Photo by: Garrett Becker
Official Prep for 2021-22 Season Underway for Bobcat Men’s Hoops
9/28/2021 1:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Tuesday’s practice officially kicked off MSU’s preseason schedule of practices as Montana State sits exactly six weeks away from opening its season at Colorado
BOZEMAN, Mont. – A lot of work has already been done in the confines of Brick Breeden Fieldhouse over the course of the summer and since the start of the fall semester. But for Division I basketball programs across the country, Tuesday served as the biggest sign for the impending 2021-22 season.
The same would be said for the Montana State men's basketball team. The Bobcats had a majority of their squad in Bozeman training throughout the summer while working team and individual camps. They've also been in the gym since classes began in August completing workouts.
But Tuesday's practice officially kicked off MSU's preseason schedule of practices as Montana State sits exactly six weeks away from opening its season at Colorado. The Sept. 28 practice kicked off a period where basketball programs can extend their time working on basketball activities from eight to 20 hours per week.
That extra time will serve as a benefit for head coach Danny Sprinkle and his staff as they begin gearing the team towards their upcoming schedule.
"We'll just be able to slow down a little bit," Sprinkle said of MSU transitioning into the preseason practice period. "I'm big on pace, I want these guys to play hard, but sometimes we're flying around. They may screw up right now, but we're playing hard which is okay. Now we can start to slow them down and break things down a little bit more. Go through technique, just everything which is helpful."
A lot of learning has taken place for both the Bobcat returners and newcomers. MSU returned nine players from a season ago, which includes a full complement of athletes that have had time in the starting lineup in previous years under Sprinkle. However, with the addition of eight newcomers with six being freshmen, plenty of adjustments have been made. That also includes a coaching staff that is working with more players than they've ever had on a roster previously.
"It's been great for depth purposes to have all 17 guys," Sprinkle said. "I also think it's good to get a little bit of a rest at practice with this group. That scrimmage we had (on Gold Rush weekend), guys were dead tired because we only had like 11 guys scrimmaging. There were hardly any subs and we were just going up and down the floor which was kind of tough for them.
"But it'll be good because, especially for the young guys, they'll be able to view stuff from the sideline and see it before they get into things more than in a different year."
MSU's men's basketball team is scheduled to open the schedule with an exhibition matchup versus Yellowstone Christian on Nov. 2. Following the Bobcats' season opener at Colorado, MSU is slated to host Rocky Mountain in Worthington Arena on Nov. 14.
The same would be said for the Montana State men's basketball team. The Bobcats had a majority of their squad in Bozeman training throughout the summer while working team and individual camps. They've also been in the gym since classes began in August completing workouts.
But Tuesday's practice officially kicked off MSU's preseason schedule of practices as Montana State sits exactly six weeks away from opening its season at Colorado. The Sept. 28 practice kicked off a period where basketball programs can extend their time working on basketball activities from eight to 20 hours per week.
That extra time will serve as a benefit for head coach Danny Sprinkle and his staff as they begin gearing the team towards their upcoming schedule.
"We'll just be able to slow down a little bit," Sprinkle said of MSU transitioning into the preseason practice period. "I'm big on pace, I want these guys to play hard, but sometimes we're flying around. They may screw up right now, but we're playing hard which is okay. Now we can start to slow them down and break things down a little bit more. Go through technique, just everything which is helpful."
A lot of learning has taken place for both the Bobcat returners and newcomers. MSU returned nine players from a season ago, which includes a full complement of athletes that have had time in the starting lineup in previous years under Sprinkle. However, with the addition of eight newcomers with six being freshmen, plenty of adjustments have been made. That also includes a coaching staff that is working with more players than they've ever had on a roster previously.
"It's been great for depth purposes to have all 17 guys," Sprinkle said. "I also think it's good to get a little bit of a rest at practice with this group. That scrimmage we had (on Gold Rush weekend), guys were dead tired because we only had like 11 guys scrimmaging. There were hardly any subs and we were just going up and down the floor which was kind of tough for them.
"But it'll be good because, especially for the young guys, they'll be able to view stuff from the sideline and see it before they get into things more than in a different year."
MSU's men's basketball team is scheduled to open the schedule with an exhibition matchup versus Yellowstone Christian on Nov. 2. Following the Bobcats' season opener at Colorado, MSU is slated to host Rocky Mountain in Worthington Arena on Nov. 14.
Thursday, March 03
Friday, November 05
Monday, November 01
Sunday, October 31
