Montana
Montana forward Jaxon Nap enters transfer portal
MISSOULA — The Montana Grizzlies men’s basketball program is losing another contributor to the transfer portal.
Sophomore forward Jaxon Nap, who spent two seasons with the Grizzlies, entered the portal on Monday. Verbal Commits first reported the news on social media and MTN Sports has since confirmed Nap’s decision.
The 6-foot-7 Nap, of Renton, Wash., appeared in 62 career games at Montana between his two seasons. A reserve, Nap began to see his role and time expand slightly in his sophomore campaign. While his minutes fluctuated throughout the season, Nap saw more time on the floor in January and early February as a defender with size while showcasing an ability to shoot. Nap was expected to be a big piece for the Griz moving forward.
In 2023-24, Nap averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.0 minutes of action per game. He shot the ball at a 45% clip from the field and was 9 for 30 from 3-point range.
Nap’s biggest moment as a Grizzly came against rival Montana State in Bozeman on Jan. 20 where he scored a team-high 17 points off of the bench as UM topped MSU. In the game, Nap knocked down a pair of key 3-pointers in what was a breakout performance for him.
Nap’s departure is the third known transfer for the Grizzlies this offseason as its shaping up to be a completely new-look Montana squad next winter. Nap joins senior Giordan Williams and redshirt freshman Rhett Reynolds — who has since committed to Montana Tech — as the current Grizzlies with eligibility who will play elsewhere.
Those departures are coupled with Montana losing starters Aanen Moody, Josh Vazquez, Laolu Oke and Dischon Thomas, who all exhausted their eligibility. Fellow starting guard Brandon Whitney was honored on Senior Night by UM, but still has one year of eligibility remaining and has yet to announce his plan for the future.
On Sunday evening, Montana got its first commitment from the transfer portal from 6-5 guard Malik Moore who previously spent two seasons at Pepperdine.
Governor’s Office
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana ranks in the top ten states with the highest year-over-year job growth rates.
“Montana continues to rank as one of the best states to start or grow a business, earn a competitive wage, and secure a good-paying job,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As we continue to reform our regulatory environment to support job creators and cut taxes to give money back to the hardworking Montanans who earned it, we see the results of conservative policies at work as the Treasure State ranks in the top ten states with the strongest job growth.”
According to a report by Stat Ranker, which compared all 50 states based on year-over-year growth in total nonfarm payroll employment between February 2025 and February 2026, Montana ranked ninth in the nation for both jobs added and overall job growth adding more than 2,100 jobs over the year, representing a 0.4 percent job growth rate.
Last week, the governor attended the groundbreaking for Janicki Industries in Great Falls to celebrate the aerospace manufacturers’ investment expected to create more than 2,000 jobs over the next ten years and the ribbon cutting for Amazon’s sixth delivery station in Montana that brings the company’s total employment in the state to over 800.
Last month, the governor announced Montana was ranked in the top five states with the fastest-growing economies since 2021. The report from Visual Capitalist found that between 2021 and 2025, Montana’s GDP grew 16.1 percent while the national average in the same time period was 10.8 percent. When it comes to wage growth, Montana ranks third in the nation for fastest wage growth and is only one of two states in the nation where wage growth has outpaced inflation since 2020. The average wage earned by Montana workers reached $60,037 in 2024.
Earlier this year, Gov. Gianforte also announced Montana’s fiscal health surged into the top ten states nationally under his leadership, rising from 22nd in 2021 to 8th in 2025. Since taking office, the governor has paid off the state’s general obligation debt, making Montana debt-free in 2023 and saving Montanans $40 million over a period of two years.
Montana also consistently ranks in the top fifteen states with the lowest unemployment rates. Last month, the governor announced Montana’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4 percent in May, lower than the national unemployment rate which remained at 4.3 percent.
The full Stat Ranker report can be read here.
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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 14, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 14 drawing
02-04-10-48-56, Mega Ball: 22
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 14 drawing
15-20-26-27, Bonus: 02
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 14 drawing
12-13-15-16-41, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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