Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Binford Adds Colorado High School Standout to Montana State Program
11/18/2014 4:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
“In this recruiting class we were looking for a guard with great length and the ability to play our up tempo style of basketball,” Binford said. “She fits both remarkably well."
Annika Lai (AHN-ah-kuh Lay), a 6-1 guard from Boulder, Colorado has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play for the Montana State women's basketball program next season, MSU Head Coach Tricia Binford announced Tuesday morning.
Lai, who preps at Fairview High School, averaged 15 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals per game as a junior, guiding her squad to the second-round of the Colorado 5A state tournament. For efforts, she garnered First-Team All-Conference accolades. At Fairview, Lai is a four-year letterwinner and a two-time team captain. In addition, she also earned First-Team All-State Academic kudos.
"In this recruiting class we were looking for a guard with great length and the ability to play our up tempo style of basketball," Binford said. "She fits both remarkably well. Annika is someone who can defend, cover a lot of ground, while offensively is great off the bounce in getting to the rack. She is extremely versatile with her ability to slash, post up, and knock down the open shot. We are really looking forward to her joining our team next year."
Lai played summer ball with BC Denver and earned U.S Junior Nationals Battle of the Border All-Star honors, as well as High Five (CA) Classic All-Tournament mention.
Lai also comes from a strong basketball pedigree as her mother, the former Amy Mathern, was a member of Colorado's 1993 Elite Eight team that knocked-off defending national champion Stanford at the NCAA West Regionals in Missoula. Mathern started 112 games for the Buffaloes during her career in Boulder.
An outstanding student, Lai plans to major in engineering. "Annika was a perfect fit for Montana State University, our community, and our program," Binford said. "She is a scholar student pursuing engineering. I'd like to thank Judy Haskins, the Student Success Coordinator, and the Engineering Department for doing a fantastic job on Annika's visit. The town of Bozeman was a huge selling point as well in that Annika said it felt like home. Annika instantly connected with our team on her visit and will be a tremendous addition to our family."
Binford plans to ink two more players during the spring signing period.
Lai, who preps at Fairview High School, averaged 15 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals per game as a junior, guiding her squad to the second-round of the Colorado 5A state tournament. For efforts, she garnered First-Team All-Conference accolades. At Fairview, Lai is a four-year letterwinner and a two-time team captain. In addition, she also earned First-Team All-State Academic kudos.
"In this recruiting class we were looking for a guard with great length and the ability to play our up tempo style of basketball," Binford said. "She fits both remarkably well. Annika is someone who can defend, cover a lot of ground, while offensively is great off the bounce in getting to the rack. She is extremely versatile with her ability to slash, post up, and knock down the open shot. We are really looking forward to her joining our team next year."
Lai played summer ball with BC Denver and earned U.S Junior Nationals Battle of the Border All-Star honors, as well as High Five (CA) Classic All-Tournament mention.
Lai also comes from a strong basketball pedigree as her mother, the former Amy Mathern, was a member of Colorado's 1993 Elite Eight team that knocked-off defending national champion Stanford at the NCAA West Regionals in Missoula. Mathern started 112 games for the Buffaloes during her career in Boulder.
An outstanding student, Lai plans to major in engineering. "Annika was a perfect fit for Montana State University, our community, and our program," Binford said. "She is a scholar student pursuing engineering. I'd like to thank Judy Haskins, the Student Success Coordinator, and the Engineering Department for doing a fantastic job on Annika's visit. The town of Bozeman was a huge selling point as well in that Annika said it felt like home. Annika instantly connected with our team on her visit and will be a tremendous addition to our family."
Binford plans to ink two more players during the spring signing period.
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