George Ferguson Column: I've watched Dane hoop for eight years, and it's been nothing but a privilege

In the case of watching high school basketball in Havre, I've been very blessed over the years. Whether it was playing the game myself, being a student at Havre High, or being the sports editor at the Havre Daily News, I've had a front-row to seat to watching some great boys basketball players over the years.

Included in that was, simply, a great three-year run when I was in high school.

My sophomore year, 1991 to date myself, and yes, I am that old now, was the year of the Blue Pony boys. It was the year of twin towers Tommy Reynolds and Bill Rice. And that great team, filled with so many friends of mine, was as talented as it gets. It was the year of the Ole Goat and so much more.

Fast forward two years to my senior year. We brought home a trophy from the state tourney again, and one of my closest friends, and someone I consider one of the very best to ever suit up at Havre High, Jason Wirt, had a monster season and was so much fun to watch. Of course, more of my very good friends would pull off an even bigger season a year later when the Pony boys won the 1994 Class A state championship.

Then came my years at the Havre Daily News, and that brings me to the point of this column. While at the HDN in my early years, there was no question that, Cory Brothers was one of the best I've covered in a Blue Pony uniform. I'm not ever going to forget the night he dropped 50-plus on the Great Falls High Bison in the HHS gymnasium, or, the hundreds of ally-oop dunks he threw down in his four years as a Blue Pony. Yes Cory was a freak, and so much fun to watch.

Then came the man this column is really about - Dane Warp. And if Wednesday night was the last game I'll ever see Dane play in person, then all I can say is, it's been an absolute privilege.

I've been watching Dane play hoops for what feels like forever, too.

I first saw Dane play in a middle school game when he was in eighth grade, and it was pretty clear just how talented he was. And a year later, that talent was on full display as he won the starting quarterback job at Havre High, then became a four-year starter for the Blue Ponies on the basketball court.

And the rest, they say, is history.

Dane would go on to break MHSA records on both the football field and the basketball court, and smash a bunch of HHS records along the way. He was a high school phenom no doubt, and he put together a remarkable career in both sports.

But, as much as I love the game of football, and I was the PA announcer for every one of Dane's games at Blue Pony Stadium, I really enjoyed watching him play hoops. He has always made basketball look so easy. He always, to me, made it look like he was just gliding around the court, and his game, even in his early years of high school, just looked so advanced.

That's because it was. Dane has always been a worker. He's always been relentless when it comes to the pursuit of improvement. I've always respected that about him.

And that drive, plus the just exceptional talent that Dane is, has taken him far, just like I knew it would all the way back when he was a freshman.

Now, in his final year at Carroll College, Dane is simply one of the best basketball players, not just in the Frontier Conference, but in all of the NAIA. He's already an All-American and will be again when this season's over, a season in which he's the now the big dog on Carroll's talented team.

In both games Carroll played this season in Havre, Dane was the Saint's leading scorer.

Yes, it's hard to believe Dane's basketball career is coming to a close. And that's why, Wednesday night in the Armory was emotional for me. Because while I didn't say anything to anybody, I knew it was going to likely be the last time I ever watch Dane Warp play basketball in person again. And that kind of sucks because I've been doing it for eight-plus years, and I've really enjoyed it.

I've enjoyed watching Dane play because he's really, really good and so much fun to see play the game, but also because I've known him for a long time. He's a great person, a great student-athlete and a lot of fun to talk to and hang out with.

Fortunately, I'll always be able to call Dane a friend, but I'm really going to miss watching Dane hoop. It's been a blast, and I'll leave you all with this - I've seen a lot of boys basketball players come and go in Havre, in my time, and, there's no question, Dane Warp is on the Blue Pony Mount Rushmore. He's in that pantheon of greats. That is not open for debate. He is one of the best ever. Period. The end.

So thanks, Dane. Thanks for making watching you play basketball so much fun. It's something that, as I reflect on my years at the Havre Daily, I'll always remember and always cherish.