Colstrip’s Malea Egan defends Big Timber’s Kameryn Ketcham during the semifinals of the Southern B divisional tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on March 4, 2022.
It’s often unfair to compare a recruit to one of the best players in program history, but Malea Egan welcomes the parallels.
Egan, a senior at Colstrip, is a 5-foot-6 point guard who can score, pass and play elite defense. That probably sounds familiar to Montana State women’s basketball fans, who spent the last four seasons watching another well-rounded 5-6 point guard: Darian White.
“When I watched her play a lot, I was like, ‘I see myself,’” Egan told 406mtsports.com last week. “I feel like I kind of play the same type of ball that she plays.”
Egan signed with MSU on Tuesday, the same day White announced she had transferred to Nebraska. White earned multiple All-Big Sky honors, won multiple conference titles and finished her MSU career near the top of several program all-time categories, so it’s unrealistic to expect Egan to reach White’s heights. But MSU head coach Tricia Binford believes Egan will have a uniquely great college career.
“We love point guards that can get into the paint, we love point guards that can get to the foul line and we love point guards that can stop the ball and defend the ball 94 feet,” Binford said Tuesday. “She certainly has those attributes.”
Egan helped Colstrip win the 2022 Class B state championship, the program’s first since 1999, when Egan’s mother Marny played for the Fillies. Malea Egan was one of her team’s best players that season, averaging almost 15 points per game with stellar defense.
The Fillies graduated several of their best 2022 players and finished 8-14 last season. They would’ve been significantly worse without Egan, who averaged more than 28 points per game, reached the 30-point mark nine times and entered the 40-point club twice. She’s an all-state selection who has also played volleyball, run cross country and competed in track and field.
As a junior, Egan scored most of her points by driving to the rim, she said. She spent the offseason working on her jump shot, and her improvement in that area was reflected by her nearly doubled scoring average.
“My mom has spent hours beyond hours with me just really focusing on trying to get my 3-point shot down and even my pull-up game down better because I think that’s one thing I struggled with a lot,” Egan said. “It finally started coming together this year, and I’m excited to improve that even more going into the next level.”
Binford agreed, saying Egan is a “very capable” shooter. Egan can score off the dribble effectively and make plays for her teammates, Binford added.
“Malea’s seen double teams and triple teams most of her high school career, so her ability to attack those things and find different ways to score at such a young age I think is going to be a great addition for us,” Binford said.
At the very least, Egan will bring speed and defense to Bozeman, she said.
“I love defense,” Egan said.
Colstrip’s Malea Egan defends Big Timber’s Kameryn Ketcham during the semifinals of the Southern B divisional tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on March 4, 2022.
MIKE CLARK/Billings Gazette
Choosing MSU was easy for Egan. It was her lone Division I offer, and she said she’ll be getting a full-ride scholarship to play for the Cats, who reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament and shared the 2022-23 Big Sky regular season title. Her other offers came from three NAIA programs — Montana State-Northern, Montana Tech and Rocky Mountain College — and two junior colleges, Miles CC and Williston (North Dakota) State.
Egan took an unofficial visit to MSU back in December and enjoyed the campus. In the locker room after beating Saint Mary’s, Binford proclaimed that it was Egan’s first win as a Bobcat, Egan said, even though she hadn’t committed yet.
“I loved how I was involved in everything. They made me feel welcomed,” Egan said. “It felt like they were a family that wasn’t my family yet.”
Binford didn’t equate Egan to White, but she acknowledged their striking similarities. One of Egan’s comparable traits is competitiveness.
“She hates to lose. She’s super tough. She’s very explosive. I think she’s got an untapped ceiling,” Binford said, adding, “She’s going to be a really feisty Bobcat that our fans are going to love to watch.”
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