Bison Illustrated April 2019

APRIL 2019

C O M P L I M E N TA RY

A look back at Bison basketball’s run to the NCAA Tournament

CONTENTS

16

COVER STORY 16

THE JOURNEY

2018-19 was deemed a "developmental" year for the young North Dakota State Bison men's basketball team. However, the Bison proved that it could be that and much more. They showcased to anyone who would listen that they were ready to climb the Summit League ladder right now. Battling through a tough non-conference schedule, the Bison could have just as easily caved in. They did not, streaking through the Summit League slate all the way to the conference's tournament championship game. The end result?

North Dakota State's fourth NCAA Tournament berth since 2009. Who says they're not ready now?

18 42 46 48 50

A Season In Review

04/2019

56

14

FEATURES 56

RECURRING

CARA BEATTY

6 Editor's Note

Transferring from Iowa State in the offseason, Cara Beatty has already begun to carry on the Beatty softball legacy at NDSU.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Laura (Hermanson) Januszewski helped usher in an era of conference dominance for Bison women’s track & field. After having a date with the professional ranks, she has returned to Fargo-Moorhead to coach a new generation of runners.

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12 Athletics Calendar 14 Bison Shots 60 Team Makers 62 Pop Quiz 74 The Ross Report 76 Slaubaugh's Scoop 78 Swany Says

NDSU FOOTBALL

A look back at Bison football’s historic trip to The White House as well as Easton Stick’s NFL Combine performance and Bison pro day.

NCAA Tournament Recap Tyson Ward Vinnie Shahid Interactive Content

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FROM THE EDITOR

nolan@spotlightmediafargo.com

common folks assumed.

The surreal life

B

FROM NOLAN P. SCHMIDT

Basketball was the only sport I ever felt confident in growing up. Granted, I will never admit to being good because I wasn't. However, it's the only sport my feeble young mind was able to understand from a schematic perspective. While there a few things I can hang my hat on from my hardwood days (I drained a three in Carson Wentz's eye when I was a freshman and he was a sophomore, no fake), I stopped playing after my sophomore year of high school.

As a middle schooler, seeing a team from North Dakota State play Kansas in the NCAA Tournament gave me the hope to one day be on that stage. I remember we stopped school that day in 2009 to watch that game.

Ben Woodside was electric, scored 37 points and I wanted to be him. Brett Winkelman was one of the most versatile players I had ever seen to that point and I wanted to be him (talking with him for our January magazine was surreal). Luke Moormann was holding his own with Cole Aldrich and I wanted to be him (oddly enough, Luke coached me as a sophomore at Century High School in Bismarck). I wanted to be on that stage.

Obviously, I never made it there as a player. However, I got to live vicariously through 6

BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

Dexter Werner over the next two NCAA Tournament appearances (Dex is a Bismarck guy and one of my best friends to this day). This included a game against Gonzaga in 2015 where Dex was trending nationally on Twitter, he was unreal. All of us were sitting around a television in Bismarck, North Dakota, watching Dexter Werner make every shot he put up, we were going nuts for our boy. He had 22 points in that contest.

Now, there is this year's team.

My first season "covering" a hoops team. I got to see this team at their lowest and their highest. However, the message told to me by Dave Richman and Vinnie Shahid at the beginning of the season was how tight this team was, how cohesive they were.

So when they started 2-7 and most gave up on them, I knew something was on the horizon for these guys. What I did not know is that they would streak through the Summit League to the NCAA Tournament.

Richman and Shahid were not giving me the runaround.

This team was close, cohesive and ready. I never doubted it, but many others did. Coaches and players see more than we ever will behind closed doors. They knew they were poised for success this season and not next season as many

I've long said this team took that doubt to heart and set out to prove everyone wrong. They did just that. An enormous amount of credit goes to Dave and his staff, this season was a coaching crown jewel from him. In turn, he proved those who doubted him wrong too.

I've never been a big video game player, especially as I've gotten older. However, back in 2008 or 2009, I had an obsession with one game, "College Hoops 2K8" for PlayStation 2. For those who recall that game, it featured Ohio State's Greg Oden on the cover and was the last in 2K's College Hoops series.

roster, I had each Bison player memorized. I even made my legacy "coach" Saul Phillips (you could customize it to make yourself).

Now, I was never one of those guys who played on rookie mode and beat Power Five teams by 40. I played for keeps, on the "MOP" difficulty.

Anyway, that game (and video games in general) fell by the wayside for me by the time I hit high school. I can say, I never lost a Summit League Tournament on that game though. If I recall correctly, I made it through eight seasons (yeah, I played a lot) and made the NCAA Tournament each year, winning a few games here and there in the big dance.

That was fake reality.

As is customary with almost all sports video games, there was a legacy mode. You could pick any program across Division I college basketball and assume the duties of a head coach. You were in control of recruiting, hiring staff, playing games, setting a schedule, etc.

To my knowledge, this was the only video game to ever feature North Dakota State.

I'm pretty sure Ben Woodside was rated in the low 80s on that game, a very impressive number for a Summit League player (Centenary wasn't even in the game, they were replaced by the fictional ULCalcutta). It's worth noting that the North Dakota State players featured in that game were not referred to by their real names. You had the option to either randomize their names or have the game refer them to as "number 10" or "number 22", you get the idea. This was due to, you know, NCAA things...

Needless to say, my most successful legacy mode was with North Dakota State. I changed all the randomized names to their actual names without having to check the

Where North Dakota State men's basketball has gone in the last 11 years is not fake reality. Taking a step back and looking at it from a faraway perspective, this run may seem like something you only see on screen. Yet, as the NCAA Tournament appearances have piled up, it has become more and more evident: North Dakota State is a mid-major basketball powerhouse.

I think back to playing College Hoops 2K8 in my basement or watching the NDSU-Kansas game in 2009 and I get chills.

I never would have thought I'd be sitting courtside at an NCAA Tournament game, covering the team on the floor. Nor did I think the opponent would be the country's premier college basketball program with the game's best player and a coach who has won more games than anyone. I was afforded that thanks to this year's Bison team. So thank you for the fun ride, boys.

And here is the crazy thing, reader, they will be back again next year...

APRIL 2019 | VOLUME 13 ISSUE 7 Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (12 times a year).

