Star guard Darian White enters transfer portal, will leave Montana State

BOZEMAN — Montana State star guard Darian White is entering the transfer portal, she announced Tuesday on social media.

"Thank you Bobcat Nation for everything you have given me," she wrote. "I'm forever grateful for my coaches, teammates, and the community. None of this would have been possible without each and every one of you."

White, a 5-foot-6 guard from Boise, Idaho, joined the program during the 2019-20 season and produced one of the best freshman campaigns in Bobcat history.

She played in all 31 games her freshman year recording 394 points, 150 rebounds, 104 assists, and 76 steals. The effort earned her Big Sky Conference freshman of the year honors joining Jennifer Curl (1998-99) and Katie Bussey (2008-09) as just the third Bobcat to do so.

As White emerged as one of the best players in the Big Sky, the awards followed throughout her career at Montana State.

In her sophomore year, White was named the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference defensive player of the year averaging 2.7 steals and a team-best 5.1 rebounds per game.

She garnered the same honors in her junior campaign after leading the Big Sky in steals (84) and steals per game (2.47) during the 2021-22 season. Additionally, White was named MVP of the Big Sky tournament after averaging 18.3 points, five assists, 2.7 rebounds, and two steals over the course of Montana State's three games to lead the Bobcats back to the NCAA tournament.

White earned All-Big Sky Conference first-team honors during her final three seasons with Montana State.

"I want to explore the next phase of my basketball career that Montana State has created for me," White said in her social media post.

White, who has one more season of eligibility remaining, leaves Montana State ranked in the top ten of nine different Bobcat women's basketball career records categories:

• No. 1 in Free Throws Made (493)
  
• No. 2 in Points (1,716)
  
• No. 2 Assists (449)
  
• No. 2 in Free Throws Attempted (639)
  
• No. 3 in Steals (260)
  
• No. 4 in Field Goals Attempted (1,421)
  
• No. 5 in Field Goals Made (580)
  
• No. 7 in Scoring Average (14.3)
  
• No. 10 in Games Played (120)

"I'll tell you, when you talk about coachable kids and kids that get you motivated every single day to come in and go to work, I think about that smile and I think of her effort like you have to be your best because you want the best for her," Bobcats head coach Tricia Binford said in a sitdown interview with MTN Sports.