weberwildcat
Active member
Idaho Journal
Kellis Robinett
ISU Sports Blog
http://www.pocatelloshops.com/new_blogs/kellis/?p=4570
Big Sky Power Rankings: Week 8Categories: Idaho State men's basketball posts
Written By: krobinett
Any basketball coach in the Big Sky Conference will tell you that the toughest part of his job is recruiting.
Not because coaches don’t like going into young people’s homes and trying to sell them on their respective schools or because they don’t have the resources to get high-level talent to even listen to them, but because there’s only one type of player they can consistently recruit: The underrated high school player who thinks he’s an all-state talent.
There are obviously some exceptions, but that type of player is the majority in the Big Sky.
At some point in their lives, coaches called them up and told them that if they signed a national letter of intent to play for Idaho State or Montana or Northern Arizona that they would be a Division I starter. Not only would they get playing time, but they would be a big shot at a small level.
Sure, they could go do the same for a Division II school, but no notoriety would come with that. And some could likely go be a role player for a larger school, but nobody who feels that overlooked wants to be a role player.
So to the Big Sky they went.
In small doses, that type of player can bring prosperity to a Big Sky team. Portland State’s Jeremiah Dominguez, all 5-foot-6 of him, was as overlooked as they come entering college, and look what he’s done. As a junior, he led the Vikings to the NCAA tournament and earned a league MVP award along the way.
Surrounded by hard-working teammates like Scott Morrison and Deonte Huff who were fine with their point guard standing in the spotlight all by himself, Portland State won 14 straight conference games.
But in mass amounts, that type of player can turn a team into a nuclear reactor. When properly harnessed, it can do amazing things. But when something goes wrong, you’re looking at a meltdown.
When everyone on a roster thinks he’s good enough to be the school’s Mr. Basketball, and everyone feels like he should be scoring 30 points there aren’t enough minutes available to make everyone happy.
To stay with the Dominguez example, now that he is surrounded by Dominic Waters, a Hawaii transfer who came to Portland State to lead the team in points, Phil Nelson, a Washington transfer who came to Portland State to become a league MVP himself, and a load of other Division I transfers who aren’t all that interested in scoring five points a game, Portland State is a nuclear reactor.
The Vikings can be good enough to win at Gonzaga and drop 58 points in a half on Boise State, but they can also be disappointing enough to lose five conference games.
For that reason, they are no longer the favorite to claim the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Strange that a team with no high-profile players is.
I’m talking about Weber State. In Ogden, Utah, Randy Rahe has recruited a horde of average-looking players and has led the Wildcats to nine straight victories and are preparing to host the conference tournament for the second time in three years.
People ask me all the time how that can be possible. After all, the most anyone on their team has scored in a game all year is 25 points. The Wildcats don’t have anyone flashy.
But just about everyone on their roster has scored 10 points in a game this season. Right now, four Wildcats average double figures and two others average more than eight.
Somehow, Rahe has convinced them all to be role players. Whether it is Kellen McCoy, likely the conference’s next MVP, Pocatello native Nick Hansen, or freshmen Damian Lilliard or Kyle Bullinger scoring all the points on any given night, everyone else is fine with it.
It is the definition of team basketball, and anyone who hasn’t been OK with that philosophy in the past few years has been kicked off the team.
Some may call that harsh, but at all levels you need role players.
That’s why I think Big Sky coaches feel that recruiting is the toughest part of their job. It is nearly impossible to get a high school player to agree to play at this level as a role player. Anyone with talent looking to be a role player will head someplace with bigger arenas and more televised games.
Some of the most talented players in the country will play at Duke or Indiana or UCLA as a five-points-a-night player or even as a recruited walk-on. At those tradition-rich schools, they are made into mini-celebrities for their selflessness and are rewarded for the actions by playing in nationally televised games and the chance to go to a Final Four.
Some of the most talented players in the country dream about that stuff. But what’s the appeal of doing that at Idaho State?
It’s a tough question to answer, and coaches in the Big Sky normally have to promise big playing time now and convince their recruits to become role players once they arrive on campus. Even then it’s not always easy.
But Rahe has found a way to consistently do it, and his teams are much better for it.
On to the rankings …
1. Weber State (12-1, 18-8)
I’m beginning to think Randy Rahe is the best coach in the league.
2. Portland State (9-5, 19-9)
Scoring 58 points in a half against Boise State may have brought the Vikings back to life.
3. Montana (11-4, 17-10)
Anthony Johnson is the real deal.
4. Idaho State (7-7, 10-18)
If the Bengals take care of business at home this week they will have their first winning conference record under Joe O’Brien.
5. Northern Colorado (6-8, 12-17)
Almost won at Portland State, Idaho State and Weber State. Too bad the Bears will likely have to go on the road in the Big Sky tourney.
6. Montana State (6-7, 13-13)
The Bobcats are not peaking at the right time.
7. Eastern Washington (6-9, 12-15)
Needs to beat Portland State at home to keep any postseason hope alive.
8. Northern Arizona (5-9, 8-17)
Mike Adras is going through a rare forgettable year at NAU.
9. Sacramento State (1-13, 2-25)
Can the Hornets sweep the Bengals? Probably not. But if they do, Idaho State should forfeit its spot in the Big Sky tournament.
