BOZEMAN — For Southern Utah’s Megan Kamps, coming home is a little bittersweet.
“I love it just because it’s close so everyone can come watch,” Kamps said, talking about her game at Montana State. “It’s frustrating, though, because it is my hometown and I always wanted to play here, but now I have a chance to play in this building against this team and I would say it’s better.”
The redshirt sophomore is a former Manhattan Christian High School Eagle. Her time in Churchill can be summed up in numerous accolades: leading the Eagles to their first district championship in six years, first-team all-state honors in Class C basketball, and ranking 11th on the Eagles’ all-time scoring list for both the boys and the girls.
Kamps’ talent on the court harbored interest from local colleges, including the university where she grew up attending basketball camps and games, Montana State.
“I believe the Cats showed interest my sophomore and junior year and then it just kind of disappeared my senior year,” Kamps said. “I wanted to play here, but when I didn’t get an offer or contact with the coaches, I was like, ‘Aw man, that sucks.'”
But when an offer came from a school in the Big Sky Conference, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a guaranteed return trip home at least once a year.
“I got a call from (former Southern Utah coach Chris Boettcher), and he’s like, ‘Hey, would you like to come here?’ And that was the best feeling ever, because I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go and I finally got that call,” Kamps said. “I was like, ‘Yes, this is what I want to do.’ So it was definitely fulfilling to at least be able to play on this court even though I’m not playing for the Cats.”
From Class C basketball to Division I, the whole journey has inspired a life lesson for Kamps.
“I put my dream on hold for a little bit just because I wasn’t sure if this is what I wanted to do,” she said. “And now that I’m doing it, I would tell every kid, ‘Don’t stop believing in your dreams, because they can happen.’ … They can come true. You just have to put in the work and trust that the people around you have your back and are going to support you.”
