MISSOULA — Thursday at the Adams Center, the Montana men's basketball team welcomed a special new member to their roster.
After signing his National Letter of Intent, 12-year-old Wyatt Grove officially joined the Montana Griz basketball team following a several-month-long recruitment process.
The Great Falls resident has been battling a brain tumor and when head coach Travis DeCuire heard his story he immediately arranged to meet with the lifelong Griz fan, have him meet the team, and now officially join them through an organization called Team IMPACT.
Assistant men's basketball coach, Jay Flores, spearheaded the campaign for Grove to join the team Thursday and sign his National Letter of Intent.
Family members of Grove were also handing out #wyattthebrave bracelets at the end of the press conference.
Grove expressed his gratitude to the coaches and players in the program for the opportunity to play for the team he's been cheering for his whole life. He was joined by his family for the official signing to make him the newest member of the Griz family.
"I think every great leader is really at their best when they have good followers," said DeCuire. "And I think we have a group of young men that will follow Wyatt's lead in terms of the way that he challenges himself everyday to get up and be successful and win the day."
"I'm just really grateful l get to have this opportunity," Grove said. "Not a lot of people have this opportunity."
"That's what Griz do, right?" stated DeCuire. "We more than fight, we succeed."
Grove has already spent time working on building team chemistry playing video games and hanging out with his new teammates throughout the summer, and be sure to keep an eye out for him at upcoming Griz games this winter.
