BOZEMAN — Hot Springs, Arkansas seems a world away from Bozeman, Montana, particularly during the heart of January. Even though Keljin Blevins is in the midst of jus this second winter in Montana, the Natural State native has known about Big Sky country for quite some time.
The Montana State junior forward spent most of his life in the South before moving to Southwest Montana. But Blevins’ cousin and close friend is among the faces of the modern-day Big Sky Conference.
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Damian Lillard carved out one of the best careers in league history during his time at Weber State, winning a pair of conference MVP honors before foregoing his senior season to become the No. 6 overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Lillard is Blevins’ first cousin and someone who has provided basketball advice to the 6-foot-6 forward for the last handful of years. The Big Sky first landed on Blevins’ radar while he kept track of his cousin’s career in Ogden, Utah. Life in the West seemed more and more appealing as Blevins spent his first two summers while on Southern Miss’s roster instead training in Lake Oswego outside Portland with the Trailblazer All-Star point guard.
When Blevins decided he wanted a fresh start and declared for a transfer following a sophomore season with the Golden Eagles that saw him average 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22 minutes per game, he immediately thought of the Big Sky.
“I definitely knew about it from when Damian was at Weber,” Blevins said. “I’ve spent some time out (West) and it took some time to get used to but I like it.”
Montana State head coach Brian Fish said he considers Southern Miss head coach Doc Sadler “a friend.” Sadler helped connect Fish to Blevins, who committed to MSU in August of 2016. With the transfer came more advice from Lillard.
“His biggest advice with transferring was take that time to get better and really focus in on what I want to do and focus in on being there for the team,” Blevins said. “Being the best to help the team win, that’s what he’s big on. He’s always giving advice on bringing everything together and if your role is to be a leader, be a leader and find a way to win.”
Blevins battled an injury that sidelined him for a substantial amount of his redshirt season. Those who watched practice or who played on the Bobcat squad did not get a full taste of what the skilled, strong 22-year-old could do.
During competition, Blevins watched from the bench as Tyler Hall scorched nets across the league on the way to first-team All-Big Sky honors. Harald Frey’s steady play helped him follow in Hall’s footsteps as the second straight Bobcat to win Big Sky Freshman of the Year. The observant Blevins could tell during a stretch that saw MSU win 10 of 12 games in the midst of conference play that the team he would join this winter established its stars last winter.
“The biggest challenge for me is coming into a team that already has experience together and becoming a part of the team,” Blevins said. “But I feel like that year helped me a lot with seeing how things work and those guys play together against other teams in our league. Being able to see how other teams in our league play for a whole year gave me an advantage coming into the lineup this year.”
As MSU reaches the midpoint of its first season with Blevins available — MSU is 11-6 through 17 games of its 31-game campaign, including 4-0 in Big Sky play for the first time in 13 years — Blevins’ addition has been crucial.
The sturdy 210-pounder leads the Bobcats in rebounding at 5.8 boards per game, a crucial statistic for an MSU squad that likes to play small. Fish favors a starting lineup that includes Blevins, 6-foot-6 junior Sam Neumann and 6-foot junior Devonte Klines running with the 6-foot-5 Hall and the 6-foot-1 Frey. MSU holds a +1.9 rebounding margin, the third-best in the Big Sky.
“I don’t know what our expectations were when he was sitting out but I hoped that he would give us this,” Fish said last week. “His defense and rebounding have really stepped up and I’ve been really happy with that. The points are going to come when you focus on defense and rebounding and that’s picked up a little bit. I’ve been happy with his progression.”
The points have come in bunches sometimes for Blevins. The slashing stretch four is third behind Hall (19.5) and Frey (15.1) on the team in scoring at 10.1 per game. He is scoring 12.5 points and grabbing a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game during Big Sky play.
“We knew Keljin was good but I didn’t know he was going to be this good for us,” said Neumann, who is chipping in 6.3 boards per game in league play. “It’s definitely been a pleasant surprise. He sat out with an injury last year so he was working on getting back to himself. It’s been awesome what he’s been able to do and we’ve been extremely happy with it.”
Hall ripped apart Southern Utah’s defense by drilling eight 3-pointers and scoring a season-high 36 points in a 104-99 win in Cedar City on December 28. Two nights later at Northern Arizona, Hall and Frey suffered their worst combine shooting night as a duo. Hall missed 14 of his 18 shots, including 11 of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc. Frey missed all but one of his 13 shot attempts, the lone make a crucial 3-pointer in overtime.
Blevins picked up the slack, carrying MSU to a 76-73 OT win despite shooting just 30.7 percent as a team. According to Montana State sports information, it marks the lowest field goal percentage in a Bobcat victory. But Blevins had the best night of his Bobcat career, converting 8-of-12 from the floor and all nine of his free throw attempts in a 26-point effort.
“Tyler and Harry being off really didn’t change my mentality,” Blevins said. “I always do what my role is and my role is to be a great defensive player and rebound and play hard and have a motor and run in transition. Their shots weren’t falling but they were finding me for open opportunities and it was just my night.”
He scored eight points during an 11-0 run at the end of the first half to help the Bobcats shave a 15-point deficit and he carried MSU to a crucial win in Flagstaff. The sweep of NAU and SUU marked the first league-opening road sweep for MSU since the 2004-05 season.
“It’s been about a three or four-game run here now,” Fish said, referencing Blevins’ 12-point, 10-rebound effort in a loss at Omaha and his 13-point, eight-rebound outing in a win over Denver. “It’s been a progression that’s gone in our favor.
“He’s getting some man rebounds out there and focusing on defense, which has really been a big improvement as each game has gone along. Now the points jump up a little bit. He’s saved us.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
