ND-fan

I don't see Brewster adapting his coaching he hasn't done it in the past. Dooley I expect to be improved but to make dramatic improvement in just few months is asking a lot. It usually takes players until there third season to start to develop into full potential player and Dooley just won't have time to do this. I look at Klabo it wasn't until last year she developed into real force in basketball. I hate to say this but it looks to me were going to be bottom half of the conference with this group of players. I also see he just added to his coaching staff for the losses he had this off season and has hired some of UNDs former players as assistant coaches. I was hoping he would add somebody new with outside experience to give fresh perspective on basketball philosophy and adapting to what he has for talent. I also wonder if internal conflict was even at coaching level last year with number of turn overs and people that have left since last year. I think our new AD will need to monitor this program closely because I think were heading in the wrong direction.

I think its going to be long season for the green and white. This team has one definite star this year in Klabo but I am afraid that its going to be easily defensed team because of this. Morton is good player but not one you can count on offensively and gets her self in foul trouble a lot. Strand can be offensive threat but on defensive side of basketball she is liability because not quite quick enough to stay with the guards and not quite big enough to handle the forwards. Daily girls unless they show consider improvement over last year they just don't fit into UND style of basketball. The Dooley would be perfect 6 person player but I am afraid she going to have to start. It will come down to Freshman but rarely will Freshman be leader of team and make empack. Also I forgot Reinke she could emerge as a player but not if Brewster continues to play mind games with her like last year tournament taking her out after opening up the outside. The other thing is Brewster turn over in coaches to me shows that chemistry problem may be at the top not the players. This could be one of the new AD headaches before this year over if this program is near the bottom of the conference and doesn't show much improvement through the season. Brewster wanted to move on I believe but opportunities weren't there for what he wanted couple of years ago. I think he got over confident and ego and mind games hurt the team. He's lucky that Klabo decided to stay her final year but he better hope none of these seniors or experienced girl get hurt or he will have worst year for ND womens basketball.

Every one is talking about getting back to old rivalries here from the past but I am wondering if this isn't us old fans that remember when basketball was number 1 sport at UND. I look at my kids and kids in school they have grown up watching UND play Big Sky schools and even before that played in the Great West conference the rivalries of the past is not part of their history. If you would ask them they identify more with Weber State and the two Montana schools as rivals. I could see the rivalry perc up with NDSU but not if both are in bottom half of the conference as predicted I just don't see fans getting excited about either team. Maybe when UND starts playing in Missouri Conference in football we will see some improvement for all the sports but that is couple years away. The next big question how long is division 1 going to be structured like it is now with the changing of rules on transfers and big division 1 recruiting kids from smaller mid-major programs and division 1 schools start paying athletes spending money for school. That was good about the Big Sky there was parity and often even bottom team could upset one leaders in the conference. From what I have been reading here SDSU looks to dominate and USD is there closest contender not good formula to create interest in conference schedule and then add in that conference Tournament is played basically in front SDSU home crowd and also very supportive of USD not setup easily to build up rivalries when you have two strongest teams and both being favorites to win conference tournament.

I don't think FCS for basketball could be that far from happening if were going to see where major schools and conferences can get kids out the mid major programs. What we have here is minor league system developing for basketball to pro teams. The Major conferences teams are like triple A teams of baseball. Mid-majors are like double AA and A teams in Baseball. The lower division of basketball are just like rookie leagues where only very few will ever play any kind of professional basketball. The only thing keeping this from happening is television giving big money for the tournament but if viewing public comes to see the opening rounds of tournament as non factors in whole of the tournament and ratings decline you will see whole different format develop for college basketball. When you are already seeing colleges like UND loosing players to big schools when these rule changes start occurring the movement of players each year is going to increase with schools like UND made up mostly of Freshman and Sophomores with highly talented kids just developing their skills until big program takes them . The old idea of kids getting education from basketball will not be priority of a lot of kids playing college basketball it will be if they can develop enough to play professional basketball some place. The day where colleges and coaches had all the control is ending and players are going to get a bigger slice of pie is going to happen and probably so these players are producing large scale of revenue and should receive equity in that revenue. When college coaches are now being paid millions of dollars a year in major programs plus these same colleges are netting also millions of dollars for their schools plus advertising to grow their schools its not unreasonable for these athletes to be getting cut out the pie in the future. I just think for schools like UND and many others it will come down to how much they want to invest in their sports programs in the future at what level do these schools will be able to compete at. The only program is UND hockey which is major college in that sport and is one of the top schools in that sport where they should be able continue to compete at division 1 level. The college sports like Football and basketball I could see where schools consider what level they are going to compete because they will not be able to draw revenue and if players are able to move each year and if they have to provide income to get players it may become to costly to continue to compete at Division one level. I agree with previous poster that times are really changing and nobody knows where this going to end up at.

