BILLINGS — The Montana StateBillings women’s basketball team and head coach Kevin Woodin announced the addition of the first signee ahead of the 2026-27 season, with transfer guard Molly Hays set to join the program.
Hays will make her way to the Yellowjackets after redshirting the previous two seasons at Idaho State of the Big Sky Conference. Prior to her tenure with the Bengals, Hays was one of the most accomplished players in Wyoming high school basketball, receiving Gatorade player of the year and state player of the year honors twice, and Max Preps player of the year once.
Named one of Sports Illustrated’s top 20 point guards in the nation coming out of high school, Hays scored 1,689 points in four seasons at Cody High School, 16th-most on the state’s all-time scoring list. She helped lead the Fillies to 4A Northwest Conference and 4A Regional titles in 2023-24, averaging 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 steals, and 2.5 assists, earning defensive player of the year honors that season along with player of the year.
Hays finished her career as a four-time all-conference and all-state selection, while leading her team to one 4A state championship and two second-place finishes. As a senior, she was honored with the Milward Simpson Award, recognizing her as the top girls prep athlete in the state.
"I am excited to have Molly join our women’s basketball program," MSUB coach Kevin Woodin stated. "We recruited Molly when she was at Cody and we understood and supported her decision to go to Idaho State at the time.
"Molly will have a positive impact on our team right away. She is a combo guard with an excellent understanding of the game. Molly loves to compete and has a team-first mentality. I can’t wait to see her play in a Yellowjacket uniform."
"I chose MSUB because of their winning culture," Hays said. "I loved the girls on the team that I met, I loved the coaches, and I’ve known them for a while. You can tell the team is close and feels like a family. The culture is exactly what I was looking for, and I’m very excited.”
