GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Former Great Falls High School standout Brendan Howard has joined the University of Providence men's basketball team, the program announced on Wednesday.

Howard, who transferred to the program from North Dakota, had to forego a year of eligibility in order to play this season, meaning the remainder of this year will be the final season of his collegiate career.

"Once I learned he got his release, I didn't know one way or the other if it was a possibility," head coach Steve Keller said. "I looked it up and found out what exactly it meant. The great part is he is here playing for us the bad part is he exhausts two years of eligibility in one. That was a decision he made and he's happy with his decision."

Howard had an impressive debut for the Argos (9-7, 1-3) last Saturday night in a loss to Montana Tech, recording a team-high 16 points on the night. He shot 4 of 8 from both the field and free throw line, and pulled down three rebounds in 29 total minutes.

"He'll tell you that he didn't play as good as he's capable and he had 16 points," Keller said. "We saw what we expected out of him. We're expecting him to get 20 and 10 every single night. Hopefully if he does that and if the rest of our guys come back healthy we'll be back in the mix again."

Howard hopes to add to decorated basketball career. As a member of the Bison, Howard became the first player in Montana state history to score over 2,000 points over the course of his career. He received a plethora of awards, having been named Montana's Mr. Basketball, the Gatorade Player of the Year twice, and the USA Today Montana Player of the Year twice.

Out of high school Howard committed to Eastern Washington, where he redshirted for a year before transferring to Montana State-Billings. He had a successful career as a Yellowjacket as he was named the GNAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.7 points per game in his first season. He followed that up with an All-Conference performance, averaging 20.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 season. After an unusual covid-riddled season at MSUB, Howard transferred to North Dakota. After a semester at North Dakota with limited playing time, he asked for a release and ultimately decided to return home to Great Falls to finish his playing career. 

"I've recruited him since he's been in grade school," Keller said. "He's a double-double machine and he's been that way at every level. I watched him in high school and I coached him at the Montana/Wyoming All-Star game. He has a tremendous work ethic and has a high motor. He plays hard on both ends and is relentless on the boards. He can shoot the three so he can do a little bit of everything. There's a reason he was playing at the Division I level."

Howard's arrival couldn't have come at a better time, as the Argos have been plagued by illnesses. The team was extremely shorthanded in a loss to Dickinson State over the break, and had to forfeit a game against Montana Western last week due to COVID-19 protocols. The team has had only one practice with over ten players since the return from Christmas break, but should have their full team back by the time the team takes on Carroll on Thursday.

"He's going to fit in quickly," Keller said. "Our offense has a lot of freedom and he'll be good at that. The schedule is brutal but it's the Frontier Conference. We just have to step up. We're not that far away. Adding Brendan to the mix is really going to help. I thought we were a team that could compete with any team in the league before we got him and now that should help us compete even better."

Howard and the squad will be back in action on Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. game against #6 Carroll College.