By ERIC TABER
Montana men’s basketball standout Martin Breunig has been named to the Big Sky Conference preseason All-Conference team following a breakout 2014-15 season where he finished as the league’s sixth leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points per game.
The 6-8 senior transfer from Washington was a monster in the post for the Griz, totaling 534 points in his first season at UM. Montana’s leading returning scorer, he was a key asset for the squad that claimed a Big Sky Championship after being picked to finish 8th in the league.
“I think Martin earned the respect of the conference last year, said Montana head coach Travis DeCuire. “He faced quite a few double teams in most games last season and found a way to still be productive. He’s worked hard to continue with his improvement, and hopefully he lives up to those expectations.”
Breunig finished fourth in the league in field goal percentage with .593 from 214 field goals on 361 attempts while starting every game for the Griz and averaging 30.1 minutes per contest.
A versatile and mobile forward, Breunig finished ’14-’15 ranked sixth in the conference in rebounding, pulling down 83 offensive boards and 150 defensive to total 233 on the season with an average of 7.3 per game.
He also led the Griz in blocked shots with 27, and also had 17 steals, a testimant to his defensive capabilities.
Coach DeCuire and the Griz will rely on Breunig’s mobility and versatility this season as UM’s post play is bolstered by a returning Fabijan Krslovic with 6-10 Bryden Boehning and 6-6 Gavin DeJong coming off their redshirt season.
Breunig and the Griz open the regular season at home on Nov. 13 against former Big Sky foe Boise State, who are expected to repeat as champions of the Mountain West Conference.
