Quinton Everett finds a lot of ways to help the Cats
Photo by: Schmitt Shoots Photography
Quinton Everett Earns Fish's MVP Nod After Scrappy Performance Thursday
1/22/2016 5:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bobcat guard aids team in myriad ways
Using only a box score, most people wouldn't arrive at the conclusion Montana State coach Brian Fish did about the play of junior guard Quinton Everett.
"I thought he was the MVP of the game," Fish says definitively after Everett and the Bobcats defeated defending Big Sky Champion Eastern Washington 85-71 in Worthington Arena. And while Everett's stats weren't eye-catching – he scored nine points with seven rebounds, but finished the game 1-for-5 shooting – Fish's mind didn't change after watching video of the contest.
"The way he was covering the dead area of the floor, helping out and getting back on his guy, was phenomenal," Fish said. "His energy was great. Some of the rebounds I missed in my mind when I went back and looked, he just went above people and got them. He was without question the MVP of the game."
Fish calls Everett "an adjustable wrench" because of his versatility, and that was on display Thursday. The Lakeland, Fla., product led the Cats with seven rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, and blocked a shot.
"He's 6-foot-3," Fish said, "but he goes and blocks a shot, he gets a rebound, he knocks a loose ball away. When he rebounds his physicality sticks out. He can get to the basket, he's a good passer, and last night he steps up and was 6-of-6 from the line. He can just do whatever I ask. Last night was as good as he's done it all year."
While he's able to impact a game in countless ways, Everett says his focus before any contest is on one end of the floor. "My first mindset is defense," he said. "I feel like if I get out there and play tough defense it will rub off on the team, and if we're all playing great defense the game will go smooth."
On a team whose offense is tilted toward a pair of dynamic guards – Marcus Colbert and Tyler Hall each scored over 20 points Thursday, and each average over 16 a game – Everett said picking his spots is important. "I know what shots I'm going to get now as the season goes on. I know Tyler and Marcus are going to get the majority of the shots so I pretty much spot up and get whatever open shots I do get."
Everett fought a pair of ill-timed injuries this season. A hand injury in late October set him back, and a head injury forced him out of the lineup around the first of the year and affected his conditioning. "When I was out (in mid-season) it was hard getting up and down the floor like I want to. I'm getting in better shape now," he said, smiling.
He flashed a couple of smiles late in Thursday's win, indicative of his team's stingy defense. "When I'm smiling, it means I'm having fun and it means we're playing good defense."
"I thought he was the MVP of the game," Fish says definitively after Everett and the Bobcats defeated defending Big Sky Champion Eastern Washington 85-71 in Worthington Arena. And while Everett's stats weren't eye-catching – he scored nine points with seven rebounds, but finished the game 1-for-5 shooting – Fish's mind didn't change after watching video of the contest.
"The way he was covering the dead area of the floor, helping out and getting back on his guy, was phenomenal," Fish said. "His energy was great. Some of the rebounds I missed in my mind when I went back and looked, he just went above people and got them. He was without question the MVP of the game."
Fish calls Everett "an adjustable wrench" because of his versatility, and that was on display Thursday. The Lakeland, Fla., product led the Cats with seven rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, and blocked a shot.
"He's 6-foot-3," Fish said, "but he goes and blocks a shot, he gets a rebound, he knocks a loose ball away. When he rebounds his physicality sticks out. He can get to the basket, he's a good passer, and last night he steps up and was 6-of-6 from the line. He can just do whatever I ask. Last night was as good as he's done it all year."
While he's able to impact a game in countless ways, Everett says his focus before any contest is on one end of the floor. "My first mindset is defense," he said. "I feel like if I get out there and play tough defense it will rub off on the team, and if we're all playing great defense the game will go smooth."
On a team whose offense is tilted toward a pair of dynamic guards – Marcus Colbert and Tyler Hall each scored over 20 points Thursday, and each average over 16 a game – Everett said picking his spots is important. "I know what shots I'm going to get now as the season goes on. I know Tyler and Marcus are going to get the majority of the shots so I pretty much spot up and get whatever open shots I do get."
Everett fought a pair of ill-timed injuries this season. A hand injury in late October set him back, and a head injury forced him out of the lineup around the first of the year and affected his conditioning. "When I was out (in mid-season) it was hard getting up and down the floor like I want to. I'm getting in better shape now," he said, smiling.
He flashed a couple of smiles late in Thursday's win, indicative of his team's stingy defense. "When I'm smiling, it means I'm having fun and it means we're playing good defense."
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