Montana Native Wayne Estes Headed To The College Basketball HoF

The Associated Press reported today the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame unveiled its next class of inductees. Eight members were selected to the latest class including Montana native Wayne Estes.

Before Estes became a legend at Utah State, he was a star in Anaconda. Born in Virginia City, Montana, Estes played high school ball for the Copperheads where he made the all-state team twice with a pair of state tournament appearances. MTN Sports, as a part of their MT Top 50 list, ranked Estes 2nd on their list. An interesting note from their article is that it's reported that both Montana and Montana State didn't offer Estes a spot on their teams.

A big mistake.

Estes elected to play at Utah State, where he holds records and is among the pantheon of Utah State Aggies. Playing from 1963-1965, Estes racked up 2,001 points, 4th most all-time, and holds the record for most points per game in a career (26.7). He has his number 33 retired and his name plastered on the school's practice facility.

One of the all-time great Aggies and Montanans didn't get a chance to play after just 21 years old. Estes died in a tragic accident when he and his friends stopped at a car accident where he accidentally contacted downed powerlines that killed him.

Congratulations to the Estes family for seeing the much-deserved recognition.