Scott Hatler (2017) - Hall of Fame - Montana State University Athletics

Scott Hatler

Induction:
2017

   Mick Durham’s excitement was undeniable.
    It was the fall of 1990, and he had just received a phone call from a high school basketball player in Great Falls with the news that he had decided to play college basketball at Montana State. It was the first significant commitment from a high school recruit for Durham as Montana State’s head coach. And time would prove that phone call from Scott Hatler to be a game-changer.
   Or rather, a program-changer.
   As Montana State’s primary point guard from 1992 to ’96, Hatler became the cornerstone of the Bobcat program. He engineered MSU’s offense with savvy, sprinkling three-pointers into his array of dazzling passes, and instilled grit and physicality into frontcourt defense. As a sophomore in 1993-94, Hatler helped guide the Cats to a 16-11 season, MSU’s first winning record of the decade and a sign of things to come. The Bobcats roared to 21 wins the next year, but more importantly a championship core was intact.
   When the 1995-96 campaign dawned, Hatler was at the controls. Fellow Bobcat Hall of Famers Quadre Lollis and Nico Harrison added star power, and Bobcat greats such as Adam Leachman and Mike Elliott and Danny Sullivan were joined by newcomers Nate Holmstadt and Danny Sprinkle, and the Montana State’s moment was at hand.
   The Cats survived a challenging non-league slate, mixing solid wins over Eastern Michigan, Nevada and Gonzaga with close calls on the road at TCU and Texas Tech to prepare the team for the rigors of Big Sky play. The first two weekends of league play set the tone, with the Cats spanking Weber State 90-71 in the Big Sky opener and, nine days later, handling the Grizzlies. Raucous Worthington Arena crowds welcomed the team onto its home floor every game, and the Cats responded an undefeated home season. A regular season-closing road sweep of the Eastern Washington-Idaho trip gave MSU its Big Sky title, and a week later MSU grinded out an 81-70 win over Weber State to capture the Big Sky crown.
Lollis was the Big Sky MVP and Sprinkle was the tournament MVP. Harrison became the league’s best defensive stopper, and Leachman was an under-appreciated star. But those inside the program called Hatler the straw that stirred the drink. He finished his career that spring as one of the great point guards in Big Sky Conference history. His 608 assists remains a Bobcat record, and was the second-best mark in league history at the conclusion of his brilliant career. His 176 career three-pointers was a Bobcat record at the time, and remains tied for fifth in MSU history.
   Hatler remains fifth in Big Sky history in assists, and is also among the league’s top 30 in single-season assist total and career and single-season assist average record lists. But he will be remembered by Bobcat fans for far more than records. His commitment to MSU was important before he ever enrolled in a class at the school, and his steady hand and unwavering will guided the Bobcats through one of the most successful periods in program history.