Our mission is to help promote North Dakota State University Athletics, provide a quality and fun reading experience and to improve the way of life in our community. The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has newsstand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

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april

athletics calendar 4/5

4/7

4/12

4/14

Softball

Softball

Baseball

at Seattle University Seattle, Wash.

5 p.m.

vs Portland State Seattle, Wash.

9 a.m.

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

4/5

4/8

Baseball

Women’s Golf

vs Purdue Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IND. 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.

Wyoming Cowgirl Classic Maricopa, Ariz. (Ak-Chin Southern Dunes GC)

4/6

4/8

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

Men’s Golf

Husker Spring Invitational Lincoln, Neb.

4/6 Softball vs Portland State Seattle, Wash.

11 a.m.

4/6 Baseball vs Purdue Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Ind. 3 p.m.

4/6 Softball at Seattle University Seattle, Wash.

4 p.m.

12

BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate Nashville, Tenn. (Richland CC)

4/9 Women’s Golf Wyoming Cowgirl Classic Maricopa, Ariz. (Ak-Chin Southern Dunes GC)

4/9 Men’s Golf Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate Nashville, Tenn. (Richland CC)

4/9 Baseball at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.

5 p.m.

Minnesota Spring Open Minneapolis, Minn.

at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 1 p.m.

4/12

4/16

Baseball

Baseball

at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 3 p.m.

vs Valley City State Fargo, N.D. 5:30 p.m.

4/13

4/17

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

Minnesota Spring Open Minneapolis, Minn.

Bryan Clay Multi-Events Azusa, Calif.

4/13

4/18

Softball vs South Dakota State Fargo, N.D. 12 p.m. & 2:15 p.m.

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Bryan Clay Multi-Events Azusa, Calif.

4/13

4/18

Baseball

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 1 p.m.

4/14 Softball vs South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 11 a.m

Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Long Beach, Calif.

4/18 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Mt. SAC Relays Torrance, Calif.

4/19

4/22

4/27

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

Women’s Golf

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

Mt. SAC Relays Torrance, Calif.

4/19 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Beach Invitational Long Beach, Calif.

4/19 Softball at South Dakota Vermillion, S.D. 12 p.m. & 2:15 p.m.

4/19 Baseball vs Oral Roberts Fargo, N.D. 6:30 p.m.

4/20 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Mt. SAC Relays Torrance, Calif.

4/20 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Beach Invitational Long Beach, Calif.

4/20 Softball at South Dakota Vermillion, S.D. 11 a.m.

4/20 Baseball vs Oral Roberts Fargo, N.D. 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.

4/21 Women’s Golf Summit League Championship Newton, Kan. (Sand Creek Station GC)

Summit League Championship Newton, Kan. (Sand Creek Station GC)

4/23 Women’s Golf Summit League Championship Newton, Kan. (Sand Creek Station GC)

4/22

Ron Masanz Classic Moorhead, Minn.

4/27 Softball vs Omaha Fargo, N.D. 12 p.m. & 2:15 p.m.

4/27 Baseball

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

vs Western Illinois Fargo, N.D. 1 p.m.

Cobber Twilight Moorhead, Minn.

4/28

4/22 Baseball vs Dakota State Fargo, N.D. 6:30 p.m.

4/24 Softball at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.

4 p.m. & 6:15 p.m.

4/25

Men’s Golf Summit League Championship Newton, Kan.

4/28 Softball vs Omaha Fargo, N.D. 11 a.m

4/28 Baseball

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

vs Western Illinois Fargo, N.D. 1 p.m.

Drake Relays Des Moines, Iowa

4/29

4/26 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Drake Relays Des Moines, Iowa

Men’s Golf Summit League Championship Newton, Kan.

4/30 Men’s Golf

4/26 Baseball vs Western Illinois Fargo, N.D. 6:30 p.m.

4/27 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Drake Relays Des Moines, Iowa

Summit League Championship Newton, Kan.

4/30 Baseball at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.

6 p.m.

A Look Ahead 5/3

Baseball vs Omaha Fargo, N.D. 6:30 p.m.

5/3 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Howard Wood Dakota Relays Sioux Falls, S.D.

5/4 Softball vs North Dakota Fargo, N.D. 12 p.m. & 2:15 p.m.

5/4 Baseball vs Omaha Fargo, N.D. 1 p.m.

5/4 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Howard Wood Dakota Relays Sioux Falls, S.D.

5/5 Softball vs North Dakota Fargo, N.D. 11 a.m.

5/5 Baseball vs Omaha Fargo, N.D. 1 p.m.

5/6 Baseball vs Concordia College Fargo, N.D. 6:30 p.m.

13

bisonshots

p

edshirt senior 125-pounder Brent Fleetwood prepares his mind before his Big 12 title match with Oklahoma State's Nick Piccininni.

While Fleetwood ended up dropping the bout to the number one-seeded Piccininni, he qualified for the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh. It was also the highest finish for Fleetwood at a conference tournament, he previously finished third at the MAC Championships. Fleetwood was one of four Bison to accumulate over 20 wins this season.

Photo by Nolan Schmidt

Want to contribute?

Email your best photos to: nolan@spotlightmediafargo.com

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

15

By Nolan P. Schmidt Photo By Dave Eggen/Inertia

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

2018-19 was deemed a “developmental” year for the young North Dakota State Bison men’s basketball team. However, the Bison proved that it could be that and much more. They showcased to anyone who would listen that they were ready to climb the Summit League ladder right now. Battling through a tough non-conference schedule, the Bison could have just as easily caved in. They did not, streaking through the Summit League slate all the way to the conference’s tournament championship game.

The end result? North Dakota State’s fourth NCAA Tournament berth since 2009.

Who says they’re not ready now?

17

November 1, 2018 Fargo. N.D.

Nolan P. Schmidt

In the yearly tune-up before the season began, North Dakota State handled their business against Division III and local opponent Concordia College.

Four Bison scored in double figured with true freshman Sam Griesel leading the way with 11 points. Tyree Eady, Jaxon Knotek and Deng Geu all chipped in 10 each as well.

The Bison shot an impressive 52 percent from the field against the Cobbers.

November 6, 2018 Las Cruces, N.M.

Polo Orta

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To begin the season, North Dakota State was met with a challenging opposition in midmajor darling New Mexico State.

The Aggies were the defending WAC champions from the season before and won their conference again this season. The Bison were ice cold from the field, shooting 36 percent. Sophomore Rocky Kreuser had a career game that night, however, with 23 points on 82 percent shooting from the field. Kreuser’s great game was not enough to unseat New Mexico State, who finished the game with 16 rebound advantage over the Bison.