Mens basketball has been competitive for small division one program that is less than 10 years old and has to compete with Hockey for attendance and resources. They won Big Sky conference two years ago and have been competitive in conference tournament the 5 years in the Big Sky. Before that they did win the Great West conference where they won conference title. Und Basketball will struggle as long as Und hockey is the number one sport and now that UND football is also being pushed the resources left for Mens basketball will be limited. Look at this past year how long it took to even sign Jones to new contract he was one lowest paid coaches in division 1 and worst yet was his assistants were way under paid. Hard to put together a good program if you can't attract good people and keep them long term. The new rule changes in division 1 and changing of philosophy by large schools its going to be hard for smaller division 1 schools like UND to compete. They develop young kid into top flight player and big schools come in offer him chance to play in big dance how are you going to keep them with a chance to make impression to play at the next level. If you want my opinion if they have lower class for football they should have the same for basketball because same differences are occurring for basketball big schools have all the advantages especially with how kids are transferring for last one and two years of eligibility. But back to Und basketball this is sport every 2 to 3 years they will make run at conference championship and then if they are lucky they will get NCAA bid for the tournament but like most small division 1 schools it will be one and done and if you are very lucky you win one but done in next round. The top 8 teams out every region are only realistic teams that have chance to advance to final four and if you look at it only top 5 teams out every region has chance to reach the finals. So you can say there are only about 20 to 25 teams that have chance to play into final four. For the small division 1 program your playing for conference championship which is truly your championship tournament. Other things are just recognition for winning your conference and provide programing for tv to make their tournament seem like bigger deal than it is which is trying to find who at end year is best of top 20 to 25 teams.

Jeff Kolpack article in Forum looks like all mid-major programs are in for quite a shake up if the NCAA changes the rule on sitting out for the next year in college sports. We could see where teams will become the feeder program for the top major program conferences very unlikely that mid majors will keep a player more than two years if they are star quality talent. If this occurs they may have to start subdivision in division 1 basketball and other sports as well. We could see where there is only top 75 to 100 schools for division 1 and we will have division between division 1 and 2.How all this shakes out is going to be interesting what it will mean for college sports and how revenue shakes out with these changes. I could see where colleges change how players and schools may get to compensation contract where if school provides enough incentives the player signs a contract to play for so many years where both sides are bound to this contract. I think the days where schools and coaches had all the power where player had to perform or were cut without any compensation is long gone. The transition between where we are now and getting to compensation package is going to take some time and is going to require more from coaching and administrations to sign and retain players. Also I believe the one done athlete may be to the end to where they will just let these players go to NBA and college will be signing players that will need to play college basketball for number of years before they go on to the NBA or professional basketball or just get an education. I believe we are entering where college athletes are going to be compensated while they are playing for colleges at least in upper divisions. The days where colleges created revenue streams off these athletes with very little compensation is coming to an end and probably should have happen some time ago. All this is going to change structure of college sports and how everyone connected is compensated in the future. Athletes are going to be getting bigger pot of pie, schools less, and I believe also coaches too where multi million dollar contracts could also disappear. Also how schools structure themselves who they play will probably will be in play also. These are just my thoughts on this but I do think the times are really changing.

