by By Andrew Pederson
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State men’s basketball program received a signed financial agreement on Wednesday from RaeQuan Battle (Tulalip Tribe) who will join the Bobcats as a sophomore for the 2021-22 season.
Battle spent the previous two seasons at the University of Washington. He played in 34 games and started in four of those contests during his time with the Huskies. Battle averaged a career-high 4.6 points and 17.8 minutes per game during the 2020-21 season. He scored a career-high 19 points in 21 minutes against an Oregon team that advanced to the Sweet 16. The 6-foot-5 guard opened this past season with 10 points and a career-best three assists against eventual national champion Baylor. He had single game highs of six rebounds and three steals this past year while recording seven double-digit scoring games at Washington.
Originally from Tulalip, Wash., Battle was a four-star recruit who played at Marysville-Pilchuck high school. He was ranked No. 70 in the country by Rivals, No. 85 by 247sports and No. 91 in the ESPN Top 10 for the Class of 2019. Battle led Marysville-Pilchuck to consecutive district titles and helped the Monarchs win 19 straight games en route to a fourth-place finish at the WIAA State Championship tournament. He finished his prep career as his high school team’s career scoring leader with 1,667 points. He holds the school’s single-game scoring record of 43 points in which he also pulled down 23 rebounds. Battle is a member of the Tulalip Reservation. He played for Seattle Rotary in the Nike EYBL before his college career.
“RaeQuan is a supremely talented wing as shown by him being a four-star prospect out of high school,” Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. “He can score in a variety of ways and can play multiple positions with his size. He has elite athleticism and shot making ability.
“In my conversations with RaeQuan, what sold me was that he always talked about the team. That showed me he is committed to winning and being a great teammate, which is what we are all about. His coaches at Washington absolutely loved him as a player and as a person. He has a lot to learn about the game and he’s motivated in that aspect to become the best he can be. I can’t wait to get him here this summer and work with him!”
Battle joins five incoming freshmen as newcomers to the Montana State roster for the 2021-22 season.
