So the portal window has closed shut and rosters are beginning to take shape. As of yesterday, there were roughly 1,500 players still in the portal and roughly 1,000 or so open roster positions on NCAA Division 1 teams.
Roster Status after Wisconsin Loss:
On paper after the Wisconsin loss, that would have been a roster that would have been an early season candidate for a top team in the Big Sky. That was with the cloud with Kai Johnson's appealed eligibility up in the air (still is) and the graduation of key personnel. Then at the end of the season we get the information that we can now add Te'Jon Sawyer back to the roster because of a JC extra year designation.
The staff now had 13 players on the roster and some targeted needs that would mean a very tactical approach to the open portal period. Like all BSC teams Montana was hurt by the portal early on with the departure of key starter and star Malik Moore (Xavier) to the portal. They also lost role players who might have saw larger roles in 2025-26 in Zack Davidson (NAU), Jalen Foy (TBD) and Jeremiah Dargan (TBD). So when you look at the needs of the roster entering into the portal period Montana likely had a need for:
1. Wing 3 and D guy to replace Austin Patterson.
2. Some Post Length to add depth to the post rotation w/ questions about Sawyers knee health and departure of Zach Davidson
3. Primary ball handler or another facilitator to replace Brandon Whitney and provide depth.
What Montana did was in part to be aggressive in the portal, maybe moreso than any other team in the BSC, to fill those needs in an off-season that was going to be a highly turbulent for a lot of low mid-major teams. Sacramento State has to replace most of its roster, Idaho and Idaho State have to replace key contributors across their rosters. Montana has to feel rather comfortable heading into the summer with its roster construction.
How did Montana do it?
1. First Signing: Kadyn Betts (Minnesota)- Junior PF. Fills post-season portal need #2. Can play both with back to basket and away from it. Athletic big man.
2. Second Signing: Courtney Anderson Jr. (Colorado)- Sophomore PG/CG/SG. Can fill both #1 and #3 on their needs/wants list. Former 4 star recruit from Northern California is a big guard capable of playing multiple positions.
3. Third Signing: Trae Taylor (Chico State)- Senior PF. Rebounding and scoring maching down low for DII Chico State. Plays with size and physicality. Fills #2.
4. Fourth Signing: Luke Moxon (High School)- Freshman CG. Aracata, California Big and physical kid, provides much needed depth on the wing. Plucked from under-recruited smaller school Northern California. Projects as a CG and potential redshirt in 2025-26.
5. Figth Signing: Tyler Isaak (Citrus JC/Cal Baptist) Junior SG. Great shooter (41.1 pct from 3 w/ 130 attempts) and is good on the defensive end (6 rpg, 1.6spg). Was Citrus JC's leading scorer and fills the role vacated by Austin Patterson's graduation.
and the 15th roster position is being held for....
It is TBD on Johnson. We may not hear for a while longer considering the litigation and bevy of extra year applications the NCAA has to deal with. If Johnson is a no-go, Montana has 1 roster slot available and likely 1 scholarship to use (see below). If Johnson doesn't return they have some flexibility where there isn't a glaring need depth wise, where they absolutely replace like with like. For what its worth, Pridgen and Sawyers scholarships won't count against the 13 scholarship totals and are to be paid w/ program funds and the same would likely be the case with Johnson as well. As it stands this is what roster/scholarship designation looks like:
Transfers are always a crap shoot and because both Betts and Anderson Jr. were limited role players at their respective power 4 conference schools it is going to be hard to know how their game/talent translates. Clearly Montana will miss Malik Moore, but will have Money Williams who could be on the verge of a huge breakout year after two absolutely emotionally draining seasons as a Freshman/Sophomore. They have the type of replacements for those losses on paper that makes the roster a bit more projectable in April than we'd otherwise know in most years. Taylor is a clear help on the low block to take some of hte pressure off of Sawyer's bionically repaired knee and it is clear that Betts can fulfill a similar role to Sawyer in terms of skill set (mobile, screen/roll, adequate perimeter shooter).
You can sort of see now why Moxon who was a summer elite camp attendee ends up being a late HS signee this year. Most years I don't think he's extended an offer but they get to bring him in and likely marinate on red-shirt for a year with the type of depth that likely won't ask him or Aguino to see minutes unless they force the staff to put them into the rotation.
