MISSOULA – Montana guard Michael Oguine made the transition from memorable to all-time great on Saturday, joining a celebrated list.
Oguine is known more for his athleticism and outstanding defense, but he caught fire from the outside versus Northern Arizona. The Los Angeles native hit a career-high seven 3-pointers in an easy win over the Lumberjacks.
Two back-to-back treys in the second half pushed Oguine over 1,000 career points with still plenty of time to go in his junior season. When MTN Sports brought it up that he was close last week, Oguine admitted he had no idea, but he understands what the milestone means.
“I mean, it’s pretty cool to know that you’ve stuck it out at a program,” he said. “And this program has a rich history. I really respect it. It would be an honor to be in that 1,000-point club, but it’s not something I’m thinking about in the game. I just want to get two wins this weekend and stay undefeated.”
Oguine and the Grizzlies checked all the boxes last week. They improved to 9-0 in the Big Sky Conference, 2.5 games ahead of second-place Weber State at the halfway mark of conference play.
And the celebrations should continue. Junior guard Ahmaad Rorie needs 71 more points to become the 33rd member of Montana’s 1,000-point club. The Grizzlies’ leading scorer averages more than 18 points per game, so he should reach the milestone sometime in the next three weeks.