The big question is Klabo going to stay or she going to announce her leaving too to another program. The players recruited so far are not going to be immediate help to this team next year. The girl transferring in next year won't be able to play unless the transfer rule changes from NCAA. The other freshman recruited may help some next year but not till later in the season. I look at from Klabo position she came here to get a chance to play in NCAA tournament and if you look at this team now I just don't see it being able to win the Summit conference. The talent recruited now will be of little benefit for her to accomplish her goal. You have lost FF for the coming year so your going to help bring the ball up if they are pressured and your going to also draw better of front line players defensively and then pick up more of the offense for the coming year. Look at starting 5 next year Klabo, Dooley, Jill Morton, Dailey, and probably Reinke for the team unless we see one of the freshman stepping forth but outcome of Freshman starting for team the record of teams starting freshman is not good. I look at this years coming team they will be hard pressed to have better season than this year. Like I say Brewster better be praying that Klabo stays or were going to be looking at team that will be fighting stay out the bottom of the Summit conference. The reason will be his recruiting last two years where he has no outstanding juniors or sophomores to be stepping up for the coming year. Its like he has taken two years off and my guess is he thought he would be able to move on and this didn't happen. I think Brewster told FF she was have reduced roll and he wanted to start rebuilding with this recruiting class which didn't fit at all her goals of playing in NCAA tournament and then you add in all the mind games she had to put up I think she basically told him to take a flying leap. Just guessing he told her she have hard time finding team and she should accept this roll but when she found a program that wanted her and got it done in just a few days was like slam dunk in Brewster face. The question will be how loyal Klabo will be to UND and her family for this last year of basketball because she is playing here in front of family and Friends. FF has same thing to look at to because I know her being able to play in front of family and friends were important to her so this decision was not made lightly but you can only push a person so far.

This is Women's site and I have been critical of Brewster coaching especially again this year because from what I have watched of this year coaching and what I have heard through the grapevine on him. But I don't get it with Jones coaching from what I saw this year his team improved from beginning of the year to the end and he had competitive team on the floor at the end of the season. I could fault him on his recruiting not having more players available and that may mean he has a problem. He lost several players last year and I haven't heard the reasons for loosing them and again my mind could change if there are problems in the program. The big problem I saw last year you had coach that won the conference and the conference tourney which is about as good outcome as could expect for UND. Und couldn't provide him contract until way into the summer not good situation when you got kids that have come here to play for him and his style of basketball. Also he has been hampered by not being able to pay assistant coaches enough to keep them here so we had constant turn over of coaches. To me this has effected his ability to recruit players without contract and turn over of coaches is very big handicap to building quality program. But his teams have always gotten better as the season gone along and they have always played good basketball in conference tournament. Now Brewster track record is not nearly as good he won the conference tournament when it was played here but when he's played on the road he hasn't even reached semifinals of the tournament and there have been several one and dones. These were highly ranked teams where we should have at least reached finals of the conference tournament. Also the difference I have seen between mens and womens programs is that men's program teams have gotten better through the seasons and I haven't seen this women's program and second the men's team never seem to have more of fight in them going down the stretch. These are my observations of the programs and I don't know all in and outs of the programs.

Freije's comments in this article and her interview shows real class by this player but you can see in her face how and how she expressed herself that there was real parting of ways with Brewster. The real proof in the putting is there has been no statement other than canned reply by UND. The big thing I also see here is that Montana State coach Binford knew what was happening to Freije because she called her right away. What's the deal here why hasn't media here reported reason for parting of ways here at UND when people all way out in Bozeman know what's happening. This is big deal to people of North Dakota when one of home grown talent is being basically thrown away and we have not any explanation why this is happening. Our new Athletic director better start getting handle on what's happening here because if this team goes backward with loss of players and we have another poor year next year his job will get whole lot more difficult by this time next year.

Brewster history as coach since the beginning has been not been one of consistency. Roebuck left him with very good nucleus to start the Big Sky and expectation were that UND would be able to compete right away. The first year was flop and there were question on his coaching. Second year is when he made his run to NCAA tournament but core of this team was from Roebuck era and I don't know if he was person who recruited these players but knowing Roebuck he would have had final say on anything to do with his team. The following year he had team returning significant portion of the team with exception of Buck and Wall both valuable contributors but they had tremendous nucleus returning but again this team fizzled. The last couple of years the team has been successful but they never reached the potential a lot of people thought was capable of the team. One other change in since NCAA year was change in assistant coaches from Val Sussex to Adam Jacobson which I have no idea what effect it had but it was change of assistant coaches from the Roebuck era. The change I have seen is in type of players being recruited under Roebuck tenure he had recruited players like Buck, Loyd, Burck, and Lauck what you call undersized forwards for division I basketball but were quick and athletic could score either inside or outside and then he would find the very big dominate girl inside that could dominate the boards and could catch and score from these undersized forwards. Brewster has recruited the bigger forward with smaller guards to go along with these players that can run the floor push the basketball. But if you look at Summit conference both South Dakota schools have recruited forwards that Roebuck liked as players. The success SD schools have had and how they have controlled UND the past couple years is not comforting thought for us. These last 2 recruiting classes for UND have been flops with exception of one or two players who might develop into quality player and there has to be reason for this. I have heard through the grapevine that Brewster's reputation of playing mind games and way he handles his players has spread through talent pool. Todays athletes are connected to each other and they know one another so your reputation precedes you before you even make contact with these athletes. This is what is worrying me because are we going to get first crack at the better talent in our region or are we going to have to look farther for talent. Already our first lauded recruit is from Australia. The other thing is Brewster seems to have good year when storm clouds are rising like the NCAA year and last year when I heard there serious questions about program but he won conference and coach of year. But years after these usually have been total let down years. The difference this year is that he doesn't have talent weighting to play and he even has lost one of his top players for next year. Plus he's moving into conference that is loaded with talent he will have hard time matching up to next year unless he finds several players ready to play and can mesh with this team. I getting to think it was too bad Brewster opportunities move didn't materialize last year because we may be looking at bigger rebuilding than when we moved to division I.

