HELENA — After helping his team to a state title, Brayden Koch was recently named Montana’s Gatorade player of the year, as well as the AA tournament MVP.
“I ended on a good note, couldn’t ask for much better,” Brayden Koch said.
Koch is Capital's first-ever Gatorade boys basketball player of the year. Koch averaged upwards of 20 points per game, leading the Bruins to their second state championship since 1983.
When it comes to the AA tournament MVP honor, Koch wasn’t sure if there was a single moment that swayed the voting media members in his favor, but if there was it was the game against Billings-Skyview where he snagged the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired in overtime sending Capital to the State title game.
“I don’t know maybe that Skyview game, I kinda had a good game. I felt like all three games I wasn’t just a one-man show,” he said.
When it comes to his Montana Gatorade player of the year honor, Koch found out about it on social media.
“I was just like “holy…”, just to be a part of all these other like, nationally ranked kids across the nation- it’s pretty cool.”
After such a successful season, Koch is taking time to just be a kid before he starts preparing for his collegiate career at Carroll College.
“Just right now, I’m taking a little break, hanging out with friends sometimes and just being a kid right now. But later this summer, I’ll start lifting, maybe even going in with the team.”
Koch isn’t worried about the Bruins moving forward, he knows the team is in good hands.
“Hayden Opitz, we have a great junior class, Henry Gross, Tyler Kovick, Jamey Michelotti, Nick Michelotti, Austin Buehler- basically the whole team. I’m not disappointed in one guy, and I know they’re going to do some great things here.”
And if he had to use one word to describe his career at Capital.
“Legendary.”
