My name is Will and I'm a Geography teacher and high school basketball coach from Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. I've been following the MSU WBB team for the past year or two.
I became somewhat obsessed with the state of Montana after reading an article about the Missouri Breaks in a old issue of National Geographic a couple of decades ago. Back in 2016, when planning a 4,400-mile road trip through north-west USA heavily focussed around Montana, I stumbled across the film 'Class C'. It lit a fire that still burns and a fascination with a state that has it all: small towns, strong communities, beautiful landscapes and, most importantly, a deep and pure love of basketball.
Needless to say, during our 2016 road trip, I persuaded my wife to come with me as we drove through small towns along the Hi Line, spent a couple of nights in Fort Benton, a couple more in Big Timber, and made a pilgrimage to Reed Point (the main town featured in the Class C film), amongst other things. We saw a lot of the state and I hope to one day see a lot more - particularly Bozeman. In the years since, I have read avidly about Montana and basketball, sometimes both at the same time, e.g. 'Blind Your Ponies' by Stanley Gordon West, which encapsulates everything I love about the state.
A couple of years ago, when I saw an article about Taylee Chirrick signing to play for MSU, I became curious: here is a class C high schooler (not dissimilar to the likes of Jordan and Elly Bruursema from the aforementioned film), clearly a great athlete, but how would her game translate to the college level? This intrigue snowballed into me becoming your biggest fan from across the pond.
Just one problem: we don't have ESPN+ here, so I'd resigned myself to being a long-term lurker of this message board, reading the thoughts and insight from those lucky enough to be able to attend the games year after year. However, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot when I stumbled across the MSU WBB YouTube channel earlier this week, which has unedited footage of the games (alas, with no commentary - although it's strangely enjoyable). I'm now in basketball heaven, able to watch this new and exciting season unfold, after the highs of last year. Being able to watch the win over UNLV was a special moment.
Due to the joys of the internet - not to mention far too much time reading player bios and box scores - I feel like I know this squad like they're my local sports team, not one that is (sadly) thousands of miles away. Whether it's Addison Harris's meteoric rise during her sophomore season, Taylee Chirrick's tenacity and penchant for steals, or - and this is my personal favourite this year - Jamison Philip's electric speed and uncanny poise for a freshman, there's so much to love about this team. You've even got a Welsh player on your team - go Issy
With two young children (aged 2 and 5) it might be a few years before I'm able to bring my family to the Brick, but that ranks number one on my bucket list. It'll be worth the wait.
In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I join in the discussions on here.