Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Brooks Diekhans, Fort Benton basketball

This week at Armory Gymnasium on the Montana State University-Northern campus, young basketball players from across the state of Montana have gathered to participate at the Lights basketball camp. One hooper who came to the camp is Fort Benton native Brooks Diekhans, who was looking to improve his game.

"I came to this camp because I just want to get better," Diekhans said. "I'm going all over to all the camps pretty much just to get better at my game."

Diekhans comes from a basketball family down in Fort Benton. His older brother Hayden Deikhans helped the Fort Benton Longhorns win the District 9C and Northern C Divisional titles in 2021. Brooks is heading into eighth grade, but with high school right around the corner, he knows he will have a legacy to live up to.

"I know I'm going to have to work hard to try to get better than him," Brooks said. "It's going to be a challenge."

If Brooks is going to become a solid basketball player for the Longhorns, he will need to work as hard as possible. At the Lights camp this week, Brooks has worked on his ball handling. Along with getting the chance to get some more time in the gym, Brooks enjoyed learning from the MSU-N men's basketball players.

"It's really fun," Brooks said about working with the college players. "It's good to see that the college players are with the young kids, teaching them all the new stuff."

As Brooks continues his basketball career, he hopes to continue to get better. Along with his dribbling, Brooks looks to improve his passing and his ability to see the floor. However, Brooks believes he has developed into a solid shooter from the 3-point line and a reliable scorer in the post.

Brooks also competes in football and track and field, but basketball remains his favorite sport. When he is not at school or competing in sports, Brooks spends much of his time on the family farm. When he gets free time, he likes to fish around Fort Benton.

Brooks' older brothers went on to play college basketball for Montana Tech, so Brooks hopes he has the chance to do the same once he is done with high school. Once he is done with basketball, Brooks hopes to take over the family farm.

Hopefully, Brooks has a successful basketball career with the Longhorns ahead of him. Before he continues his journey, the Havre Daily News got the chance to ask Brooks five questions.

HDN: What does basketball mean to you?

Brooks: "Basketball means life pretty much. Everything that I do pretty much revolves around basketball."

HDN: What do you love the most about basketball?

Brooks: "I mostly just like seeing new people and getting to experience fun things. Getting to go all over the place just to see and play basketball."

HDN: What is the most challenging part of basketball?

Brooks: "The hardest part is probably the conditioning and running all the time. And also probably guarding the bigger kids."

HDN: Do you have a favorite basketball memory?

Brooks: "My favorite basketball memory was probably district basketball this year. It was just really fun, I got to shoot a lot and we got third place."

HDN: Do you have a favorite basketball player that you try to model your game after?

Brooks: "Steph Curry is my favorite basketball player right now. I like shooting three-pointers and trying to get better at my dribbling."