan Wood, a 6-3 guard from Snow (Utah) College. Steward is from Casper, while Wood hails from Cedar City, Utah.
Steward and Wood will both be juniors in 2010-11.
LaPlante's article highlighted 12 recruiting classes in all, then gave honorable mention status to 28 additional programs. Among those was 2010 national runner-up Butler.
No other Big Sky Conference school was mentioned in the article.
"It's nice to see that our efforts on the recruiting trail are being recognized by someone as classy and knowledgeable as ESPN," said UM coach Wayne Tinkle, who recently concluded his fourth season at his alma mater. "It just goes to show (assistant coaches Andy Hill, Bill Evans and Freddie Owens) are doing a great job of not only identifying some talented guys but selling everything we have to offer.
"We've got a great thing to sell in the University of Montana and the Grizzly basketball program. It's nice to see that kids are attracted to that."
Montana went 22-10 last season. The Grizzlies won the Big Sky Conference postseason tournament, then as the No. 14 seed dropped a close decision to No. 3 New Mexico in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA tournament.
