BOZEMAN — There has been a shift in roster makeup at the NCAA Division I level in Montana, as the teams that used to be filled with in-state talent have recently included more out-of-state players.
Tricia Binford, who has been the head coach at Montana State for the past 20 seasons, shared insight on the trends at this level in the Treasure State.
"When I first started here, maybe social media wasn’t as prevalent," she explained. "You didn’t have the (transfer) portal, you didn't have (Name, Image and Likeness). Prior to that, you could do your best at keeping them to closer to your backyard, whereas now kids are going to put something out on the internet and everyone is going to have an awareness of them."
Binford noted her program’s strategy in order to adapt to the current landscape.
"I think the consistency of our theme has been about building relationships as early as possible and establishing a culture to kind of combat that," she said.
There’s a key factor that stands out most with in-state players.
"They’re tough," Binford said. "They’re gritty. They have tremendous work ethic, and they play really great basketball. But I think one of the great qualities of Montana athletes is so many of them play multiple sports, which is really hard to do with club sports now."
Taylee Chirrick, who graduated from Roberts High School, has made an instant impact in her freshman season with MSU. She was also a standout cross country and track athlete in high school, which she credits with helping her transition to college hoops.
"I think it helped me a lot. Honestly, I think sometimes in college, you can get a lot easier drained just because of the fact you’re year-round one sport," Chirrick explained. "So, being able to have those breaks growing up from sports and transition to other sports (was beneficial). Now that I’m focused on a full year-round sport, I wasn’t always doing that."
A common theme that separates the Montana State and Montana programs from other Division I universities is the fan commitment. The two programs often lead the Big Sky Conference in attendance, which stands out to prospective players.
"A big part of why I came here was the community, but I didn’t realize how amazing it even is compared to what I thought," Chirrick said. "So honestly, it has just shown that the Bozeman area, the people involved that are Cats fans, there’s nothing like it."
"Just a great deal of gratification for this community to come out and get behind our student-athletes and our players," Binford said. "They’ve obviously earned it, from what we believe, and to get people to celebrate them and cheer for them. What a great product to get behind and have excitement.
"Our marketing department has been so powerful in that. You got your president, your athletic director. ... This has been building over time. There’s a lot of pride in that, we know there’s a lot of responsibility in it."
