Coach Huse inks a Huse for Northern

The Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team has always been a tight-knit family under 13-year head coach Shawn Huse. But for the next four or five years, Huse will actually have a member of his family as part of his basketball team at Northern.

Huse has announced the signing of Bozeman High School and Class AA standout Adam Huse to an NAIA national letter of intent. The 6-1 shooting guard is the nephew of the MSU-N head coach and the son of Brad Huse, who was the head coach of the Montana State University Bobcats for eight seasons.

In his senior season, Adam averaged 15 points, three assists, three rebounds and led the Hawks with 47 steals on his way to Class AA All-State honors. He was also a First-Team Eastern A All-Conference selection the last two seasons.

"From a basketball standpoint, I've been able to follow Northern my whole life," Adam Huse said. "I know they are always one of the best teams in the Frontier Conference and they've been very successful. I know that coach Huse will treat me right and put me in the best possible position to succeed.

"As far as school, Northern is a really good school and I know the school will give me a good opportunities for my future," Huse, who plans on majoring in civil engineering technology or business, added. "I know I'm going to get a solid education there."

"Most importantly," coach Huse said, "if you ask anyone they will tell you that Adam is an extremely well-rounded guy and a great person in every sense of the word. He is someone who has grown up around basketball and plays the way it takes to be successful as a team, in the college game. He got the attention of every opponent's best perimeter defense this season and still found ways to greatly help his squad be successful. He seldom got a clean look this year and still did a great job of scoring efficiently, while being extremely unselfish at the same time."

Huse was a dominant player on a very good Bozeman squad, which finished third behind state champion Billings Skyview and runner-up Billings West in the loaded Eastern A. He helped the Hawks reach the state tournament where he was again strong for head coach Wes Holmquist.

"Adam is a great basketball player. We are really going to miss having him in our program, but he is ready for the next step," Holmquist said. "Everyone knows what a tremendous shooter he is, but he is not one dimensional by any means. He is very well-rounded and has a real feel for the game. He is also a very good rebounder, has a great nose for the ball. He buys in on both ends of the floor, and plays tough defense (averaging two steals per game) - the ultimate teammate and a guy I'd take on my team any day of the week.

"Adam's best basketball is definitely ahead of him," he continued. "He really matured this year as a player and a leader, but he has really only scratched the surface of where he's gonna be down the road. I am really proud of how far Adam has come. Northern is a great fit for him, and the Lights supporters are gonna love having him represent their program."

Northern is getting a great shooter in Huse, as he hit 89 3-pointers and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc the last two seasons at Bozeman. The Lights are also getting a devoted basketball player, who has diligently worked hard at his game year-round for years. And they're also getting a great person, student, and total team player."

"I was really impressed with his play at the state tournament where everything is on the line, the defenses are stepped up a notch, and the pressure is at its highest," coach Huse said. "He performed at a high level knocking down 60 percent of his threes and shooting 52 percent from the floor overall, in their four games. He makes a great addition to the group we have and I look forward to seeing what he can do in our system - he is a very good fit for the style we have traditionally executed over the years."

And over the next few years, Adam feels like the entire dynamic of being at Northern will be a perfect fit for him, and he knows he is excited about playing for the Lights, but also for having family in his life while he's away from home for college.

"On the court, at practice and in games, I know coach Huse will treat me like any other player, the coach-player dynamic will be no different than it would be anywhere else," Adam Huse said. "But off the court, I also feel like it will be really nice to have family there. It will be good to have people I know and can talk to and be with. That's how I am looking at it."