The University of Great Falls Men’s Basketball Team is poised and ready to build on last season’s improvements and continue their climb up the ladder in the tough Frontier Conference in 2008-09.
“We made some real positive strides last year, especially down the stretch in conference play, to get this program where it needs to be,” said Head Coach Steve Silsby, who returns for his 3rd season at the helm of the Argonauts. “Last year it took our players a while to grasp the way we want to play. With that year of experience under their belt, the returnees should be ready to go from day one, and it’ll be up to the newcomers to learn quickly.”
The Argos were an up and down team for much of the season in 2007-08, until February when things started to click with the team executing Silsby’s up-tempo offensive attack and full court pressure defense. The highlight of the year came on February 16 when the Argos upended eventual conference champion Lewis-Clark State 83-69 in the McLaughlin Center. Look for more of the same in 2008-09, as the coaching staff has taken steps to increase the athleticism of the roster.
Amongst the returnees to this year’s squad are seniors Keithan Gregg (Cut Bank, MT/Eastern Washington University), Brian Harrison (Richland, WA/Carroll College), and Rayshaun Ames (Little Rock, AR/South Mountain Community College). These three individuals have proven themselves to be dedicated workers on the court and should provide the backbone for this year’s squad.
“Keithan, Rayshaun, and Brian have all taken different paths to get to this point in their lives. What makes them such great individuals is their dedication to the team and their desire to put this program on the map,” said Silsby.
Here is a positional breakdown of the 2008-09 Argonauts:
BACKCOURT: Keithan Gregg returns for his third season with the Argos basketball program and will likely see more time off the ball than in years past. The Argos were at their best last year when this floor general shined. For the season, Gregg averaged 8.9 ppg while shooting 45% from the field. Gregg, the former Class B State Tournament MVP for Cut Bank High School, turned his play up a notch in the month of February as he contributed eight double-figure scoring efforts while averaging 14.3 ppg for the month.
With Gregg likely to see more time on the wing, making the transition to primary ball-handler is lightning quick junior Levi Lopez (Phoenix, AZ/Mesa Community College). After sitting out the first semester last season, Lopez joined the squad in time to see action in 15 games, while starting 12. Over the course of those 15 games, Lopez proved his worth and that even at 5’7” tall he could have a huge impact on games because of his speed and shooting ability. Lopez, who holds the record for three-point baskets in Arizona high school basketball, averaged 8.5 ppg while knocking down 37% of his shots from behind the arc last season.
Bolstering the backcourt depth is junior Aaron Skogen (Ronan, MT/Miles Community College). After redshirting last season, Skogen is ready to take aim and fire as he’ll be one of the Argos’ leading threats from the outside. Also seeing action in the backcourt will be junior Jesse Corbett (Missoula, MT/Scottsdale Community College). After playing junior college baseball, Corbett returns to the sport that saw him garner All-State recognition as a senior at Missoula Big Sky High School.
Rounding out the Argonaut backcourt is a trio of transfers in sophomores Travoy Edwards (Las Vegas, NV/Treasure Valley Community College), B.J. Meridyth (Odessa, TX/Eastern Arizona College) and Eric Taylor (Las Vegas, NV/Monterrey Peninsula College). At 6’7”, Edwards provides instant length, athleticism and energy to the Argonaut backcourt. The 6’1” Meridyth is quick, agile and strong and should be an excellent fit in the Argonaut system as he can play either guard spot. Taylor is more of a true point guard who looks to distribute the ball to open teammates while his biggest strength is his ability to pressure the opposition’s ball handlers.
“The backcourt should really be the strength of our team this year,” said Silsby. “We have a number of guys who are versatile and athletic which will allow us to play different lineup combinations and hopefully cause opponents trouble because of our depth.”
FRONTCOURT: Leading the Argonaut frontcourt in 2008-09 is Rayshaun Ames, who returns after being honored as a 1st Team All-Frontier Conference selection a year ago. Ames will prove to be perhaps the Argos’ most valuable offensive player as he did a year ago, leading the team with 15.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg while shooting an efficient 51% from the field and 84% from the free throw line. Ames would like nothing more than to close out his collegiate career by leading the Argonauts to their first winning season since bringing basketball back to the university in 2000.
Aiding Ames up front is the 6’7” Brian Harrison who started 13 games last season down the stretch as he proved to be one of the Argos’ most improved players. The 27-year old former United States Marine’s contributions are often not seen on the stat sheet as he’s counted on to hold down the opposition’s best post player night in and night out, all while shooting 62% from the field a year ago.
Also returning up front for Coach Silsby is junior Matt Niemeyer (Great Falls, MT/Helena High School) and sophomore Trevor Fehr (Corvallis, MT/Corvallis High School). Niemeyer looks to be a high energy player for the Argos again this year after making 10 starts and averaging 7.0 ppg last season. The 6’8” Fehr was forced to redshirt last season with a shoulder injury. He’ll look to regain the form that allowed him to see action in 16 games as a true freshman in 2006-07.
Also returning for his second year in Argo blue and gold is 6’7” junior Marko Lakic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Eastern Arizona College). This athletic Serbian is a nice fit in the Argonaut system as he can play multiple positions, both on the block and on the perimeter.
Rounding out the frontcourt is 6’6” freshman JayTee Tarpley (Dubois, ID/Dubois High School). As the only true freshman on the roster, Tarpley will have his work cut out for him as he adjusts to the college game. If there’s anyone that can handle it though it’s this beast of young man who moves his 235 pound frame as if he were much smaller. The coaching staff is looking for big things from this newcomer in the future.
“Our frontcourt players really need to step up this year,” said Silsby. “We’re going to be asking a lot of them all year long in our defensive scheme and on the backboard. It’s not going to be easy but I’m confident in every one of these guys that they can fill their respective roles.”
SCHEDULE: The Argos will be at the friendly confines of the McLaughlin Center for much of the preseason with seven of their first eight games occurring on campus. The season tips off on October 24 with the Argos hosting the University of Regina, who torched UGF in last season’s meeting up in Havre. The lone road spot in the early going is the first of two exhibitions vs. NCAA Division I opponents as the Argos travel to Missoula to take on the mighty Grizzlies of the University of Montana. The Argos will also battle the Montana State Bobcats in exhibition action in Bozeman on December 1. Prior to the Bobcat game however is the Argos’ usual home-and-home action vs. both Minot State and Dickinson State as well as a trip to Lewiston, ID for the Lewis-Clark State Thanksgiving Tournament where they’ll face off against NW Oklahoma State and Evergreen State. The highlight of the pre-season schedule comes in mid-December as the Argos will travel to Buffalo, NY for games vs. Daemen College and Houghton College. Upon returning from holiday break, the Argos host two more Canadian teams in the University of Lethbridge and Kings University College, before rounding out the non-conference portion of the schedule by visiting Montana State-Billings on New Year’s Eve. Frontier Conference play gets underway on January 9 with the Argos hosting defending Frontier Conference champion Lewis-Clark State.