Rachel Van Blaricom is well known to area basketball fans, and with good reason. She was a four-year starter for the Panthers, earning all-state honors three times and ending her high school career as the school’s leading scorer. In 2022, she led the squad to its first appearance in the Class B state tournament in over a quarter-century.
Today, the 5’9” guard is a red-shirt junior at Montana Tech. She played two years at Montana State Northern in Havre, starting 17 games in her sophomore year for the Skylights and averaging 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. She then transferred to Tech, for an academic program and to be closer to family. Because she switched schools within the Frontier Conference, she was required to take last year off from competition.
Now, finally, Van Blaricom is back on the court. Along with her trademark tenacious defense, she has averaged 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in eight games with the Diggers, who were ranked 13th in the most recent National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll.
“I’ve really enjoyed this experience of playing college basketball,” Van Blaricom told The Monitor after Tech’s 69-41 loss to Carroll last week in Helena. “I’ve loved playing basketball since I was little and that hasn’t changed. Playing for Coach [Jeff] Graham has been really amazing. He has shown confidence in every single player he has recruited and he has made it so fun. The style of basketball is so fast in college and I like that… I’m not one for setting up in the half court, I like to run and gun.”
Van Blaricom is studying cellular biology at Tech. She’s considering graduate school for dentistry or physical therapy, but says she may take a year off between graduation and whatever comes next.
Does she still follow the Panthers, which this year may be headed to State again? Indeed. She says she’s still grateful for the support of Jefferson fans and is tracking the team’s current success.
“I wish I could [go] a bit more, but college basketball takes a ton of time. It’s hard to get to a game, but I hope to be able to go to a game next weekend and see everyone. I love the environment there and it is amazing to hear how many people support them.”
