FEBRUARY 2019
FREE
INSIDE
A TOUR AROUND THE STATE’S MOST FAMOUS ARENA ON A NORTH DAKOTA HOCKEY GAME DAY.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
38 BRIAN JONES We sit down with head men's basketball coach Brian Jones to talk strategy, game plans and all things hardwood related.
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INSIDE THE RALPH
We take you behind the scenes inside the legendary Ralph Engelstad Arena on a North Dakota hockey game day. We were given unheralded access inside the Fighting Hawks locker room, weight room and other areas that are for players and coaches only. Take a look inside some of the unseen portions of this historic arena.
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The Exterior
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The Training, Film and Weight Rooms
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Your First Steps Inside
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The Halls
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North Dakota Merchandise
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Around The Ralph
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The Locker Room
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The Game
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Equipment Room
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The Action
MEN'S BASKETBALL With three European products on their roster, North Dakota basketball now has some international flare.
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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WOMEN'S GOLF
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Athletics Calendar
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Champion's Club
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Hawk's Eye View
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Interactive Content
FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
Get to know new women's golf coach Kristyl Sunderman.
FARGOINC.COM
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A DEEPER DIVE INTO FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE
WHAT TO EXPECT The best possible content about the Fighting Hawks with stories you may have never read about before.
Six issues coming in 2018-19 (September, October, December, February, March and May)
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FIGHTINGHAWKSMAGAZINE.COM
FEBRUARY 2019 VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 7
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februar
athletics cale
2/15
Softball vs Tulsa Southern Alabama Jaguar Challenge Mobile, Ala. 2:00 p.m.
2/15
Men’s Tennis at Tennessee State Nashville, Tenn. 5:00 p.m.
2/15
Hockey at Western Michigan Kalamazoo, Mich. 5:30 p.m.
2/15
Softball at South Alabama Southern Alabama Jaguar Challenge Mobile, Ala. 6:30 p.m.
2/16
Women’s Tennis vs Gustavus Adolphus Grand Forks, N.D. 11:30 a.m.
2/16
Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field vs UND Indoor Tune-Up Grand Forks, N.D.
2/16
Men’s Basketball vs Oral Roberts Grand Forks, N.D. 7:00 p.m.
2/17
Softball vs Lipscomb Southern Alabama Jaguar Challenge
Softball vs Tulsa Southern Alabama Jaguar Challenge
2/16
2/17
Mobile, Ala. 1:30 p.m.
Mobile, Ala. 10:00 a.m.
Women’s Basketball vs Oral Roberts
Men’s Tennis at Chattanooga
2/16
2/22
Grand Forks, N.D. 2:00 p.m.
Men’s Tennis at Lipscomb Nashville, Tenn. 5:00 p.m.
2/16
Softball vs Mercer Southern Alabama Jaguar Challenge Mobile, Ala. 6:00 p.m.
2/16
Hockey at Western Michigan Kalamazoo, Mich. 6:00 p.m.
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Chattanooga, Tenn. 10:00 a.m.
Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Summit League Championship Brookings, S.D.
2/22
Softball vs Yale GCU Purple Classic Phoenix, Ariz. 3:00 p.m.
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ndar 2/22
Softball at Grand Canyon GCU Purple Classic Phoenix, Ariz. 7:30 p.m.
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Hockey vs Minnesota Duluth Ralph Engelstad Arena 7:37 p.m.
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Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Summit League Championship Brookings, S.D.
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Men’s Tennis vs Nebraska Des Moines, Iowa 9:00 a.m.
2/23
Women’s Basketball vs Denver Grand Forks, N.D. 11:00 a.m.
2/23
Softball vs Michigan State GCU Purple Classic
2/23
Men’s Tennis at Drake Des Moines, Iowa 1:00 p.m.
2/23
2/24
Softball at Grand Canyon GCU Purple Classic Phoenix, Ariz. Noon
Women’s Tennis at Nebraska
2/25
2/23
Corpus Christi, Texas
Lincoln, Neb. 2:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball vs Denver Grand Forks, N.D. 3:00 p.m.
2/23
Softball vs Boise State GCU Purple Classic Phoenix, Ariz. 5:30 p.m.
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Hockey vs Minnesota Duluth Ralph Engelstad Arena 7:07 p.m.
Women’s Golf vs Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
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Women’s Golf vs Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas
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Women’s Basketball at Purdue Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Ind. 4:00 p.m.
