2015 Big Sky Reserve of the Year Marcus Colbert
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Second Season of Brian Fish Era Begins with Friday's Practice
9/30/2015 4:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU returns three starters from 2014-15
Practice officially opens for the 2015-16 college basketball season on Friday, which means one simple thing for Montana State's second-year head men's coach Brian Fish.
"A lot more Westerns," Fish said referencing his preferred late-night movie genre, "and a lot less sleep."
Fish and the Bobcats move out of the occasional workout phase and into full-fledged daily practices on October 2. Fish said that while it's officially his second year on the job, in a lot of ways it doesn't seem that way. "It's like a second year-one because we have so many new guys," he said. "Last year my system was new, but we had a veteran team and a lot of guys that had been through a season. This year we're starting over in a lot of ways."
The presence of only five returners through the summer – with starters Danny Robison, Marcus Colbert and Zach Green anchoring the group – there was a ceiling to what the Cats could accomplish in the spring. That level rose when most of the newcomers arrived on campus for summer classes. And it ramped up again when classes began.
But on Friday in-season practice sessions, which lead to MSU's exhibition game on Nov. 3 against Northwest Indian, officially begin. In effect, the Bobcat practices begin one day earlier because Fish said he'll use the program's final two-hour 'occasional' practice of the off-season on Oct. 1.
Realistically, though, the process of piecing together the 2015-16 Bobcats began in late June, when the program's newcomers reported to campus for summer school and off-season workouts. That group of seven players worked together for around six weeks. Four transfers bolstered the Bobcat roster in June – forwards Tyson Kanseyo and Sarp Gobeloglu, and guards Nahjee Matlock and Quinton Everett. Center Shi Blake arrived in late August. That crew raises the program's talent level immensely.
And that's before accounting for a crop of new freshmen. Wings Tyler Hall, Sam Neumann and Mandrell Worthy each bring different skills to the floor. Along with returning role players Stephan Holm, a sharp-shooting guard, and athletic forward Quinn Price, Fish has a considerable amount to sort through in the early weeks and months of the season.
"We'll really emphasize defense and rebounding," Fish said of his team's October practices. "That will be huge for us. It's been a big push (in the summer and early fall), and we'll do a lot of work in those areas leading up to the exhibition game."
While the team's experience and ability to gel as a unit remain open questions, Fish likes its basketball IQ. "They have good basketball minds," he said. "We've done a lot of classroom-type stuff, and they understand the game, they get what's going on."
While work on fundaments continues, Fish said the main ingredient missing from his team is one that can't be found in practice. "The ebbs and flows of a basketball game are very important," he said. "A lot of the guys lack Division I experience, game experience. That's one thing that won't come until we start playing games."
Friday's practice begins at 6 pm in Shroyer Gym.
"A lot more Westerns," Fish said referencing his preferred late-night movie genre, "and a lot less sleep."
Fish and the Bobcats move out of the occasional workout phase and into full-fledged daily practices on October 2. Fish said that while it's officially his second year on the job, in a lot of ways it doesn't seem that way. "It's like a second year-one because we have so many new guys," he said. "Last year my system was new, but we had a veteran team and a lot of guys that had been through a season. This year we're starting over in a lot of ways."
The presence of only five returners through the summer – with starters Danny Robison, Marcus Colbert and Zach Green anchoring the group – there was a ceiling to what the Cats could accomplish in the spring. That level rose when most of the newcomers arrived on campus for summer classes. And it ramped up again when classes began.
But on Friday in-season practice sessions, which lead to MSU's exhibition game on Nov. 3 against Northwest Indian, officially begin. In effect, the Bobcat practices begin one day earlier because Fish said he'll use the program's final two-hour 'occasional' practice of the off-season on Oct. 1.
Realistically, though, the process of piecing together the 2015-16 Bobcats began in late June, when the program's newcomers reported to campus for summer school and off-season workouts. That group of seven players worked together for around six weeks. Four transfers bolstered the Bobcat roster in June – forwards Tyson Kanseyo and Sarp Gobeloglu, and guards Nahjee Matlock and Quinton Everett. Center Shi Blake arrived in late August. That crew raises the program's talent level immensely.
And that's before accounting for a crop of new freshmen. Wings Tyler Hall, Sam Neumann and Mandrell Worthy each bring different skills to the floor. Along with returning role players Stephan Holm, a sharp-shooting guard, and athletic forward Quinn Price, Fish has a considerable amount to sort through in the early weeks and months of the season.
"We'll really emphasize defense and rebounding," Fish said of his team's October practices. "That will be huge for us. It's been a big push (in the summer and early fall), and we'll do a lot of work in those areas leading up to the exhibition game."
While the team's experience and ability to gel as a unit remain open questions, Fish likes its basketball IQ. "They have good basketball minds," he said. "We've done a lot of classroom-type stuff, and they understand the game, they get what's going on."
While work on fundaments continues, Fish said the main ingredient missing from his team is one that can't be found in practice. "The ebbs and flows of a basketball game are very important," he said. "A lot of the guys lack Division I experience, game experience. That's one thing that won't come until we start playing games."
Friday's practice begins at 6 pm in Shroyer Gym.
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/ Men's BasketballThursday, March 03
Friday, November 05
Monday, November 01
Sunday, October 31
