BOZEMAN — It's one thing to set or tie a record, but doing so against your rival makes it a little sweeter.
That was the case for the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday evening at Worthington Arena as Montana not only got the sweep of the Montana State Bobcats this season, but head coach Travis DeCuire tied an all-time mark. It's a record that has stood since 1955, and now DeCuire stands tied with George Dahlberg with 221 victories for the program's all-time winningest mark by a head coach.
PHOTOS: BOBCATS, GRIZZLIES BATTLE TO THRILLER IN BRAWL OF THE WILD IN BOZEMAN
One more, and his name stands alone.
For DeCuire, it was all about recognizing those who tutored him both as a player at Montana and as an up-and-coming college coach.
"Stew Morrill. Blaine Taylor. Mike Montgomery," DeCuire listed off immediately in his postgame press conference. "Those guys really impacted my growth as a coach. When I started my Division I coaching career, I thought I knew everything. I found out real early that I didn't know much about Division I basketball, and so I had an opportunity to grow under some of the best."
From family to current and former players and assistants to UM's vast and decorated coaching tree of which DeCuire is part of and holds in high regard, there were many and a wide range who received DeCuire's credit for tying the milestone on their rival's home court. That included associate head coach Chris Cobb, who has been there all 11 years of DeCuire's tenure, as well as his current staff of Jay Flores, Anderson Clarke, DJ Broome and Reuben Williams. Flores and Clarke have also been part of many wins with DeCuire as each have been on staff for nine and seven years, respectively.
He also shouted out MSU assistant Zach Payne, who was previously at Montana.
"When you enjoy the people you're with every day, you show up every day and you return year after year, and then the support of my family —my daughter and my wife have supported me in this community and been a big part," the 11th-year head coach said. "Everyone's committed to winning and when everyone's committed, you win. And so I'm just grateful to be surrounded by winners and great leaders."
For his players, it was also special, as they simultaneously celebrated their ninth straight victory to improve to 20-8 and 13-2 in Big Sky play as the Grizzlies maintained their first-place spot in the league standings.
Tie a program record after beating a rival? Makes for a water celebration in the locker room for @MontanaGrizBB as they win their ninth in a row and sweep the Brawl of the Wild.Travis DeCuire now in the history books @montanasports pic.twitter.com/8XdaofwT9p
— Kyle Hansen (@khansen406) February 23, 2025
"It means a lot. I'm glad I'm able to be a part of it," fifth-year senior guard Brandon Whitney said. "I'm glad my teammates are able to be a part of it. Coach Trav, he's a great coach. He challenges us every day, every practice. He doesn't let up. I'm just grateful to be part of it, and congrats."
"The record's big time. When I entered the portal, my biggest thing was I want to win. That's like the bottom line. The only thing that really mattered to me," added guard Kai Johnson, who scored 23 points in Saturday's win. "Coach knows how to win games and everyone on the staff knows how to win games, and, I mean, that's the biggest reason I came here, so to see this big milestone is awesome, for sure."
There's still one more win needed to get the record, but beyond that, the Grizzlies are eyeing even loftier goals in the home stretch. UM has three more games left in the regular season starting with a road trip at Sacramento State on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday. UM then closes out the regular season at home the following Monday against Eastern Washington.
Then, it's full steam ahead to the Big Sky tournament in Boise.
"Tonight was a rivalry game. Tonight there were some milestones, but tonight wasn't about that," DeCuire said Saturday. "We’re chasing something else and that's the only thing we've had any conversations about, even though we don't really mention that very much.
"Just win the next one, we're looking forward. So we'll be just as excited Thursday to play as we were tonight. And see how far this thing goes."
