BILLINGS — While most people scramble through crowded stores in December hunting for holiday deals, Montana State Billings men's basketball coach Luke Fennelly can watch and smile. He knocked out his shopping in the offseason — and boy, did he find some steals.
Bouncing into this season, Fennelly faced a mountain-sized question: How do you replace a roster full of graduated players, especially leaders? The answer came from newcomers stretching from the U.S. to Europe, bringing in talent that has the Yellowjackets off to a strong 8-2 start.
One of Fennelly's best finds is Mason Landdeck, a lightning-quick, defensively pesky guard. Oh, and the Seattle Pacific transfer happens to be the reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament MVP. On Saturday, Landdeck lit up his former team with 32 points in a 77-70 come-from-behind win in the GNAC opener.
"I just love the style that coach plays and I think it fits my game pretty well," Landdeck told MTN Sports.
See how the Yellowjackets have jumped out to a fast 8-2 start:
"Everybody has a chance to score, everybody has a chance to produce, everybody has a chance to make their mark on winning," Fennelly said.
Winning has become Fennelly's calling card. In just his third season as head coach, his teams are unequivocally successful. Back-to-back 20-victory seasons — including a regular-season GNAC championship — culminated with 21 wins last season; the most since MSUB's 2002 finish.
The Jackets somehow managed all this success while essentially closing their last two seasons on one leg with injury depleted benches.
"When we won (the GNAC title in 2024) we ended with seven guys. Last year we ended with six guys," Fennelly said.
Now Fennelly has eight newcomers to complement five returners — three from right here in Billings: Rhyse Owens, Cooper Tyson and Gabe Hatler.
The team's fast-paced, high-energy style attracts players from around the globe, including France's Jakob Milling, who admits the American style took some adjustment.
"I mean, this is completely different from what I've ever played in, especially in Europe. In Europe, it's a lot more calm, running plays and all that … less run and gun," Milling said.
The run-and-gun approach is exactly what Fennelly and his Yellowjackets want.
"We definitely want to make teams tired, make them hit a wall at some point in the game," Landdeck said.
"We want to play 10 or 11 guys, we want to play really fast, we want to get after it defensively. You know, press for 40 minutes if we can," Fennelly said.
And while holiday shoppers are still searching, Fennelly's offseason spree is already delivering.
