FAMILY TIES

When it comes to family trees in the sport of basketball, the Huse clan has an extensive one in Montana. Their branches spread far and wide.

And for the last five years, they've also merged in the form of uncle Shawn and nephew Adam in the same Montana State University-Northern locker room. And, from the very beginning, it's been a relationship forged through basketball - because, that's what the Huse's do, they love to play and coach basketball.

"It's been surreal," Shawn Huse said about his time coaching his brother Brad's eldest son Adam. "I have been living a dream. That may sound cheesy, but it's true. It's just been an absolute blessing to get to do this with Adam."

Adam came to Northern from Bozeman High School. He grew up there when Brad was coaching the Montana State Bobcats. And, while it was all in the family from the beginning, Adam says his recruitment was as normal as anybody else's, he expects.

"Every conversation we ever had, Coach was completely professional. He recruited me just like any coach would have," Adam said. "I was really only being recruited by Northern and Jamestown, but I think, my recruitment by Coach was no different than how he recruits anybody else. And my dad was the same way. He wanted me to make my own decision. It wasn't about that my uncle was at Northern, it was a basketball decision, and I just felt, based on everything Coach had built, all of their successes, Northern was definitely the best place for me.

"I think in fairness to Adam, when he says only Jamestown and us were after him, I think once word got out that I was interested in him, the rest of the Frontier schools probably backed off," coach Huse added. "They probably figured they weren't going to get him. But Adam was a really good high school basketball player. He was very skilled fundamentally, he was a very hard worker. I thought he had an excellent high school career, and I knew pretty early on I wanted him to come here and be a part of my program."

And that program preaches family anyway, so why not make it a family affair, and that's what Shawn and Adam did. They joined forces, and they've never looked back.

"I can't think of any better path I could have chosen than to come here," Adam said. "It's been so special. It's been the most amazing time of my life. To get to come here and play for the Lights, and play for my uncle, it means so much to me."

It means a lot to the entire Huse family, too. Brothers Brad, Thad and Shawn have had a hand in sports around the state of Montana for nearly four decades now. Of course, Shawn was an All-American and Frontier Conference Player of the Year at Montana Tech, where Adam's younger brother Drew now plays for the Orediggers, which is yet another family tree connection.

Yes, family has always been important to the Huses, and Adam's coming to Northern has impacted their family in more ways than just basketball.

"Adam was the first grandchild in our family," Shawn said. "So we all got to spend a lot of time around him, and anytime we got to be together, everyone just wanted to be with Adam, and that includes me. I could remember me and him just playing basketball, talking about basketball, just having fun together when he was a little kid.

"So now, to have him here being in my family's lives, that means so much to me. I can't help getting choked up just thinking about it," Shawn continued. "When we signed Adam, Steph (wife) made it clear we were going to be Adam's host family. And, wow, it's been so special having him here these last five years. He spends time with us, and especially the time he spends with my kids, it means so much to them. They look up to him and love having him around, and he's had such a huge impact on their lives. That just means the world to Steph and I."

It means a lot to Adam, too.

"Being a part of their family has meant so much to me," Adam said. "I know it's made college life a lot less difficult. But just getting to be a part of their family, spending time with the kids, it's been awesome."

One day, it could come full circle, too. Obviously, Shawn's son Matt, who is in seventh grade at Havre Middle School is a basketball junky and has spent countless hours hooping with Adam in his five years at Northern. So, could it be that, another Huse might play for the Lights someday?

"That would be the coolest thing," Adam said. "Anytime I've been with Matt, and Braxton for that matter, we're playing basketball. That's what they've always wanted to do when we hang out. Mollie, too, sometimes, but those guys, it's always about basketball when we're together. So if that happened someday, that would just be surreal."

Surreal seems to be the word both Shawn and Adam use often when talking about their time together at MSU-N, but normal is another word that comes to mind.

You see, normal is a word they would both choose to use because when it comes to the coach-player part of their relationship, Adam is just like any other Light.

"I knew right from the beginning that he was going to treat me the same as everybody else," Adam said. "But Coach always has our back. He loves his players, there isn't anything he wouldn't do for us. He's tough on us, but he is also all about helping us succeed. He cares about us."

Indeed, for almost 20 years, coach Huse has built a family atmosphere inside the Northern men's locker room, but there are times, when the father of the family gets mad at the kids, and Adam can recall a few of those times.

"He gets on me in the same way as he would anyone else," Adam said. "I was driving baseline one time, and I turned the ball over, and he pretty much freaked out on me. But I learned from it. I wasn't going to do that again."

"You have to look pretty hard to find things to pick on in Adam's game," Shawn said. "But if there's something I've gotten on him about over the years, it's that he could be too passive out there. Adam has always been a great team-first guy, but there are times when I would just be like, you need to shoot the ball. He's always been kind of a quiet, reserved kid.

"But, I would also say, he's come out of that and has really become a great leader for our team," Shawn continued. "He's also become a great basketball player, and I truly mean that. I get emotional thinking about it, but Adam really has worked so hard, and he has really become one of the very best in our league, so to start looking back on this journey, and seeing where he is today as a basketball player, as a student as a person, it just makes me feel so proud."

There is one way that Adam's parents are different from other Lights, though, something that isn't so normal.

"Brad (Adam's dad) is the one parent who gets a pass," Shawn said, laughing. "If he wants to call me up and tell me something about Adam, or a game, or me, he's allowed. He has a free pass when it comes to that."

Surreal and normal, two good adjectives to describe the Huse story at Northern. But pride is another word that will pop up often when talking about the Huse clan, and especially basketball. Adam knows there are a lot of people who feel pride about not only the career he's forged at Northern, but the relationship he's had with his uncle and the Shawn Huse family the last five years.

"I know my parents are very proud, I know this means a lot to them," Adam said. "I know my dad and Coach have a pretty special relationship, so for me to play for him, I know it means a lot to my dad. And it means so much to my grandparents. They come watch whenever they can. They travel everywhere. They always have. It's all about family with them. So I know this has been really special for them, too."

Special. That's the word that Shawn will choose to use when he reflects on his time at Northern with Adam playing for him.

"I'm just so blessed," Shawn said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more. Obviously,. I've always looked up to Brad, he's always been a mentor to me. So certainly, for me to be able to coach his son, it's very emotional, and it's very special. It's something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life. It's meant the world to me."

Special, that's the word in the end that describes the Huse' basketball family tree. And, the last five years, when two branches on that tree came together, it was indeed special.