bpcats wrote:Has anybody heard anything on if we signed any other JC or high school students besides the 2 mentioned in the chronicle article?
Just the two so far- here's the latest info.
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State added front-line depth Wednesday,
and didn't have to travel far to do so. Great Falls High standout Bobby
Howard and Butte High star Jeff Edwards signed National Letters-of-Intent to
join the Bobcat program on Wednesday, the first day of a one-week fall
signing period.
"I think it's fitting that we were able to sign two quality Montana
kids, as recruiting in this state is a priority for us," Huse said. "We're
excited about their future as Bobcats."
Huse likes Edwards' physical skills, particularly on the defensive
end. "It's difficult to find a combination of size and athleticism that Jeff
brings to our program," Huse said. "I'm impressed with how he's worked to
improve himself, he will be almost ready physically when he gets to campus.
He played for a great coach (John Thatcher) in high school, and he'll have
to continue refining his offensive game, but his best basketball is ahead of
him."
Edwards averaged 11 points and 6.5 rebounds a game as a junior,
leading Butte High to the Class AA State Tournament. In the past two
seasons, he has blocked 220 shots, and after making the AA All-Tournament
Team as a sophomore he was a First Team All-State selection as a junior.
"Jeff Edwards is a great defensive player," said Butte head coach
John Thatcher. "He'll be a great fit in the Bobcat system. He's just the
kind of post player Coach Huse is really going to be able to use. I don't
think he could go to a better coaching staff than the Montana State
Bobcats."
Howard brings strong bloodlines to the MSU program. Both his parents
graduated from MSU, and his mother, Kathleen McLaughlin Howard, remains the
career scoring and rebounding leader in MSU women's basketball history. "We
like Bobby for a lot of reasons," Huse said. "He's a very good basketball
player, he fits our style of play, he's tough. He had a great high school
career, and he's multi-dimensional offensively. He can score inside and
outside. On top of that he grew up a Bobcat, and I couldn't be more thrilled
to bring Bobby into this program."
Howard earned Great Falls Tribune Superstate honors for the second
straight year as a junior, leading Great Falls High to its first state title
since 1995. He led Class AA with 20.8 points a game, and finished second in
the state with 10.1 rebounds. He shot 49% from the floor, 38% from
three-point range, and has scored in double-digits 48 times in his prep
career. Howard played for his father, Bob Howard, at Great Falls High.
"From a personal standpoint it's great that we'll be able to see him
play, and I think it will work out well," said Great Falls High coach Bob
Howard, Bobby Howard's father and an MSU graduate. "I think MSU basketball
has a bright future, and I'm excited that he'll be a part of it. I think he
has his best basketball in front of him. In the past the better the
competition the better he plays. I'm looking forward to him getting stronger
and improving once he gets to MSU."
Huse indicated the Bobcats could sign additional players during the
fall signing period, which concludes next Wednesday.
-msu-
