Generally speaking, Jamar Akoh lets his unkempt hair grow until it gets a little too long to control. That’s when the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Cal State Fullerton transfer makes a trip to the barber to get a little trim.
But on the advice of Ahmaad Rorie, his new teammate at Montana, Akoh paid special attention to his look this week. He said he trimmed up his beard and tapered the sides of his frizzy look. Akoh did so for good reason: For the only time this season, he will be front and center when Montana takes the court for UM’s Maroon-Silver scrimmage Tuesday night. Tip off is at 7 p.m. at the Adams Center.
“I’m kind of approaching it like that,” Akoh joked Monday evening after a spirited practice.
Jamar Akoh
Along with Washington transfer Donaven Dorsey, Akoh is approaching the scrimmage like his only game of the season Tuesday night. As transfers who didn’t meet any of the NCAA’s numerous waiver requirements, Akoh and Dorsey are forced to sit out their junior seasons while Montana chases its first NCAA tournament appearance under the direction of third-year head coach Travis DeCuire.
The two will spend this season, a redshirt year to preserve eligibility, as highly skilled practice players attending home games in Griz basketball polos and watching their squad through one device or another when Montana is on the road. They do, however, have one opportunity to display the talent that put them firmly on Montana’s radar this offseason.
“We’ll let those two play,” said DeCuire, who is 41-25 with two postseason appearance in his two seasons at the helm of his alma mater. “I think our fans are excited to see what they bring to the table. It’s a chance for them to kind of give everybody a look at the future.”
Just as he did last season with Rorie, who had to sit out his sophomore season after transferring from Oregon, DeCuire plans to showcase the programs two newest additions. DeCuire said Monday that he will likely shuffle his lineups to pair Akoh and Dorsey together on a team devoid of some of the players Montana will count on throughout the upcoming season.
“This is it, this is their championship game of the season,” DeCuire added.
DeCuire used a similar philosophy last year with Rorie, who responded with 13 points in his only court session of the year. A year later, with a much anticipated debut rapidly approaching, Rorie had a few words of advice for Akoh and Dorsey — and they weren’t all about fashion.
Donaven Dorsey
“He was just saying like, ‘This is it for you guys, this is your game,’” said Dorsey, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound wing who scored nine points in Washington’s win over Montana last December. “He kept saying, ‘Wow, like I was just in that same spot last year so just give it all you’ve got and have fun.’”
Both players said they plan to do just that as long it comes within in the flow of Montana’s offensive and defensive sets. In the three weeks since Montana began practice, Akoh has shown himself to be a formidable defender in the low post and Dorsey, now two weeks removed from turf toe that temporarily held him out of practice, has exhibited his varied offensive talents.
Still, both players are getting used to Montana’s detailed offensive system and its team-oriented pack line defense.
“It’s a completely different system than I was at before,” said Akoh, who averaged 6.1 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds during his final season in Fullerton. “So even a month in I’m still trying to figure out some things. … Tomorrow I’ll go out and do what I can and just try to focus on the little things I’ve been working on.”
Added Dorsey, “I love the offense, I love that it’s a constant moving motion. Defensively, I have to adjust a little bit because I never played a pack defense. … It’s an adjustment, but watching film, the coaches are doing a great job of bringing me in for film and helping me get a feel for the defense and all that.
“It’s the only game I get to play this year. So I’m gonna go out there play hard, give it all I’ve got and have fun.”
