I got curious

[lutecat]

I was looking something up where she was from and noticed Mack Konig was from Ontario. I knew Natalie Picton was from Ontario as well. Looking up each place, I saw they weren't separated by a lot of distance. So I hit the Google machine and low and behold they did play eachother in high school. Konig's team won and I don't know of they played more than this one as Mack only lived there her senior year it looks like. Natalie is 2-1 against MK in college so far with a big game this next weekend.
@Colter_Nuanez might know of they knew eachother or just played the one time?

" In the semis, Oakville King’s Christian Collegiate (1st, pool A) dusted Niagara Falls Niagara Prep (4th, pool A) 95-71. Mackendra Konig paced King’s Christian with 29 on 10-20 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 5-5 from the line, 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Dominique Ennis added 27 on 11-15 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Jasmine Bascoe notched 27 on 6-11 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 10-11 from the line, 2 assists and 3 steals. Lilia Skumatova scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Brianne McLeod added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards, while Sheyene Neale, Kayley Joseph-Bernard, Lara Cook and Ella Farrelly were scoreless. Joseph-Bernard nabbed 4 boards and dished 5 assists. King’s Christian hit 33-66 from the floor, 14-22 from the arc and 18-21 from the line, while garnering 24 boards, 19 assists, 17 turnovers, 11 steals and 3 blocks. Corrynn Parker paced Niagara Prep with 18 on 7-13 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Serah Williams added 17 on 5-10 from the floor, 7-10 from the line, 13 boards and 3 steals. Emma Koabel notched 15 on 6-16 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Teniesha Clarke scored 11 on 5-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Natalie Picton added 4 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 assists. Fatou Diakite scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 3 boards, while Sydney Piekny and Gabriella DiPietro were scoreless. DiPietro dished 2 assists. Niagara Prep hit 27-65 from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 13-20 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 15 assists, 14 turnovers and 10 steals."

[BelgradeBobcat]

Recruiting is amazing. How in the world do we find a player from Ontario and get her come to Montana? And then there's Issy Bunyan from Wales!

[BobcatDel]

Recruiting is amazing. How in the world do we find a player from Ontario and get her come to Montana? And then there's Issy Bunyan from Wales!

My non-paid advertisement…….Join the Fastbreak Club…..each week Coach Bin brings in one of the ladies to the Fastbreak lunch so the boosters get to know them better. They frequently are asked to share their story of how they got to Montana State. I remember both Natalie and Marah sharing their stories of how they got here from Canada. Both Coach Smallwood and Johnson have had connections with international tournaments, sources and athletes before.

MSUAF.org/give-Fastbreak

For those that don’t know, Natalie was also an elite gymnast at one point and had to ultimately make a choice to focus on one over the other. Sometimes you can see that athleticism come through. Her dad is also a coach who has helped several of his players make it to the NCAA D1 and D2 programs.

Last year she was “thrust into the fire” with the injury to Dylan, who was the presumed starter. This year I often smile because I can see her growth and maturation as a player on the court. I just love when the duo of Taylee and Natalie come off the bench to ratchet up the energy!

[lutecat]

Recruiting is amazing. How in the world do we find a player from Ontario and get her come to Montana? And then there's Issy Bunyan from Wales!

My non-paid advertisement…….Join the Fastbreak Club…..each week Coach Bin brings in one of the ladies to the Fastbreak lunch so the boosters get to know them better. They frequently are asked to share their story of how they got to Montana State. I remember both Natalie and Marah sharing their stories of how they got here from Canada. Both Coach Smallwood and Johnson have had connections with international tournaments, sources and athletes before.

MSUAF.org/give-Fastbreak

For those that don’t know, Natalie was also an elite gymnast at one point and had to ultimately make a choice to focus on one over the other. Sometimes you can see that athleticism come through. Her dad is also a coach who has helped several of his players make it to the NCAA D1 and D2 programs.

Last year she was “thrust into the fire” with the injury to Dylan, who was the presumed starter. This year I often smile because I can see her growth and maturation as a player on the court. I just love when the duo of Taylee and Natalie come off the bench to ratchet up the energy!

That's mu favorite thing about this year is seeing her growth from last to this year. Speed and control. Like twitchy muscle control. She is so fun to watch. They all are for various reasons.

[aucat]

I can certainly picture Natalie as an outstanding gymnast. By the way, if you live around the Bozeman/Belgrade area I would also recommend Cat Chat and Tuesday evenings at the Rib and Chop House. Both head coaches are there and each brings a different player each week. Very interesting interviews.

[TomCat88]

Recruiting is amazing. How in the world do we find a player from Ontario and get her come to Montana? And then there's Issy Bunyan from Wales!

