Bobcat Cagers Open Drills on Friday
10/15/2009 1:43:53 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU's men's basketball program welcomes back four returning starters
Montana State's men's basketball team has endured what amounts to a long-distance run since the start of the school year. Now, Bobcat coach Brad Huse says, the sprint begins.
"You have a very short window between the start of practice and the first exhibition game," said Huse, presiding over his fourth preseason camp as MSU's men's basketball coach. "We're trying to power through some fundamentals and get things in place in terms of our schemes."
College basketball teams begin practice on Friday, and Huse said the Bobcats start from a good spot this year. "It's nice to have a lot of returners that should be able to pick up on things really quick," he said. "We utilized out-of-season workouts to touch on both fundamentals and the schemes that we'll be using this year. It's a very busy stretch."
Four Bobcat starters return from last year's team that lost in the final seconds of the Big Sky Conference Championship game. Senior point guard Marquis Navarre joins wings Will Bynum, a senior, and junior Erik Rush as returning starters. Junior Bobby Howard and senior Branden Johnson shared time at the four spot a year ago, and veterans Danny Piepoli, a junior forward, Austin Brown, a sophomore guard, and sophomore center Cody Anderson also saw significant time last year. Senior forward Cameron Henderson also returns on the inside, and guard Larry Swann redshirted last season.
Huse said that a versatile, veteran backcourt allows options. "It's great to have experience back in those spots where the decision-makers are," Huse said. "Those guys are going to be a little more interchangeable than last year, but they'll be real familiar with what we're doing. It's good to build your offense around the players who are orchestrating things, who are initiating sets in your half-court offense."
The Bobcats also look for production from a handful of newcomers. Junior college center Michel Swita, a seven-foot sophomore, and 6-9 freshman forward/center Jeff Budinich should bolster the front line, while junior college point guard Bryan Louff adds to the team's options in the backcourt. Forward Steven Davis has impressed, and is ticketed to redshirt.
The Bobcats lost a pair of players during the off-season. Freshman guard Colt Idol suffered a knee injury that will hold him out of the season, while forward Marco Borgeault left the program after failing to attain eligibility.
