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McLeod envisions perfect fit in Montana By Greg Stiles Jody McLeod says she was both excited and relieved after electing to play college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. Sure, it would have been easy to sign with Washington State so McLeod could have one day told her grandkids she had played in the Pac-10 Conference. But there were more compelling reasons to say "Thanks, but no thanks," and sign with the University of Montana as she will this week. "I would�ve like to have played in the Pac-10," McLeod says. "But the uncertainty of the coaches and players made me wonder." For another thing, Washington State hasn�t had a winning season since 1996 and hasn�t had a winning Pac-10 record since 1991. Montana, on the other hand, has advanced to the NCAA tournament 14 times since 1983. "Everybody was really nice there," McLeod says of her recent recruiting visit. "They were open, they answered my questions about the coaching style and whether they liked their coaches. They all seemed very happy to be there. "I had a good feeling and knew that I pretty much wanted to go there." Although Big Sky-foe Idaho State sought McLeod�s services earlier, Montana jumped into the picture this spring. "One of my assistants saw Jody at the state tournament and said that she was deceptively good, but we didn�t have a scholarship open at the time," says Montana coach Robin Selvig. But when a player left the program, Selvig had an idea who could fill the void. When McLeod took part in an April 5-8 tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., Selvig invited McLeod to Missoula. "She gets a lot done," Selvig says. "We�re excited about her. She shoots for a high percentage and is a strong rebounder." Selvig is one of 15 active NCAA coaches with 500 or more wins, and his teams won 20 or more games 18 straight seasons until two years ago. "They have a great following and have a couple of sellouts every year," Crater coach David Heard says. "It�s a real stable situation up there." McLeod was the Southern Oregon Conference player of the year this past winter. She played in three Class 4A state finals and finished as Crater High�s No. 2 career scorer and rebounder. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.