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Brother and sister take talents to Montana
By Blake Hempstead, of The Montana Standard - 04/18/2007
Tyler and Ali Hurley pose for a picture. Photo courtesy of Hurley family.
ANACONDA — For the first time since the 1980s, Anaconda has not one, but two NCAA Division I basketball commitments.
Brother and sister Tyler and Ali Hurley have announced their verbal commitment to attend the University of Montana’s basketball programs.
Tyler, an explosive 6-foot-7 senior forward, averaged 23 points per game and more than seven rebounds per outing in leading the Anaconda boys to within one game of the Class A state tournament.
Hurley was named to his first All-State squad this year along with being crowned scoring champion and all-conference first team in the Southwestern A.
Tyler was being courted by other college programs, Carroll College among them, but said he knew deep down that playing for Montana has always been his dream.
“I didn’t want to wonder 20 years from now if I could have played Division I,” said Hurley, who stands in eighth place on Anaconda High’s all-time scoring list with 1,061 points. “I have always wanted to play at Montana. I’ve always liked Coach (Wayne) Tinkle and look forward to getting started.” The choice was extra special for Tyler’s high school head coach and ex-Griz Allen Green.
“I was excited to see that Tyler followed his heart and will be playing for Montana,” Green said. “Tyler really expressed himself as a player this year. He’s very impressive off the dribble and has the whole package. He can shoot, he can rebound and he can pass. I can see Tyler playing some big-time minutes for the Griz in the next couple of years.” For Ali Hurley, the soon-to-be senior at Anaconda, her verbal commitment allows her to focus on basketball and leave behind the rigors of the recruiting process.
“I had a lot of great schools and coaches recruiting me and want to thank them for their interest,” said the 6-foot Hurley, who is widely regarded as one on Montana’s finest girls’ basketball recruits. “But my heart lies with the Griz.” See TALENTS, Page B5 Hurley helped lead head coach Maury Cook’s Copperheads to a combined 65-8 record over the past three seasons, compiling three Southwestern A all-conference and Class A All-State awards along the way.
“I’ve attended Griz camps since I was 5 years old,” said Hurley, whose 1,402 career points and 20 points-per-game average has landed her in fifth place on Anaconda’s all-time scoring list. “The coaches have always been fantastic to me and couldn’t imagine playing for anyone else.” Both Grizzly coaches could not comment on the Hurley’s due to NCAA rules, but have expressed relentless interest in both players during recruiting.
Ironically, the last Division I athlete signed from Anaconda was Tyler and Ali’s father, Scott, who in 1983 signed with Montana State University.
It wouild seem that the sibling bond between Tyler and Ali is stronger than ever, especially now that it looks as though they will spend the rest of their basketball careers together.
“My brother and I are very close,” said Ali. “It’s awesome that we will be at Montana together.” ALL-TIME SCORING LIST IN ANACONDA HISTORY Career Points 1. Ed Kalafat 1,614 2. Rob Hurley 1,531 3. Scott Hurley 1,516 4. Wayne Estes 1,440 5. Ali Hurley 1,242 6. Jim Cordial 1,240 7. Cory Huot 1,169 8. Tyler Hurley 1,061 9. John Cheek Jr. 1,158 10. Zach Parks 1,098 11. Clint Rouse 1,040 12. Bob Hurley 1,035 13. Rochi Estes 1,018
By Blake Hempstead, of The Montana Standard - 04/18/2007
Tyler and Ali Hurley pose for a picture. Photo courtesy of Hurley family.
ANACONDA — For the first time since the 1980s, Anaconda has not one, but two NCAA Division I basketball commitments.
Brother and sister Tyler and Ali Hurley have announced their verbal commitment to attend the University of Montana’s basketball programs.
Tyler, an explosive 6-foot-7 senior forward, averaged 23 points per game and more than seven rebounds per outing in leading the Anaconda boys to within one game of the Class A state tournament.
Hurley was named to his first All-State squad this year along with being crowned scoring champion and all-conference first team in the Southwestern A.
Tyler was being courted by other college programs, Carroll College among them, but said he knew deep down that playing for Montana has always been his dream.
“I didn’t want to wonder 20 years from now if I could have played Division I,” said Hurley, who stands in eighth place on Anaconda High’s all-time scoring list with 1,061 points. “I have always wanted to play at Montana. I’ve always liked Coach (Wayne) Tinkle and look forward to getting started.” The choice was extra special for Tyler’s high school head coach and ex-Griz Allen Green.
“I was excited to see that Tyler followed his heart and will be playing for Montana,” Green said. “Tyler really expressed himself as a player this year. He’s very impressive off the dribble and has the whole package. He can shoot, he can rebound and he can pass. I can see Tyler playing some big-time minutes for the Griz in the next couple of years.” For Ali Hurley, the soon-to-be senior at Anaconda, her verbal commitment allows her to focus on basketball and leave behind the rigors of the recruiting process.
“I had a lot of great schools and coaches recruiting me and want to thank them for their interest,” said the 6-foot Hurley, who is widely regarded as one on Montana’s finest girls’ basketball recruits. “But my heart lies with the Griz.” See TALENTS, Page B5 Hurley helped lead head coach Maury Cook’s Copperheads to a combined 65-8 record over the past three seasons, compiling three Southwestern A all-conference and Class A All-State awards along the way.
“I’ve attended Griz camps since I was 5 years old,” said Hurley, whose 1,402 career points and 20 points-per-game average has landed her in fifth place on Anaconda’s all-time scoring list. “The coaches have always been fantastic to me and couldn’t imagine playing for anyone else.” Both Grizzly coaches could not comment on the Hurley’s due to NCAA rules, but have expressed relentless interest in both players during recruiting.
Ironically, the last Division I athlete signed from Anaconda was Tyler and Ali’s father, Scott, who in 1983 signed with Montana State University.
It wouild seem that the sibling bond between Tyler and Ali is stronger than ever, especially now that it looks as though they will spend the rest of their basketball careers together.
“My brother and I are very close,” said Ali. “It’s awesome that we will be at Montana together.” ALL-TIME SCORING LIST IN ANACONDA HISTORY Career Points 1. Ed Kalafat 1,614 2. Rob Hurley 1,531 3. Scott Hurley 1,516 4. Wayne Estes 1,440 5. Ali Hurley 1,242 6. Jim Cordial 1,240 7. Cory Huot 1,169 8. Tyler Hurley 1,061 9. John Cheek Jr. 1,158 10. Zach Parks 1,098 11. Clint Rouse 1,040 12. Bob Hurley 1,035 13. Rochi Estes 1,018
