(Editor's note: University of Montana media release)
MISSOULA — Lauren Dick, a recent graduate of Hellgate High, has joined the Montana Lady Griz as a walk-on for the 2022-23 season, second-year head coach Brian Holsinger announced recently.
Dick, the daughter of former Griz basketball player Ryan Dick, helped lead the Knights to back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Montana Class AA state tournament as a junior and senior.
“We’re excited about the addition of Lauren. She is a local kid who has high character and is a hard worker, so she fits our culture perfectly,” said Holsinger. “We’re excited about what she’s going to bring as a walk-on to our program. I think she can add a lot.”
Dick, a 5-foot-10 guard, participated in her first team practice as a Lady Griz on Wednesday afternoon. She gives Montana a roster of 14 players heading into the season.
“I was super nervous. I was shaking,” she admitted afterwards. “But all the girls have been really welcoming. Every single person in the gym wants to be the best they can be and get better every day.”
Dick was part of four Hellgate teams that advanced to the Class AA state tournament. The Knights finished third when Dick was a freshman, second her final two seasons.
She was voted to the all-tournament team as a junior and a senior, second-team all-state as a senior. As a junior, her team lost 33-31 to new teammate Dani Bartsch’s Helena Capital squad.
Dick, her class’s vice president last year, also played for Hellgate’s state semifinalist soccer team as a senior.
Her dad was an honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference selection as a junior and senior. He was voted to the all-tournament team when Montana won the 1997 Big Sky championship in Flagstaff, Ariz.
“I had some D-III and some NAIA schools interested, but I just knew I wanted to come here, with or without basketball,” Dick said. “This is where I wanted to be. This is home. This is where my family is.”
