Griz hoops sign three players

Montana basketball signed three players to a National Letter of Intent this week. Zack Davidson, Chase Henderson and Money Williams have all committed to play for the Grizzlies.

The class includes a couple of guards with complimentary games along with a big who can do all the little things. The Grizzlies went out of their typical area for one, while using the California connections this staff has built up over nearly a decade in Missoula for the other two.

The class also comes in a time in college basketball when a lot of eyes are focused on the transfer portal. Head Coach Travis DeCuire has made it an emphasis for his staff to remain committed to searching the high school ranks, and feels it has paid off with these three players.

"I feel great about the class," DeCuire said. "Recruiting has changed and I think there are a lot of programs that spend so much time on the transfer that they aren't doing their work as early as they used to on the high school kids and I think that led to us having the ability to bring in the class we are bringing in."

Zack Davidson comes from Mater Dei High School, a power forward that can do it all on both ends of the floor. As a four-year varsity player he has been part of a Trinity League championship team three times already, and was also named the Trinity League MVP.

He also knows what it takes to succeed at the college level, learning first hand from his parents who were both collegiate athletes at the University of Nevada. His dad, Kirk, a basketball player and his mom, Kelly, a volleyball player. His older brother Nick also followed in his parents' footsteps, currently playing hoops for Nevada.

"Zack Davidson I think is one of those stat stuffers that you can over evaluate. He doesn't have the 40-inch vertical, he's not 6-11, he's not the quickest guy on the floor, but when the game is over the stat sheet is stuffed," DeCuire said. "He's probably going to have double-figure rebounds, he's definitely going to have double-figure points. He's going to win the hustle chart and is going to execute and do the things necessary to win basketball games by being a good teammate and being in the right places."

Chase Henderson played high school basketball in Des Moines, Iowa for his dad, who was a collegiate basketball player at Southern University turned head high school coach. The point guard helped lead his team to two conference championships and was named all-conference three times in his high school career. He also earned 4A First Team All-State honors in 2022 as junior.

His game speaks for itself but it's the intangibles that he brings that excite DeCuire and the staff.

"To go into Iowa and grab a point guard like Chase. A guy that is a floor leader, a coach's son. He creates shots for others, communicates on the floor. Those guys are hard to find these days," DeCuire said. "You can develop some of those skill sets but they are just not showing up to campus like that much anymore.

Montana went to a place where it has had a lot of success in the past for the final recruit of the class. Money Williams, out of Oakland, Calif., brings a smooth playmaking ability and silky-smooth lefty jumper to Missoula. He attended the same high school as Big Sky Hall of Famer and current Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard, and comes from a city that has produced a lot of Grizzly legends.

The Grizzlies have had several players come from Oakland to have very successful careers in Missoula. Sayeed Pridgett, Mario Dunn and Will Cherry to name just a few of the program's all-time greats.

As a junior, Williams scored 19.8 points per game in leading Oakland to the NorCal semis. He helped the Wildcats along to a 27-win season.

"Oakland has been our backyard. We've had a lot of people in that community help us not only with the evaluation of a student-athlete, but the expression of the relationship that we have with that community. There are former players that when they go home, they have great things to say about us in the community. I think that really helped us with Money."

The players are all beginning their senior years and will join the Grizzlies over the summer.

University of Montana Athletics

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