MISSOULA — Spencer Laird has been breaking out in a big way the past two years at Missoula Loyola Sacred Heart.
Her game has grown so much in fact, it's sometimes easy to forget that the 6-foot-2 forward is just a sophomore, and the art of growing up might throw a curveball or two.
"I'd say I'm still pretty clumsy," Laird said with a laugh. "I was just talking to my friend about this the other day, but there's some days where I'm just running and I'll be running past half court, and half court will take me out. No one's around me. I'll just completely fall over.
"I think definitely I'm still kind of getting used to that and still trying to work on being a more athletic and less clumsy player."
But you wouldn't know it, based on Laird's play for the Breakers, especially this past season.
She started as a true freshman a year ago, but this past winter she began to flourish and led the state in scoring, helping Loyola to a third-place finish at the Class B girls basketball state tournament.
"It's a high level of basketball and you're out there and there are a lot of good girls, and that environment is such a blessing, though, because pressure is a privilege and being able to play at that level is such a blessing," Laird said. "I'm so grateful for it, but I think that my coaches and teammates are what I owe them. I couldn't have done it without them. They showed me the ropes and they showed me that you always had my back and they're there to pick me up."
It's that supporting cast Laird credits as being the catalyst behind her fast successes.
"They mean absolutely everything to me and they are everything for me," Laird said. "I think there's something to be said about those who know what you have inside of you and are willing to get it out of you, even sometimes when you don't think you have it in you, where you're not sure, you're not confident. My coaches and my teammates, they are the ones who are going to push each other and they're going to push us to be the best versions of ourselves.
"The bond that we had and the love that we had for each other was unbelievable. We're best friends on the court and off the court, and I think that that's something that goes to show for our coaches, too. They were always emphasizing that we are more than a basketball team. We're students, we're friends, we're daughters, we're sisters. We're so much more than just basketball players, and that was something for us that just completely changed our game."
Laird's basketball lineage is strong with family members prior succeeding in the game, followed by her desire to pursue it seriously at a young age. Her grandfather, Craig Henkel, starred for the Montana men's basketball team, while her mother, Brynn (Henkel) Laird, played at San Francisco. Her aunt Jill (Henkel) Yacu played for the Montana Lady Griz while her uncle, Eric Henkel, played for both Eastern Washington and Carroll College.
Her younger sister, Emme, who is just an eighth grader, is right behind her and was also a key part of Loyola's basketball team this season.
"I knew that I wanted to work and become a better player and I knew that it was going to be hard because, you know, nothing comes easy, I guess, when it's worth it," Laird said. "I've always wanted to be a better player than I was the day before, and I've always wanted to get to a level where I could play it the next level. I'm excited to keep working, and it's something that really motivates me."
Colleges are already beginning to notice, too, as Laird has been offered by both Montana and Montana State already, with more likely to come as she embarks on the AAU circuit this spring and summer. Laird competes for the Northwest Blazers program.
"I'm so grateful for every single part of the recruiting process," Laird said. "Just the fact that a lot of these coaches and a lot of these schools are willing to take the time. I think that's a benefit of being recruited at a young age, is you get this advice from coaches about what you could do to grow your game. ... You get such good advice and mentorship that it's really just such a blessing that I'm so grateful to have had."
And for Laird, it's about soaking it all in, as the sky is the limit for her game.
"Something my dad has preached to me and my siblings since we were really young is never let the moment be bigger than it is," Laird said. "And I think for me, it's a lot about staying where my feet are and not getting too worried about, you know, the future or the past. Even I think just being present and being in the moment, and try to absorb everything that I can out of it, because it's really an incredible process and I feel super grateful for it."