November 11, 2018 Fargo, N.D.

UC Santa Barbara came to the Scheels Center after beating a Mountain West opponent in Wyoming the game before.

The Gauchos were picked to be one of the top teams in the Big West coming into the season and did secure a two seed in their conference tournament this season. However, a great all-around performance from the Bison paced them to a dominating victory. Deng Geu and Tyson Ward had a game high 16 points each.

Jordan Horn and Cameron Hunter scored 11 and 10 points respectively as well.

Nolan P. Schmidt

19

November 16, 2018 Nassau, Bahamas

John Nutt

In their first game in the Islands of the Bahamas showcase, North Dakota State fell to MAC opponent Miami (OH). Despite four Bison scoring in double figures, including 15 points from Vinnie Shahid, NDSU was unable to defeat the RedHawks despite having multiple opportunities to capture the victory. Miami shot an unreal 58 percent from the field in the game compared to NDSU’s 41 percent.

November 17, 2018 Nassau, Bahamas

The following day, the Bison were met with another formidable opponent in Incarnate Word. The Bison had the game in their grasp with a 74-71 lead late in the second half.

Incarnate Words Morgan Taylor hit a three with six seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. In the extra frame, Morgan showed his heroics again, scoring a go-ahead lay-up with 26 seconds left. That basket would be enough to push the Cardinals past the Bison.

John Nutt

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November 18, 2018 Nassau, Bahamas

In what was their final game in the Bahamas, North Dakota State looked to avenge the previous two losses against Towson. Needless to say, the Bison controlled the game from the opening tip. By game’s end, Tyree Eady had 14 points, Deng Geu had 11 and Tyson Ward added 11. Much of NDSU’s success stemmed from stellar defensive play as the Bison forced the Tigers to turn the ball over an astounding 17 times.

November 24, 2018 Johnson City, Tenn.

East Tennessee State has been one of the most competitive teams in a very tough Southern Conference over the last few seasons. This season marked another 20 plus win season for the Buccaneers. East Tennessee State outrebounded NDSU 39-25 in this game and 13 points from Rocky Kreuser was not enough to beat a good opponent in the Buccaneers.

John Nutt

21

November 26, 2018 Spokane, Wash.

Mike Lee

For the second time in program history, North Dakota State matched up with the number one team in the country. Oddly enough, it was a program the Bison were familiar with in Mark Few and Gonzaga. Never the less, the Bulldogs had an immediate advantage on paper and on the court. They shot 64 percent from the field and by game’s end had six players in double figures. Vinnie Shahid led the way for the Bison scoring 16 points.

December 1, 2018 Minneapolis, Minn.

Nolan P. Schmidt

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

The US Bank Stadium Classic was brand new to college basketball this season as eight teams descended upon Minneapolis to play inside the Minnesota Vikings stadium. While the event and venue were impressive, the Bison were unable to pick up a much needed victory over Missouri Valley foe Drake. The Bulldogs became one of the top teams in that conference this year. Vinnie Shahid was able to keep the Bison alive in the late stages, finishing with 29 points.

However, Drake guard Nick Norton turned in a career performance with 18 points and 17 assists.

December 3, 2018 Ames, Iowa

Spending close to a month on the road, the Bison would play their final game of a seven game road trip in Ames, Iowa, against Big 12 powerhouse Iowa State.

The Bison turned the ball over 16 times en route to a convincing victory for the Cyclones. Iowa State shot 50 percent from the field and had four players score in double figures.

Luke Lu

December 8, 2018 Fargo, N.D.

Nolan P. Schmidt

In desperate need of a win, the Bison returned home to face a struggling Eastern Washington team. Both teams shot 42 percent from the field, but the Bison were able to shoot better from long range. Vinnie Shahid and Deng Geu led the way with 20 and 18 points respectively.

Eastern Washington’s Jacob Davison almost single-handedly brought the Eagles to victory, but came up short in the end. In turn, the Bison moved to 2-0 at the Scheels Center.

25

December 15, 2018 Fargo. N.D.

Nolan P. Schmidt

Missouri State was one of the preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley. North Dakota State was not deterred by that fact and shot the lights out against the Bears in Fargo. The Bison shot 55 percent from the field and 44 percent from threepoint range. Vinnie Shahid scored 19 points and Jared Samuelson and Rocky Kreuser scored 10 each. 21 points off the Bison bench propelled them to another home victory.

December 17, 2018 Missoula, Mont.

Derek Johnson/Todd Goodrich

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

Another preseason favorite, Montana represented the Big Sky in the NCAA Tournament last season. This year, the Grizzlies were again the number one team in the league and made it to the big dance. Both the Bison and Grizzlies struggled from the field in this game, shooting under 45 percent from the field. However, NDSU was unable to hit the long range shot at an efficient rate, shooting only 22 percent from three. While they did have chances, the Bison were unable to capitalize.

December 19, 2018 Fargo, N.D.

Before Summit League play began, the Bison matched up with another Division III opponent in Northland College.

The Lumberjack shot a poor 26 percent from the field compared to NDSU’s 52 percent. NDSU’s big men, Rocky Kreuser and Deng Geu scored 16 points each.

The win kept NDSU’s home winning streak alive as well.

Nolan P. Schmidt

December 29, 2018 Fargo, N.D.

South Dakota was a team everyone was excited about in the preseason Summit League conversation. However, their non-conference record was sub-par and it seemed as though Todd Lee’s team was sliding a bit. In the conference opener for both teams, North Dakota State was able to gut out a hard fought win at home.

Deng Geu scored 20 points and Tyson Ward added 17 to pace the Bison past the Coyotes.

Nolan P. Schmidt

27

December 30, 2018 Fargo. N.D.

Nolan P. Schmidt

The Bison were able to build a 15-point lead on a very competitive Purdue Fort Wayne team in their first meeting. However, they saw that dissipate at the hands of Mastodon senior forward John Konchar. Purdue Fort Wayne was able to push the game to overtime and had the ball in Konchar’s hands in the waning seconds. Konchar drilled a long three as time expired to give the Mastodons the win, he finished with 38 points.

North Dakota State had five players in double figures in that game led by Jared Samuelson’s 17 points.