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Men’s Basketball at Purdue Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Ind. 7:30 p.m.
2/24
Women’s Tennis vs Colorado State Lincoln, Neb. 10:00 a.m.
Phoenix, Ariz. 12:30 p.m.
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FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
inside the
ralph
We take you behind the scenes inside the legendary Ralph Engelstad Arena on a North Dakota hockey game day. We were given unheralded access inside the Fighting Hawks locker room, team room and other areas that are for players and coaches only. Take a look inside some of the unseen portions of this historic arena. Hillary Ehlen
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The Exterior The Ralph Engelstad Arena opened on October 5, 2001. Often referred to as the “Taj Mahal of hockey�, the arena cost a whopping $104 million to construct. That translates to roughly $149 million if it were built today.
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your first steps inside Fans are immediately greeted by the arena’s namesake, Ralph Engelstad. Engelstad was a Thief River Falls, Minnesota, native who attended UND and graduated in 1954. He went on to become a multi-millionaire in the hotel-casino business on Las Vegas.
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north dakota merchandise As you take your first few steps inside The Ralph's entryway, you will find the Sioux Shop. Here, you can find all the exclusive UND merchandise you may not be able to find anywhere else on campus or beyond.
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the locker room With media rarely allowed inside, we got a look into the North Dakota hockey locker room. This photo was taken shortly before the team arrived for pregame warm-ups against Colorado College.
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equipment room A state of the art equipment room accompanies the locker room and leads out to the ice. As you go down this hallway, you'll find skate sharpeners as well as a stick rack, among other things.
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the training, film and weight rooms When it comes to preparation, North Dakota hockey has all the tools at their disposal inside the arena. The training room complete with pools allow players to prepare and recover for practice and games. The film room features dry-erase boards as well as a smart board for optimal film study. Finally, the fully stocked weight room is complete with cardio equipment, squat racks, a practice net and other wellness necessities. The UND women’s soccer team also utilizes these areas.
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the halls Through the halls of the players only area, you will find walls upon walls featuring North Dakota greats from the past. Not only that, but the entrance hall features former jerseys, dating back to the early days of the hockey program. There are also plaques signifying the North Dakota players in the professional ranks, NHL or otherwise.
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around the ralph With solid granite floors, taking a stroll through The Ralph on game day is almost like walking around a mansion. In this case, the palace is built for fans to flood and cheer on North Dakota hockey. Inside the arena there are exclusive areas for fans to watch the game. On both ends of the ice, there is a private area complete with an extravagant bar area equipped with televisions too.
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the action On this particular evening, North Dakota was taking on Colorado College in an NCHC battle. Senior Nick Jones opened up the scoring in the first period with a power play goal. UND’s Andrew Peski tacked on a second goal in the second frame, extending North Dakota’s lead to 2-0. However, Colorado College tacked on a power play goal in the second period and two more in the third period to claim a 3-2 lead. Late in the third period, UND’s Jordan Kawaguchi netted a goal to even the score. Overtime it was at The Ralph. It was Ludvig Hoff who put a puck in the back of the net for the Fighting Hawks to give them the overtime victory. On this night, The Ralph was sent home happy.
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fueling the state of north dakota
our north dakota
teams
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ralph engelstad arena
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foundation A CONVERSATION WITH MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH BRIAN JONES. By Nolan P. Schmidt Photo by Nolan P. Schmidt
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he Fighting Hawks men’s basketball team returned to familiar territory this season. With the move to the Summit League, the team has enjoyed shorter travel times and contests against familiar opponents. However, the move to a different conference has posed its challenges for head coach Brian Jones and his players. The style of play within the Summit League is wholly different from that of the Big Sky Conference. Despite the shake-up in play style, Jones has the right pieces in place to join the new league. We sat down with coach to get his thoughts on the move to the new league along with a host of other topics.
IN YOUR TENURE IN GRAND FORKS, YOU’VE SEEN THE NORTH CENTRAL CONFERENCE, GREAT WEST CONFERENCE, BIG SKY AND NOW THE SUMMIT LEAGUE. HOW DOES THIS LEAGUE COMPARE TO THE OTHERS WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE OF PLAY? Each one of them is tougher and tougher on the competition side, and the competition on a night in and night out is stronger and stronger. The NCC had a great tradition with that. The Great West, us and South Dakota were kind of the newbies as far as D1; the rest of those teams were already established in Division I. It was just getting used to the travel, I think that was the start of that. Obviously the Big Sky was a great place at the right time for us. I have a lot of pride in that league because there are great coaches that not a lot of people know about and great players. The Summit is another, bigger step because there are not as many teams. I would say the falling point of the Big Sky is that there is always two teams, sometimes three that are just weaker to where you could have an off night and still get a win.
