By: Evan O'Kelly, Director of Communications
MSUB SPORTS – A pair of point guards are the top reserves on the Yellowjacket men's basketball all-decade team, each leading their respective squads to postseason action.
Each of these two bench players spent two years in the program, covering the first four seasons of the decade. Three more guards earned honorable mention selection to the all-decade team, after serving as key figures on their respective teams across the 2010s.
This Week's Schedule
| Day |
Release |
| Monday, October 5, 2020 |
Guards - Reserves & Honorable Mention |
| Tuesday, October 6, 2020 |
Forwards - Reserves & Honorable Mention |
| Wednesday, October 7, 2020 |
Guards - Starters |
| Thursday, October 8, 2020 |
Forwards - Starters |
| Friday, October 9, 2020 |
Full Team |
The Reserves
Jaxon Myaer
Position: Point Guard
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Playing Years: 2010-2012 (2 seasons)
Feature Story: Myaer Enjoying His Time At MSUB After Transfer From Utah State (Joe Kusek/Billings Gazette - February 15, 2012)
Myaer was the team's first point guard of the decade, playing two seasons for the 'Jackets after transferring from Utah State University. In the team's most successful season of the decade, Myaer led the charge as he started all 30 games in 2011-12 to help the 'Jackets reach the NCAA regional tournament. He had 15 points and five assists in the GNAC Championship game, giving MSUB its first conference title and securing the berth into the NCAA playoffs.
Myaer was a two-time all-conference selection at the guard position, and started 56 games in his two seasons with the 'Jackets. He averaged 13.0 points per game – including 14.2 points as a senior in 2011-12, and also contributed 4.7 assists per game. As a junior in 2010-11 Myaer led the GNAC with 5.0 assists per game, before ranking fourth in the conference the next season with 4.4 assists per game.
Jamie Stevens (Myaer's Head Coach, 2011-2012): "I only got one year with Jaxon, but he could really go. He really knew how to play the game, and was a scoring guard who could do it all. His defensive feel for the game was remarkable."
Kalob Hatcher
Position: Point Guard
Hometown: San Diego, California
Playing Years: 2012-2014 (2 seasons)
Hatcher transferred to MSUB from Irvine Valley College, and was the heir apparent to the point guard position after Myaer's departure from the program.
Hatcher filled the role without missing a beat, earning all-conference accolades in each of his seasons at MSUB and helping the 'Jackets reach the conference tournament twice. In just two seasons Hatcher cracked into the top-10 in the MSUB record books with 350 assists, ranking him eighth in program history. His average of 6.14 assists per game stands as the fourth-highest mark in school history. Hatcher's 208 assists as a senior in 2013-14 were the sixth-most in school history, and it was the highest mark by any MSUB player since Carlin Hughes set the school record with 269 during the 2005-06 campaign.
Hatcher capped his MSUB career by being named the Men's Basketball Player of the Year at the Buzzies as a senior.
Hatcher on what stood out about his MSUB teams: "We never quit. Our team came day-in and day-out to compete, and I think we showed that."
Jamie Stevens (Hatcher's Head Coach, 2012-2014): "Kalob was one of the best passers I have ever coached. Great vision, great feel for the game, and a super tough kid. He made everybody better."
Where is he now? Hatcher has remained in the basketball world, serving as an assistant coach at Irvine Valley College and working as a compliance specialist for Finance of America.
Honorable Mention
David Arnold
Position: Shooting Guard
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Playing Years: 2011-2013 (2 seasons)
Arnold was an impact player in each of his two years in the program, including the championship 2011-12 season directly after transferring from University of Northern Colorado. Arnold played in all 30 games that season, averaging 7.8 points as one of the first players off the bench. He shot 44.6 percent, and led the team in free-throw shooting at 83.1 percent.
Arnold followed with an even better senior campaign, averaging 12.6 points in 27.1 minutes per game as a senior in 2012-13. He closed his career with honorable mention all-conference selection.
Jamie Stevens (Arnold's Head Coach 2011-2013): "Dave was a major factor on our championship team, and was basically a sixth starter for us. He could play every guard position on the court, and really knew the game. His natural strength made him a really tough guy to guard. He went on to an unbelievable pro career overseas."
Jace Anderson
Position: Shooting Guard/Point Guard
Hometown: Whitewater, Montana
Playing Years: 2012-2017 (5 seasons)
Feature Story: Anderson Finding Stride In Final Stretch Of Career With 'Jackets
From redshirting as a freshman in 2012-13 to being a team captain and starter in 2016-17, Anderson battled his way into being an all-conference player by the time all was said and done. A devastating knee injury cost Anderson the second half of his junior season in 2015-16, just as he was catching his momentum as an everyday starter. He rallied to come back the next year however, and start all 29 games as a senior while averaging 9.8 points per game.
Jamie Stevens (Anderson's Head Coach 2012-2017): "We never thought Jace would play much for us; he did. We never thought he would be an all-league type of guy; he was. We never thought he could play the point; he was high level at the point guard position. Just a guy that got every possible thing he could out of his body. We had a chance to be really good the year he tore his ACL, but after we lost him we lost our way a little bit."
Kendall Denham
Position: Point Guard
Hometown: Malta, Montana
Playing Years: 2013-2018 (5 seasons)
Feature Story: The Denham-Anderson Connection: From Malta To MSU Billings
Like Anderson, Denham made the five-year progression from redshirt to all-conference selection. Filling whatever role his team needed, Denham hit the ground running as a starter in 2014-15 and ended up playing in 109 total games in his four years. He totaled 950 points – the fourth most of any player from the 2010s decade – for an average of 8.7 points per game. Denham finished his career No. 10 in MSUB history with 326 assists, and No. 9 in steals with 100.
Denham on what stood out about his MSUB teams: "The brotherhood of our team. To this day I still talk to a lot of the guys that I played with even from my redshirt year which seems like a very long time ago. I am glad we still stay in touch to see how things are going with each other in our lives outside of college."
Jamie Stevens (Denham's Head Coach 2013-2018): "Kendall was a fabulous representative of a true Montana type kid for our program. He was one of the better leaders I was able to coach, and really made everybody around him better."
Where is he now? Denham resides in Billings where he is a K-8 physical education teacher at Joliet Public Schools. He is also an assistant high school football coach and is the head girls basketball coach.
About the MSUB All-Decade Team Project
The top student-athletes from each of Montana State University Billings' current varsity athletic teams from 2010-2019 have been selected, and 14 all-decade teams will be revealed throughout the course of the fall of 2020. Each sport's all-decade team is comprised of the top-performing student-athletes, with weight given to individual athletic achievement and accolades, team achievement, academic achievement, as well as community service. For more information on MSUB's all-decade project, and to view each sport's all-decade teams, view the all-decade project webpage online here.
