April 2005
Bulldog Basketball Signs Five
Friday, April 22 2005
Five Montana prep student-athletes signed Frontier Conference/NAIA letters of intent to play basketball for the University of Montana-Western, according to head coach Mark Durham.
Clayton Goodhart is a 5-8, 145 lb guard from Helena. He averaged nine points, 2.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game his senior season and received his teams 'Hustle' award for three seasons. Goodhart will graduate this spring from Helena Capital High School and plans to major in business at Western. He is the son of John and Alice Goodhart. “A very solid player,” noted Durham. “He is a good kid who is not afraid of hard work.”
Ryan Hansen is a 6-2, 175 lb guard from Florence. He averaged 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals per game. Hansen is a two-time All-Conference selection and an All-State selection this past season. He was selected to the All-State tournament team, was the MVP of the All Valley Classic his junior season and the Bitterroot Valley Player of the Year this past season. From the classroom, he earned Academic All-State honors and was selected to his school's Honor Roll in each of his four years. Hansen will graduate this spring from Florence-Carlton High School and plans to major in education at Western. He is the son of Gene and Karen Hansen. “Ryan has good size for a guard,” said Durham. “He comes from a successful program and knows how to win. I am really excited about him joining our program.”
Tanner Lagge is a 6-2, 185 lb forward from Great Falls. He averaged eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game last season. Lagge will graduate his spring from C.M. Russell High School and plans to major in business at Western. He is the son of Gretchen Olson. He joins older brother Marshall in the Bulldog program. “Tanner is a very solid all-around player from a very good high school program,” said Durham. “CMR was one of the best defensive teams in AA this season. Tanner has the potential to develop into a good player in the Frontier Conference.”
Jimmy Michel is a 5-8, 150 lb guard from Ronan. He averaged 21.2 points, 4 assists, 2.1 steals and 4.4 rebounds per game and earned All-Conference and All-State honors. Michel plans will graduate this spring from Ronan High School and plans to major in literature and writing with an emphasis in creative writing at Western. He is the son of Lytle and Charmel Gillin of Pablo.
“Jimmy is a very talented player,” added Durham. “He makes things happen when he is on the court, whether it be scoring or finding the open man. Jimmy is another great addition to our program.”
Gem Toussaint is a 6-3, 185 lb shooting guard from Missoula Loyola Sacred Heart High School. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 6.8 rebounds per game and earned All-District and All-Conference honors. Toussaint, the son of Dennis and Shan, graduated from Loyola in 2002. He plans to major in business administration. “Gem is a very athletic player,” noted Durham. “He sat out a couple of years and now wants to get back to the business of basketball.”
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Bulldog Basketball Signs Montana "Gatorade Player of the Year"
Thursday, April 14 2005
Charlie Cox, a 6-0, 165 lb point guard from Missoula, has signed a Frontier Conference/NAIA letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Montana-Western, according to head coach Mark Durham.
Cox is the 2005 Montana “Gatorade Player of the Year.” In his senior season, he averaged 13.3 points, nine assists, and 2.61 steals per game as Missoula Hellgate won the Class AA State Championship. He shot 52% from the field, 34.6% from long range and 69.8% from the free throw line. In his career at Hellgate, he averaged 12.2 points per game, 5.54 assists and 2.05 steals per game. Cox was a four-year starter for Hellgate, scoring 1104 career points. He led the state in assists in both his junior and senior seasons. Cox earned 1st team All-Conference and All-State honors and was selected to the Class 'AA' All-State Tournament team. Cox was also named to the 2005 Great Falls Tribune Super-State boys' basketball team. He will play in this summer's Montana-Wyoming All-Star game. At the recent Sheraton Classic Basketball Tournament, Cox was named to the All-Tournament team and was selected as one of the four Most Valuable Players at the tourney.
“This is a huge signing for us,” said Durham. “Charlie is a true point guard, in every sense of the definition!” He is a superb passer and can score when needed. Charlie has a great feel for the game will help recruit other kids because he is a high profile player. Best of all, he is a great kid. He is the kind of student-athlete you like to see in your program.”
Cox excels in the classroom as he maintains a 3.6 GPA. He was a four-time Academic All-State selection.
Cox will graduate this spring from Missoula Hellgate and plans to major in general studies at Western. He is the son of Danny Cox and Jeanne Cox.
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Ori Transfers to Western
Tuesday, April 12 2005
Kellen Ori, a 6'7”, 210 lb post/forward from Kalispell, has signed an NAIA/Frontier Conference letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Montana-Western. Ori transfers to Western from Montana Tech.
In this past season, Ori averaged eight points and four rebounds a game for the Orediggers. In his freshman season, he led Montana Tech in scoring and rebounding with 11 points and seven rebounds per game and was named “Freshman of the Year” in the Frontier Conference. In addition, he was named the Orediggers' “Newcomer of the Year.”
“I am very excited about Kellen coming to Western,” said Durham. “He has good size, can run the floor and is very athletic. Best of all, he has played in the league for two years and knows what to expect!”
Ori is a 2002 graduate of Flathead County High School of Kalispell. He earned All-Conference honors in basketball. In his senior season, he overcame injury to lead Kalispell to the Western AA Championship. In track, Ori qualified for the State AA Track Championship in the high jump.
He is the son of Keith and Sue Ori of Kalispell and will major in business at Western.
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Bulldogs Sign J.C. Star
Friday, April 8 2005
Greg Hall, a 6'8”, 208 lb forward, has signed an NAIA-Frontier Conference letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Montana-Western, according to head coach Mark Durham. Hall transfers to Western from Reedley College of Reedley, California.
Last season, he averaged 11 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots and earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors in the Central Valley Conference.
“Greg is very long and athletic,” said Durham. “We think he can come in and be an impact player. He rebounds very well and has a soft touch inside.”
Hall is a graduate of Tallwood High School of Chesapeake, Virginia. He is the son of Benita Hall and Greg Hall and is undecided in his major.
-WESTERN-
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Rocky Star Transfers to Western
Monday, April 4 2005
Wes Morales, a 6'4”, 200 lb guard from Worden, Montana, has signed an NAIA/Frontier Conference letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Montana-Western according to head coach Mark Durham. Morales transfers to Western from Rocky Mountain College.
Last year for Rocky, Morales averaged 11 points and six rebounds a game and earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors.
He is a 2002 graduate of Huntley Project High School where he earned All-Conference and All-State honors in both football and basketball.
“Wes is a great athlete,” said Durham. “He brings a lot of athleticism and energy to our team. He knows how to score and is a relentless rebounder.”
Morales will major in business management at Western. He is the son of Val Selmon and Jim Morales.
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