I don’t feel that’s the case with the Summit League, at least this year. The big thing that I’ve noticed for us is that the bodies are just bigger, they’re stronger and that really is something we have to evaluate when it comes to our recruiting. The type of bodies we’ve had in the past were good for the Big Sky. Now going through the Summit, we need bigger and stronger bodies to compete with the best in that league. HAVE YOU NOTICED A DIFFERENCE IN PHYSICALITY IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE COMPARED TO THE BIG SKY? I would say that is a big thing we’ve noticed. Scoring and shot-making ability by multiple guys on the floor is another. We’re used to the Webers having two outstanding guys and Montana having two to three outstanding guys who can score, but there were one or two guys on the floor you didn’t really have to guard in that league. In this league, you’re always picking your poison as to who you can help off of. It’s a roll-the-dice deal because there are so many weapons on the floor, it’s a 39
scoring league, a physical league, but a scoring league. There are guys who are very gifted offensively and coaches who do a great job of getting those guys shots and position them on the floor where they are comfortable. HOW ADVANTAGEOUS WAS IT HAVING SENIORS LIKE CORTEZ AND CONNER IN THIS TRANSITION? It was for two reasons. One, when they came in as freshmen, they were shown the way by Quinton Hooker because they were new and we were playing so many freshmen and new faces that year as well. So they had to learn what it was like as a freshman. Now, as seniors, they have the same scenario for them. A lot of new faces, how can they lead them through this difficult journey of Division I basketball. But yes, having those older guys, heavy minute guys from day one, how hard it is to play at the Division I level, how hard it is when you’re traveling just getting ready to compete from the preparation side, the grind of the season. Even though our record isn’t where we want it to be, it’s been a perfect storm for us because 11 new faces, new league, so we’re going through all this together and two guys I would go to war with any day in Conner and Cortez because they’ve done nothing but great things for us on and off the floor since they’ve been here. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been tough on the win-loss side, but everything else has been dynamite and they’ve been great for us. HAVE YOU SEEN THE LIGHTNESS IN TRAVEL PAY OFF A LITTLE BIT? AS IN GUYS ARE NOT AS FATIGUED COMPARED TO A BIG SKY ROAD TRIP? It has and another thing people don’t always think about is altitude and time 40
Russell Hons Photography
zone changes. We only have one scenario with that when we go to Denver, but every time we traveled west in the Big Sky, it was that situation. It was easy going out, but when you came home, getting your body regulated to the time zone, it took us two days. It’s been a struggle, too, because we’re so used to Thursday and Saturday games, you knew you were playing those days. This year, it’s Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, there’s no flow to the schedule. So there’s a different hurdle, but I’d rather take that hurdle compared to the 12-hour travel days and trying to prepare for a game, too. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR RECRUITING STRATEGY BECAUSE THIS YEAR’S ROSTER OFFERS PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE? Throughout my time here, we’ve learned what’s worked well for us. There’s been
FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
two scenarios in my 13 years here where I got outside of that and it burnt us, so I’ve had to learn the hard way. Obviously, we want to hang our hat in North Dakota, and Minnesota is a huge state for us; we want to hang our hat there and Iowa. From there, we’ve always looked for relationships or connections that we do have; we call it “hooks.” So if I know you, who has a relationship with a player, to get them over the fact of North Dakota, the stereotypes that people have of this place. I think we’ve had tremendous luck in the relationship piece where we have a prior relationship with a coach, an AAU coach, a family member, a mentor and then grabbing kids through that. I’ll go wherever, if the kid is a good kid and he fits our system, our framework. That’s why the European piece has been big, those kids are trained from a young age to play the right way, unselfishly, high skill, high IQ, and whether we like it or not,
sometimes American kids can be very impatient. You go overseas and those kids know one thing, they’re coached hard and coached well and they’re wanting to put the time in and embrace the chance to come to America to get an education to better themselves. This year, we love our roster because we have good kids, kids who want to be here and work and invest in themselves, but do winning things outside of basketball and their life. They go to class, they get good grades, they stay out of trouble, that’s why you see our roster the way it is. We have kids who really love being here and want to be coached and do winning things outside of basketball. THE EUROPEAN ASPECT, IS THAT KIND OF WHERE DANI (MIHAILOVIC) COMES IN? IN TERMS OF RECRUITING AREAS IN EUROPE? We’re not changing who we are. Our location ain’t changing. Out of all the teams in the Summit League, we’re