BIGFORK – Anders Epperly rarely scores the most points in a game he plays, but the Bigfork point guard might consistently have more to do with the outcome than anyone else in the state. And now we have statistical proof.
The KPAX Athlete of the Week just broke the Montana career assists record. His 699 dimes top the mark set by Kremlin-Gildford’s Randy Robinson way back in 1992.
Epperly has run the show for fantastic Vikings squads since his freshman season, including last year’s undefeated state championship run. But naturally when asked about the historic achievement, Epperly dished out another assist.
“It’s pretty cool, I think,” admitted Epperly. “But it just shows what kind of teammates I had, really. I was pretty lucky to play with such great teammates since I was a freshman. So it just shows, I think, what type of program we have here and what type of great players have come through it in the past couple years.”
“It’s kind of a chicken-and-egg-type situation,” said head coach Sam Tudor. “Yeah, we have a great program. But Anders is a big part of what we do. Because he shares the ball so well, our team tends to share the ball really well.”
Tudor found out Epperly was on pace to break the mark after the championship season ended last March, but Epperly’s game never changed while approaching history.
“I was getting told of it, but I’m never really shooting for it,” said Epperly. “I just usually try to play the game the right way. If a guy is open, I’m going to get him the ball. It’s not something I would go out and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to try to get this many assists a night.’ It just kind of happens.”
“It’s an old record, and it’s a big record to beat,” said Tudor. “Probably the largest asset he has is his basketball IQ. I think that you could put Anders in charge of most high school teams in the state, and he’d be a better coach than most. He knows the game so well, and it makes my life easier as a coach that I’ve got a coach on the floor.”
The 11-1 Vikings shoot for another huge victory when Missoula Loyola travels to Bigfork this Saturday.
