FARMINGTON, Utah (May 31, 2022) - This June marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX, the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally-funded education programs or activities and has helped create gender equality in sports. To celebrate this landmark, the Big Sky Conference is highlighting several inspiring female student-athletes from its member institutions, next up we take a look back at the career of Montana State women's basketball great Katie Bussey.
Bussey, who played at Montana State from 2008-12, ranks as one of the best players ever in Bobcat women's basketball history after her stellar career in Bozeman. The Alamosa, Colorado native ranks second all-time at Montana State in scoring with 1,710 career points and first all-time with 254 career made three-pointers. Bussey still holds the school record for most points in a game after dropping 41 against Idaho State on Feb. 2, 2012, which happened to fall on the same night Weber State's Damian Lillard scored 40 points against Portland State and marked the first time in Big Sky history that a women's and men's player scored 40 or more points on the same night.
Bussey was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2009, while garnering All-Big Sky honors three times over the course of her career. The Bobcat also was a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American her senior season, after averaging 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 2011-12. Off the court, Bussey was Montana State’s Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2012 and was a four-time all-Big Sky Academic selection.
The former Montana State guard continued her career on the hardwood professionally, as she played in The Netherlands, Sweden and Germany after finishing up her career with the Bobcats. Bussey played nine seasons overseas, winning multiple national titles with her professional clubs.
After nearly a decade away from Montana State, Bussey returned to Bozeman in June of 2021, this time on the coaching side, as she joined Tricia Binford's staff as an assistant coach. Bussey had a great first season back with the Bobcats, as Montana State earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2022 Big Sky Women's Basketball Championship in Boise.
Bussey earned a degree in Kinesiology from Montana State in 2012. Prior to attending Montana State, Bussey was a four-year letterwinner at Alamosa High School and averaged 23.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 3.5 assists per game as a senior.
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Big Sky Title IX Series
Lindsey Anderson (Weber State)