Bartsch named Gatorade Player of the Year
5/28/2021 8:58:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Incoming Lady Griz freshman Dani Bartsch, a senior at Helena Capital High, was named the 2020-21 Gatorade Montana Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday.
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Since the Gatorade Player of the Year program started in 1985-86, winners of 17 of the annual awards for Montana have gone on to play for the Lady Griz.
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That list includes Big Sky Conference MVPs Shannon Cate, Ann Lake and Mandy Morales, plus All-Big Sky players Sherri Brooks, Krista Redpath and Linda Cummings.
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Next year's Lady Griz team will have three winners of the award: Sophia Stiles (2015-16, 2016-17), Kyndall Keller (2019-20) and Bartsch.
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A 6-foot-2 forward, Bartsch led the Bruins to a 17-1 record as a senior and the Class AA state championship.
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She averaged 15.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals last season, and collected state tournament MVP honors after scoring 15 points in Capital's victory over Hellgate in the state title game.
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"Dani Bartsch is a complete player," said Charlie Johnson, head coach of Billings West, in Gatorade's press release. "She was just dominant on the court. She made things happen."
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Bartsch is one of at least four newcomers who will be joining Montana in the fall.
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Haley Huard (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Lisa Kiefer (Marburg, Germany) will also be freshmen next season. Katerina Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) is a transfer who played two seasons at East Carolina.
Â
Since the Gatorade Player of the Year program started in 1985-86, winners of 17 of the annual awards for Montana have gone on to play for the Lady Griz.
Â
That list includes Big Sky Conference MVPs Shannon Cate, Ann Lake and Mandy Morales, plus All-Big Sky players Sherri Brooks, Krista Redpath and Linda Cummings.
Â
Next year's Lady Griz team will have three winners of the award: Sophia Stiles (2015-16, 2016-17), Kyndall Keller (2019-20) and Bartsch.
Â
A 6-foot-2 forward, Bartsch led the Bruins to a 17-1 record as a senior and the Class AA state championship.
Â
She averaged 15.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals last season, and collected state tournament MVP honors after scoring 15 points in Capital's victory over Hellgate in the state title game.
Â
"Dani Bartsch is a complete player," said Charlie Johnson, head coach of Billings West, in Gatorade's press release. "She was just dominant on the court. She made things happen."
Â
Bartsch is one of at least four newcomers who will be joining Montana in the fall.
Â
Haley Huard (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Lisa Kiefer (Marburg, Germany) will also be freshmen next season. Katerina Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) is a transfer who played two seasons at East Carolina.
Players Mentioned
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