Kellis Robinett
ISU Sports Blog
http://www.pocatelloshops.com/new_blogs/kellis/?p=4570
Big Sky Power Rankings: Week 8Categories: Idaho State men's basketball posts
Written By: krobinett
Any basketball coach in the Big Sky Conference will tell you that the toughest part of his job is recruiting.
Not because coaches don’t like going into young people’s homes and trying to sell them on their respective schools or because they don’t have the resources to get high-level talent to even listen to them, but because there’s only one type of player they can consistently recruit: The underrated high school player who thinks he’s an all-state talent.
There are obviously some exceptions, but that type of player is the majority in the Big Sky.
At some point in their lives, coaches called them up and told them that if they signed a national letter of intent to play for Idaho State or Montana or Northern Arizona that they would be a Division I starter. Not only would they get playing time, but they would be a big shot at a small level.
Sure, they could go do the same for a Division II school, but no notoriety would come with that. And some could likely go be a role player for a larger school, but nobody who feels that overlooked wants to be a role player.
So to the Big Sky they went.
In small doses, that type of player can bring prosperity to a Big Sky team. Portland State’s Jeremiah Dominguez, all 5-foot-6 of him, was as overlooked as they come entering college, and look what he’s done. As a junior, he led the Vikings to the NCAA tournament and earned a league MVP award along the way.
Surrounded by hard-working teammates like Scott Morrison and Deonte Huff who were fine with their point guard standing in the spotlight all by himself, Portland State won 14 straight conference games.
But in mass amounts, that type of player can turn a team into a nuclear reactor. When properly harnessed, it can do amazing things. But when something goes wrong, you’re looking at a meltdown.
When everyone on a roster thinks he’s good enough to be the school’s Mr. Basketball, and everyone feels like he should be scoring 30 points there aren’t enough minutes available to make everyone happy.
To stay with the Dominguez example, now that he is surrounded by Dominic Waters, a Hawaii transfer who came to Portland State to lead the team in points, Phil Nelson, a Washington transfer who came to Portland State to become a league MVP himself, and a load of other Division I transfers who aren’t all that interested in scoring five points a game, Portland State is a nuclear reactor.
The Vikings can be good enough to win at Gonzaga and drop 58 points in a half on Boise State, but they can also be disappointing enough to lose five conference games.
For that reason, they are no longer the favorite to claim the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Strange that a team with no high-profile players is.
I’m talking about Weber State. In Ogden, Utah, Randy Rahe has recruited a horde of average-looking players and has led the Wildcats to nine straight victories and are preparing to host the conference tournament for the second time in three years.
People ask me all the time how that can be possible. After all, the most anyone on their team has scored in a game all year is 25 points. The Wildcats don’t have anyone flashy.
But just about everyone on their roster has scored 10 points in a game this season. Right now, four Wildcats average double figures and two others average more than eight.
Somehow, Rahe has convinced them all to be role players. Whether it is Kellen McCoy, likely the conference’s next MVP, Pocatello native Nick Hansen, or freshmen Damian Lilliard or Kyle Bullinger scoring all the points on any given night, everyone else is fine with it.
It is the definition of team basketball, and anyone who hasn’t been OK with that philosophy in the past few years has been kicked off the team.
Some may call that harsh, but at all levels you need role players.
That’s why I think Big Sky coaches feel that recruiting is the toughest part of their job. It is nearly impossible to get a high school player to agree to play at this level as a role player. Anyone with talent looking to be a role player will head someplace with bigger arenas and more televised games.
Some of the most talented players in the country will play at Duke or Indiana or UCLA as a five-points-a-night player or even as a recruited walk-on. At those tradition-rich schools, they are made into mini-celebrities for their selflessness and are rewarded for the actions by playing in nationally televised games and the chance to go to a Final Four.
Some of the most talented players in the country dream about that stuff. But what’s the appeal of doing that at Idaho State?
It’s a tough question to answer, and coaches in the Big Sky normally have to promise big playing time now and convince their recruits to become role players once they arrive on campus. Even then it’s not always easy.
But Rahe has found a way to consistently do it, and his teams are much better for it.
On to the rankings …
1. Weber State (12-1, 18-8)
I’m beginning to think Randy Rahe is the best coach in the league.
2. Portland State (9-5, 19-9)
Scoring 58 points in a half against Boise State may have brought the Vikings back to life.
3. Montana (11-4, 17-10)
Anthony Johnson is the real deal.
4. Idaho State (7-7, 10-18)
If the Bengals take care of business at home this week they will have their first winning conference record under Joe O’Brien.
5. Northern Colorado (6-8, 12-17)
Almost won at Portland State, Idaho State and Weber State. Too bad the Bears will likely have to go on the road in the Big Sky tourney.
6. Montana State (6-7, 13-13)
The Bobcats are not peaking at the right time.
7. Eastern Washington (6-9, 12-15)
Needs to beat Portland State at home to keep any postseason hope alive.
8. Northern Arizona (5-9, 8-17)
Mike Adras is going through a rare forgettable year at NAU.
9. Sacramento State (1-13, 2-25)
Can the Hornets sweep the Bengals? Probably not. But if they do, Idaho State should forfeit its spot in the Big Sky tournament.