BUTTE — When the Montana Tech men’s basketball team announces its 2024-25 campaign next Friday, it will be the beginning of what the Odiggers hope will be another historic season.
Last year, Tech became the first Frontier Conference men’s team to win three consecutive regular season and tournament titles in the same span.
On Saturday night in Great Falls, Montana Tech defeated Carroll University 93-77 for the Frontier Conference Tournament championship.
gary marshall
Since the Frontier Tournament began in the 1975-76 season, no team has won four straight tournament titles. No team has won four consecutive regular season championships since Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings) won four consecutive regular season championships from 1969-1970 to 1972-73.
Next season will be the last season of the league’s unique current format, a triple round robin, as Frontier expands into the 2025-26 season.
Others are also reading…
And in the final game of Frontier’s “gauntlet,” the Diggers will once again be looking for a record-breaking conference gold medal.
“It’s been nothing short of amazing how well we’ve been able to navigate (the league) the last few years. So this is our last season doing this and we’re confident we can do it. You put yourself in a position to feel it,” Tech head coach Adam Hyatt said.
“When you’re building a roster, that’s the first goal: Do we have a team that’s good enough to win the league?”
Montana Tech head coach Adam Hyatt huddles with the Audigaurs during the second round of the NAIA Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the HPER Complex.
Joseph Scherer Montana Standard
Expectations for technology are high again this year. He was ranked No. 9 in the NAIA preseason coaches poll and was selected as the frontier favorite in the league’s coaches poll.
The Diggers’ path to a fourth consecutive championship will look a little different as they look to replace two former NAIA All-Americans in Caleb Bellack and Asa Williams.
However, Hyatt’s team still boasts plenty of postseason experience and fresh new faces.
“These are a fun team to coach, with a blend of experienced players, a veteran leader who has seen hundreds of games in his career, and a believable team that follows right behind them. We have a group of young players who are as talented as ever, “day in and day out,” Hyatt said.
The senior trio of Keeley Bake, Camdyn LaRance and Michael Ure played a role in Tech’s three-year run, helping the program compile a 39-6 conference record.
Montana Tech’s Kamdyn Larance beat Carroll’s defense for two points in the Frontier Conference Tournament championship game Saturday in Great Falls.
Gary Marshall BMGphotos.com
Ifeanyi Okeke, a former Carroll transfer, is in his final college season and second year at Tech, where he is also doing reasonably well in frontier basketball.
For a team looking to replace multiple key pieces, the Diggers will be relying on a senior group that knows what’s needed.
“Good programs have the next group to fill the leadership void every year. We’re not always looking for who the leaders are on our team. This year it was very clear, we have We have four seniors with a lot of experience,” Hyatt said.
“And all the other players on the roster look to (the seniors) as leaders and respect them as leaders.”
Carroll’s other transfer, sophomore Brayden Koch, will make his debut for the Diggers this season after sitting out last year due to conference transfer rules. Koch won the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year award as a senior at Helena Capital and averaged 8.8 points per game as a freshman for the Saints.
Tech added four new transfers this season, including former Montana Grizzly and Shelby graduate Rhett Reynolds. Carson Peffer and Elijah Groves both join the Diggers from Glendale CC, and Manhattan native Ethan Benema comes from Miles CC.
“We have a lot of fresh faces that we know because we see them a lot…but when you look in from the outside, you’re like, ‘Who are some of these guys?'” Hiatt said.
“They will be very impressed with how great they are.”
Last season, Lewis-Clark State defeated Tech in the Round of 32 of the NAIA National Tournament, ending the Diggers’ dreams of a national championship after reaching the quarterfinals a year ago.
The loss was a driving force for the Diggers’ returning players throughout the offseason. A chance for revenge will come when they face LC State on Nov. 16, but Tech is motivated to make another jump in the postseason.
Montana Tech’s Hayden Deehans spins past Montana Western’s Jacob Ankeny with a one-handed jump shot during Friday’s Frontier Conference Tournament semifinal game in Great Falls.
Gary Marshall BMGphotos.com
“It was really frustrating losing to LC State in our last home game last year,” Bake said.
“It must be a burning desire for us to prove that we are much better than the points we lost last year. It’s a big burden on our shoulders.”
Gavin Derkach is a sports reporter for the Montana Standard. Follow him on Twitter @GDerkatch or email gavin.derkatch@406mtsports.com
be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
