A Strong Future For Missoula Girls Prep Basketball

Taking a look back at the 2018-2019 Missoula prep girls basketball season we saw an influx of freshman girls playing at the varsity level that helped their teams be successful, even helping to send one team to state to finish third overall at the Class AA level.

Unlike any other team sport, with the game of basketball the age of the player does not determine the talent level, and this season we saw freshman play and start at all five high schools in Missoula. At the Class C level in Montana schools will bring athletes up from eighth grade to play at the high school level in order to fill numbers in order to field a team, many of which play and start.

Youth sports programs have helped to cultivate opportunities for girls to improve their skills in Missoula, elevating the play of athletes at a younger age like never before. Due to basketball programs like the YMCA who give give young girls an opportunity to try to basketball, to programs like AAU basketball and local youth basketball tournaments have been the feeder for Missoula high school girls basketball programs.

One of the main characteristics that all of the Missoula prep basketball coaches look for in their varsity level players is basketball knowledge. Hellgate girls head basketball coach Rob Henthorn talks about the aspect of basketball that all five girls basketball coaches agree on, “Being an athlete is only half of what it takes to be a dominate basketball player.” Coach Henthorn goes on to say that the Hellgate coaching staff push the girls in the mental aspect of game and stress the importance of it in order to work to be students of the game.

In years past Karen Deden, head coach of the Sentinel Lady Spartans, has taken stars like Olivia Roberts, Shannon Worster, and Emma Blakely from the freshman ranks and has been dominate when she has installed them in to the Lady Spartan scheme as freshman. It can be difficult for these young athletes as they have to learn on the fly, Coach Deden talks about preparing the girls for the the mental part of the game, “During the season we are not able to do a lot of one on one work, we try to go over it everyday with the whole team.”

As Coach Henthorn says, “Prep girls’ basketball has improved tremendously in Missoula and will continue to help develop young athletes to be prepared for high school sports.” Continuing to cultivate youth basketball will help Missoula be one of the top girls prep basketball communities in Montana, giving Missoula a strong future in prep basketball.