MISSOULA — The storyline coming into Montana’s basketball season was the number of new faces and how well they could gel to make a run at the Big Sky Conference championship.
It's not always an easy task, but with this year's group and only four games remaining in the regular season, Montana has found a winning recipe.
After another weekly sweep, this time over Idaho State and Weber State, the Grizzlies have won eight games in a row, the first time that’s happened since the 2018-19 season.
“We got a lot of guys buying in and you could tell by how we shared the ball," UM senior forward Te'Jon Sawyer said. "But you know our main thing is not to get relaxed, still play with an edge, you know? And not to get complacent.
"It was basically just coming in, having that winning mindset, you know? So our main goal was just to win. Encouraging guys not to come in expecting individual accolades and really bond as a team. Trying to get the core, you know, to click so we could be a great team."
After Saturday's win over Weber State, Montana sits alone in first place atop the Big Sky standings at 19-8 overall and 12-2 in league play. But coming in to the season there were a lot of unknowns, as the Grizzlies added nine new players to the roster.
So the question became how would the team mesh — and do so in a short amount of time?
“Constant conversation, wanting to win," UM head coach Travis DeCuire said. "I think the hard part for us was learning how to play with other good players, learning how to defer learning, how to win when it means you might not take the shot, you might not make the pass. And we've continued to improve and make strides in that area.”
In the landscape of college basketball, roster turnover is expected and more drastic than ever.
Montana is no exception with transfers every year, so it’s been about those on the current team meshing and buying in and, in short, backing up the talk.
“Guys said all the right things," DeCuire said. "Winning was important to all of them, so when they say that then you assume that it's in them, but you don't know how long it takes or how much information they need to get to that point together. And so we assumed that it was there, but we weren't sure. We didn't know until we hit the ground running and broke a sweat with them.”
The team has come together on the court, but it’s their time together off it that has helped just as much.
“We hang out a lot, outside of practice," senior guard Austin Patterson said. "We love bantering with each other. We're always making fun of each other, you know, talking smack. Just what hoopers do and stuff like that. So I think we got a really good group of guys. We all get along really well. So I think that really helps us on the court.”
UM’s depth has played a huge role in the wins.
Guys like Joe Pridgen and Malik Moore made impacts right away, while Patterson fit in nicely as a seasoned player in the Big Sky coming from Sacramento State.
Lately, Kai Johnson has exploded on both ends of the floor for the Grizzlies starting with the Brawl of the Wild, while others like Amari Jedkins, Jensen Bradtke and more have had flashes and impacts all season to round out the rotation.
“I think complacency is dangerous, especially in times like this, when you're on a winning-game streak," Johnson said. "So I think just adding on to it and building on top of it and seeing just how good we can get is the main goal and it's nice because we got so much talent that it could be anyone that goes off.
"They recruit people who want to win, and that's the main reason I came here was because I wanted to win games and I think since they recruit that way, you kind of get here with everyone with the same goal in mind, that winning is the priority over everything else."
Those new faces have fit in nicely with the few returners Montana did have, namely fifth-year guard Brandon Whitney, who is climbing up the record books in a number of categories. DeCuire is also now one game away from tying George Dahlberg for the all-time wins mark in program history at 221.
Sophomore Money Williams has caught fire again of late which has been huge for the Grizzlies. Plus, in his second year at UM, Sawyer has also seen his production increase.
With all of these factors, its a mix that has worked out well for the Griz this season as they ride the longest winning streak in the conference and are getting hot at the right time with March approaching.
“I think everybody's accepted their role just for the bigger picture. You know, everyone wants to win," Patterson said. "I think we have a great opportunity. Obviously we're doing well. We haven't proved anything yet. We just got to keep it rolling and just keep playing our game.”