the furthest north, so we have the least room geographically to connect with the rest of the state. Dani has been tremendous because he is a high basketball IQ. I love hiring coaches who can coach first and foremost and develop our players. At this level that’s what it’s about, we’re not getting the finished product, we have to develop these kids. His mind for the game, but his eye for talent and his relationships he’s built through the years has been a tremendous asset. Some kids just want to come over here to obviously play good basketball, but you’d be amazed how high the European kids are in academics. It’s been a good transition and something I want to continue to nurture and develop. I’m not saying we’re going to be all European, but if we can have two or three on our roster, I think that’s only going to benefit us. Those three young men, the way they’ve impacted our locker room and
By the time this freshman class are juniors, they’re going to be knocking on the door for a league title. - BRIAN JONES
the floor and the little things, has been a tremendous asset for us. IN YOUR MIND, WHAT STEPS DOES THIS PROGRAM NEED TO TAKE TO ASCEND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE LADDER? This year was year one for us, so our whole goal this year, and we had a tough year last year, and it was more of a culture and chemistry issue. We wanted to clean that up and we were basically digging ourselves out of that. This year, we wanted to re-establish our culture, re-establish our chemistry, guys doing their jobs off the floor academically, socially. Then we wanted to learn what this league is about, and we have 11 new guys, so they had to master our system offensively and defensively. We’re not going to cut corners just to get one win or two more wins. We’re laying the foundation for what has worked for us and what’s been successful for us since I’ve been here.
The next year we have to take another step, and this year we’ve lost a lot of close games. We have to be able to finish and going through what we’re going through right now, that’s going to be a big emphasis the rest of this year and in the offseason, finishing games, finishing possessions. We’ll be older, too, you get better with age. Next year we’re going to take another step, but I think by the time this freshman class is juniors, they’re going to be knocking on the door for a league title, I really believe that. They’re going to go through their trials and learning opportunities. Next year they’re going to be better. Teams in this league are older, the best team in this league is an older team; that’s the way it’s always been probably at any league. You don’t win consistently with young players. I know as fans and coaches that’s what we want. You win with 21, 22-year-old young men, not boys. 41
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Filip Rebraca vitals FRESHMAN
6’9”
WHAT INTERESTED YOU ABOUT UND AND GRAND FORKS IN GENERAL?
BIGGEST EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU?
For me, I really did not know anything about UND. I did not know what the city was called until I ordered my plane ticket here, which was like a month before I arrived. I heard it’s a great community, and that’s what the coaches told me, that there’s plenty of people and it’s lively when school is in session. That was something important to me because I come from a big city and I wanted to be somewhere lively so I could have something to do.
So Davids was trying to gain weight and he asked one of the coaches if he could get a diet. Coach Grabowski gave him Zach Randolph’s diet, which I don’t know why you’d give him that diet, but that was the funny thing. It said to eat two peanut and jelly sandwiches for every meal with a glass of milk. Davids thought it sounded terrible, but I told him it was actually pretty good. So we were at the dining center and I said “let’s go make one and you can try it and see what you think.”
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCE IN THE EUROPEAN GAME COMPARED TO THE UNITED STATES? There’s a bunch of little rules like how you can’t have six players when someone is shooting a foul shot, and you can tip the ball off the rim if it’s hanging on the rim. There are just little rules that make the game different, but apart from that I’d say the European game is much more tactical. Here, it’s about the physicality and athleticism, and that’s on a greater scale than back home. But back there the game is more strategic: you have a lot of plays, a lot of different defenses and stuff like that.
I told him that people usually like to make it 50/50, but I know I personally like a little more jelly, so I put more jelly than peanut butter. So we sit down and he tries his first bite and didn’t think it was bad. Then 20 seconds later he finished both sandwiches and said “I have to have another one.” Then he ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches three times a day for a month or two. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BASKETBALL CULTURE IN GRAND FORKS? I think the fans are very loyal. I know there are people that come to every game and have been coming to every game for I don’t know how many years. The fans are very loyal through good or bad. I mean, we haven’t been having a great season and have had some very tough losses, but the fans still support us. I would say loyalty for sure.
