BOZEMAN — Five people. Including herself, that's the number of students Teagan Erickson graduated high school with.
While the move last year from Saco to Bozeman was a big jump in population, Erickson, now a sophomore on the Montana State women's basketball team, credits her teammates and the community for making the adjustment easier.
And it’s no surprise Erickson found her footing quickly by the way Bobcats coach Tricia Binford describes her.
"She's super witty and very funny, and a lot of teammates probably describe her as a quieter kid, but when she has something to say, we definitely want to hear it," Binford said. "She's just a kind soul, a very humble person. She's the first to deflect the attention on herself."
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Erickson was able to take lessons she learned from growing up on her ranch and apply them to the way she approaches playing basketball.
“You just learn the hard work and the grit aspect of it," Erickson said. "So (I apply) that to basketball as far as the hard work and that type of mentality.”
And one element of her game Erickson has worked hard on over the years is something Bobcat fans haven’t seen from her yet — her ability to finish above the rim.
“I think I grabbed the rim once in maybe sixth grade and that kind of just sparked an interest," Erickson said. "There's not very many girls that can dunk, and it's kind of a cool skill to have. So I just worked on that."
Binford recalled the first time she witnessed Erickson's dunking abilities.
“For her official visit we did a photo shoot, and we asked her to warm up," Binford said. "I think she did one jog to half court and she dunked like three times in a row for the photo shoot.”
Erickson's teammates have encouraged her to show off her dunking abilities in a game.
“If I get a wide-open chance I'm definitely going to take it," Erickson said, "because there are not a lot of opportunities.”
And Binford gives Erickson a green light to take an opportunity if one arises.
“I want to keep everybody safe, but she can put that ball through the net and she can really elevate and jump," Binford said. "I think she's waiting for the right moment, and we hope that to be in the Brick for our fans to see it in action.”
