Former GSL stars Hannah Caudill, Delany Junkermier find their dream at Montana State

RENO, Nev. – Spokane and Bozeman will always be 400 miles apart. That’s 6 hours of driving time, longer when you’re navigating the Bitterroots in January.

But they seemed a lot closer this weekend. Close enough for hugs and tears.

Basketball will do that, especially in March.

It all came together Saturday afternoon at the Reno Events Center, as Montana State won the Big Sky Conference women’s tournament and a date in the NCAAs.

John and Lynnelle Caudill were there, teary-eyed as daughter Hannah celebrated the Bobcats’ first NCAA bid in 24 years.

So were Roger and Tracey Junkermier. Four years ago, their daughter Delany chased her basketball dreams to far-off Bozeman, but they didn’t mind a bit.

“We’re both from Montana,” Roger said. “It didn’t feel like we were sending her away. We were sending her home.”

It sure has felt that way, for both players. Caudill won a state title at Gonzaga Prep; so did Junkermier at Mead.

Both had plenty of college choices but fell in love with the MSU and its basketball program.

Now they’re juniors and starting guards for championship team.

“This is why we came to MSU, to have an opportunity to prove that we are really good players and can win a championship,” Caudill said.

Their basketball careers have been intertwined since fourth grade, but never more tightly than on Saturday.

“When we both committed, we weren’t the closest,” Junkermier said. “But our friendship has grown, and now she’s my best friend.”

Together they’ve helped coach Tricia Binford build something special in Bozeman. The Bobcats are 25-6 going into Selection Monday.

“They’ve both have such a love for the game of basketball, and in Spokane basketball is such a huge sport,” Binford said. “These two have helped us created a winning culture in this program.”

That culture got a boost last year from another Spokane basketball family, when NBA great John Stockton served as a volunteer coach during daughter Lindsay’s senior year at MSU.

Early in the season, the Bobcats played at Gonzaga in a basketball homecoming for the ages. Caudill, Junkermier and Stockton were back home, facing the Zags and Lindsay’s younger sister Laura.

After the game, the Hall of Famer waited outside the visitor’s locker room, passing out cookies baked by his wife Nada.

Stockton also brought some sweet ideas to the MSU program.

“I learned a lot from him. We just soaked up everything that we could,” Binford said. “Plus, he was so relational with the players, so I’m always going to grateful to him.”

However, the Cats crashed in the Big Sky quarterfinals a year ago against the same Idaho State program they beat on Saturday.

“I was stunned last year, I couldn’t believe it happened,” Roger Junkermier said. “But they’ve all shown some great resilience this year.”

So have the families. According to Lynnelle, the Caudills have missed four games all year. The Junkermiers have lost count, but they had a head start: Delany’s older sister Kalee played at Carroll College in Helena.

Still, when Hannah opted for MSU, the Caudills were surprised.

“We wanted her to go somewhere warmer,” Lynnelle Caudill said, recalling all those snowy trips on I-90.

That didn’t matter on Saturday.

“We like to follow her around so she can follow her dreams,” John Caudill said.