Come watch the Bison run

By Zach Urness - Sports Editor

Ready for a quick quiz? Good.

Identify which Lake County myth is actually true:

A) The Flathead Lake monster really does exist

B) The Mission Mountains are filled with gold

C) Beer produced at Glacier Brewery can cure cancer

D) College basketball is being played in Pablo

Stumped?

The answer is D. No, seriously, it's true.

Beginning last Sunday and Monday the best kept secret in Lake County athletics, the Salish Kootenai basketball teams, opened up the doors of the Joe McDonald Sports Complex and played the first real home game in their history.

How could I have missed this, you ask?

Truth be told, I can't blame you for missing them. They don't get a free education to play ball like the Griz down at the University of Montana—in fact they're not allowed to offer any athletic scholarships. They don't commit enough felonies to be "recognized" in Sports Illustrated like the Montana State Bobcats. And although they're the only college team in Lake County, they get less media attention than any of the local high schools.

Despite these shortcomings, the SKC Bison and Lady Bison have been scratching out a tiny piece of basketball notoriety for themselves since the late 1980s. For those years the Bison have been a-ramblin' far and wide across the great Northwest, seeking out tribal colleges, community colleges and major colleges' JV teams to play them.

But why are they so unknown? Why must they ramble from city to city, from tournament to tournament without pause, gratification or notoriety?

The reason, simply, is that they lacked the most important asset that winning programs enjoy—a home court advantage. For years the Bison have held their practices and played their "home" games at local high schools like Two Eagle and Ronan.

"There are still a lot of people in the community that don't realize SKC has a team that is out there playing college basketball," said interim athletic director and women's head basketball coach Juan Perez.

But no longer. The rambling Bison officially came home last Sunday, playing in front of a home crowd against Montana Western JV at the freshly minted Joe McDonald Sports complex in Pablo, MT.

And for a gym that cost only $5.5 million to create (the new Minnesota Twins stadium will cost roughly $478 million), it's gorgeous.

The gym is well-lighted and has a cozy, intimate feel. The main floor is highlighted with the maroon, black and gold colors of the Bison and is surrounded by stands that can fit 2,500 people. The stands can also be folded up, and the gym cut in half to form two college length basketball courts, which Perez said will be helpful for hosting future basketball tournaments. There is also an elevated track that provides for exercise as well as an eagle-eye view of the game for photographers.

"It's like a dream come true," said men's coach Zachary Camel, whose been with the program almost from the beginning. "We started working on it 10 years ago, and now that it's finally happened, it seems like it was built overnight. It's such a big step for our program."

So now that you know that college basketball in Lake County is not just a myth, bring your buns down to the Joe McDonald Sports Complex this Monday, Dec. 10, and watch the Bison run.