BOZEMAN — The Montana State men’s basketball team has grown into its new look this season, and a player making an instant impact for the Bobcats is junior forward Brian Goracke.
Goracke transferred in this season after spending three seasons with first-year MSU coach Matt Logie at NCAA Division II Point Loma (Calif.) and now leads the Bobcats in scoring with 16.1 points per game. Most recently, he dropped a team-high 25 points in the team's 90-81 win over Northern Colorado.
But outside of his play-making ability is his demeanor — a calm, cool and collected type of confidence that transcends his game.
"I was told something when I was very young, 'Sometimes a quiet dog bites the hardest,'" Goracke explained. "So, that stuck with me ever since. I think I was like 7 or 8 years old when someone told me that, and so just keep that 'Steady Eddy', you know, cool-headed, not trying to do too much all the time."
His demeanor and ability to rise to the occasion are some of the main aspects Logie enjoys most about his game.
"Just the steadiness, you know," Logie said of his favorite part about coaching Goracke. "The steadiness, the loyalty. He was somebody that we really identified early in the recruiting process that chose our basketball family over multiple Division I opportunities out of high school."
The jump from Division II to Division I has seemed seamless for Goracke, and it's because he trusts his dedication. It's the endless hours of work that many don’t see to prepare Goracke for the spotlight.
"The confidence really just comes from the work I’ve put in," Goracke said. "Proving to myself over and over that I’m capable of doing what I know I can."
"He was someone that was used to performing in big moments for our program at Point Loma, and so he’s been in big moments," Logie said. "He’s not scared of those moments. His poise and preparation comes through in the work he puts in, and obviously we’ve got a lot of confidence in him because of those things."
And the trust Goracke has in Logie as a mentor and leader is just as present because of his philosophy off the court.
"The biggest thing for me was his core values: love, trust, commitment, servant-hood," Goracke said. "I mean, just life in general. Those are huge values that if you stick to and truly live by those, you’ll be set up for success."
Goracke has fit right in, wearing the blue and gold every week. He's already bought in to what Bobcat nation is all about.
"Just the consistent support," he said of his favorite part about the community surrounding Bobcat athletics. "It was negative 30 degrees last week, and people came to the games to cheer us on, so stuff like that means a lot."
Goracke and MSU tip off against Montana for in the first Cat-Griz meeting of the season at 7 p.m. Saturday inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on the MTN channel.