Anyhow, this portal season has to feel good for the staff and allows them to head into the summer with a lot fewer questions than in 24-25 and an ability to get those guys in the gym in June and start doing the heavy lifting for the 25-26 season. Gotta like it from a fans perspective and what that might portend for the upcoming season. Going to be a long off-season for us fans, but we might have as much anticipation for a season of Griz hoops as we've had in a while. Kudos to the staff. A job well done.
Roster Status after Wisconsin Loss:
| # | Position | Name | Year/Status |
| 1 | PG | Chase Henderson | RS Sophomore/ DNP in 24-25 |
| 2 | SG | Money Williams | Sophomore/6th Man in 24-25 |
| 3 | SG | Connor Dick | RS Sophomore/ Walk-On and DNP in 24-25 |
| 4 | SG | Jeremiah Dargan | Senior/ Limited Minutes 13GP/5.4MPG |
| 5 | SG | Malik Moore | Senior/ Starter 30 GP/29 Started 12.6ppg |
| 6 | SG/W | Tyler Thompson | RS Freshman/DNP in 24-25 |
| 7 | W/F | Joe Pridgen | Graduate/ Starter 35GP/35S 11.5 ppg 6.8rpg |
| 8 | W/F | Amari Jedkins | RS Junior/ Reserve Rotational Player / 29GP/1S 8.8mpg |
| 9 | W/F | Jensen Bradtke | RS Sophomore/ Reserve Rotational Player/ 25GP/1S 10mpg |
| 10 | F/P | Jalen Foy | Senior/ 17GP/0S /Limited Minutes |
| 11 | P | Zack Davidson | RS Sophomore/ 16GP/0S 6.3mpg/ Limited Minutes |
| 12 | P | Kenyon Aguino | Freshman/ 2024 Signee |
On paper after the Wisconsin loss, that would have been a roster that would have been an early season candidate for a top team in the Big Sky. That was with the cloud with Kai Johnson's appealed eligibility up in the air (still is) and the graduation of key personnel. Then at the end of the season we get the information that we can now add Te'Jon Sawyer back to the roster because of a JC extra year designation.
| 13 | P | Te'Jon Sawyer | Graduate/ Starter/ 34GP 9.4ppg 4.1rpg |
The staff now had 13 players on the roster and some targeted needs that would mean a very tactical approach to the open portal period. Like all BSC teams Montana was hurt by the portal early on with the departure of key starter and star Malik Moore (Xavier) to the portal. They also lost role players who might have saw larger roles in 2025-26 in Zack Davidson (NAU), Jalen Foy (TBD) and Jeremiah Dargan (TBD). So when you look at the needs of the roster entering into the portal period Montana likely had a need for:
1. Wing 3 and D guy to replace Austin Patterson.
2. Some Post Length to add depth to the post rotation w/ questions about Sawyers knee health and departure of Zach Davidson
3. Primary ball handler or another facilitator to replace Brandon Whitney and provide depth.
What Montana did was in part to be aggressive in the portal, maybe moreso than any other team in the BSC, to fill those needs in an off-season that was going to be a highly turbulent for a lot of low mid-major teams. Sacramento State has to replace most of its roster, Idaho and Idaho State have to replace key contributors across their rosters. Montana has to feel rather comfortable heading into the summer with its roster construction.
How did Montana do it?
1. First Signing: Kadyn Betts (Minnesota)- Junior PF. Fills post-season portal need #2. Can play both with back to basket and away from it. Athletic big man.
2. Second Signing: Courtney Anderson Jr. (Colorado)- Sophomore PG/CG/SG. Can fill both #1 and #3 on their needs/wants list. Former 4 star recruit from Northern California is a big guard capable of playing multiple positions.
3. Third Signing: Trae Taylor (Chico State)- Senior PF. Rebounding and scoring maching down low for DII Chico State. Plays with size and physicality. Fills #2.
4. Fourth Signing: Luke Moxon (High School)- Freshman CG. Aracata, California Big and physical kid, provides much needed depth on the wing. Plucked from under-recruited smaller school Northern California. Projects as a CG and potential redshirt in 2025-26.
