While the sting of their unexpected early-round loss to Southern Utah in the conference tournament has not worn off, optimism surrounds the Montana State men’s basketball program.
Head coach Brian Fish clearly has to program headed in the right direction following a season where MSU entered the year with low expectations from around the league only to earn a three-way tie for third place entering the postseason. A season full of highlights included the ‘Cats first victory over rival Montana after suffering 13 straight defeats, and MSU selling out Brick Breeden Fieldhouse for the first time in over a decade. On the season, attendance at home contests was way up.
Montana State also made a bit of history thanks to the dynamic play of a pair of underclassmen in Tyler Hall and Harald Frey. Hall earned First-Team All-Big Sky, becoming the first sophomore to earn that accolade for the ‘Cats since Jason Erickson in 2002. Frey was named Freshman of the Year, making Montana State the only school in league history to have the top freshman in back-to-back seasons after Tyler Hall earned that distinction last season.
Devonte Klines came on in the second half of the season, establishing himself as the go-to defender MSU needed to stop the opposing team’s top scorer, and MSU will welcome the addition of Konner Frey, an all-league selection at Utah Valley who was forced to redshirt this past season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Montana State also improved in the win column as well, finishing 16-16 overall and 11-7 in conference play, earning double-digit conference wins for the first time since 2010. Fish has improved in conference victories in each of his three seasons, improving from 4-13 in year 1, and 9-8 last year.
However, the Bobcats finished the season on a two-game losing streak, falling in triple overtime to a Southern Utah team that had just five wins coming into the conference tournament, so clearly there is work left to do. MSU loses just lone senior Quinton Everett, but welcomes that addition of two highly regarded incoming freshman in Isaac Bonton and Luke Schultz. While Bonton is another prolific scorer in the mold of current Bobcat Tyler Hall, Schultz could be the missing big man MSU has desperately needed in recent seasons.
Schultz, a 6-11 230 pound post from Fredricksburg, Texas earned First Team All-Class 3A and District Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 17.7 points and 13.8 rebounds, and his best basketball could be ahead of him. “He’s definitely going to muscle up there in Bozeman,” he said (Chris Ramirez, high school coach). “He’ll get stronger and get better in every facet of the game.”
So, while the present may be bleak following the early exit from the conference tournament, the future is clearly looking bright for Montana State’s men’s basketball program.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer, covering Bozeman Hawk and Montana State Bobcat athletics.