Montana got an early start on its 2018 recruiting class by landing an emerging prospect from its rival’s back yard.
Mack Anderson, a 6-foot-8 senior at Bozeman High, announced his commitment to the Griz basketball team via his Twitter account on Monday night. After considering scholarship offers from Air Force and from Montana State, Anderson tweeted that he sought advice from his coaches and family before pledging himself to Montana.
“It just felt like the most comfortable situation,” Anderson said Tuesday afternoon in a message to Skyline Sports. “They have a great program and I built a good relationship with their staff throughout the process. The way they play with their bigs is definitely a system that I could see myself in.”
Despite limited statistical impact at the Class AA prep level for the Hawks as a junior — he averaged 2.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and less than a block per game — Anderson helped Bozeman to a 17-3 record and a runner-up finish to Kalispell Glacier at the Class AA state tournament.
Montana head coach Travis DeCuire coaching forward Jared Samuelson (33)/by Brooks Nuanez
The attention from various Division I schools started rolling in this summer after Anderson, who has added three inches to his frame in the past year, impressed on the AAU circuit. His first offer came from the Bobcats in mid-July. Within a month, the Grizzlies made theirs prior to Air Force’s overture.
In that time Anderson, recruited primarily by Montana associate head coach Chris Cobb, had discussions with Boise State, Colgate, Denver, Idaho, Portland, South Dakota and Washington State.
“(AAU) impacted my recruiting in a huge way, before the summer none of those schools had seen me play yet so it was good to get out and play in front of them,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s verbal commitment — he can sign a National Letter of Intent in November — marked the second time in the last six months the Grizzlies earned a commitment from a player Montana State was trying to add. Lars Espe, a guard from Norway, committed to Montana in April after taking an official visit to Bozeman around the same time he visited Missoula.
Montana’s coaches are prohibited from discussing Anderson until he signs his NLI.
This story will be updated. Photo courtesy of Anderson.