5. Figth Signing: Tyler Isaak (Citrus JC/Cal Baptist) Junior SG. Great shooter (41.1 pct from 3 w/ 130 attempts) and is good on the defensive end (6 rpg, 1.6spg). Was Citrus JC's leading scorer and fills the role vacated by Austin Patterson's graduation.
| # | Position | Name | Year/Status |
| 1 | PG | Chase Henderson | Returner: RS Sophomore/ DNP in 24-25 |
| 2 | CG | Courtney Anderson Jr. | Newcomer/Transfer: Colorado. 4GP in 24-25, Averaged 20ppg in HS. |
| 3 | CG | Luke Moxon | Newcomer: HS. Freshman. NorCal Conferance Player of the Year. Likely Redshirt. |
| 4 | SG | Money Williams | Returner: Sophomore/6th Man in 24-25 |
| 5 | SG | Connor Dick | Returner: RS Sophomore/ Walk-On and DNP in 24-25 |
| 6 | SG | Tyler Isaak | Newcomer/Transfer: Citrus JC 41.1 3pt pct, 18.9 ppg in 24-25 @ CJC. |
| 7 | SG/W | Tyler Thompson | RS Freshman/DNP in 24-25 |
| 8 | W/F | Joe Pridgen | Graduate/ Starter 35GP/35S 11.5 ppg 6.8rpg |
| 9 | W/F | Amari Jedkins | RS Junior/ Reserve Rotational Player / 29GP/1S 8.8mpg |
| 10 | W/F | Jensen Bradtke | RS Sophomore/ Reserve Rotational Player/ 25GP/1S 10mpg |
| 11 | W/F | Kadyn Betts | Newcomer/Transfer: RS Junnior Minnesota limited rotational player, 22GP, 4.9pg, 6/15 from 3. |
| 12 | P | Te'Jon Sawyer | Graduate/Starter/ 9ppg and 5 rpg. |
| 13 | P | Trae Taylor | Newcomer/Transfer: Senior. Chico State. 30GS, 13.1 ppg, 73.6!! FG%, 6.3RPG. |
| 14 | P | Kenyon Aguino | Newcomer/ Freshman 2024 Signee. Could be 25-26 Redshirt Candidate |
and the 15th roster position is being held for....
| 15 | CG | Kai Johnson | Graduate/ Starter/ 11ppg, 50.2 FG%, 3.1RPG...Ultimate Glue Guy/Competitor |
It is TBD on Johnson. We may not hear for a while longer considering the litigation and bevy of extra year applications the NCAA has to deal with. If Johnson is a no-go, Montana has 1 roster slot available and likely 1 scholarship to use (see below). If Johnson doesn't return they have some flexibility where there isn't a glaring need depth wise, where they absolutely replace like with like. For what its worth, Pridgen and Sawyers scholarships won't count against the 13 scholarship totals and are to be paid w/ program funds and the same would likely be the case with Johnson as well. As it stands this is what roster/scholarship designation looks like:
- 2025-26 Counters: 11 Total: Henderson (So,), Anderson Jr. (So.),Williams (Jr.) Moxon (Fr.), Isaak (Jr.), Thompson (RS Fr.), Bradtke (So.), Jedkins (Jr.), Betts (Jr.), Taylor (Sr.),Aguino (Fr.)
- 2025-26 Exemptions: 2 to 3 Total: Sawyer (Gr.), Pridgen (Gr.) and potentially Johnson (Jr.)
- 2025-26 Walk-On: 1 total: Connor Dick (So.)
Transfers are always a crap shoot and because both Betts and Anderson Jr. were limited role players at their respective power 4 conference schools it is going to be hard to know how their game/talent translates. Clearly Montana will miss Malik Moore, but will have Money Williams who could be on the verge of a huge breakout year after two absolutely emotionally draining seasons as a Freshman/Sophomore. They have the type of replacements for those losses on paper that makes the roster a bit more projectable in April than we'd otherwise know in most years. Taylor is a clear help on the low block to take some of hte pressure off of Sawyer's bionically repaired knee and it is clear that Betts can fulfill a similar role to Sawyer in terms of skill set (mobile, screen/roll, adequate perimeter shooter).
You can sort of see now why Moxon who was a summer elite camp attendee ends up being a late HS signee this year. Most years I don't think he's extended an offer but they get to bring him in and likely marinate on red-shirt for a year with the type of depth that likely won't ask him or Aguino to see minutes unless they force the staff to put them into the rotation.
Anyhow, this portal season has to feel good for the staff and allows them to head into the summer with a lot fewer questions than in 24-25 and an ability to get those guys in the gym in June and start doing the heavy lifting for the 25-26 season. Gotta like it from a fans perspective and what that might portend for the upcoming season. Going to be a long off-season for us fans, but we might have as much anticipation for a season of Griz hoops as we've had in a while. Kudos to the staff. A job well done.
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