Published: September 21, 2007 12:04 am      

MSU senior expected to make early contributions

One guy left after his coach was fired.

The other admittedly ran afoul of his coach and later decided another venue would be his best course of action.

Now the two senior Division I transfers are together with a singular goal of helping Mountain State University to the NAIA Division I national championship.

And if early signs are correct, James Spencer and Jason McGriff will have a huge hand in whatever the Cougars’ fortunes turn up in mid-March.

“They will have an immediate impact on our basketball program,” MSU coach Bob Bolen said Thursday.

Spencer, a 6-foot-4 Los Angeles native, averaged 12 points a game last year at Wyoming after being all-everything at L.A. City Community College.

But Steve McClain was fired as the Cowboys coach and Heath Schroyer took over.

“The new coach came in and tried to instill discipline, waking us up at 4 a.m. to run, stuff like that,” Spencer said. “My coach at L.A. City (Mike Miller), who helped me get the scholarship at Wyoming, and I thought it would be best if I left. He had sent a player here in the past. I looked into it and it seemed like the perfect place for me.”

And that includes off the court.

“Totally different,” he said of Beckley and his hometown, Los Angeles. “Obviously, it’s slower. Not as much to do. It is the perfect spot to focus on getting a degree and playing basketball. I’ve told (West Coast) friends, if you want to finish your schooling and play ball, come here. If you want to go to clubs and stuff, go somewhere else.”

Bolen said he doesn’t see any weaknesses in Spencer’s game.

“He can shoot, he can distribute the ball ... he does a lot of things well,” Bolen said. “He can really score with the ball. He’s the total package.”

For McGriff, a 6-9 Melbourne, Fla., native, it was a case of bad timing at his previous Division I stop, South Alabama, that led him to Beckley.

“I came back late (from spring break) and got in my coach’s dog house,” said McGriff, who played in the NCAA Tournament against Florida in 2006, matching up against Joakim Noah. “After that, my minutes went way down.”

South Alabama then brought in a transfer at his position and the writing was on the wall.

“I called (former Cougar standout and McGriff’s AAU teammate) Yusuf Baker and asked him if he would talk to the coach about me,” McGriff said. “He did and coach called. This is a perfect place for me to end my (college) career.”

He hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2006, but says that only fuels the fire.

“I can’t wait to get going,” he said. “It’s been a long time. I’m tired of waiting.”

Bolen said the layoff has left no lingering effects.

“He bench pressed 300 pound the other day,” Bolen said. “He is strong in the post. He likes to play aggressive. I love his work ethic. He’s a man in there.”

The two seniors transfers have already seen enough of one another to form solid opinions.

“I’m really impressed with Jason McGriff,” Spencer said. “He’s strong around the basket, big and powerful.”

“I haven’t seen anything James can’t do,” McGriff said. “He seems to be pretty good in all (facets) of the game.”

MSU opens the season with a home game against Ohio Valley on Oct. 27. MSU will also have exhibitions against Morehead State (Nov. 6) and West Virginia (Nov. 10).

— E-mail: demorrison@

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