Players send their tapes, write letters, texts, emails to coaches. Same as kids from Bozeman. That's how it starts. Then they go to their camp. Schools don't find players. Players finds schools. 99% of the time. Occassionally, you hear about a coach finding a player on another players tape or a HS coach telling a coach that they have "'another' player on the roster you should look at while you're here." Players still slip through the cracks and don't get found or get on teams they aren't good enough to be on.

[BobcatDel]

Recruiting is amazing. How in the world do we find a player from Ontario and get her come to Montana? And then there's Issy Bunyan from Wales!

Players send their tapes, write letters, texts, emails to coaches. Same as kids from Bozeman. That's how it starts. Then they go to their camp. Schools don't find players. Players finds schools. 99% of the time. Occassionally, you hear about a coach finding a player on another players tape or a HS coach telling a coach that they have "'another' player on the roster you should look at while you're here." Players still slip through the cracks and don't get found or get on teams they aren't good enough to be on.

You are right in many things you say Tom. But I add that our coaches do attend a lot of games at AAU tournaments in the intermediate seasons or do travel to watch games in state if they have an open weekend. They do get tips from knowledgeable fans of kids they should take a peek at. The coaching community is connected and you do get references on players that might be up or down move fits from these contacts.

[BobcatDel]

BTW…..Marah Dykstra shared her recruitment story at the Fastbreak lunch yesterday!

Again, my non-paid advertisement…..join at the link below:

MSUAF.org/give-Fastbreak

[Joe Bobcat]

As someone else mentioned, the coaches get out to see some high school and club/AAU games to do some scouting and seeing how their recruits are doing. I've seen them at a number of those events and one of my favorites was last year at the girls class C state tournament. They were there and had the chance to watch Chirrick and Erickson play against each other. I had a nice conversation with them and remember it was real hard to hold back from asking why they didn't also have Paige Wasson (a teammate of Erickson's) recruited to the Cats.

Wasson is a 5'11" G freshman at Rocky this year. She is currently leading her team in minutes played, leading in total rebounds averaging 6.8/G and shooting .376 fg .345 3pt .731 ft. For those who have never seen her play just picture our KJ L. now M. with a bit more strength and better handling of the ball, and she's just a freshman. Having said that, it is true that she would only be the 4th best freshman on the Cats this year. Glad to see her doing so well in the Frontier conf.

[lutecat]

As someone else mentioned, the coaches get out to see some high school and club/AAU games to do some scouting and seeing how their recruits are doing. I've seen them at a number of those events and one of my favorites was last year at the girls class C state tournament. They were there and had the chance to watch Chirrick and Erickson play against each other. I had a nice conversation with them and remember it was real hard to hold back from asking why they didn't also have Paige Wasson (a teammate of Erickson's) recruited to the Cats.

Wasson is a 5'11" G freshman at Rocky this year. She is currently leading her team in minutes played, leading in total rebounds averaging 6.8/G and shooting .376 fg .345 3pt .731 ft. For those who have never seen her play just picture our KJ L. now M. with a bit more strength and better handling of the ball, and she's just a freshman. Having said that, it is true that she would only be the 4th best freshman on the Cats this year. Glad to see her doing so well in the Frontier conf.

Maybe when Esme is done after this year she can transfer in?

[Joe Bobcat]

As someone else mentioned, the coaches get out to see some high school and club/AAU games to do some scouting and seeing how their recruits are doing. I've seen them at a number of those events and one of my favorites was last year at the girls class C state tournament. They were there and had the chance to watch Chirrick and Erickson play against each other. I had a nice conversation with them and remember it was real hard to hold back from asking why they didn't also have Paige Wasson (a teammate of Erickson's) recruited to the Cats.

Wasson is a 5'11" G freshman at Rocky this year. She is currently leading her team in minutes played, leading in total rebounds averaging 6.8/G and shooting .376 fg .345 3pt .731 ft. For those who have never seen her play just picture our KJ L. now M. with a bit more strength and better handling of the ball, and she's just a freshman. Having said that, it is true that she would only be the 4th best freshman on the Cats this year. Glad to see her doing so well in the Frontier conf.

Maybe when Esme is done after this year she can transfer in?

Maybe, but I think Binford has already filled every spot she expects to have available next year. I honestly think that Wasson not getting recruited here was mostly a case of you only have so many spots available.

[MSU01]

As someone else mentioned, the coaches get out to see some high school and club/AAU games to do some scouting and seeing how their recruits are doing. I've seen them at a number of those events and one of my favorites was last year at the girls class C state tournament. They were there and had the chance to watch Chirrick and Erickson play against each other. I had a nice conversation with them and remember it was real hard to hold back from asking why they didn't also have Paige Wasson (a teammate of Erickson's) recruited to the Cats.

