Treasure State Treasures
2/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
...and says more help is on the way.
"Getting the best kids from Montana is our goal every year," Kramer says. "But you don't always know when those players will join the program, and you don't always know which ones will be great contributors when they join."
Entering his sixth year as MSU's head coach, the longest tenure of any current Big Sky head coach and one of the longest eras any coach has spent at one school in league history, Kramer is anxious to track the progress of his home-grown players this spring.
"It's always fun to find the next Adam Cordeiro, the next Scott Turnquist, the next Kane Ioane," Kramer said. "But just because we don't take one of those guys in early February doesn't mean he won't be a player."
Kramer has a current favorite example. "Aaron Papich came to us as a walk-on," he said of the sophomore from Great Falls that will compete for starting honors on the defensive line this spring. "We didn't have him down for a recruiting visit, didn't buy him a steak dinner. He came here on his own, and has risen through the ranks by his own hard work. Aaron, Bobby Daly, Jim Verlanic... we have a number in in-state success stories waiting to happen."
And Kramer added that the process never ends. "We're in the midst of working with the next wave of talented in-state players that will come to this school on their own, because they want to be here. They don't just want to play college football, they want to be Bobcats. I love coaching guys like that."
"Getting the best kids from Montana is our goal every year," Kramer says. "But you don't always know when those players will join the program, and you don't always know which ones will be great contributors when they join."
Entering his sixth year as MSU's head coach, the longest tenure of any current Big Sky head coach and one of the longest eras any coach has spent at one school in league history, Kramer is anxious to track the progress of his home-grown players this spring.
"It's always fun to find the next Adam Cordeiro, the next Scott Turnquist, the next Kane Ioane," Kramer said. "But just because we don't take one of those guys in early February doesn't mean he won't be a player."
Kramer has a current favorite example. "Aaron Papich came to us as a walk-on," he said of the sophomore from Great Falls that will compete for starting honors on the defensive line this spring. "We didn't have him down for a recruiting visit, didn't buy him a steak dinner. He came here on his own, and has risen through the ranks by his own hard work. Aaron, Bobby Daly, Jim Verlanic... we have a number in in-state success stories waiting to happen."
And Kramer added that the process never ends. "We're in the midst of working with the next wave of talented in-state players that will come to this school on their own, because they want to be here. They don't just want to play college football, they want to be Bobcats. I love coaching guys like that."
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
