GREAT FALLS — It might seem strange, but there won’t be a single Treasure State native playing for either the Montana or Montana State men's basketball teams at the Big Sky Conference tournament over the course of the next five days in Boise, Idaho.
Griz sophomore and Missoula Hellgate product Connor Dick is the only Montanan on either roster, but he is taking a redshirt year, so 406 representation falls to a former Billings Skyview superstar.
Julius “Juice” Mims is in his second season on the Idaho Vandals after a standout career with the Falcons and two years of junior college. Now a senior, the Vandal fan favorite and preseason All-Big Sky selection is honored to represent his home state in his final bow as a college athlete.
“It feels awesome," Mims said. "Coming from where I’m from, being in Billings, I didn’t get a lot of recognition, and a whole lot of kids over the state didn’t get a whole lot of recognition, so it’s a big feeling to be able to represent the state and to play for them, you know what I’m saying?”
Mims is averaging 8.6 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game this season. He also ranks third in the Big Sky with 31 blocked shots.
Idaho is the No. 6 seed for the tournament and will play No. 3-seeded Portland State in a quarterfinal game at 8 p.m. Monday.
"My experience (at Idaho) has been amazing, I can't say enough about it," Mims said. "The people are so welcoming. The coaches, I couldn't say enough about the coaches. The people, the town, it's just like a little town from Montana, so I just feel right at home."
Conversely, Montana will be well-represented in the women’s tournament. In addition to the numerous Montana products on the Bobcats and Lady Griz, there are a few more to watch across the Big Sky.
Helena’s Avery Kraft is on the Portland State roster, Laurel’s Alyse Aby is a key contributor for Idaho State, and a pair of Eastern Washington freshmen, Missoula Sentinel’s Emily McElmurry and Kourtney Grossman of Billings West, have made an immediate impact.
“It’s been huge, just like for my confidence," Grossman said. "I feel like knowing that I’m trusted to, like a degree, just do my job. My goal is to just come into every game and leave it better than I found it and just try to step into that role as best I can."
Grossman this season was the only player in the Big Sky to average a double-double. She led the league with 10.4 rebounds per game to go along with 10.4 points per game. On Friday Grossman was named Big Sky freshman of the year.
Grossman had an especially impressive stretch in January when she recorded double-doubles in seven consecutive games, including a game with 18 points and 19 rebounds against Montana State.
"I've just been super lucky, especially where I didn’t get to play a bunch in high school because I was hurt for quite a bit," she said. "So, it’s just been really fun to just play and not be on the sidelines.”
Eastern Washington is the seventh seed for the tournament and will play a first-round game against eighth-seeded Sacramento State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