Freije's numbers were she had average 30.5 minutes a game, scoring average 14.5 pts per game, and average of 8.5 rebounds a game until she got hurt in Weber game. She missed next 4 games and most minutes she played was in final game of 29 minutes with rest games played at less than 20 minutes. Klabo's numbers were she had 29.9 minutes a game, 19 pts a game, and 9.3 rebounds a game. These are big numbers to replace on team that already is need of several players. If I was betting man reason for leaving she was told she would have significant less roll on the team and were cutting here ride money. I know she liked playing in front of family and neighbors here and I believe that was one of the reasons she chose to play for UND in the beginning.

Find it quite ironic that UND doesn't have men's team sport for Spring season. Will Summit Conference put any pressure on UND to bring back baseball especially when conference has minimum number of baseball schools. Also the cost for baseball should be reduced significantly with conference partners within driving distance of each other.

I could agree with you some on this but she had track record here now for past 3 years where she has shown that she can compete at division I level at very high level. She has been one of the top players in the Big Sky and her career at UND she has scored 838 points and would have been very close to 1000 pts if she wouldn't have been hurt. This year alone they had her play at least 3 different positions on the floor and she held her own. She was giving them 33 minutes a game covering for lack of recruiting this past year. The weakness of this team this year has been the guard play will be again next year. We had Franklin good girl who could play defense and rebound but couldn't put ball in hoop even on layup if somebody was closer than 3 feet. The Daily Twins one was pretty much hurt all season with limited time and other one was quick enough to play but she is undersized where she was often being beaten because of this lack of strength. Also her shooting was streaky and I don't think the style of game that UND played was meant for her she would have fit in well with Sacramento State. Now Reinke could well become very good guard for UND she played good defense and towards end of year was showing she could score. Then in Reno she was delivering some offense and she is pulled and never returns this was happening all year long with UND with different players. Freije to me was amazing in that when you keep changing her roles and where she was to get her shots from that she could produce like she did. Klabo had a good season but I thought when you needed bucket she had hard time getting herself in position where she was going to score and I don't know if that was her or the coaching because so many times they would get something to work and then they would leave it and never come back to it. Und is going to have now very difficult time in the Summit Conference this coming year they have no guards of caliber that the two South Dakota schools have now they have lost one of their better front line players for coming year. Freije was giving UND in conference play until she got hurt about 14 points a game, 8 to 9 rebounds, and strong big body inside that also could help transition ball up the court. Dooly can make up some of the rebounding but she doesn't have offense skills to become a scorer and doesn't have the time to develop these skills. Leet girl has some unique skills but she lacks foot speed to defend in division I basketball she is truly tweener in that she has shooting ability and size of division I but lacks the speed could be used in right situations effectively and definitely gives good depth at front line. UND is going need now power forward, point guard, and could use another guard that can play both guard positions. Then they are going to need to add some depth because they were playing with very short bench at end of the year. Like I said it looked to me last year Brewster mailed in his coaching effort didn't get type of recruits he needed to help this team, didn't see a lot of adjustments made to play to this teams strength, and was consistently out coached on floor number of times. To me was coach that was way over confident and one that got out worked last year. The other questions then is what was happening internally on assistant coaching I have no idea but if I was Athletic director these are some things I would want to know because this could tell you what is really happening in this program.

Just thinking Klabo and Freije have been good friends all through their careers could we also be looking at Klabo leaving the program too! I was wondering this if UND could be looking at two losses from the program. I would think it could also come down to the rule change by NCAA if they don't require a player to sit out year after transferring. I think this hasn't been decided upon yet but could likely change before next season.

