BOZEMAN — Montana State men’s basketball coach Matt Logie announced the signing of two standout prep stars on Friday for the class of 2025.
Wing Howie Keene and guard C.J. Purdie will join the Bobcats next summer.
Keene, a 6-foot-7 wing from The Woodlands, Texas, is rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports, and the No. 78 small forward in the class and No. 33 prospect in Texas.
“Howie possesses great positional size at 6-feet-7-inches with the ability to really pass and shoot the basketball,” Logie said. “His length and competitiveness are two things we are always looking for, but when you couple that with his basketball IQ and overall skill set you have the make-up of a very good prospect. Howie is someone that takes pride on the defensive end of the floor and has shown terrific maturity and leadership ability as well.”
Last season as a junior at The Woodlands Christian Academy in the Houston area, Keene averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game as the Warriors finished runner-up at the state tournament. On the defensive end, the 6-foot-7, 200 pound forward also averaged three steals and three blocks per game on the way to All-State First Team and All-District First Team honors.
As a sophomore, Keene was named All-State First Team and All-District Team after averaging 11 points and six rebounds per game. Keene holds a 3.8 GPA and has lettered four years in golf.
The forward’s father, Rich, was a McDonald’s All-American who played at Illinois (1992-96) where he scored 1,145 points and ranks among the school’s career leaders in three-pointers (237) and assists. During his four years in Champaign, Keene helped the Illini reach three NCAA tournaments and one NIT.
Howie’s brother, R.J., plays basketball at Boise State.
“Howie Keene is someone that we were very excited about from Day 1 of the evaluation process,” Logie said. “Howie comes from an extremely athletic family background as his dad was a McDonald’s All-American at Illinois, and he has an older sister playing volleyball at Baylor and an older brother playing basketball at Boise State.”
Purdie, a 6-4 combo guard from Davidson, N.C., is rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports, and the No. 42 combo guard in America and the No. 26 prospect in North Carolina.
“Purdie possesses terrific positional size as a 6-foot-4 combo guard,” Logie said. “In addition to being a good 3-point shooter, CJ is a slippery ball handler who has the ability to create his own shot in a variety of ways, utilizes ball screens to create offense for himself and teammates, and excels as a finisher in transition.”
Last season as a junior at Combine Academy, Purdie set the career record for a junior season averaging 19 points per game.
On the AAU circuit, Purdie also honed his skills in the Overtime Elite League.
As a sophomore, Purdie averaged 15 points and five rebounds per game to follow up a freshman campaign in which he averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game.
Entering his senior season, the guard holds a 3.67 GPA.
Purdie is the cousin of 12-year NBA veteran and current New Orleans Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum, who Logie originally helped recruit to Lehigh. Purdie is also the cousin of Errick McCollum, who is in his 14th year of playing professional basketball overseas.
“C.J. Purdie is another young man who comes from an extremely successful athletics family with whom I have had a relationship with for many years as his two cousins C.J. and Errick McCollum have spent over a decade each at the highest levels of professional basketball,” Logie said. “Purdie has followed in their footsteps with his work ethic and character on and off the court and we feel his best basketball is in front of him.”
