Whitefish Pilot

Colt Idol, a senior guard on the Whitefish High School basketball team, has verbally committed to play basketball at Montana State University-Bozeman next year.

At 6-foot 3-inches and 200 pounds, Idol is considered by most college recruiters in the region to be the best two-guard in the state, according to Bulldog head coach Eric Stang.

“Colt is a tremendous athlete who most certainly could play football, basketball or track at the NCAA Division 1 level, but basketball is his passion,” Stang said.

The 2007 state high-jump champion, with a 6-foot 5-inch leap, Idol sat out this year’s football season because he didn’t want to risk an injury.

Idol is an honor student with a 4.0 GPA and will be a strong contender for the Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Montana if he stays healthy, Stang said.

The Bobcats will be a good fit for Idol’s strengths, according to Stang.

“The staff has indicated that Colt is a great fit as an athlete and a student at Montana State, and they expect Colt to contribute early in his career,” he said.

Idol scored a team-high 52 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 2-0 start to the season in the Northwest Southwest Tip-Off tourney this weekend.

“He has a tenacious work ethic on and off the court,” Stang said. “And he has demonstrated over the last three years that he’s not only very athletic, but is also a versatile scorer, skilled ball-handler, strong rebounder and a great team player.”

Stang said Idol’s abilities are comparable to other players that he helped coach at Gonzaga University and other collegiate programs.

Idol will begin his college basketball career this coming July when he enrolls in the second session of summer school at MSU.