Kammerzell Commits to Montana State Basketball
CJI standout Brynn Kammerzell has already built one of the most decorated athletic careers in recent local memory, and she still has one year of high school remaining. Now she has made her college choice and set her future career in motion.
Kammerzell recently announced her commitment to continue her basketball career at Montana State University, choosing the Bobcats from a final group that included Montana State, Montana, Santa Clara and St. Mary’s. According to her father, Kammerzell had conversations with more than 30 Division I programs before making her decision.
For Kammerzell, the choice came down to more than basketball. “I have built a great relationship with the coaching staff, the girls are super fun to be around, and MSU offers all of the degrees I am possibly interested in,” Kammerzell said, listing physical therapy, business and engineering among her current academic interests. “They are not only winning and have plans to continue to win, but to get better and go further.”
Staying in Montana was a big consideration. When asked if being closer to home played a role in her decision she answered “Yes, definitely! It was important to me to have family and friends at games.”
The commitment is a major milestone for Kammerzell and for the CJI program. Her father Brad believes she is the first local athlete to receive a Division I athletic scholarship since Michelle VanDyke went to the University of Montana in 2002.
Kammerzell’s junior season helped solidify her status as one of the top players in Montana. The 6-foot-3 forward helped lead the Lady Hawks to a 24-3 record and a fourth-place finish at the Class C State Tournament. She averaged more than 24 points per game while drawing increased attention from college programs across the region and beyond.
Her development has also been shaped by high-level summer basketball. Kammerzell plays for the Northwest Blazers National 17U team, a program her father described as one of the top teams in the country. The team is unbeaten this season and includes players from the Seattle and Spokane areas. According to Brad, eight players from the Northwest Blazers program, not counting Brynn, are expected to be on Montana State’s roster next year.
That connection may help make Montana State feel familiar, but the relationship with the Bobcat staff might have mattered most. MSU began recruiting Kammerzell early in her freshman year, giving her three years to build trust with head coach Tricia Binford and the rest of the staff.
The Bobcats have given her plenty of reasons to believe in the direction of the program. Montana State has become one of the most consistent women’s basketball programs in the Big Sky Conference under Binford, winning Big Sky Tournament championships in 2017, 2022 and 2025 while continuing to compete near the top of the league. That winning culture stood out to Kammerzell.
It also fits the standard she has helped build at CJI. Kammerzell has been a central part of one of the strongest stretches in Lady Hawks basketball, while also excelling in the classroom. She carries approximately a 4.3 grade point average and is among the top students in her class.
For CJI fans, the commitment means one of their own will have a chance to compete at the Division I level while staying close enough for family, friends and local supporters to follow the next chapter. For Kammerzell, it also brings a sense of peace after a long recruiting process.
When asked the day after her commitment announcement how she felt about everything, Kammerzell did not hesitate. “It’s SUCH a relief to have all of this behind me,” she said, “so I can focus on my senior year of academics and sports.” With the recruiting process behind her and her next chapter already decided, Kammerzell can now give her full attention to one final year at CJI and a high school career that is still being written.