HOMETOWN
SOMBOR, SERBIA 43
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marko
coudreau
WHAT INTERESTED YOU ABOUT UND AND GRAND FORKS IN GENERAL?
BIGGEST EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU?
What I really found interesting when I first got here was that it was the first place I’ve been in the U.S. besides holiday. When I first got here, it was very different and I didn’t know what to expect, but I was really happy with what I saw when I got here. The coaching staff is great; we have a great team and the teammates are good guys as well. I just really like atmosphere, and that’s what I really liked about here.
I guess I was expecting a lot of fast foods. Not to make anyone feel bad, but the big stereotype in Europe is that Americans are fat and I’ve seen Supersize Me and all that, so I was expecting to see that. I was actually surprised to not see that as much here. It’s true that there is more fast food. Another one is playing at Kentucky. Since I’ve started watching college basketball, I heard of Kentucky and Duke and all these schools. So playing there was kind of like a movie.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCE IN THE EUROPEAN GAME COMPARED TO THE UNITED STATES? Playing here in our scrimmage was the first time playing under NCAA rules. The first game when they said the one-in-one rule, I had no idea what that was. So the ref had to come and explain to me what that was. Even that or just being able to call a timeout on the court are just things I never actually knew about.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BASKETBALL CULTURE IN GRAND FORKS? People support us no matter what and we have to give back in the way we play. Even if we sometimes end up losing, they support us. I would say the coaching staff is very passionate about the job, they like what they’re doing. They’re always trying to help us grow in that way. In Europe, a lot of people relate with basketball and have it in their blood, and it’s the same here.
vitals FRESHMAN
6’9” HOMETOWN
MARSEILLE, FRANCE 45
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davids
atelbauers
WHAT INTERESTED YOU ABOUT UND AND GRAND FORKS IN GENERAL? I was interested because UND is a Division I team and had been to the NCAA Tournament. It was a great opportunity to continue to play and get better. It was a great opportunity to combine education and playing basketball at the same time. Of course it was a great chance to go away from home, to go to another continent and see other countries’ culture and other people and make new friends. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCE IN THE EUROPEAN GAME COMPARED TO THE UNITED STATES? The biggest difference between Europe and America is the speed of the game. The players are much faster here and the game is much faster. Players are more athletic than in Europe. BIGGEST EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU GUYS?
vitals FRESHMAN
6’1” HOMETOWN
OGRE, LATIVA
It was food for me. The first time I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chicken wings, tacos, apple pie, Thanksgiving meal. There’s a lot of first experiences. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BASKETBALL CULTURE IN GRAND FORKS? Fans are loyal to the team; they come to game no matter if we win or lose. I believe the fans in Europe are crazy, but what describes UND is traditions and loyalty to the program and the coach. As coach says, it’s about the process and you just have to trust the process, I believe.
hitting the links CHATTING WITH NEW HEAD WOMEN’S GOLF COACH KRISTYL SUNDERMAN
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I
t was by no means an easy transition, but North Dakota women’s golf experienced a shake-up shortly before the season began. With the hiring of Kristyl Sunderman, Fighting Hawks golf found their replacement for longtime coach Natalie Martinson. However, there was a slight issue, Sunderman was hired on August 18. The fall golf season began on August 31 for UND. On top of that, Sunderman had to get to Grand Forks from Atlanta, where she was living at the time. In the end, all went according to plan for Sunderman and the golf program. Since the fall slate concluded, she has found time to settle into Grand Forks and implement her style of coaching. We had a chance to speak with coach Sunderman and pick her brain on some of the most important details in the game of golf.
