Griz hoops adds two during early signing period

The Montana men's basketball team added two new players during the Early Signing Period. Tyler Thompson and Jeremiah Dargan both signed for Grizzly hoops and will join the program next season.

Thompson is a 4-star recruit according to ESPN and joins Montana from Vanden HS in Fairfield, Calif. He's a 6-4 guard that has played for the Oakland Soldiers in the Nike EYBL. Dargan, another 6-4 guard, is also a California native, joining Montana from West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif.

The duo provide Montana with length and athleticism in the guard position, which will be an important spot for the Grizzlies to reload at following the departure of several seniors at the end of the 2024 season.

"Length and versatility are things that we knew we needed to add in our backcourt," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "We need guys that could defend bigger, more athletic wings and maybe even slide up to defend forwards, but also have guard skills."

DeCuire believes they found those players in Thompson and Dargan. It also provides a blend of youthful potential with Thompson, and veteran experience with Dargan.

As could be expected with a Travis DeCuire-led team, the defensive ability is what stood out about Dargan.

"Dargan is a junior college transfer that has played a lot of college games and is older. He's someone who's been coached and plays with expectations on both sides of the ball," DeCuire said. "After watching his team practice and watching him in games, style of play defensively won't be a very big adjustment for him in terms of how you go about things."

It's always critical for player in DeCuire's program to excel on the defensive end, but Dargan is more than capable offensively as well. He's averaging 15.0 points on 44 percent shooting from three-point range through four games this season.

Last year, he scored 14.0 points on 41.5 percent shooting from deep on nearly five attempts per game. He also brought down 6.0 rebounds per game.

"We're excited," DeCuire said. "He's a young man that we've had our eye on for a long time and fortunately he was still available when we came back around and I think he will be a healthy addition as these seniors graduate."

Thompson is a proven winner at multiple levels, and will also give DeCuire above-average defense and rebounding for his position. It's an all-around package for the 6-4 guard, who can also score from every level.

"Tyler has length, is athletic, and is a very good rebounder for a guard. He shoots with great range and is a consistent three-point shooter," DeCuire said. "The thing that stood out to me first with him was his toughness. I don't believe you can ever have too many tough athletes in a program, and I feel like we haven't had enough over recent years."

The toughness and competitiveness are things found in several of the great players in DeCuire's time at Montana. It's why there are multiple championship trophies on the wall in the coach's office.

Thompson impressed the Grizzly coaching staff over the previous couple of seasons. As he continued to progress and moved up to play with the Oakland Soldiers, his level of play just continued to rise along with the competition level.

"We watched him play at a lot of different levels. With his high school team, then with his AAU team. He then moved up to the Nike EYBL Circuit which is the highest level of basketball for high school kids," DeCuire said. "The statistics say he played better when you look at his shooting percentages and his rebounding. His toughness, his competitiveness, and the fact that he dreams, but is not consumed by his dream, makes him a great fit for us."

The early signing period for basketball goes from Nov. 8 to Nov. 15. The regular signing period is from April 17 to May 15.

University of Montana Athletics

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