Well college hoops fans, we did it! With all the craziness of the Covid plagued season between scheduling changes, pauses, cancellations and fan limitations, we have crowned a 2020-21 NCAA Champion and we got to experience March Madness even if it was with limited fan attendance. While the season definitely had it’s twists and turns, the wildest part of the whole thing is what’s happening now in the offseason. With this season not costing players a year of eligibility, teams are able to return any and all players that wish to continue playing, seniors included. This, along with the freedom of a transfer waiver has lead to the transfer portal being flooded with players looking to improve their situation. Whether it’s jumping from a smaller program to a more prestigious one, a P5 program to a mid-major for more playing time or even from D1 down to a different level of basketball, players all over the country are attempting to make changes. There are well over a thousand players in the transfer portal with likely significantly less spots for players to land. It’s going to be a wild offseason to say the least.
NDSU is not exempt from an exodus of players, the big difference for the Bison is that outside of Jaxon Knotek, nobody leaving averaged more than 5 minutes per game last season. With the entire starting lineup and 3 freshman rotation players returning, the chance for the guys behind them to earn minutes was likely minimal leading to them searching for new opportunities. Here’s the current status of the Bison roster:
Currently on the Roster
Senior
F/C Rocky Kreuser – The Summit All-League First Team player averaged 15.7 points and 7 rebounds a game last season and saved his best for last putting up a career high 34 points to go along with 9 rebounds in the Summit League championship game. There’s no doubt he has some unfinished business and if the Rocky Kreuser that took over in that game shows up for a whole season the Summit League better watch out.
Juniors
G/F Sam Griesel – Sam took on the challenge of becoming the primary PG for the Bison this last season and despite some early season turnover struggles, he played strong down the stretch. Tied for 2nd on the team in scoring at 11.5 ppg he was also 2nd on the team in rebounding at 6.4 rpg and lead the team in assists with 3 apg. Sam was a Summit All-League Second Team selection and will look to build on that success next season
G/F Tyree Eady – Eady did a little bit of everything for the Bison, he was often tasked with defending the opponents best perimeter player and offensively could both work down low and shoot from the outside. He was tied with Griesel at 2nd on the team with 11.5 ppg, 3rd on the team with 5.7 rbg and lead the team in both minutes played at 34 mpg and 3 point percentage at 39.1%.
Sophomores
G Jarius Cook – Cook came off a redshirt season to become a starter for the Bison this season and finish 4 on the team in scoring averaging 9.2ppg. There were definitely some ups and downs in his game but he had a season high 22 points against TCU and quietly scored in double figures in 10 of the teams last 11 regular season games. He’s dangerous when he gets hot and the Bison will hope for a little more consistency next season.
G/F Maleeck Harden-Hayes – Maleeck cracked the starting lineup this year and didn’t disappoint. A high energy player who brings a little bit of everything to the table. His shooting consistency was much better in year 2 and if he continues to evolve his game this offseason will be another weapon for coach Richman to utilize.
Freshman
F Grant Nelson – The Summit League 6th Man of the Year and Summit League All Newcomer Team award winner came on to the scene strong in his first season as a Bison. Averaging 6.3 ppg, 3.7 rbg and leading the team with 25 blocks, Nelson only got better as the season progressed and his confidence grew. An offseason program in the weight room and additional skill development and Nelson has the potential to be the next Bison all time great.
G Dezmond McKinney – McKinney earned himself more minutes as the season went on by showing a knack for being able to get to the rim and finish. The key next step for him will be to find his 3pt shot as he struggled mightily from behind the arc shooting only 2-22 on the season. Another player who only improved as the season went on and will hopefully continue on that trajectory.
G Boden Skunberg – Skunberg was the other player to see regular minutes in the rotation but just as he seemed to be settling in an injury took him out of the lineup for 8 games. He didn’t quite look all the way back and just played a few spot minutes at the end of the season. A full offseason to get back fully healthy and up to speed should lead to increased production from him next season
In the Portal
G/F Jaxon Knotek – After not playing in the opener, Knotek lead the Bison in scoring with 16 points against Nebraska in his first action of the season. He then saw his spot in the rotation get overtaken by Skunberg which likely lead to him opting to find a new home with more playing time. Knotek is an excellent offensive player I look forward to following him wherever he goes. He has not yet committed anywhere.
F Odell Wilson – After Tyler Witz struggled early in the season the job of spelling Rocky Kreuser was turned over to Wilson. He was a fan favorite with his effort but with a highly touted freshman to be covered shortly coming in he was likely not going to see any minutes next season which has lead to him entering the portal. He has not yet committed.
G Donald Carter III – DCIII was brought in as a transfer to help fill the void left by Vinnie Shahid and Cam Hunter departing, however a tough spring injury lead to him not being available at the beginning of the season. A slight setback lead to him only seeing the floor in 2 games for a total of 7 minutes. With the starters all returning and the emergence of McKinney, DCIII entered the portal again for a fresh start. He has not yet committed.
F/C Tyler Witz – As mentioned above, Witz struggled out of the gate in the minutes he saw leading to Wilson taking over. As a senior, Witz has opted to grad transfer for his final year of eligibility, he has not yet committed.
F Noah Christensen – Noah left the Bison about halfway through preseason camp to seek help for some mental health related issues. He was able to battle those demons and has committed to play at DIII Concordia College beginning next season.
Incoming Players
F/C Andrew Morgan – The big incoming prize for coach Richman is the 6’9” 230lb big from Waseca, Minnesota. Morgan held an offer from Iowa but chose NDSU. The #3 ranked prospect in the state of Minnesota, Andrew will likely fill the minutes vacated by Wilson and Witz and be Kreuser’s protégé before taking over his spot the following year
F Joshua Streit – Streit is a do everything forward out of Watkins, Minnesota. At 6’8” 215lbs he averaged 19 points, 14 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.5 steals as a junior. While minutes may be tough to come by as a freshman and he may be a redshirt candidate, coach Richman has a player that should be able to step right in after Eady and Greisel have moved on.
PG Willie Guy – The Bison landed a replacement for the departure of DCIII in JuCo transfer Willie Guy from Des Moines Area CC. Guy averaged nearly 12 points and 6 assists per game while shooting 43% from 3 this season. He’ll have 3 years of eligibility remaining.
G Andrew Kallman – Coach Richman also added a key depth player in grad transfer from DII Northern State in Kallman. The 6’4 guard averaged 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season for the Wolves. The big thing Kallman will bring is an extra threat from behind the arc as he shot 41% from 3 last season.
Former NDSU Players Playing Elsewhere
G Cameron Hunter – Transferred to D2 Central Missouri and averaged 12.1 points and 3.3 assists this season for the Mules as a senior.
G Khyber Kabellis – Khy left NDSU to head to Pacific, after using a redshirt year played one season for the Tigers and averaged 4.1 ppg before transferring again to UC Riverside for his senior season where he played in all 32 games this year and averaged 5.8 ppg.
G/F Tyson Ward – Ward signed a professional contract fairly quickly upon graduation and plays for s.Oliver Würzburg in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) which is Germany’s top division. Ward is averaging 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1 block in 24 minutes per game this season.
G Vinnie Shahid – It took Shahid a little longer than ward to land a professional contract but he has been tearing it up for AB Contern in Luxembourg’s Total League. Shahid is averaging 19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season.
F Deng Geu – Deng Geu grad transferred to North Texas for his senior season and now plays for Horsens IC Basketball Club in Denmark. Geu is averaging 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1 block per game this season.