How did you approach those first few weeks? Because you were at a slight disadvantage being hired just two weeks before the first tournament. We didn’t even have two weeks, I was verbally hired on the 17th or 18th and my home is in Atlanta. So I got up here in seven days, which I thought was pretty quick, I just threw stuff in the back of my SUV and came up. We had qualifying on the 24th of August and that was my first day on campus and our first travel tournament, we were leaving on the 29th. I got their contact information the moment I was hired and was able to orchestrate a lot of that just through text and email that first week. We had
qualifying Friday, Saturday and Sunday and by Monday, I had the travel team picked. Luckily, it was a road trip and not a trip where we had to have airfare because that travel team would have had to be determined two or three weeks in advance. It was tough, it was challenging, I know I felt like I was camping because I literally had what I threw into the back of my car. That part was difficult because I didn’t feel like I had a home base and that I was eminently traveling. That lasted until the last tournament of the fall. So from August 24 through about October 14th or 15th and at that point I kind of got to get my life on track and find a
place to live and get settled, which has been really good. Having been a collegiate golfer at TCU and UCLA, how beneficial is it for you to take those experiences into the coaching world? Those experiences are what really gave me the passion to want to coach to begin with. When I transferred to Texas Christian, my primary reason was to find a place that was still a top 15 school that went straight down the line in qualifying. The passion it gave me to be a coach that would be there and be consistent, who would do things straight down the line, just became apparent to me. Obviously, there’s just a wealth of golf cumulative experience. We could go on forever into the technicalities and the mental side of the game and the fundamentals. One of the best experiences I had at Texas Christian was that I got to meet Ben Hogan. He was a very private man,
especially in his later years. He was a familiar sight at a place called Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth. Everybody knew he was there, but we never really saw him. I had one day where I hit this really good bunker shot and all of the sudden my coach came up to me and said that Ben was walking straight out to me. They had a cigar lounge for the men’s membership and he walked out and said that he had to meet the person that just hit that little flop shot. I was just overwhelmed, I got to shake his hand, had him sign my golf ball and it’s still one of my favorite golf memories ever. That made me very passionate about his fundamentals. I have a whole collection of his books. His fundamentals he wrote about are still extraordinarily relevant today. That one little experience meeting him I think really inspired me to learn so much about his fundamentals and his teaching. I still use that now. 49
Sunderman’s Mental Approach To Golf Sunderman relies heavily on the books of sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella. She used the information gained from Rotella and turned it into a graphic for her golfers. A model of that graphic can be seen on the right. She believes players need to step into a “zone” when they play. In plain terms, here is how it can be explained.
Outer Layer: Letting go of things that may be normal; every day emotions, worries or concerns. Sunderman uses homework, exams or family problems as examples for her golfers. “There’s no such thing as mind control,” said Sunderman. “But if you’re disciplined, you can dictate what your mind thinks and feels. Especially for short periods of time.” Outer Circle: This the golfer’s downtime during a round. Mainly, this revolves around walking the course, club choice and thinking about a shot. Sunderman tells her golfers that they can think whatever they’d like, as long as it’s positive and not overly emotional. For some golfers, they play a song they like in their heads and calm down that way. Another thing for Sunderman in this outer circle is knowing your environment like factoring in wind, pin placement and terrain. That consumes the mind and keeps the golfer present in the moment. Inner Circle: Sunderman believes in ready golf, not slow golf. In the inner circle, the golfer should take in the analytics of the upcoming shot (yardage, pin placement, slope, 50
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wind and picking your target). Knowing this can allow the golfer to make a clear and resolute decision as to what club they should use. Once a golfer picks a club, Sunderman says there is no self-doubt, a golfer cannot take out a different club. If it’s the wrong club, but the golfer executes on the shot, they will not be in that much trouble. Second guessing the club will get the golfer in trouble (bunkers, rough, water, etc.) Pre-Shot Triggers: Sunderman refers to “pre-swing triggers”. These are things such as staying down on the ball and other physical characteristics in a shot. If a golfer can have a set of triggers that remind the player how to hit the shots you practice, Sunderman believes that is where golfers build repeatability. “That’s the defining line between amateurs who are out there just swinging and one shot is good, one shot is bad versus the LPGA tour where they’re so consistent and concise,” said Sunderman. Target: Visualize where the ball needs to go. Whether that be at the pin, 10 feet right of the pin and so on.
OUTER CIRCLE
CALM & PEACE CONDITIONS & ELEMENTS GOOD SWING FEELINGS HAPPY THOUGHS
OUTER LAYER
EVERY DAY EMOTIONS NEGATIVITY
EXPECTATIONS OTHER ACTIVITIES WORRING
INNER CIRCLE
SWING TRIGGERS PIN PLACEMENT OTHER SHOT FACTORS YARDAGE
TARGET
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hawk’s eye view N
orth Dakota captain Colton Poolman emerges onto the ice in preparation of the Fighting Hawks game against Colorado College. UND won that game in overtime 4-3. Poolman, a native of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, finished the contest with one assist and a plus-2 rating.
