INSPIRATIONAL STAR

At the end of summer, most boys basketball coaches would be spending their time focusing on the upcoming season.. But Rocky Boy head coach Adam Demontiney did not get that opportunity last July when his wife India suffered a stroke.

Instead of focusing on hoops, family was, as it should be, front and center for the longtime coach of the Stars.

Adam Demontiney was at work when he got the call that his wife was being rushed in an ambulance to Havre. Once he got to Havre, he was informed of a brain bleed and spent the next few hours unsure of what would come next. She was eventually flown out to a hospital in Great Falls where she spent the next few months.

Thankfully, India was able to recover and was eventually discharged from the hospital. While she is doing much better, the ordeal was a struggle for the Demontiney family.

"It's just been a battle getting her to where she needs to be," Adam Demontiney said. "I've just been working with her, we're supporting her and doing what I can for her."

Adam and India's son Joe was at a summer basketball tournament when he heard the news about his mother. He left the tournament and was at his mother's side for about a month. He stepped away from the court as he and his father drove back and forth to Great Falls every day. While it was hard to see his mother go through all of that, he admired her resolve.

"She's probably the strongest woman I know," Joe Demontiney said. "I'm proud of her and how far she came."

Several months later India Demontiney's prognosis is still looking good. Not only has her physical therapy been coming along well, but she has been cleared to return to work part time. As they go through this hard time, the Demontineys appreciate all the help and support they have received.

"We're a pretty small community. We had a ton of friends and a lot of people supporting us," Adam Demontiney said. "We can't thank everybody enough for the support that they have given us."

As he helped his wife recover, Adam Demontiney was unsure if he would coach the Stars this season. He did not know how his wife's recovery would come along and was preparing to miss the season. As an assistant football coach for Rocky Boy, he missed some practices to start the season. Thankfully, his players and assistant coaches managed things for the first few months to allow him to care for his wife.

"The coaching staff and the kids have stepped up a lot to help make things a little easier on myself," he said. "I can't give enough thanks to the people that have been there for us."

As his mother recovered, Joe Demontiney needed to get back in shape before the season began. He spent more time running and practicing in the gym than he usually did. He credits his teammates for encouraging him during that time.

Meanwhile, Adam decided around the middle of football season that he would lead the basketball team this season. It has been a good decision as the Stars are off to a 5-3 start this season. They are led by their strong senior class spearheaded by Joe, Ben Crebs and Sean Gibson. With this being their last ride with the Stars, the Rocky Boy coach believes they have made their mark on the program.

"They've come in, worked their butts off in practice and they are just some good fun kids to be around," Adam Demontiney said. "It has just been a pleasure with them. I can't say enough about them."

Joe has played with Gibson and Crebs since they were much younger. Over the years, the three have built chemistry and played in many big games together. As they head into the final stretch of their high school careers, Demontiney is confident in their experience and chemistry.

"I think we're the best trio there is right now," Joe Demontiney said. "If one of us has an off game, they're always there to pick us up. One of us is slacking on the court, the other one picks up the momentum."

Both father and son believe the team's defense has been the key to their success this season.

"Our defense has been pretty solid from start to finish," Adam Demontiney said. "We get after it on the defensive end which leads to our offense."

Even when he is back with the team, coach Demontiney still takes care of his wife. Instead of taking the bus with his players, he drives his wife to every road game. She is continuing her remarkable recovery that has even surprised her doctors, and the family has a meeting with a neurologist in March for an update on her progress.

The Demontineys also have the postseason coming up at the end of the month. The Stars hope to make a deep run and still be playing in the state tournament in March in Bozeman.

But coach Demontiney knows that they have a long way to go until then.

"We just try to take it one game at a time," Adam Demontiney said. "Our ultimate goal is a state championship but that's our long-term goal. We set short-term goals and weekly goals."

Regardless of how this season ends, the Stars will already have gone through the gamut of emotions. Along with the adversity that the Demontiney family have gone through, the Rocky Boy Stars will say goodbye at the end of the season to a senior class that has made an impact in the community.

"This season with this group of seniors, it's going to touch a little bit more, especially with my son graduating," Adam Demontiney said. "I think it is going to be a little more emotional, not only for myself but for the community. These boys have been some pretty good role models and pretty good student athletes."