The Idaho State basketball staff knew what they wanted, which transformed into who they wanted and a fairly quick courtship now has 5-foot-10 Clovis North High backcourter McKae Amundsen committed to playing in Pocatello for the Bengals in the 2026-27 next season. So how did this partnership come to be?
"I was offered back in April," Amundsen recalled. "In my very first conversation, I talked for 10 minutes with Head Coach Ryan Looney and he said I was their #1 guy. That made me feel good and I felt like I wanted to be there." Amundsen will actually take his official visit on September 11 so he has yet to see the school but he has certainly nailed down the hoops particulars.
Another compelling reason for Amundsen's decision is because the Bengals sport a pair of senior point guards, both newcomers to the team, graduating after this season.
His mother is an Idaho native but of Boise, three hours and thirty minutes to the west of Pocatello. The schools do reside in different conferences but a state rivalry exists. University of Idaho is in the same Big Sky Conference as Idaho State so theirs is a foremost natural rivalry even though IU is nine hours to the north.
So what does Amundsen do best on the court? He quickly and confidently reeled off "elite level ballhandling and shooting range, my ability to get by opponents (with the ball), I can set up my teammates and I'm an elite level defender."
Last season, Idaho State finished seventh in conference play for three-pointers made per game and last in the conference in three-point percentage so besides getting a new team quarterback, the Bengals are simultaneously landing a topnotch three-point marksman--a critical two-fer. ISU was also a minus five versus opponents in total assists on the season but lost top combo guard Dylan Darling and his team high (by far) 160 assists.
Then there is leadership. "I am definitely a leader and that's important this season because we have a young (Clovis North) team. I lead by example in being first to practices and games but I also know my guys. It's important to get to know teammates and how they will respond to what I say and how I say it."
Plus, add in a 3.9 overall grade point average, 4.4 this last semester, so Looney and Company will be able to rest easy regarding Amundsen's academic commitment and classroom success.
Asking a 'why basketball question' is a tad silly considering his father is a longtime high school hoops coach but Amundsen made it interesting with his reply. "My Dad never forced us to play basketball and I played every sport when I was growing up, until 7th grade. But being around my Dad the coach, I found I loved basketball. His being a coach gave me a lot of advantages. A UC Riverside coach put it best when he told me 'You see the game in another way.'"
Amundsen's best basketball moments occurred this summer. "I hit a game-winner in the Section 7 tournament game and finished with 36 points and five assists. Then I hit a game winner in the Cali Live tournament and finished with 20 points and 10 assists." In both situations, Amundsen's team was behind in the score before he buried his critical shots.
Here are videos of those two moments:
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Section 7 Tournament, June 23, 2025
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Cali Live Tournament, June 29, 2025
As for a major, Amundsen is looking at business with the direction of becoming a stockbroker.
Regarding initial goals once he arrives in Pocatello, he offered "just win games, win the conference championship, play as efficient as possible and earn an all-freshman honor." In 2024-25, the Bengals finished with a 15-15 record and 10-8 in the Big Sky Conference conference, good for fourth place.