MISSOULA — Basketball season is right around the corner, and the buzz and excitement around Travis DeCuire's squad for the upcoming winter is ramping up. The Montana Grizzlies sport an interesting blend of talent on the court.
"The identity changes every year," DeCuire said. "Schemes don't really change that much for us. Style of play is what it is. Every once in a while we'll come up with some new actions that may fit the personnel a little better. But the intent in how we play basketball doesn't really change much. Right now we're just working on some things and figuring out what our strengths really are."
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Now in his 13th season leading his alma mater, DeCuire and Co. are coming off of their third straight run to the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game. UM fell just short to Idaho after making the NCAA tournament the season prior. It was the seventh Big Sky title game in which UM has played under DeCuire.
Gone is star guard Money Williams to Boston College, as well as program stalwart Te'Jon Sawyer, but back are two key faces thrust into major starting roles a year ago as freshmen in Tyler Thompson and Kenyon Aguino.
Thompson (8.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 40.1% from deep) redshirted the year the Griz went to March Madness but broke out last season as a tall athlete who snipes from deep. Aguino (8.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) was a true freshman and a touted prospect from New Mexico who did a little bit of everything outside and in the post.
"I think embracing that side of a leader role is just making sure I show the new guys what the culture is here at Montana," Thompson said. "I think my role is just leading by example and using my voice in a sense to just show myself, remind myself what I need to do and remind the guys what they need to do so we can all be on the same page and move forward as a whole."
"I feel like the change from high school to college is really just like the pace, you know, physicality with all that," Aguino added. "So just adjusting to that, getting in the weight room, getting extra work just really helped me. And then going into year two, just trying to be more comfortable, that'll probably be the next big jump."
The Griz return Missoula product Connor Dick as well who is expected to be a big part of the season, along with forward Amari Jedkins and guard Courtney Anderson Jr.
From there, the program boasts 10 new faces this season. Montana was picked to finish fourth in the Big Sky preseason polls and defeated Cal State Bakersfield in an exhibition on Saturday evening by a score of 84-78 in overtime.
"We challenge ourselves probably a little much in November, which I think is what makes this fun though," DeCuire said. "And then we try to figure out exactly where we think we should be in December. and be as prepared as possible for conference. But we'll be a work in progress. There will be days where you think we're playing great basketball and there will be times where we scratch our heads. And that is what it is, especially in this day and time of college basketball."
Guard Jalen Brown, who was a NCAA Division II All-American at Cal State Dominguez Hills with 15.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season, is expected to play a major part. As is Jordan Clark, who put together a decorated career at D-II Central Washington in 91 career games where he amassed 1,096 career points.
Pacific transfer Clayton Mpiana will fit into the mix as an impressive talent immediately, as will junior college transfer Garrett Dutro (61 starts at Sierra College, averaged 20.7 ppg). Freshman Semaj Carter is also turning heads, and Boise State transfer Noah Bendinger is a promising addition too.
The Griz open the season at Oregon on Nov. 2 to begin another challenging non-conference slate, and they'll embark on a 20-game conference schedule as well. It's officially all systems go in pursuit of another Big Sky title.
"I feel like that was one of the biggest things and just knowing that I've been in a championship last year and I've seen it my freshman year," Thompson said. "So knowing that it's capable and he has the right blueprints, he has all the right things to do. So just knowing what we're capable of playing under Trav."
Griz 2026-27 men's basketball roster
No. 0, Jalen Brown, SR, 6-foot-2, Salinsa, CA
No. 1, Josiah Sanders, SR, 6-foot-7, Phoenix, AZ
No. 2, Tyler Thompson, JR, 6-foot-6, Fairfield, CA
No. 3, Jordan Clark, SR, 6-foot-2, Seattle, WA
No. 4, Jackson Haggins, FR, 6-foot-2, Riverside, CA
No. 5, Amari Jedkins, SR, 6-foot-8, Racine, WI
No. 7, Noah Bendinger, SO, 6-foot-4, Draper, UT
No. 8, LoLo Rudolph, JR, 6-foot-2, San Diego, CA
No. 9, Seven Pridgen, FR, 6-foot-3, Worcester, MA
No. 10, Connor Dick, SR, 6-foot-4, Missoula, MT
No. 11, Semaj Carter, FR, 6-foot-4, Compton, CA
No. 13, Courtney Anderson Jr., SR, 6-foot-5, Vallejo, CA
No. 21, Clayton Mpiana, SO, 6-foot-9, Birmingham, United Kingdom
No. 22, Garret Dutro, SR, 6-foot-6, Auburn, CA
No. 24, Kenyon Aguino, SO, 6-foot-8, Albuquerque, NM
