BILLINGS — Sometimes it’s as simple as wanting to come home.
Former Froid-Lake standout Sydney Dethman spent three years at Division I in the Mountain West at Fresno State before deciding to return to Montana.
Dethman, though, spurned the D-I programs in the state, opting instead to play at Rocky Mountain College where here older sister Mackenzie just wrapped up her playing career.
“For me family is everything. I love having the support of them and my friends and just having the community come and support me. I think that's really awesome and something I definitely missed," Dethman said.
Dethman was a captain at Fresno State and started 31 games as a junior. Her skill set has translated well, as she leads Rocky in scoring at 16.7 points per game and has helped the Battlin’ Bears to a tie atop the Frontier Conference and into the NAIA top 25.
But she’s still scratching the surface of that sky-high potential.
“It's just been a situation of her growing and learning that, 'Hey. I can go get 15 per half. Not 15 one half and three the next,'" head coach Wes Keller said. "She's a tough kid. She's battling a few nagging injuries, but at the end of the day she shows up and competes. And we need her to score, defend and rebound."
“I feel like (Keller's) motivation gives me confidence, and along with my teammates, especially Gracee Lekvold. She's had to pull me into a game a few times and say, 'Come on, get your crap together. Let's go, Syd,'" Dethman said. "I think having them just recognize that is super helpful and beneficial."
Lekvold, a Scobey graduate, is someone that Dethman has leaned on during her time in Billings, as the two have ties that date well beyond their head-to-head matchups in high school in the Eastern C.
“I grew up with Gracee Lekvold. There's not a lot of people around the Froid and Brockton area and Scobey. When we were growing up we'd stay at each other's houses and go to these little tournaments and play," Dethman said.
Dethman hasn’t had to be a one-woman wrecking crew in the post, though, as the Bears feature a bevy of 6-footers that continue to push each other to improve on a daily basis.
“We just have a good time. It's all love regardless. We push each other around, but we know that if you're getting better, the team is getting better, I'm getting better and we're all getting better," Dethman said. "I just think it's such a good atmosphere."
The Bears hope Dethman continues her ascension as they pursue a Frontier Conference title.
