The Mighty Malta Mustangs

This basketball season marks the 50 year anniversary of the "Mighty Malta Mustangs Company" (3M Co.), a group that won over 80 games in the 1970, 71, and 72 seasons.

The PCN caught up with a few of the 1969-70 Mustangs that adopted the nickname and helped build a legacy that is still respected throughout the state today. Those members include junior All-State selections post Duane Walker and All-State guard Craig Stiles; as well as fellow junior Buddy Slade and Dwayne Simanton Jr.

The team was guided by legendary Head Coach Bill Ryan who led the team with a stick. It was red, white, and blue.

"He wouldn't even have to say the play," Stiles said. "He would say hey! If he was holding the red part and holding two fingers up, we would know exactly what he wanted everybody to do."

The stick and command told the team which defense to play.

Slade shared what he remembered about Coach Ryan.

"He was a very strict coach who didn't tolerate turnovers," Slade said. "You knew he was upset because his face would turn redder than his socks. When he was upset, you had better pay attention. He was very well respected."

Ryan would help lead Malta to back-to-back titles in 1971 and 1972. He would eventually move to coach at Billings West High School from 1977-1983, leading the Golden Bears to State AA championships in 1981 and 1982. Ryan was inducted into the Montana Coaches Association in 1983.

"We had a lot of talent," Slade said. "There was depth all of the way from the guards, forwards. He had tremendous talent from 70 to 72."

Walker, a junior, and the team's offensive leader remembered the moment that he knew that his team could be something special.

In December of 1969 during the team's weekend outing to face Shelby and Cut Bank, Walker went to visit Coach Ryan.

"I couldn't sleep and I went over to Coach Ryan and said, 'I don't think we are going to lose another game'," Walker said. "He asked if there was anything else. And I said, 'I don't think we are going to lose another game while I am in high school'."

In Walker's class' final two years the Mustangs were 60-1.

Other starters included junior Randy Frazier, who played the two-guard, he was also a tough defender. The team's fifth starter was forward Bill Cole.

"Randy was tougher than nails," Walker said. "He could just take on the other team's best player and just wear him down. Bill could shoot and really jump for a kid in those days."

Walker said that the talent at reserves, who were a huge part of the team's success in those years, went undefeated a season after Walker and Stiles graduated.

"You were going up against a good team every day," Walker said.

In 1970, the Mustangs were 22-0 in the regular season, won the 4B District Title, the Northern B Divisional, and went on to state where they suffered their only loss, a 60-58 heart breaker to Baker, the champion out of the Eastern Division.

"We had a nice team that year, but Baker had a nice team that year as well," Walker said. "They had some big farm kids and they were well-coached, and so were we, but it was just one of those nights that things didn't happen (for us)."

According to Stiles, the Mustangs had led by 12 at one point in the game, but the team was unable to overcome early offensive foul calls.

"We would try to go around somebody and they would stick us with an offensive foul," Stiles said mentioning that three starters had three fouls before halftime.

After that loss to Baker, Malta went on to win the third place trophy by defeating Broadus 85-48 and then Cut Bank 60-56. Baker would go on to win state, defeating Red Lodge 71-66. Baker went into tournaments 18-11.

"We thought we had them, but I guess we didn't," Stiles said with a smile.

Stiles remembers that losing to Baker was the reason that Malta went 29-0 the following season.

"We were mad," Stiles said.

Though the Mustangs were remembered most for their back to back titles, Malta's defense was tenacious in 1970 and that led to their explosive fast-break offense that was so aggressive, they eclipsed 90 points four times in the regular season.

"We were just attackers," Stiles said. "We would double team every chance we got. It didn't matter where we were on the court, if somebody turned their back, we would run up behind them and double-team them."

Stiles believes that 25 to thirty of their points each game were scored by layups in transition, thanks to their pressure and trap defense that was unleashed throughout the entire game.

He even mentioned that there were a few Mustangs that had the ability to play above the rim back then.

"We had about three or four guys that could stuff it on that team but you couldn't stuff a basketball back them," Stiles said. "It was a technical foul if you stuffed the ball during the game."

According to Stiles, rules back then allowed players to dunk during warmups but not during the game.

When Malta's fast-paced offense was slowed down, they relied on Walker, who stood 6'3" in the post. Slade was the tallest listed Mustang at 6'4".

Walker mentioned the Slade was an enforcer in the paint and teams tended to avoid him.

"There weren't any three-point goals in those days, so we pitched the ball inside," Walker said. "We didn't have a rule that I had to touch the ball every time but we knew where scoring was going to take place."

He praised Coach Ryan's ability to teach post moves despite being less than 5'8".

Stiles and Walker mentioned that the team was comprised of talented free throw shooters as well.

"Craig shot good free throws and so did I," Walker said. "We typically shot the most. We worked on them daily."

The team was named the 3M Co. by a news reporter for the Great Falls Tribune named Rich Ferrell, according to Walker.

"He followed us closely in my junior year and I think even rode in our caravan back to Malta for the celebration after our championship game (1971)," Walker said.

Slade was asked about how the game was different back then.

"It wasn't really controlled, it was run," Slade said. "He pushed the tempo all of the time, hard."

Slade was asked how it felt to be a part of the Mighty Malta Mustangs.

"It was quite an honor to be on a team like that and then to eventually win the state title, things have to click. You have to not only have talent, but you also have to be a close-knit bunch that's able to get it done."

Slade went on to graduate after his senior season and played football at Montana State University-Northern as a defensive end.

Slade said that the Mustangs were good in every sport including football, wrestling, and track.

Stiles was inducted into the MHSA Athletes' Hall of Fame in 1993. He set a state javelin record of 242-10 as a sophomore in 1969. Stiles attended the University of Montana after graduating from Malta High School, where he would break the school's javelin record with a throw of 255-10. His college best still stands to this day.

Walker went on to become a Member of the MCA Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002. Walker coached and was Athletic Director for 40 years in Montana, coaching football, basketball, and track at Fort Benton, Malta High School, and Plentywood. He was most recently Athletic Director at Hardin High School from 2001-2015.