Bobcats Boost Backcourt
4/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Brad Huse capped his effort to improve Montana State's athleticism Thursday when a pair of junior college guards signed National Letters-of-Intent to join the Bobcat basketball program.
Will Bynum, a 6-3 two guard from Eastern Arizona College, and 5-11 Marquis Navarre from Marshalltown (Iowa) Junior College, who can play either guard spot, make MSU more versatile and athletic, Huse said. "Both these guys give us a different kind of presence in the backcourt. I expect them both to make a big impact on both ends of the floor."
Bynum, originally from Almagordo, N.M., averaged 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals a game for the Gila Monsters last season. He was a second team all-conference and all-region choice, who earned All-Tournament honors at the NJCAA National Championships in March. He was selected EAC's Male Athlete of the Year, and picked for the NJCAA All-Star game. "Will is an extremely athletic guard," Huse said, "with an outstanding defensive presence. He can score, as well. He plays very hard, really runs the court, and shoots a high percentage."
Tim Walsh, the coach at Eastern Arizona, likes the well-rounded nature of Bynum's game. "He is a high-energy guy, first of all, and plays with a great amount of passion. He is very athletic and can make plays on his own, which is obviously an advantage. He is a good all-around basketball player. He's athletic, but can shoot the ball from the perimeter. He plays hard on defense, and really shares the ball. He's a well-rounded player, an a good team guy. But the most important thing is that he's a winner. He's used to winning. There's really no substitute for kids that are winners, and Will is a pleasure to coach."
Walsh, who also coached Carlos Taylor in the junior college ranks in Iowa, likened Bynum to the former Bobcat standout. "As far as personality and the type of kid, absolutely (they are similar)," Walsh said. "They have different physiques and Carlos is more of a perimeter shooter, but as far as being quality kids, they are very similar."
Navarre, originally from Oceanside, Calif., earned second team all-conference honors after averaging 16.3 points and 3.2 rebounds a game at Marshalltown. He also chipped in 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals a game last season. "Marquis is a combo guard that can really score," Huse said. "Offensively he can attack in a lot of different ways. Defense is a priority for Marquis, though. He takes a lot of pride in guarding the right way and in playing hard defensively."
Marshalltown coach Brynar Brynarrson said Navarre is a hard-nosed player. "I think he brings a tremendous amount of toughness, and a desire to play as hard as he can on every play. He is really a coach's player, to be honest. He tries to do everything he can to do what the coach tells him to do. He's not the most vocal leader, but he leads by the example of how he plays. He can pass, he can score but he's very unselfish, he picks up full court and can really guard."
Huse indicated Bynum and Navarre round out MSU's 2008 recruiting class, and that he's pleased with what they bring to the Bobcats next fall, along with forwards Austin Brown and Cameron Henderson, who signed earlier. "We've really helped ourselves," Huse said. "We've improved athletically and we've brought the kind of kids to the program that we want to build around. This class will have a positive impact on our program."
Will Bynum, a 6-3 two guard from Eastern Arizona College, and 5-11 Marquis Navarre from Marshalltown (Iowa) Junior College, who can play either guard spot, make MSU more versatile and athletic, Huse said. "Both these guys give us a different kind of presence in the backcourt. I expect them both to make a big impact on both ends of the floor."
Bynum, originally from Almagordo, N.M., averaged 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals a game for the Gila Monsters last season. He was a second team all-conference and all-region choice, who earned All-Tournament honors at the NJCAA National Championships in March. He was selected EAC's Male Athlete of the Year, and picked for the NJCAA All-Star game. "Will is an extremely athletic guard," Huse said, "with an outstanding defensive presence. He can score, as well. He plays very hard, really runs the court, and shoots a high percentage."
Tim Walsh, the coach at Eastern Arizona, likes the well-rounded nature of Bynum's game. "He is a high-energy guy, first of all, and plays with a great amount of passion. He is very athletic and can make plays on his own, which is obviously an advantage. He is a good all-around basketball player. He's athletic, but can shoot the ball from the perimeter. He plays hard on defense, and really shares the ball. He's a well-rounded player, an a good team guy. But the most important thing is that he's a winner. He's used to winning. There's really no substitute for kids that are winners, and Will is a pleasure to coach."
Walsh, who also coached Carlos Taylor in the junior college ranks in Iowa, likened Bynum to the former Bobcat standout. "As far as personality and the type of kid, absolutely (they are similar)," Walsh said. "They have different physiques and Carlos is more of a perimeter shooter, but as far as being quality kids, they are very similar."
Navarre, originally from Oceanside, Calif., earned second team all-conference honors after averaging 16.3 points and 3.2 rebounds a game at Marshalltown. He also chipped in 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals a game last season. "Marquis is a combo guard that can really score," Huse said. "Offensively he can attack in a lot of different ways. Defense is a priority for Marquis, though. He takes a lot of pride in guarding the right way and in playing hard defensively."
Marshalltown coach Brynar Brynarrson said Navarre is a hard-nosed player. "I think he brings a tremendous amount of toughness, and a desire to play as hard as he can on every play. He is really a coach's player, to be honest. He tries to do everything he can to do what the coach tells him to do. He's not the most vocal leader, but he leads by the example of how he plays. He can pass, he can score but he's very unselfish, he picks up full court and can really guard."
Huse indicated Bynum and Navarre round out MSU's 2008 recruiting class, and that he's pleased with what they bring to the Bobcats next fall, along with forwards Austin Brown and Cameron Henderson, who signed earlier. "We've really helped ourselves," Huse said. "We've improved athletically and we've brought the kind of kids to the program that we want to build around. This class will have a positive impact on our program."
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