January 2, 2019 Omaha, Neb.

Mark Kuhlmann

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Omaha was one of the surprises in the Summit League this season after being picked to finish eighth in the conference. In the first meeting in Omaha, the Mavericks had one of their best shooting games of the season. They shot 56 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep with five players scoring in double figures. On the other side, NDSU was able to shoot the ball well too, nailing 47 percent of their shots. In the end, the Bison were unable to keep pace with Omaha’s offensive efficiency.

January 6, 2019 Fargo, N.D.

Taking a pause during the middle of Summit League play, the Bison faced NAIA opponent Dickinson State the day after NDSU won its seventh FCS championship in football. The Bison shot a stellar 59 percent from the field in the big win with Tyson Ward leading the way with 15 points.

January 10, 2019 Fargo, N.D.

In the first meeting with Western Illinois, the Leatherneck were able to post an impressive mark from long range, shooting 56 percent from deep. However, the Bison had six players score in double figures while shooting 52 percent from the field. Led again by Tyson Ward and his 17 points, North Dakota State got back on the right track in the Summit League with the win.

Nolan P. Schmidt

29

January 16, 2019 Denver, Colo.

Denver, another team picked to finish in the top half of the Summit League, struggled mightily this season. When they met the Bison in Denver, they had yet to win a conference game, losing five straight. Yet, the Pioneers were able to command this game with four players scoring in double figures, led by Ade Murkey’s 18 and Joe Rosga’s 17 points. For North Dakota State, Rocky Kreuser and Cam Hunter led the way, but the Bison as a team only shot 39 percent from the floor. On the flip side, Denver 54 percent.

January 19, 2019 Fargo, N.D.

Nolan P. Schmidt

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North Dakota was playing in their first Summit League season after moving on from the Big Sky last offseason. In turn, the meeting between the Bison and Fighting Hawks would be the first with conference consequences since NDSU went Division I. Like previous games between the two schools, it did not disappoint. Deng Geu led the way for the Bison, scoring 15 points and netting what would become the game-winner. The Fighting Hawks had a shot to win the game, but missed the three-point attempt, sealing the victory for the Bison.

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January 24, 2019 Brookings, S.D.

South Dakota State was by far the best team in the Summit League from a talent perspective this season. Featuring nationally recognized forward Mike Daum, the Jackrabbits were almost gifted an NCAA Tournament berth early in the season. On this night in Brookings, Daum would score 30 points and snare 17 rebounds in a convincing Jackrabbit victory.

North Dakota State shot 40 percent from the field, but 18 costly turnovers seemed to seal their fate. However, to many, this game seems to be the turning point for the Bison as the season began to wind down.

January 26, 2019 Tulsa, Okla.

Ryan Workman

In search of their first true road victory, the Bison took to the floor following their loss at South Dakota State against Oral Roberts.

At that time, the Golden Eagles were clawing back and forth with the Bison in the Summit League standings. A defensive rock fight ensued, with Oral Roberts and North Dakota State struggling from the field. A big 23 points from Vinnie Shahid was able to pace the Bison past Oral Roberts. A monster dunk by Cam Hunter over a Golden Eagle defender sealed NDSU’s first road victory on the year.

33

February 2, 2019 Macomb, Ill.

It is never easy traveling to Macomb, Illinois. Despite the fact that Western Illinois was in eighth place in the Summit League at the time, this game was certainly not a “gimme” for the Bison. The Leathernecks proved that by shooting 46 percent from the field and having two players score 21 points. On the other end, North Dakota State shot an electric 54 percent from the field. The Bison were able to grind out a win thanks to a career day from Deng Geu, who scored a game high 22 points.

The Bison also shot 43 percent from long range.

February 6, 2019 Grand Forks, N.D.

Vinnie Shahid had never played a game inside “The Betty” in Grand Forks. February 6 was his first time ever playing up north against one of his school’s bitter rivals. Shahid treated it like any other stage, he scored 21 points to lead the Bison.

Tyson Ward, Sam Griesel and Deng Geu all scored in double figures for NDSU as well. While UND was able to hang tough, North Dakota State shooting 53 percent from the field for the game was too much to handle.

Ryan Workman

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February 9, 2019 Fargo, N.D.

After a poorly played game in Denver a few weeks prior, the Bison were able to welcome the Pioneers to the Scheels Center following their road trip. Denver was still in the nine spot in the Summit League standings, but they were still able to shoot an efficient 45 percent from the field in this game. However, Vinnie Shahid continued his streak of dominance, scoring 27 points in this game. Add to that, 16 points from Tyree Eady, 14 from Rocky Kreuser and 11 from Tyson Ward.

All that rolled into one is an efficient offensive performance from the Bison, who were now on a four game winning streak.

February 14, 2019 Fargo, N.D.

With Oral Roberts coming to town to avenge a loss to NDSU a few weeks earlier, there was no love inside the Scheels Center on this Valentine’s Day game. North Dakota State had one of the most impressive shooting performances of the season in this game. From the field, the Bison shot 55 percent and from three, they shot 56 percent, making 10 three-point field goals.

Vinnie Shahid had 22 points while Jared Samuelson and Tyson Ward each had 18 points.

Nolan P. Schmidt

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February 16, 2019 Fargo. N.D.

Nolan P. Schmidt

The first place Jackrabbits entered the Scheels Center as heavy favorites over the Bison, who had won five in a row coming in. What they did not expect was North Dakota State to dominate this game from the opening tip. Building a double digit lead in the second half, the Bison were again led by Vinnie Shahid with 19 points. However, South Dakota State was able to fight their way back into the game. After a Rocky Kreuser missed free throw, Jackrabbits guard David Jenkins Jr. streaked down the floor and heaved up a 40-foot shot from half court as time expired. It banked in. Giving the Jackrabbits a one-point victory over the Bison. Agony inside the Scheels Center.

February 23, 2019 Fargo, N.D.

Facing another formidable opponent in Omaha, the Bison had to quickly get over what happened against South Dakota State the week before.

While NDSU had a double digit lead over the Mavericks in this game, the offensive efficiency from both teams was nothing to write home about.

North Dakota State went ice cold in the latter points of the second half and relinquished their lead. Omaha was able to keep their lead intact and win despite shooting just 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from three.

Nolan P. Schmidt

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

February 28, 2019 Vermillion, S.D.

