BOZEMAN — Montana State enters the women’s basketball season with a big target on its back after last year's 19-conference-win season and a Big Sky Conference championship. With the 2020-21 season tipping off in two weeks, the Bobcats held their media day Thursday morning, where head coach Tricia Binford and sophomore guard Darian White addressed the media.
"Being able to be undefeated on the road in conference, I’ve just never seen that happen in the conference since I’ve been a part of it," Binford said of last year's team.
The Bobcats are coming off one of the best seasons in program history with a 25-6 record. While they’re the reigning Big Sky champions, the Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in this year’s preseason polls. Five seniors graduated from the program last season, so this year’s roster is largely made up of underclassmen.
“We have a lot of freshmen, so they’re going to have a lot of responsibilities," said White. "As of right now, they’re really stepping up the plate. They work so hard every practice.”
The Bobcats also welcomed a transfer this offseason to help add some experience to this year’s young squad.
“What’s going to be really exciting is seeing the combination of the post play," added Binford. "You’ve got Skye Lindsay, who’s a transfer to our program from Pepperdine, that does have a year under her belt. That was really important for us to get a post into the program with some experience.”
White was named to the preseason all-Big Sky team earlier this week. The guard had arguably the best freshman season in Bobcat women’s basketball history, posting 394 points, 150 rebounds, 104 assists and 76 steals last year. That's just the beginning for White. She’s been working on a few things this summer to take her game to the next level this season.
"Over the summer I was really working on coming off of ball screens and just reading what the right play is," she said. "Also just trying to really be confident and get good at my 3-point shot.”
The Bobcats will host South Dakota Mines on Nov. 25 to tip off their 2020-21 season.
