Montana State Bobcats guard RaeQuan Battle dribbles downcourt during a Big Sky Conference tournament game against Northern Colorado at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho, on March 5.
Montana State Bobcats guard RaeQuan Battle dribbles downcourt during a Big Sky Conference tournament game against Northern Colorado at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho, on March 5.
BOZEMAN — Montana State junior guard RaeQuan Battle was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 6 First Team and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District VIII First Team on Tuesday.
A first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection and the Big Sky Tournament MVP, Battle is averaging 17.4 points per game on 46.7% shooting this season. He led MSU in scoring, ranked sixth in the conference in scoring and was seventh in field goal percentage (46.7%) among Big Sky players. Going into this season, Battle’s single-game career high was 19 points. He finished in double-figures 30 times, had 11 games with 20 points or more and had two 30-point outings.
Battle is the fourth Bobcat in recent memory to earn NABC All-District honors, joining his teammate Jubrile Belo (2022), Harald Frey (2020) and Tyler Hall (2016-17). Other first-team District 6 nominees include Aziz Bandaogo (Utah Valley), Dillon Jones (Weber State), Tevian Jones (Southern Utah) and Cameron Tyson (Seattle). Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen was named the District 6 Coach of the Year to round out the awards.
As for the USBWA All-District award, Battle joins Northern Colorado’s Dalton Knecht and Dillon Jones as Big Sky Conference players on the 10-member team. Battle is the first Bobcat to make the USBWA All-District team since Tyler Hall did so in 2017.
NABC member coaches across Division I voted on the award winners, whereas the USBWA board votes on its awards.
The 14th-seeded Bobcats will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against third-seeded Kansas State Wildcats on Friday at 7:40 p.m. Mountain time. The game will be nationally televised on CBS.
