Going Grizzly: Zachary Camel is now a University of Montana basketball player

Zachary Camel has been around basketball his whole life. Those hours of watching and playing basketball have paid off. Camel is now a member of the University of Montana basketball team.

With a last name like Camel, one would imagine that Zachary is an athlete. Growing up, Camel watched his uncle JR dominate the basketball court. JR played for the Griz in the 1990’s. Zach also grew up following his dad to the gym in Pablo. Zachary Camel-Conko Sr. has been the coach for the Salish Kootenai College Bison for 15 years, 10 of which he led the team to a national championship. Camel said he remembers going on road trips all over the state of Montana with the team as a kid.

Zach said this dad and uncle have been a huge motivation for him. “I remember watching my uncle play and always thought it was cool that he had the record at UM for steals,” he said. That record set by JR was just recently broken by Will Cherry.

As he moved into high school in Polson, Camel would go to practice, then sometimes hit SKC gym with his dad. That hard work and dedication helped his high school teams. He competed in three state tournaments for the Polson Pirates, then transferred to Arlee his senior year to play for his uncle JR, who took over the coaching job there that year. In 2013, his senior season, the Warriors took third place at state. Camel was named to the All-State team, and he unofficially broke the MHSA record for assists. That year, he averaged 12 points and 10.5 assists per game.

After high school, Camel didn’t get the offer he wanted. “I had my mind set on playing for the Griz,” he said. He did get some offers from small schools, but he decided to go play for his dad at SKC. “I knew some of the guys, and I already knew the offense. They are like family for me,” he said of his decision to play for the Bison.

As a Bison, Camel helped lead the team to two straight AIHEC national championships. As the starting point guard, he was named to the all-tournament team both years. After his second year, Camel completed his associates degree in business management, and was ready to try something new.

This past summer, he got the chance that he wanted coming out of high school. He was invited to try out for the Grizzlies. Second year head coach and former Griz basketball player Travis DeCuire, who knew Zach’s uncle JR, gave him that chance.

Apparently, DeCuire liked what he saw. Zach was offered a spot on the team as a walk-on. “He told me that if I worked hard enough I would get some playing time.”

Since that time, Camel has been putting in the time, first with open gyms, then with official practices that started at the beginning of October. He said the practices are intense. “It’s tough. It is so much more competitive. I’ve always worked hard and had a few other guys working hard during practice, but now there are 16 guys working as hard as they can.”

Camel, who will go into the season as a junior on the team, has always played point guard, but said he has been playing a little bit of shooting guard, and has to compete every day to prove he should get playing time. “It’s a battle every day for your spot,” he said.

While Camel knew the SKC offense right away, this year he is having to play catch up, learning plays and getting to know the coaches. He said he feels like he’s been doing pretty well, but isn’t sure what the coaches are thinking. He also mentioned that there is a possibility of him taking a red-shirt year. 

At the same time, Camel is working hard to better his education. He is going for his Bachelors in business management. He has his sights set on becoming a CEO. Recently, he interned at Tribal Health and said he plans to get a degree in public health after he finishes his BA in business. “I’ve always wanted to be a CEO. I know I can be a good leader, and I had a great experience at Tribal Health,” he said.

It takes a special kind of leader on the court to set the state assists record. The reason? “I don’t really care about scoring. Knowing you were the cause of someone else scoring is a good feeling. I like defense, and when someone else scores on offense, they’ll try harder on defense.”

Camel also tries to be leader for his family off the court. He has two younger brothers and a younger sister. “I feel like they look up to me,” he said.

In life, Camel has a positive outlook. “I’m just trying to go as far as I can in life. It sounds cheesy, but you’re only young once and I’m trying to take advantage of that. I’m just really happy to be here.”