Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Jake Huston, Havre High Basketball

With the Havre High boys basketball team playing against the Livingston Rangers this afternoon at 3:30 to try to get in the semifinals of the Eastern A Divisional, the Blue Ponies will be relying on a lot of players to step up and have a great game, including senior Jake Huston.

Huston has been playing basketball ever since he could get the ball to the hoop but has been a competitive player since the third grade. Now, he is on the last legs of his final season with the Blue Ponies, and he looks to finish it the right way alongside his team.

Huston has been a big contributor for the Ponies for quite some time and has built up a great reputation as a top scorer quite a few times. He is not only an offensive machine, a great leader and a ball hawk, but Huston has a big heart for his team and the fans who watch him play every game.

And now, Huston has his sights set on the postseason, starting with the Eastern A Divisionals, where his goals are true to him and his team.

"We haven't won a game at divisionals since 2016, since Dane Warp has played," Huston said. "If we just take it one step at a time and get the first win, we can go from there."

Huston is an exciting player, with a ready-to-rumble attitude on the court. Now, he is not looking for a fight, but he will fight hard to help his team sink some baskets and grab some wins.

The admiration for Huston as a player and person is abundant throughout Havre sports. Huston puts in great work in basketball in the winter, followed by the spring sport of tennis, where he makes his teammates and Havre High tennis head coach George Ferguson proud.

"I've known Jake a long time now," Ferguson said. "He's a sepcial kid. He's a really good tennis player, and he and his partner (Reese Bulkley) are one of the best doubles teams in the state. He's a great athlete, Ive really enjoyed coaching him, and watching him play basketball, too. But I think the thing I respect so much about Jake is, he's an even better kid away from sports. He puts the student in student athlete, he puts the Blue in Blue Pony."

But, with basketball, HHS head coach Walynn Burgess has seen Huston become a great baller on the hardwood and is proud of what he does on and off the court.

"He's one of the hardest working kids," Burgess said. "You know when he's on the floor there's no stopping that kid. Everything he does in life is great. He's a worker and puts time in whenever he's here. Kids love to follow kids like that want to work. It's been a joy being with him these last few years and he's something special that's for sure. He's going to be missed when it's all said and done."

With his head held high and his mind focused on the postseason, Huston will look to be a force on the court to help the Blue Ponies stampede the competition in the Eastern A Divisionals at the First Interstate Bank Arena at the Metra in Billings today against the Park Rangers. But, before that, Havre Daily News caught up with the two-sport standout for five questions.

HDN: What is your mindset going into the postseason?

Huston: "Just taking one step at a time. We don't want to look too far ahead and can't take anything for granted while we're there, so one thing at a time and we'll see how we can get."

HDN: What is your favorite memory with the Havre High boys basketball team?

Huston: "There's too many to even recalls mainly just the friendships bonds I've made with everybody and can't just pick one thing out of it all."

HDN: What is your favorite thing about the game of basketball?

Huston: "Just the atmosphere, especially playing in the Pony Corral. Homecourt advantage is a big thing here and the atmosphere that it provides is indescribable."

HDN: What are your hobbies outside of sports?

Huston: "Hang with friends, anything outdoors and family stuff. I like doing that kind of stuff."

HDN: What's the feeling going into your last few weeks as a Blue Pony basketball player?

Huston: "It sucks to see it go. It's been a fun ride with all these guys and it's kind of one of those things that you never wanted to end. You're going to be looking back on these type of things and it sucks to it go, but it was fun while it lasted."