Second home

PARKER COTTON

Chronicle Sports Editor

When Jaden Steppe was looking for a new basketball home, he most seriously considered the programs in the two locations he has the deepest roots.

He took visits to Portland and Portland State, in his Oregon hometown, and visits to Montana and Montana State, in the state that has been something of a second home to him his entire life.

Out of Tualatin High School, Steppe was the No. 2 prospect in Oregon in 2024, according to 247Sports. He chose Colorado State over offers from MSU, UM, PSU and others at that time. But given an opportunity to circle back, Steppe decided MSU would be the best place for him this time around.

Steppe’s mother, Janine, and father, Kirk, grew up together in Columbia Falls but graduated from UM and MSU, respectively. Steppe has a handful of extended family members in Montana, and he said he’s spent at least a month of every year of his life within the state’s borders.

By choosing Montana State, he guarantees himself a large cheering section at Worthington Arena.

“A lot of people are telling me they’re buying season tickets, so that’ll be cool to see my family,” said Steppe, who announced his commitment to MSU on April 24. “They’ve never really gotten to watch me play because I always visit them during my offseason or when I had a break from basketball for a month.”

Soon, his basketball career will be centered in Bozeman.

Choosing the Bobcats after spending his freshman season with the Rams means Steppe — pronounced like “step” — also reconnects with head coach Matt Logie and assistant coach Zach Payne, who recruited him in high school. Steppe took an unofficial visit to MSU in June 2023 after Logie was hired that April.

“It’s been good to talk to them and rekindle, and now I get to go play for them, so it’s a blessing,” the 6-foot-8 Steppe said.

The relationship with a head coach is important to Steppe. His head coach at CSU, Niko Medved, left the Rams this offseason to take the job at Minnesota, his alma mater. Assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh — once a March Madness hero at Northern Iowa — was named the new head coach, a change that “definitely played a part” in Steppe’s decision to transfer.

“I committed to a different coach,” Steppe said. “And I just decided that with Montana State, I resonated most with the coaching staff.”

Steppe played just 12 minutes across seven games for the Rams, who won the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship, upset No. 5 seed Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and lost in the Round of 32 on a buzzer-beater against Maryland to finish at 26-10. Steppe played sparingly, he said, because he was injured for most of the season with a strained lower back and, at times, knee tendinitis.

“I kept playing (through the back injury), trying to get ready for the season, but it never panned out that way,” Steppe said, adding that he’s fully healthy now.

He scored seven total points as a Ram, with five coming in a February win against Wyoming. One of his two field goals in that game was his only 3-pointer of the season.

“It was a good year, just hard with injuries and being a freshman and missing so many practices and not being able to train,” Steppe said. “I definitely improved. I gained like 30 pounds. I can jump higher. I feel like they gave me pretty much every tool I need.”

When healthy and playing at his best, Steppe believes he can fit almost any role on the court. He played point guard, center and power forward during his high school career, which saw Tualatin win back-to-back state championships — its first two in school history — in Steppe’s sophomore and junior seasons. He had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the title game as a junior. As a senior, he was Oregon’s 6A player of the year. At Colorado State, Steppe said he learned “three or four different positions.”

“I have a really, really good post game, but I don’t have to stay in the post, just because I can dribble and shoot (too),” he said. “I’m very comfortable with the ball in my hands and making decisions.

“I really try to pride myself on there’s nothing I can’t do.”

Now that he’s fully healthy, he wants to use his versatility to help the Bobcats win, and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

“You don’t have to hope you play good if you just put in enough time,” he said. “If I’ve done everything I can to be as good as I can, then there’s no point in doubting myself.”

Parker Cotton can be reached at pcotton@dailychronicle. com. Follow him on X/Twitter @ByParker-Cotton.