This past season Brewster performance as coach was like a mailed in performance. I believe it started last year I think he lost the belief of the team at end of the season and maybe he lost belief in the team or he was thinking of moving on and it didn't happen. I look at two seasons we had injured key players in Szabla last year and after she was hurt he hardly used her like she was damaged goods and now this year we had Fallyn Freije get hurt and after she was ready used her sparingly again like she was damaged goods. In most sports if you are started when you return healthy again you start again until you loose your job but with Brewster you have to prove your self that you can be used again. Not a good mind game with modern athletes and the way kids communicate now with social media you can get a bad reputation in very short time. But Brewster coaching this past year was not top performance saw little improvement in team development and making adjustments through the year to overcome what other teams were doing to them. Best coaching job performances this past year was when we played Northern Iowa his former school and Northern Colorado a coach he spars with every year. Otherwise it was like a person going through the motions of coaching and i did not see that fire in belly of coach when he lost that wasn't going to happen again. If I were sum it up he had look of coach that didn't totally believe in the team he had on the floor. Maybe just guess he hates coaching at level he's at he wants bigger bite of the apple meaning he wanted coach major program where he can consistently advance through NCAA tournament each year not just fighting to get one done chance or couple of games in NIT or other tournament. His ego got to where he thinks he should be at bigger time program. Maybe way out line here but there's more going on than we been told.

Just speculating but this has look of Brewster pulling part of her athletic scholarship money and telling her they want to play lesser of roll for UND. I don't like it that she leaving the program your loosing a leader and big contributor not what you want in long run for the program. She is just shy of 150 points of being 1000 point scorer for UND just a bad deal for UND basketball. This past year it wasn't fallyn the problem with this team it was poor guard play they received all year long. Also the moves Brewster made this past year in coaching left something to be desired like even in last game of the year pulling Reinke in final game. I just think he tries to many mind games with these women and I have heard this before in past years. Also have heard through grapevine that he lost recruits because of this reputation of playing mind games with his teams. I sure hope the new Athletic director is taking notes here not good PR for the school and again its with womens side of Athletics where UND is handling it poorly with Women Athlete. I wish Fallyn success where she goes has to be hard decision on her part leaving after 3 years and it sure is North Dakota loss to loose one of its star players and home grown coming into her final season. It going to be difficult to recruit for UND home grown talent in the future.

I like how UND plays hard as a team and I think they are capable of beating anyone on given night but when you come to the tournament I just think there couple of players shy of winning the Tournament. We lack size and go to ball player inside and I think you need this if your going to win at DI level. You need that player you can go to inside when you need a basket and UND has AVants but he's little under sized and if he plays big minutes he gets worn down and usually in fall trouble. I thought this team would compete last year again this year but the loss of Berstein, Shanks, and Collins with the additions they made this year would have made for salty team. I don't think UND handling of Jones contract helped either in keeping players or recruiting players. Could have been team that would have set a mark for the Big Sky but it slipped away.

UND season ended with the same glaring fault they have had all year. They are in desperate need of point guard and the the truth be said they were need of several guards this year. The Daily Twins didn't live up to what they were billed as they didn't shoot well enough and they weren't strong enough to play defense when they were posted low. Then add in Chasity Franklin in ability to shoot the ball it made it impossible for UND to score with there big girls. UND needs to bring in at least one guard next year ready to play that can shoot and quick enough to play in the Summit conference. They will need to also add some more team quickness in there guards for next year or its even going to be longer season for them. Its been such a waste of big talent this year it has shown all year long with loss of last years guards what it has meant to this team. Also they are going to have to work on team quickness in the off season because what I have seen of the Summit the two South Dakota teams are very quick so were going to need some better guard play to let UND big girls work in side wearing down these two teams. Brewster didn't do stellar job of coaching this year I think he was over confident and was relying to much on Franklin and Daily and should of used the Freshman more than he did. Also they ran play with Klabo at top of the key who fed into Freije who then returned to Klabo for layup but they only ran that play couple of times I would have run that play until Montana showed they could stop those Two inside. I have felt all year they would have success with something and then would get away from it wonder why he wasn't coaching them to use that plays until they showed they could stop it. I feel UND has lot of questions going into next year where I began the year with that they could win the Big Sky and be posed to be real contender in the Summit. Now I am worried if they can even be in top 4 of the league.