a serving of cherry pie to go with your big dance

Well it’s that time of the year again people.  March Madness.  Yes, that illustrious time of the year where thirty-two games are played in the following two days as men and women alike across the country track scores and stream games online or head to the bars on their lunch breaks to get a taste of the Madness.  I definitely fall in with that crowd although with each passing year I find myself more and more out of touch with college basketball and the actual teams that are playing out on the floor come the beginning of tourney time.  Yet I should say I did win my bracket pool last year so I’m no sack of rocks when it comes to picking the winners.

  

Senior Guard Will Cherry will not be denied

This year marks the first year I haven’t watched a single college game all season until this past Saturday when I attended, for the second consecutive year, the Big Sky Conference Championship at the Adams Center here in Missoula.  My alma mater hosted, and the University of Montana Men’s basketball team didn’t disappoint.  Honestly, I could care less about Griz football, one of the best perks of successfully matriculating through the University of Montana is finally having a bona fide rooting interest for March Madness, i.e. a school capable of participating in the tournament given that my undergraduate institution (Bloomsburg University) is Division II.

This year’s Griz squad features two players, Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar, who are key to their success in winning the Big Sky Regular Season and Conference Championships as well as any future Big Dance success.  Cherry plays point guard, or the 1, while Jamar plays shooting guard, or the 2.  Truth be told, I intended to begin writing my blog a year ago at this time and the first blog was to be dedicated to the prowess of Cherry.  That never got off the ground for various reasons but one year later I have finally righted my blogging ship.  As far as the Griz go, one year later Jamar is now the ascending star of the program.  I say that simply because Cherry is now a senior and while he was largely responsible last year for all things backcourt (with help frontcourt from bigs Brian Qvale, Derek Selvig and Mathias Ward), this season he has battled the effects of a foot injury suffered in the preseason and has missed some action. 

Here is an ESPN profile piece on Cherry and his recovery:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8947545/montana-grizzlies-cherry-fights-adversity-college-basketball

Coach Tinkle advising Kareem Jamar on the fly

In his absence, Jamar handled the role of ‘star of the show’ well.  Good enough for second on the team in scoring (points per game).  Yet after another injury scare for Cherry against Davidson a few weeks back, the smooth as silk point guard from California has come back with a vengeance.  This was on full display in their two tournament games where Cherry totaled 39 points (to go along with four steals) in the two victories.  He also nailed a crucial three point shot to put the Griz back in command with a five point lead with little more than a minute remaining in the championship game against Weber State.  Not to be outdone, Jamar matched Cherry's scoring output in those two games and further contributed fifteen rebounds and nine assists.

Yet Cherry remains very much the straw that stirs the drink while Jamar is a more battle-tested weapon than the player last March who was still growing into a supporting backcourt role on the squad.  Now instead of the obvious comparisons to Batman and Robin, this dynamic duo is more like 1 and 1A.  As such, with these two stellar guards, who very much possess pro potential, the Griz stand a markedly better chance at making some noise Thursday night in San Jose when they take on the Orange of Syracuse University.

Montana’s team is coached by Wayne Tinkle, a former Griz graduate and player as well as owner of a lengthy overseas career playing hoops.  Tinkle came back to Missoula in 2007 and has built a program over the past seven years that is becoming something special going 141 -77 overall (.647) and 85-31 (.733) in Big Sky league action.  This was on display Saturday night against Weber State.  This year’s Griz squad is incredibly deep unlike years prior.  Their power forward and leading scorer (and Academic All-American) Mathias Ward is out for the year with a foot injury suffered against Davidson.  In his absence, players like Spencer Coleman, Michael Weisner and Kevin Henderson have stepped up to shoulder the load in the paint.

Under Tinkle’s daft leadership, the entire squad has overcome injury adversity this year and proven no worse for the wear as evidenced by their 19-1 Big Sky Conference record (25-6 overall).  Watching Tinkle roam the sideline is a sight to behold for a few reasons: one is that he is 6’10” and towers over everybody else on the court including the uniformed athletes.  Second is that he is a personable dude and treats his players like any great coach should – he can be seen on the sideline after a player makes a dumb play beginning to loudly admonish him, then he resorts to correcting the player’s technique or specific decision and then ends the process by wrapping his huge wing around his player’s shoulder, consoling, cajoling and reassuring him of his deserved place out on the court.

Pie Guy Photo Archive: The Griz celebrate the 2012 Big Sky Title

This approach has led to two consecutive Big Sky regular season and conference Championships and three Big Sky Championships/NCAA Tournament appearances in the past four years.  The only thing “Tinks” has yet to accomplish is to produce a magical Big Dance victory.  Last year the Griz were clobbered by the University of Wisconsin, known for their physical and stifling defense.  This year they draw Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse squad who have reached the tournament for the 30th time during Boeheim's tenure. 

Needless to say, the Griz have their work cut out for them but count me among the believers.  Guard play is absolutely critical when it comes to the tournament and specifically tournament upsets and while the Griz program may be devoid largely of the Division I talent floating around this tournament, Cherry and Jamar are very much among the most talented players in all of college basketball.

Here's a link to the local Missoula newspaper's feature on the dynamic duo:

http://missoulian.com/sports/college/montana/mens-basketball/montana-thunder-and-lightning-dynamic-backcourt-one-for-the-record/article_e30d2082-90f2-11e2-be2f-0019bb2963f4.html

Cherry at 6'1" has been named a Mid-Major All-American and Mid-Major Defensive All-AMerican, leading the Big Sky in steals in his sophomore and junior years) and he can get to the rack against the biggest of bigs and  he can also stop, pop and shoot against any opposing point charged with covering him.  Jamar at 6’5” has game that is similar to Lebron James in that he is just as comfortable setting up a teammate for an easy two as he is stroking a three or taking it hard to the glass.  Jamar also has a Carmelo Anthony-like smoothness when it comes to scoring and uses his physical frame to get shots off against guys who are often four or five inches taller.  These allusions to pro players (and two of the best) are no accident.  I will stop short of guaranteeing Cherry and Jamar’s NBA career success and surely they can go overseas to Panathinaikos, Zalgiris, CSKA Moscow or Real Madrid and any other of the talented European squads and have solid ten to fifteen year careers. 

Jamar taking it to the opposing D as Cherry watches on

But I will leave final judgment up to you my readers, college hoops fans and those in the national television audience who will tune in tomorrow night.  Cherry and Jamar are two players that Syracuse must neutralize if they hope to squash the underdog and advance to the second round.  In the end, I will make the safe assertion that I fully expect the Griz to make it a game and if it does come down to a final Montana possession, Syracuse (even in their famous 2-3 zone with man-to-man principles) will be hard pressed to stop Cherry and/or Jamar from getting the game-winning shot off. 

We shall see.  Thus the beauty of the sports and the beauty of March Madness.  Schools big and small across the nation meeting up to settle who's best out on the hardwood.  Until then, if you’re in Missoula, you can find me at Flipper’s sipping a PBR watching the big game.  Should be entertaining...

Go Griz!

-PPG