Despite a career-high 28 points from Tyson Ward, the Bison were unable to knock off the struggling Coyotes of South Dakota. The Coyotes were able to shoot an efficient 47 percent from the field in the win and had four players score in double figures. While Ward was phenomenal in this game, the Bison as a team only shot 39 percent from the field and an abysmal 20 percent from deep. Add to that 12 turnovers and you have a recipe for disaster.

Ryan Workman

March 2, 2019 Fort Wayne, Ind.

Ryan Workman

You can look at the box score for this game against Purdue Fort Wayne and see that Vinnie Shahid only scored eight points. That is not a number we’re used to seeing from Shahid, especially down the stretch. However, he scored the most important points of this game in the form of a gamewinning three as time expired. North Dakota State again had a lead over the Mastodons, but relinquished it late in the game. Luckily, for the Bison, Shahid’s late-game heroics propelled the Bison to victory. They would head to Sioux Falls for the Summit League Tournament as the number four seed.

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March 10, 2019 Sioux Falls, S.D.

In the team’s conference tournament opener, they were met with Oral Roberts, a team they had swept during the regular season. The two teams played exceptionally well offensively in the first half. Within the first 20 minutes, the Golden Eagles had a five point advantage. The second half belonged to the Bison both on the offensive and defensive ends. Tyson Ward played extremely well, scoring 25 points by game’s end. Jared Samuelson and Cameron Hunter pitched in 15 and 13 points respectively. For the game, the Bison shot an incredible 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from long range. It’s hard to beat any team when they shoot that well.

Dick Carlson and Dave Eggen/Inertia

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March 11, 2019 Sioux Falls, S.D.

In the semifinal round of the conference tournament, Bison fans were expecting a rematch with South Dakota State, the number one seed in the tournament.

However, the Jackrabbits were upset in the first round by eight seed Western Illinois. So, the Bison and Leathernecks would get after each other for a third time this season. Led by a great performance from guard Kobe Webster, the Leathernecks shot 48 percent from the field in the game. Down the stretch, true freshman Sam Griesel buried two threes to give the Bison a much needed boost offensively.

Griesel finished with 20 points.

However, the Leathernecks had two chances in the waning seconds to send the game to overtime. Both Webster and C.J. Duff missed long range shots to tie. North Dakota State was moving on for a chance to dance the following night.

Dick Carlson and Dave Eggen/Inertia

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Dick Carlson and Dave Eggen/Inertia

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March 12, 2019 Sioux Falls, S.D.

Omaha had North Dakota State’s number during the regular season, beating them twice. However, when it comes to March and tournament time, all bets are off. The Bison were playing their best basketball of the season heading into the Summit League Tournament Championship game on Tuesday, March 12. They continued to showcase that with a 14-point lead at halftime. The Mavericks roared back in the second half, even taking a lead at one point. In the end, it was the play of Vinnie Shahid and Tyson Ward that brought the Bison to the NCAA Tournament. Shahid, who was named the tournament’s MVP and was on the all-tournament team, had two points in the first half. He scored 20 in the final 20 minutes. Ward, who was also named to the all-tournament team, scored 15 points and was seemingly unstoppable in the post. Shahid hit a few game-clinching free throws to send the Bison to the dance. It was the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament berth since 2009 and the second under coach Dave Richman.

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Bison fans were treated to a Selection Show party inside the Scheels Center on Sunday, March 17. North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen, head men’s basketball coach Dave Richman and team captains Jared Samuelson and Vinnie Shahid all addressed the crowd before the bracket was revealed.

Before anyone had a chance to settle in, it was announced that North Dakota State would be headed to Dayton, Ohio, to play North Carolina Central in the First Four on Wednesday, March 20. That announcement came within minutes of the selection show beginning. The winner of that game would then head to Columbia, South Carolina, to play number one overall seed Duke.

Nolan P. Schmidt

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

March 20, 2019 Dayton, Ohio

The First Four is often given a bad reputation. Some believe it to be a play-in game for the teams involved. In reality, each school has the opportunity to take center stage with the eyes of the nation upon them with no other NCAA Tournament games going on and the chance to add a tournament win to your rĂŠsumĂŠ. North Dakota State was afforded that privilege against North Carolina Central.

For the right to play top seed Duke in the next round, the Bison had to brave an aggressive defensive strategy from the Eagles. Vinnie Shahid was being face-guarded, North Dakota State was getting outmuscled on the glass. It seemed that all the factors that could work against the Bison, did.

Yet, North Dakota State braved the Eagles storm. Despite North Carolina Central gaining a lead and momentum with just over five minutes remaining, the Bison took over down the stretch. Much of this was thanks to the incredible performance by Tyson Ward.

The junior scored a game-high 23 points. Shahid, who struggled to score all night, finished with 14 points and iced the game with some clutch free throws. The win was the second tournament victory in program history for North Dakota State. Not only that, they were advancing to Columbia, South Carolina, for a shot at Zion Williamson, Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils.

Evan Brown Sports

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Zachary Hanby

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March 22, 2019 Columbia, S.C.

In the most anticipated basketball match-up in school history, North Dakota State took on the mighty Duke Blue Devils. Led by legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski and presumed number one overall draft pick Zion Williamson, the Blue Devils were the top overall seed in the tournament.

However, that did not deter nor frighten the Bison. Two early threes from Vinnie Shahid gave the Bison the lead, bringing the numerous NDSU fans to their feet inside Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. By halftime, North Dakota State was within four points of Duke.

The second half saw Duke impose their will a little bit. Williamson scored eight points in the first four minutes of the half, pushing the Blue Devil lead to double digits. While the Bison fought the rest of the way, the Duke lead never came within 10 the rest of the game. Vinnie Shahid led the Bison, scoring 20 points.

Krzyzewski, who has won more college basketball games than anyone at the Division I level including five national titles, was extremely complimentary of the Bison after the game. “I thought we beat a really good team today, a championship team. The last month of their season, I thought they were the best team in their league,” he said. “Extremely well-coached, the kid Shahid is their most dominant leader and he played so well today especially in the first half. They’re good, they’re very good. It was a good game for us, applaud them.”

Coach K continued, going so far as to predict where the Bison would be next season. “They return, everybody, watch out, man. Watch out. They’re going to be that team in their conference. That’s my prediction,” he said.

Again, this comes from a man who has won over 1,100 college basketball games in his career and has coached some of the most notable names in college basketball history. That is really something.

