HELENA – Helena High senior Kamden Hilborn was going to play sports in college, the only questions were what and where?
The three-sport standout received offers from a bevy of college programs like the University of Washington, Eastern Washington, Montana and Carroll, offering her opportunities to play soccer or track and in some cases both. But the senior’s heart has always been in basketball, and that passion for the court led the two-time Class AA state basketball champion to commit to play for head coach Tricia Binford and Montana State University.
“Just trying to pick a sport was the first challenge, and then separating schools for different sports, I think, was very hard considering all the options really made it tough,” Hilborn told MTN Sports Tuesday morning. “I had some really amazing opportunities that came my way, and I just had to figure out what was best for me and what would be best for my future and what I’d be happiest doing. And I decided that basketball is my love and basketball is one of my dreams, and so I decided if I’m going to play basketball I’m going to be a Cat, and I want to play for the Cats.”
The two-time state basketball tournament MVP made the decision after a very successful trip to Bozeman.
“I really like the coaching staff a lot, they are really cool people,” Hilborn said. “They really care about their athletes, and I think they are really going to help me be successful and they are going to train me to be a better player and better person at the same time. So I’m really excited to be at MSU and be under those coaches and just a part of the Bobcat program.”
And the Bobcat program should be excited to have her now in their ranks. As a multiple all-state basketball selection, Hilborn was outstanding in the Bengals’ latest state championship game win over Missoula Sentinel. She scored a game-high 22 points on an 8-of-11 shooting performance, including four 3-pointers. She added six rebounds, one steal, one assist and a block.
“I really think it will offer me some great opportunities,” Hilborn said. “I just love basketball, I love the competitiveness of it and I love playing it. I love the team aspect and everything about it. Obviously we’ve have had some great success in our program the last few years, so I think that really helped me to make a decision. My coaches up until now have been so great. Just encouraging me and shaping me into the player that I am today, and I really think that basketball is the right choice and I’m really excited about it.”
#gocatsgo 🐱💙🏀💛 pic.twitter.com/uTlHVybO2u
— Kamden Hilborn (@_Kamden_) May 1, 2018