HILLARY EHLEN
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BID UP F
Brian Milne, one of the biggest supporters of UND athletics, looks forward to another UND Champions Ball this spring.
That is not the case for Brian Milne. Milne, a UND graduate, has become one of the of the most familiar faces at the annual UND Champions Ball. The event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for North Dakota athletics. Student-athletes and donors alike join together for the common cause of supporting athletic success in Grand Forks.
By NOLAN P. SCHMIDT Photo By RUSSELL HONS PHOTOGRAPHY AND COURTESY OF BRIAN MILNE 54
FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
or many, a live auction is something with a great deal of competition to it. Strategizing when and how much to bid on an item you want. If you get said item, you’re a winner in your own mind. However, if you miss out on an item, you feel empty and leave empty handed.
Why this event has become such a massive evening for UND is their live and silent auctions. To many UND fans, the items on the auctions are priceless and offer up a sense of nostalgia, hence why donors pay top dollar for said items each year. In the end, they know their money is going to a good cause. The silent auction
features about 75 items each year while the live auction holds 10 “signature items.” Milne is less concerned about the items and more interested in the cause the event supports: UND athletics. That is not to say he is not a fan, however. Milne attended UND from 1974 until 1978 and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering. He stayed involved with his alma mater even after graduation. “When I graduated in ‘78, I did what everybody else did, I was pretty active in my fraternity and with homecoming from 1978 to 1983,” Milne said. “Then the world hit where it was work and raising kids and I kind of lost touch with the university on a regular basis until my oldest son started college there in 2008.” Part of Milne losing touch was due to where he was living. After graduating, he found a job in Jamestown, North Dakota, where he worked for three years. He then transferred to a consulting firm in Sidney, Montana. What was supposed to be a five-to-seven-year stint turned into a 29year career in Montana. He then retired and was planning to move back to Grand
Forks. However, he reconnected with an old high school classmate who had ties in Fargo. That was Linda Boyd, and the couple has been married for a year now. Despite living so far from Grand Forks, Milne’s fandom was not affected. “The biggest thing I can say is that when I was in Sidney, Montana, it was 357 miles for a one-way trip to go to a hockey game,” he said. “From 2008 until I moved in 2013, I only missed one home series, so that was a little bit of a drive across the state.” It was in 2008 that Milne became reconnected with his university roots, not only on an alumni level, but a philanthropic one too. “I’ve always been a big booster of the university. I was donating to a couple of engineering scholarships that were in the name of my favorite professor,” he said. “I started getting more and more involved with student-athletes and how I could support them, and that’s kind of what led me down the path of getting involved with the Champions Club.” Getting involved with student-athletes meant a number of different things for
North Dakota Champions Ball April 27 at 5 p.m. Alerus Center 1200 S. 42nd St. Grand Forks, N.D.
The North Dakota Champions Ball is the largest fundraising event for University of North Dakota Athletics. Join fellow fans of UND Athletics to make a difference in the lives of UND’s student-athletes. Together, we make champions.
