Culture, not recruiting

Layne Glaus grew up hearing the rumors about Manhattan Christian basketball. The team most likely to make things difficult for Madison County hoopsters this year, dominated in his Glaus’ day as well—when Glaus put up good enough numbers at Whitehall to go on and play for Montana Western. 

Back then for Glaus—who is now the athletic director and head basketball coach at Manhattan Christian—one question always came up about the MC Eagles: Did they recruit great players by offering scholarships? 

Glaus remembers hearing that discussed by coaches and fans back when he was in high school. 

“I loved playing the teams that were good and competitive. You hear those things, but I didn't really give it much thought,” said Glaus during an interview in the AD’s office in Churchill. “Then as I started coaching in Livingston, I had started to hear that and I questioned it. But not until I started working here, did I figure out that there's no scholarships and no recruiting and that's just not a part of our program.”

Sheridan Athletic Director Ed Burke said rumors about MCHS recruiting players is “overblown.”

Burke knows first-hand that Eagles athletics does well against Sheridan and other Madison County schools. 

“This is only their second year in our (football) division and they won our division,” said Burke. “I think their success often has more to do with the culture of the school than any recruiting. But I understand that being a little bit of a gripe at times.”

For some, there’s a lingering sense of injustice every time Manhattan Christian rolls to another victory in volleyball, football and basketball. Other schools have proposed adding a 1.5 multiplier to private schools, adding half a person to each person counted when determining which class a school belongs in. 

Manhattan Christian is Class C, and a multiplier could push them up into Class B. 

Glaus doesn’t buy the argument for pushing private schools up a division. He said there are a few factors unique to Manhattan Christian that explain its success in athletics: family, faith and selflessness. 

On its webpage, the school touts how, “Manhattan Christian has won a number of state championships, second place finishes, and consolation championships in the last 50 years. Thank you to all who have participated with us throughout these many years and with God’s blessing, we will continue our rich heritage and tradition of sports activities.”

Starting with family, the community of Amsterdam-Churchill was settled by Dutch farmers, and like many with genetic ties to the Netherlands, they are tall people. 

When Manhattan Christian’s 6’7” wide receiver lined up against Sheridan, Twin Bridges and Ennis this year, he looked a good foot taller than some defenders. It’s match ups like this that give Madison County schools a height inferiority complex when it comes to MCHS.

Glaus said it all comes back to family names. 

“If you look at their last name, you can look at the class rosters from years ago, it’s their parents and their families,” offered Glaus, suggesting that the only recruiting going on involves multiple generations of the same families sending their kids to MCHS. (Sheridan AD Ed Burke agrees, saying, “You see those Dutch names on their roster. The ones leading them are those Dutch names.”)

With those kids comes a shared faith in God, said Glaus. 

“The one thing I see at Manhattan Christian is there’s an alignment of Biblical values and the same with the teachers and same with the parents. And with that there’s a humility and a coachability,” said Glaus, explaining that selflessness is the goal and winning is a side effect of living up to the Christian ideals set by the school. 

“We don’t talk about winning. We talk about being selfless,” continued Glaus, admitting, “There’s pride that we all battle.”

Glaus shared some of his own battles with alcohol. At Montana Western, joked Glaus, “We were a drinking team with a basketball problem,” but the boozy times came to an end when Glaus met his wife and found God.

As the winning ways continue at Manhattan Christian, Glaus said members of his own family have quizzed him about the Eagles using scholarships and recruiting to gain an edge. 

Glaus told them, “I probably wouldn't be the athletic director here if I felt that we had an unfair advantage, in terms of being able to use finances to build a team. I wouldn't coach here.”

Recruiting to the next level is happening among his current and former players, including Seth Amunrud, who recently signed to play at NCAA Division I University of Denver. 

Amunrud, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard who averaged 24.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game across six games this season for Dawson County Community College, will join the Pioneers for the 2025-26 season.

A two-time Class C state champion at Manhattan Christian, Amunrud was Dawson's third-leading scorer last season as a freshman, averaging 13.7 points per game, according to 406 Sports. He lit up the nets for Dawson, shooting 55% from the field, 54% from 3-point range and 91% from the free throw line.

In his high school career at Manhattan Christian, Amunrud was a three-time all-state pick.

"We are thrilled to welcome Seth Amunrud to the Pioneer family," Denver University Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun said. "Seth is a versatile combo guard who brings exceptional scoring ability and a high basketball IQ to our program. His talent and dedication make him an exciting addition.”