By Danny Waldo
For the first time in Brian Fish’s four-year tenure as head coach of the Montana State men’s basketball team, he enters a season with a plethora of experience and talent. That change in circumstance has resulted in higher expectations for the Bobcats as they begin the quest for their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1996. Montana State returns five starters off of last season’s squad that finished 16-16 overall and 11-7 in league play, led by Julius Irving watch list and Big Sky preseason MVP candidate Tyler Hall. Hall is the reigning league MVP after finishing 7th in the country in scoring at 23.1 points per game last year, but he is not the only productive player to return. Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, Harald Frey, also returns to provide scoring opportunities for Hall, as does leading rebounder Sam Neumann. Fellow starters Zach Green and Devonte Klines also return, with Green being the longest tenured Bobcat as one of Fish’s first recruits when he took the job back in 2014.
In all, eight players return from MSU’s 5th place team from a season ago, and add a pair of veteran transfers in Konnor Frey (Utah Valley) and Keljin Blevins (Southern Miss), both of whom had to sit out a season ago due to NCAA transfer rules. The Bobcats also welcome a trio of true freshman to add depth in the backcourt and the size in the frontcourt. Isaac Bonton and Lassi Nikkarinen both are expected Frey at the point, while 6’11 freshman Luke Schultz from Fredricksburg, TX should see minutes in the paint, giving MSU a post presence it has desperately needed in season’s past. All that talent and experience did not go unnoticed by league coaches and media members as Montana State was picked to finish fourth in both the coach’s and media polls. MSU has had only one top-four finish since Mick Durham retired in 2006, coming in 2013 when MSU tied for fourth. But projections can only take the ‘Cats so far.
Last season, MSU entered the Big Sky Conference tournament on a hot streak, winning 10 of 12 games between January and March to enter the post-season as one of the hottest teams in the league, only to fall to lower-seeded Southern Utah in the opening-round. Anything less than a conference championship this season would be seen as a disappointment to many around the program. The Bobcats kick off the 2017-18 campaign with an exhibition contest versus MSU-Northern on November 1st. Regular season play gets under way November 10th, when the Bobcats host Omaha in Great Falls. For a complete schedule of games, log onto www.msubobcats.com.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Montana State and Bozeman High School athletics.