Dave Richman tied a neat bow on the season following the game. “More so than anything, what our guys accomplished in the last three weeks in particular and over the last six weeks is tremendous. But that doesn’t come close to what I’m really proud of. What I’m really proud of is how they did it.

We talked a lot about representing a school, a community, a fan base, a state the right way, and to me, these guys did it,” he said. “We talk in our program a how is way greater than a what. Our guys, how they attacked this, how they stayed the course from a group that was 2-7 at one point, it was just an absolute pleasure to be around.”

That is what it’s all been about, the process and the journey to success. Safe to say this team embraced their journey this season and it brought their program to new heights. An estimated 6.2 million people tuned into their game against Duke. That is exposure the university has never seen, across any sport.

The 2018-19 Bison embraced their journey this season. However, as the great Krzyzewski says, everyone is coming back for the 2019-20 season.

Safe to say, their journey has not quite ended yet.

“Watch out.”

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Junior Tyson Ward took another step towards greatness this season.

Dick Carlson/Inertia

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W

e have seen a maturation take place throughout the course of this basketball season in Fargo.

Not only has the entire North Dakota State men's team grown as a unit, but individuals are beginning to show their expansion as well.

There may not be a better example of that on this roster than Tyson Ward.

Ward has no doubt had his share of struggles in his time in Fargo. The Tampa, Florida, native even had to sit out a few games this season due to some on-court antics.

While his calm, easy-going, fun-loving demeanor on and off the court can seem like immaturity to some, Ward is simply showing his love for the game. For his teammates, his personality is infectious.

It is true that he has dealt with that maturity question time and time again and he would readily admit to the points where he fell short in that category.

However, over the course of this 35-game season, Ward has not only grown personally but as a player too. There is no better evidence of that than his All-Tournament performance at the Summit League Tournament. He was dominant offensively, seemingly doing anything he wanted inside the lane and outside. For Ward, he says he needed to change his mentality towards basketball, that is what led to his incredible stretch run.

"Changing my approach to the game. Those last three games, I took some time and thought about it and I was like 'wow, I only got what, 30, maybe 35 more games in my career as a Bison' and

why not go out for the next 35 and go as hard as I can?"

Ward said. "I really think I took for granted the last couple of years and I just put myself into a different mindset getting prepared for games. It just transferred over to the game and I can't really describe it, but I felt like a different version."

Ward scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in North Dakota State's 7363 win over Omaha in the Summit League Tournament Championship. He recalls the final moments of the game fondly. "Funny thing is me and Jared [Samuelson] were talking and he said to me 'we're going dancing' when Vinnie [Shahid] was at the line. I was like 'bro, it's not over' and he said 'man, it's over' and I just sat there and they subbed in and I shook Mitch Hahn and Zach Jackson's hand and it just hit me," he said. "We proved a lot of people wrong, we believed in ourselves all the way through and got to that point. It just felt like a relief, your dream as a little 10-year-old kid is coming true. It's surreal."

Without Ward, you could make the case that North Dakota State does not defeat North Carolina Central in the First Four. He had a game high 23 points and was the main source of offensive for the Bison down the stretch.

The junior forward increased his numbers in every major statistical category this season. He scored 12 points per game while averaging nearly six rebounds a contest. The most impressive thing? Ward shot 49 percent from the field, nearly three percentage points higher than last year. That's not to say Ward and his teammates didn't see their fair share of struggles. When asked

what the turning point in the season was for this team, Ward picked an unlikely moment.

"I feel like it was the Denver game, for all of us. After that game, we sat down and we were just done, we were tired of losing. We sat down and asked ourselves what we really wanted to do. The first thing we did was we filled out our goal sheets and the first thing was a Summit League Championship," Ward said. At the time of that game, Denver was last in the Summit League and had yet to win a conference game.

"We came back to practice and we went at each other, we made each other better every day, the young guys getting on the older guys, the older guys getting on the younger guys, preparing for those big moments throughout that stretch.

Those last couple of games we played, they were close games and just preparing ourselves to be great and to be in this moment right now.

I think that's where it really happened, after that Denver game."

As Ward referenced earlier, he feels this team did prove plenty of people wrong this season. He says it does feel great to prove those doubters wrong, but that was not the team's focus. Their focus was to be so good on the floor that fans would flock to the Scheels Center for games.

"It just felt great. You just want your fans to be happy with you. We went for a rough stretch and we wanted everybody to come back for more and we knew we had more in the tank. We wanted fans in the stands and I think that is what really helped us go," he said. "There is just a lot of, not doubt, that we were loved, but we just really wanted everybody to be here

and watch us. We knew how much energy and talent we had, it was right there, we just needed to know how to break it open."

Ward will now head into his senior season with 97 games as a Bison under his belt. That experience will surely prove beneficial as this team eyes a return trip to the Summit League Championship and NCAA Tournament. However, it's no secret that the evolution of Tyson Ward as a player and person is not yet complete.

That is an exciting precedent.

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After a slow start, junior guard Vinnie Shahid has become a bonafide star for North Dakota State.

Dave Eggen/Inertia

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E

veryone who follows North Dakota State basketball knew Vinnie Shahid was going to be something special. Being voted a captain shortly after arriving in Fargo only affirmed that notion.

Needless to say, he proved he is far more than special, he is one of the more electrifying players to come through campus in a long while.

Yet, Shahid was able to remain confident despite his individual struggles with a Summit League run that was beyond impressive.

"Just trusting myself, trusting my work, trusting my coaching staff and my teammates. They do a good job of giving me confidence and trusting me with the ball," Shahid said about keeping his confidence up. "When they do that, my confidence level rises.

It's really just trusting my teammates and my coaching staff to do the right thing and to keep shooting the ball and keep being aggressive."

As for his team, they began the year 2-7, with many people giving up on them after that. Being the captain, Shahid knew this team would be able to stick together through the darkest of days. "Starting off 2-7, I mean, it's very easy as a team to veer away from what the goal at hand is. It's very easy to separate as a team when things aren't going well or going right. Our guys did the right thing and we stayed together, listened to the coaching staff and what they had for us and the goal at hand," he said. "We all had a dream, we all had a goal that was in common and that was to win the

league championship. When everybody has the goal in common it makes a lot of things easier to work for, a lot of things come easier together."

