Bobcats Add Skilled Big Man in B.J. Kolly
4/30/2024 7:18:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Division II transfer from Western Washington will add athleticism and rebounding to Montana State frontcourt
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- The three-time defending Big Sky champion Montana State men's basketball team added a skilled forward to their frontcourt on Monday, with head coach Matt Logie announcing the signing of B.J. Kolly.
"We are thrilled to have B.J. Kolly joining our Bobcat basketball family," Logie said. "B.J. is an extremely athletic frontcourt player who can protect the rim, runs the floor extremely well, rebounds out of his area and handles the basketball well for his size. He will fit in very well to our system here at Montana State."
Kolly, a 6-foot-10 forward from Everett, Washington, comes to Bozeman after three seasons at Western Washington. After redshirting the 2021-22 season, Kolly appeared in 42 games for the Vikings, who compete in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
This past season, the Evergreen State product averaged 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while starting the first 13 games of the year before an injury shortened his season. The forward scored in double-figures eight times and shot 61.5% from the floor.
In 2022-23 as a redshirt freshman, Kolly averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while starting all 28 contests. The forward shot 63.9% from the floor and averaged 2.2 blocks per game on the way to being named the GNAC Freshman of the Year.
Kolly ranked first in the GNAC for field goal percentage and blocked shots and was in the top-ten in the GNAC for offensive rebounds (3rd), rebounding (5th), and defensive rebounds (10th). One of Kolly's three double-doubles on the year came against Montana State University-Billings on January 5, 2023, as he finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Kolly's freshman season ended with the Everett native ranking fourth in the Western Washington single season record book in field goal percentage and seventh in blocked shots.
"BJ has had two highly productive seasons of college basketball already at Western Washington and has a very bright future ahead of him," Logie said.
Montana State was spurred this past year by the addition of Division II transfer Brian Goracke, who followed head coach Matt Logie from Point Loma. The sharpshooter ranked 11th in the Big Sky in scoring (13.6 ppg), eighth in 3-pointers made (69), and third in free throw percentage (86.5%).
Kolly joins an incoming Bobcat signing class that includes guard Jabe Mullins (Washington State), guard Bryce Zephir (Salt Lake CC), and guard Trap Johnson (Belton HS).
Montana State is coming off its third consecutive Big Sky Tournament championship and third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The "Golden Age" of Bobcat Basketball has included the Big Sky's first three-peat champion since 1970-73 and three of the Bobcats' six trips all-time to the NCAA Tournament, including this past season, when the Cats took down Montana in the Big Sky Championship game to cap a magical postseason run, booking their ticket to the Big Dance as the lowest seed to win the Big Sky Tournament since 1994.
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