Wasson is a 5'11" G freshman at Rocky this year. She is currently leading her team in minutes played, leading in total rebounds averaging 6.8/G and shooting .376 fg .345 3pt .731 ft. For those who have never seen her play just picture our KJ L. now M. with a bit more strength and better handling of the ball, and she's just a freshman. Having said that, it is true that she would only be the 4th best freshman on the Cats this year. Glad to see her doing so well in the Frontier conf.

Maybe when Esme is done after this year she can transfer in?

Maybe, but I think Binford has already filled every spot she expects to have available next year. I honestly think that Wasson not getting recruited here was mostly a case of you only have so many spots available.

Correct - MSU signed 4 incoming freshmen last fall who will replace the 4 departing seniors (Morales, Deden, Martin, Janssen). Of course, it would be a little surprising if there isn't at least some additional player movement. Hopefully this would come from players at the back end of the roster who aren't getting much playing time as opposed to from top players getting lured away by power conference schools and/or bigger NIL offers than what they can get at MSU.

[84CatGrad]

If we are talking about dream transfers, lets throw in Kourtney Grossman. KG is a freshman at Eastern Washington averaging 10.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG. She is a Billings West grad. I would absolutely hate to see her transfer.

[AFCAT]

I can certainly picture Natalie as an outstanding gymnast. By the way, if you live around the Bozeman/Belgrade area I would also recommend Cat Chat and Tuesday evenings at the Rib and Chop House. Both head coaches are there and each brings a different player each week. Very interesting interviews.

You can also watch Cat chat on YouTube or listen to it on the radio, if you can’t make it to Bozeman.

[MSU01]

I can certainly picture Natalie as an outstanding gymnast. By the way, if you live around the Bozeman/Belgrade area I would also recommend Cat Chat and Tuesday evenings at the Rib and Chop House. Both head coaches are there and each brings a different player each week. Very interesting interviews.

You can also watch Cat chat on YouTube or listen to it on the radio, if you can’t make it to Bozeman.

Yep, I watch the YouTube broadcast every week. I particularly enjoy the interviews with the WBB players, you can really get a sense of the family atmosphere that Coach Binford and staff have built at MSU and that the players truly care for each other and the team over their own individual accomplishments. Multiple players have stated that they turned down bigger offers to come to MSU because they knew after visiting that they really wanted to be a part of this team.

[lutecat]

I can certainly picture Natalie as an outstanding gymnast. By the way, if you live around the Bozeman/Belgrade area I would also recommend Cat Chat and Tuesday evenings at the Rib and Chop House. Both head coaches are there and each brings a different player each week. Very interesting interviews.

You can also watch Cat chat on YouTube or listen to it on the radio, if you can’t make it to Bozeman.

Is that live on YouTube or only a recording afterwards?

[MSU01]

I can certainly picture Natalie as an outstanding gymnast. By the way, if you live around the Bozeman/Belgrade area I would also recommend Cat Chat and Tuesday evenings at the Rib and Chop House. Both head coaches are there and each brings a different player each week. Very interesting interviews.

You can also watch Cat chat on YouTube or listen to it on the radio, if you can’t make it to Bozeman.

Is that live on YouTube or only a recording afterwards?

Both. It streams live and then once the broadcast is over it's available as a recording to watch.

[BelgradeBobcat]

I can certainly picture Natalie as an outstanding gymnast. By the way, if you live around the Bozeman/Belgrade area I would also recommend Cat Chat and Tuesday evenings at the Rib and Chop House. Both head coaches are there and each brings a different player each week. Very interesting interviews.

You can also watch Cat chat on YouTube or listen to it on the radio, if you can’t make it to Bozeman.

Is that live on YouTube or only a recording afterwards?

Both. It streams live and then once the broadcast is over it's available as a recording to watch.

[MSU01]

Even watching Taylee Chirrick do an interview makes me feel tired! I'm old...

[Bobcat4Ever]

Thanks for the link to CatChat. Every time I listen to Coach Binford and her players I am impressed all over again. When Lindsey Hein said she was headed for law school and had passed her LSAT it just blew me away. She could still be hanging her head and moping about her injury retirement. I know that had to deeply wound her — an agile 6’6” player with a lot of upside. But she comes out the other side anyway with her LSAT in hand. Taylee Chirrick was impressive as well. The poise and humility she showed belied that she is a true freshman. The #1 D-1 freshman in steals in the nation and not a word about it — all about the team. A lot of teams talk about “family” but this one’s walking it. When it becomes a recruiting factor, it’s the real deal. Go Cats!