Shahid believes there are multiple instances where this team turned a corner, but he narrows it down to one moment, now frozen in history.

"I think the turning point for us this season, many would say that getting our first road win was, but I honestly think the turning point for us was the loss at home to South Dakota State. Even the loss at their place, that could have been a little bit of a turning point because ever since the loss at their place, we've been playing a lot better basketball," he said.

"I think the loss here was one that stung us. Even in those next two games that we lost after that, I don't think we played bad basketball, I think we played good basketball, we were just having trouble stringing together full games, full 40 minutes games.

Those games helped us to understand what we needed to do to win a championship.

Once we understood what we needed to do, we did a good job of accomplishing it."

Shahid was one of the key contributors for the Bison in that final stretch run.

Averaging 13 points per game on 44 percent shooting, Shahid was named AllSummit League Honorable Mention and to the AllNewcomer Team. Thanks to his amazing performance in conference play, he was also named the Summit League's Newcomer of the Year.

You can try and ask Vinnie Shahid about that award, but he won't give you an answer about himself.

One of the most selfless

individuals, Shahid is quick to note that team awards are far more important to him. "It's definitely a blessing to win an award. I try not to talk about it too much because our team is a family and we thrive on team accomplishments," he said. "Winning the Summit League Championship is a lot better than getting the Newcomer of the Year Award or any other award I could have gotten.

You definitely take into consideration that you see that your hard work is starting to pay off a little bit."

Shahid was also named to the All-Tournament team and the Tournament MVP in Sioux Falls for the Summit League Conference Tournament. He scored 20 points in the second half against Omaha to carry the Bison to a conference title. In March, it seems that a player always rises to the occasion.

While each member of the Bison roster rose up, Shahid seemed to be on another level. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 14 against North Carolina Central and 20 against Duke.

His incredible performance against the Blue Devils drove legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski to call Shahid a "warrior" and a "dominant leader".

Shahid described those three days in Sioux Falls and how it felt as the clock was nearing zero. "As the clock is running down, it's just really exciting," he said. "It doesn't feel real, even today it doesn't feel real. A rush of emotions, it's something that you've dreamed about and it's coming true.

Many people and media members counted this team out after their 2-7 start.

Stating that they needed to

hone their young talent for a year before making a push to the top of the Summit League standings. It is clear now that this team saw a tremendous amount of growth over the course of this season. Growth is a word Shahid uses frequently when describing this team. Shahid says it was not about proving people wrong, but it does feel good to do it.

"It definitely feels good because you hear that all year. As a student-athlete, you try not to pay attention to the media, but obviously, you're human, you see it, you hear it. I think early on in the year where we struggled before conference, it was definitely an excuse that we were young, we don't have any experience.

As we went on and grew as a team, I don't think it was an excuse anymore. It became a different story of us growing up and maturing as the season goes on," he said. "I mean, you look at guys Sam Griesel had an amazing performance at the Summit League Tournament, his first time ever playing at a conference tournament.

Guys like Tyree Eady playing big down the stretch, Rocky Kreuser, I could go down the line, Jordan Horn playing Summit League for the first time, I could go down the line, but I think guys just matured as a whole. We matured as a group as the season went on and I think we eliminated those excuses."

It will never be about Vinnie Shahid. For him and those around him, it will always be about the Bison. As selfless as Shahid is, it's not a secret anymore, he is a bonafide star. Vinnie Shahid is certainly on the fast track to becoming one of the conference's best players as his senior season draws nigh.

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herd

trivia

question1

question2

Jared Samuelson nailed 46.2 percent of his threes this season, that high clip placed him where on the school’s list of three-point percentage in a season?

The team’s longest win streak of the season was how many games?

A. Second B. Sixth

C. Third

D. Fifth

question3

question4

Deng Geu led the team in field goal percentage.

What was his shooting percentage this season?

Tyree Eady proved to be a budding star for Dave Richman this season, leading the team in this important statistic.

A. 50 perent B. 51 percent C. 49 percent D. 53 percent

A. Three-point percentage B. Steals per game C. Free throw percentage D. Assists per game 50

BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

A. 4 games B. 6 games

C. 5 games D. 7 games

question5

true or false Head coach Dave Richman finished the season with 96 career wins.

Relive the historic 2018-19 men’s basketball season with this trivia challenge.

question6

question7

With their win over North Carolina Central in the First Four, North Dakota State picked up their NCAA Tournament win in program history.

Junior guard Vinnie Shahid led the team in this statistic this season.

A. Second

B. First

question8 True freshman Sam Griesel was a revelation this season for the Bison. How many times did Griesel score in double figures this season?

A. Six B. Five C. Three D. None of the Above

C. Third

D. Fourth

question9

true or

false

A. Field goals attempted B. Assists per game C. Points per game D. All of the Above

question10 Name all of the NCAA Tournament teams North Dakota State faced off with during the regular season.

This season was the first time in program history the Bison faced Duke University.

Answers on next page.

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bison

MARCH MADNESS BRACKET

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DUNK BASKET FREE

THROW DEFENSE FOUL

crossing

TURNOVER DAYTON COLUMBIA

SUMMIT PRESS

answer

key herd trivia 1. B

7. D

2. C (they did it twice)

8. B

3. D

10. New Mexico State, Montana, Gonzaga, Iowa State

4. C 5. True 6. A

9. True

bison crossing

BISON PRO DaY All of these former Bison competed at Bison Pro Day in front of professional scouts on March 28.

Quarterback Easton Stick and defensive end Caleb Butler share a laugh before Pro Day commences.

Running back Lance Dunn on his first broad jump attempt.

Tight end Nate Jenson partaking in agility drills

Stick to Shepherd on a quick out route, look familiar?

Stick fires a pass over the middle to running back Bruce Anderson

Center Tanner Volson does a cone agility drill.

These 14 former Bison all took part in North Dakota State’s annual Pro Day.

Jalen Allison Cornerback Bruce Anderson Running Back Travis Beck Linebacker Caleb Butler Defensive End Desmond Cain Wide Receiver Colin Conner Offensive Line Lance Dunn Running Back Robbie Grimsley Safety Nate Jenson Tight End Darren Kelley Safety Darrius Shepherd Wide Receiver Aaron Steidl Defensive Tackle Easton Stick Quarterback Tanner Volson Offensive Line Scouts from 21 NFL teams (and one Canadian team) were in attendance to watch the Bison prospects.