Purchase tickets at NDCHAMPIONSCLUB.COM Tickets are selling fast and seating priority is given to those who become sponsors of a table. For questions email events@ UNDalumni.net
Milne. His “brick-and-mortar” donations, as he describes them, came in the form of commitments towards the High Performance Center. Milne made donations to both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the High Performance Center project. “Ultimately, I wanted to make sure that the student-athletes had a mechanism so they could excel both academically and in the world of whatever field of sports they were in,” he said. It was through these brick-and-mortar donations that Milne became increasingly involved in Champions Club. It was former Champions Club Executive Director Mike Mannausau that got Milne interested in the Champions Ball. “He told me they had an auction coming up, and there’s something I might be interested in because it was in my era,” Milne said. At that time, UND was remodeling the locker rooms inside Ralph Engelstad Arena. Because of this, they were moving the legendary gates that state “Through These Doors Walk Champions.” That was the first signature item Milne purchased
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at the Champions Ball. “They were up for auction, we got down to the final bidding and I ended up winning the gates,” he said. Milne claims he was in a bidding war with a young man who was on the phone with his father, who was coaching him through the auction the whole time. That was when Brian Milne found a new way to donate towards UND athletics. He is often asked why he paid the amount that he did for the old gates, which he says are now in his garage. His answer is fairly straight forward. “Everyone asks why I paid that much for the gates. I always say it’s not so much for the gates as it is for philanthropy and helping the Champions Club raise money,” he said. Another signature item Milne has purchased from the Champions Ball is the interlocking North Dakota logo, which was previously on the side of the High Performance Center. Milne has it displayed in the backyard of his home in Fargo. Again, it was not about the item for Milne; it was about the cause. “Everybody has a different way to take
on philanthropy. I like to support causes and using a fundraiser and an auction item, that’s kind of a fun way to promote philanthropy,” he said. For Milne, who does not see an auction as a competition, he notices that he does frustrate people from time to time with his bids. He finds auctions fun and not competitive, though. “I call it fun, some call it frustrating because when I go to these things, I don’t look at the value of these things being sold. I look at what the money is going for,” he said. “I had a habit of bidding up people on items even if I didn’t want it, always knowing that the default is I might get stuck with it. By me finding somebody who is kind of passionate about something, I will keep bidding them up and raising more money. If you’re going to go to fundraiser to get a deal on an auction item, you have the wrong mindset.” That is a true philanthropist, one who is less concerned on material items and more concerned on the cause. Brian Milne ascribes to that philosophy on giving back
to the University of North Dakota and its athletic department. He also enjoys the Champions Ball because he gets to engage with the student-athletes he is aiding with his donations. For Champions Club director Val Sussex, she agrees that the engagement with student-athletes is the best part about the Champions Ball. “The cool thing about the Champions Ball is the connection with the student athletes,” said Sussex. She also added that the goal of the ball is to have donors purchase a table for 10 with the donor bringing eight guests, accompanied by two student-athletes or a coach and their spouse to fill the table. Last year, Sussex says the event capped at 800 people and is certain this year’s event will sell out as well. With the signature item at this year’s ball being game-worn hockey jerseys worn by UND in their Dec. 29 game against the U.S. Under-18 team, do not be shocked to see Brian Milne have a new piece of memorabilia to place in his home.
men’s
DO YOU KNOW UND MEN'S BASKETBALL FRONT TO BACK? SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT!
hoops quiz RUSSELL HONS PHOTOGRAPHY
question1
question2
TRUE OR FALSE
Coming into the 2018-19 season, head coach Brian Jones had how many career victories?
Phil Jackson was an all-conference player in 1965, 1966 and 1967.
A. 135 B. 199 C. 178 D. 142 question3 The last UND player to win their conference’s player of the year award was in 2003. Who was that award winner?
A. Jerome Beasley B. Kyle Behrens C. Evan Lindahl D. Jeff Brandt 58
question4 The first UND player to be named to the All-Big Sky team was...
A. Geno Crandall B. Troy Huff
C. Aaron Anderson D. Both B and C
question5 Senior Cortez Seales won the Big Sky Reserve of the Year award in what year?
A. 2016
FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
B. 2017
C. 2015
D. 2014
question6
question7
The most points scored by a UND team was 119. In which year did this occur?
Phil Jackson holds the school record for most points scored in a half. How many did he score?
D. 1999
question8 Travis Tuttle scorched the net in November of 1994 to set the school’s record in three pointers made in a game. Which opponent did he do this against?
A. St. Cloud State
B. North Dakota State C. Holy Names
question9
question10
Chris Gardner holds UND’s record for career field goal percentage. What did he shoot from the field in his career?
A. 65% B. 59%
D. NJIT
C. 63% D. 61%
The school’s record for most points scored in a game has stood for over 100 years. What is the record?
A. 45 B. 33
C. 30 D. 40
Answers
C. 1997
6. C 7. B 8. C 9. D 10. A
B. 2000
1. C 2. True 3. A 4. D 5. B
A. 1998
A. 56 points B. 55 points C. 59 points D. 57 points 59
hawks word find
ASSIST FREE THROW THREE 60
REBOUND DUNK FOUL
FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
JUMP BALL BENCH ALLEY OOP
FIND THESE HOOPS THEMED WORDS IN THE JUMBLE..
FRONTCOURT BACKCOURT
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FIGHTING HAWKS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2019
63 1. The F in FOX on the microphone is an E 2. Coach’s tie is gray 3. Coach’s ring is removed 4. Logo removed from chair 5. Cord removed from camera
RUSSELL HONS PHOTOGRAPHY