By Danny Waldo
Historically, the more successful teams in men’s basketball in the Big Sky Conference have been those that have had the benefit of a dominating big man. Case in point, Weber State and Joel Bolomboy and Montana and Martin Bruenig. Both men dominated the paint during their time in the league, and not surprisingly, both teams were at, or near the top of the conference standings for the better part of the time coinciding with Bolomboy and Bruenig’s play. Ask any fan of Bobcat basketball for the past decade, casual or rabid, and they will tell you the one thing lacking has been a dominating big man of our own. Not since the days of Quadre Lollis and Nate Holmstad has MSU possessed a post player capable of changing the game on both ends of the floor. Going into year No. 3 in Bozeman, head coach Brian Fish is once again in search of that elusive piece of the puzzle. MSU improved in the win column in year No. 2, thanks in large part to the stellar play of freshman phenom Tyler Hall, but Hall is a perimeter player, and the ‘Cats continued to get manhandled in the trenches versus the league’s top teams.
However, help may be on the way in the form of JUCO transfer, Benson Osayande, out of Casper College in Wyoming. Osayande is a 6’9 200 lb. forward who Fish called “bouncy and athletic.” Last season, Osayande averaged 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while adding 26 blocks for the 25-9 Thunderbirds. While his numbers may not be gaudy, Osayande was efficient, shooting 50% from the floor and 74% from the charity stripe in helping lead Casper to the Region IX championship game. “Benson really brings length and athleticism to our program,” Fish said. “He moves well and he’ll really help us on the defensive end. He can shoot it out to about 15 feet and is effective around the basket, but I really like what he brings us defensively. Benson is a different type of player than we have right now.” Osayande will enroll as a junior this fall and have two years of eligibility remaining. •
