This is the final in a series of four posts on the Bobcat men’s basketball team, discussing the past season and a look ahead to next season. Part 1 Season Wrap up, Part 2 Look ahead: Big men, Part 3 Look Ahead: Wing players and Part 4 Look Ahead: Recruits.

Last fall Coach Huse only signed one athlete during the early signing period, with that being freshman forward Jeff Budinich, but since then he has received to verbal commitments from Whitefish’s Colt Idol and Northern Idaho CC’s Michael Swita. Budnich, a 6-10 ½ forward from Kentlake Washington, has a chance to contribute next year, because of his offensive skills. The areas that he will need to develop and work on this spring and summer are his defense, strength and conditioning. Still prior to the season he showed enough improvement to these areas that he has turned his head with his improvements. He also has had the advantage of playing against and with some of the best high school big men in the country. Colt Idol comes from an excellent Montana high school program and is an athletic guard who can score inside or out, still it is almost guaranteed that he will redshirt next year with roster of guard returning and coming off of redshirt years next year. Michael Swita is the one guy that is guaranteed not to redshirt next year. He redshirted the 2007-08 season. He is also the guy I have the most questions about. #1 will he be healed up and ready to go next year. As of about a 1-2 month back he was still struggling with his knee injury, but I was assured by someone close to the situations that he would be set to go by spring. The second question revolves around, Swita who is from France, has only played two years of organized basketball before coming to the United States, and then since coming to the States he has been limited by injuries. If ready to go the 7-0 Swita will give us a true center in the middle who can bang. He can also score out to about 15 feet and is a very good passer. For the spring signing period, in addition to signing Swita, and Idol, I believe the coaches primary focus is on recruiting a point guard, but I believe they have keeping their thumbs in with a few big men. Most of the point guards I have heard they were involved with have been high school kids, but I believe they have also looked at a few JC’s. Most of the big men they are involved with are people they were looking at in the fall, and they may be keeping involved in case something happens with Swita, who remember has not officially signed with the Cats. Purely speculation here but if Swita continues to have problems with his knee I would not be surprised if he decided to bag it and return to France.