MISSOULA — The Montana men’s basketball team added another player from the transfer portal, this time beefing up its frontcourt depth.
The Grizzlies got a commitment from Green Bay transfer forward Amari Jedkins, he had announced on May 22. UM confirmed his addition on June 12.
Jedkins averaged 4.0 points while shooting 60.6% from the field as all 33 of his field goal attempts came from 2-point range last season. He grabbed 2.2 rebounds per game while averaging 15.8 minutes in 11 games (two starts).
Jedkins comes to Montana with four years of eligibility remaining. He had redshirted as a true freshman in 2022-23. He received a medical redshirt for his shortened 2023-24 season, he said. He was listed at 6-foot-7 last year.
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Jedkins is originally from Racine, Wisconsin. He averaged 16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists during his high school senior season. He was an all-state honorable mention while helping his team make the state tournament.
Jedkins had entered the portal in May after head coach Sundance Wicks left to take over the Wyoming Cowboys. His entrance came after UWGB hired Doug Gottlieb, who will coach while continuing to host his national radio show.
Wicks was Jedkins’ third coach in two seasons at UWGB. Will Ryan was fired during the 2022-23 season and replaced by interim coach Freddie Owens.
“We loved his intangibles as well (as) his tremendous upside,” Ryan said when UWGB announced Jedkins’ signing out of high school. “He’s long, athletic and plays with an infectious energy that fans will love. Amari is a versatile, slashing wing/forward who has an extremely bright future.”
Green Bay went 18-14 overall and 13-7 in the Horizon League to finish tied for third place last season. The Phoenix lost in the tournament quarterfinals. Champion Oakland went on to upset Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.
Montana has needed to fill its forward positions after graduating both starting big men from last year. Jedkins is the Grizzlies’ third transfer forward, joining Jensen Bradtke from Saint Mary’s and Jalen Foy from Northeastern Junior College. UM returns Te’Jon Sawyer, who was the first forward off the bench.
The Griz have added three transfer guards: Austin Patterson from Sacramento State, Malik Moore from Pepperdine and Jeremiah Dargan from West Valley College. They return Brandon Whitney, Money Williams and Chase Henderson. They signed 4-star guard Tyler Thompson out of high school.
UM brings back reserve players Zack Davidson, Adam Shoff and Connor Dick.
Frank Gogola is the Senior Sports Reporter at the Missoulian and 406 MT Sports. Follow him on X @FrankGogola or email him at frank.gogola@406mtsports.com.