MALTA — College basketball is coming to the Hi-Line this weekend as five programs from around the region will gather for the Malta Basketball Showcase, a day of scrimmages designed to highlight the sport and connect local athletes with opportunities at the next level.
The showcase will feature teams from Miles Community College, MSU-Northern, Williston State College, Carroll College and Dawson Community College. While the event will consist of scrimmages rather than official games, Malta athletic director Jake Norby believes it will provide a unique experience for basketball fans across the Hi-Line.
"Basketball is life in Malta," Norby said. "We haven't had college basketball in Malta in, I think, a really long time."
WATCH THE FULL STORY HERE:
The event grew out of a successful college basketball exhibition that brought MSU-Northern to Malta last year. After seeing the community's response, organizers began discussing ways to expand the concept.
"We expanded it from one game into five games," Norby said. "We even got coach (Shawn) Huse at Northern, the men's coach, on board this year. It's going to be pretty cool."
Norby said the showcase is also a reflection of Malta's long-standing basketball tradition.
"Malta's got a rich history of basketball, especially girls basketball," he said. "We have quite a few players that have gone on and played in college, and currently right now we have four former Malta girls that will be at this scrimmage showcase here in Malta."
Several former Malta standouts will return to play in front of their hometown crowd, giving local fans another opportunity to watch athletes who once starred for the Mustangs.
"It's going to be another opportunity for those kids that gave so much to Malta to come back into their old locker room, to their old gym, in front of their own crowd and fans," Norby said.
Beyond the basketball itself, Norby hopes the event can serve as inspiration for younger athletes who may be considering playing at the collegiate level someday.
"Maybe not every single kid in Malta has gone on and watched a college basketball game," he said. "To get them in front of young students in Malta and show them what college basketball is about is one part of it that I'm really looking forward to."
Norby also believes bringing multiple colleges to town gives students a chance to learn about a variety of opportunities beyond the state's largest schools.
"It's good for our kids to see all the different programs and kind of options," he said. "It's not just all about going to the biggest college necessarily."
Some of the participating schools will also have admissions representatives on site, allowing students and families to learn more about academic and athletic opportunities available at each institution.
Norby said the showcase benefits not only Malta, but communities across the Hi-Line.
"I think they just want to be seen out here on the Hi-Line and let Malta and the surrounding community know that they know about Malta, they care about the area, and they want our students to be at their colleges," he said.
The scrimmages will not be officially scored, and statistics will not be kept. Instead, the focus is on player development, community engagement and celebrating basketball in northeast Montana.
Looking ahead, Norby hopes the showcase can continue to grow into a regular destination event.
"I would like to see this grow into something that year after year, whether it be exhibition games, scrimmages or regular-season games," he said. "If we could get colleges together here in Malta promoting Malta, but not just Malta, promoting basketball on the Hi-Line, that's really the goal."
As for what success looks like when the final scrimmage concludes Saturday night, Norby's answer is simple.
"For me to see this as a success, I'd like to see a lot of smiles on everybody else's face," he said. "It's about the community and it's about getting basketball in our town."