Nolan P. Schmidt

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Wide receiver Darrius Shepherd fires off the line to run a route for Stick.

Dunn going through his first agility drill.

Stick launches a deep ball to Darrius Shepherd downfield.

Grabbing t Transferring in from Iowa State in the offseason, Cara Beatty has continued to carry on the Beatty softball legacy at North Dakota State.

BY Nolan P. Schmidt PHOTO BY Hillary Ehlen

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the baton hether Cara Beatty knows it or not, North Dakota State has always been weaved into her softball career. The clear correlation comes from her sister, Bre, who was a former Summit League Tournament MVP and All-Summit League performer for the Bison. However, the younger Beatty’s original recruitment was full of figures who are at or were at North Dakota State at one time.

The Las Vegas native says she originally committed to a hometown school, UNLV. She ended her recruitment in high school to become a Runnin’ Rebel.

Fate had another path for Cara Beatty as the head coach, assistant coaches and athletic director all left UNLV before her prep career ended. Because of the vast turnover in staff, Beatty re-opened her recruitment and one of the school’s that came calling was North Dakota State. Her sister Bre was currently on the roster and the decision to come

to Fargo may have seemed like a no-brainer to the casual outsider. During the process, Beatty was being recruited by former NDSU co-head coach Jamie Trachsel.

driving in four runs in those games. While playing in the Big 12 is illustrious territory for many collegiate athletes, Beatty wanted to make the most of her college years.

Then, Trachsel left to become the head coach at Iowa State. Beatty used her familiarity with Trachsel when making her choice to become a Cyclone.

“When Jamie Trachsel was at Iowa State, she was the one that talked to me when she was at North Dakota State in my initial recruiting process,” Beatty said. “When she went to Iowa State and knew about everything that happened at UNLV, she was the one who recruited me there. I had heard so many great things about her from Bre so I wanted to play for a coach that was going to instill the right kind of program.”

That is when she decided to transfer from Iowa State.

Luckily, she had a past familiarity with another school, North Dakota State.

“Even though it seems like four years is a long time, it’s really a short period in your life. So many people would kill to be in the position that a college athlete is in, to make it to this level.

Since you only get so much time, I just wanted to make the most of it and I thought NDSU would be the right place to do that,” she said.

“I’ve seen everything that this program can do, I’ve seen them beat teams like Oklahoma, LSU, they just have a great program. I trust Darren and I already met some of the girls from Bre playing here and going to some of their games in the past. I wanted to make the best experience I could out of the short time I have.”

While Beatty committed to play for Iowa State and coach Trachsel, by the time she got to Ames, Trachsel had moved on.

She is currently the head coach at the University of Minnesota. Beatty played her freshman season under coach Jamie Pinkerton, playing in 12 games and

Beatty’s sister Bre graduated at the end of last season after batting .313, hitting five home runs and 57

driving in 30 runs. The younger Beatty came to campus shortly after her sister graduated to carry on the Beatty legacy which will now stretch close to a decade once Cara graduates in 2021. Cara has indeed began her sophomore season, and Bison career, strong. She batted .300 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in NDSU’s first 13 games. This fast start is highlighted by her gamewinning double against Abilene Christian to cap a five-run Bison comeback on February 10.

For Beatty, starting strong has always been a struggle.

Yet, she seemed to have found the right formula this season.”That’s actually been a big challenge for me and this is really the first year where I’ve been able to get off to a good start. I’ve usually been a slow starter, historically,” she said. “This year I think the biggest thing was just simplifying everything and trying to have fun.

Not trying to overthink mechanics during a game, just focusing on what needs to get done and doing it with passion. It seems to be working out so far.”

She can now cross “fast start” off her to-do list, but the real challenge will be keeping this level play up all season. As many are aware, softball is a sport of peaks and valleys, especially for hitters. Beatty quantifies consistency in an interesting way, using failure as the key gauge.

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“It comes down to just playing the game and not overthinking because if one bad thing happens, you just got to get over it. I mean, it happens, that’s why batting .300 is a good average, we still fail 70 percent of the time,” she said. “You need to learn how to move past it and try to make your adjustments basically.

That’s been another big thing for me, I know our team has been consistently working on that, just being able to make adjustments from pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat, just figuring out what you need to change and getting better at doing it faster.”

Through 35 games, Beatty has hit six home runs (second best on the team) and driven in 24 runs.

Couple that with a .243 batting average.

It’s clear that Cara Beatty is rather mature for her age. Not only that, she understands the game extremely well and seems to be a veteran despite this being her sophomore year in college. Much of that experience can be attribute to her sister Bre. While the elder Beatty only played one season of high school softball with Cara, she was incredibly impactful on Cara as a softball player.

“We were close enough in age that we were still very competitive with each other but old enough to where I still looked up to her a lot. I would say the big thing, considering we

had a year of high school ball together, I was always trying to catch her, always on her tail, trying to be better than her,” Beatty said. “I looked up to her work ethic a lot growing up, she’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen, so I really try to take after her in that way.”

That’s not to say she compares herself to Bre as a player or wants to match what her sister did at NDSU. In fact, she wants to be better than Bre in many respects, but she is quick to point out that being the better Bison Beatty is not at the forefront of her mind. “I would say each generation should be better than the next, it should always be improving and trying to get better. I definitely respect what she did here and I would like to do as great or greater things, but it’s also not something I’m trying to focus on,” she said. “I’m still focused on how I can help the team win and if it means that I do surpass her in some ways, then I’m okay with that.”

Beatty laughed at that thought after she said it.

So one has to assume, she is not putting too much precedence on out-doing her older sister on the softball diamond.

While NDSU softball has become a nationally recognized program over the course of the last decade, they still remain humble. Despite consistently making

“It comes down to just playing the game and not overthinking because if one bad thing happens, you just got to get over it. I mean, it happens, that’s why batting .300 is a good average, we still fail 70 percent of the time.”

- Cara Beatty

NCAA Regional games and beating high level teams like Oklahoma, Tulsa and Mississippi State, they still have a chip on their shoulder. When asked what is so special about this program specifically, Cara Beatty points out how much fun this team has when they’re playing.

“One of the big things that stood out to me was how much fun we can have on the field and how much better we play when we do have fun. We’re also a very scrappy team, we’re good, but no matter what situation we’re in, we’re going to find a way to fight. Even if it doesn’t mean we come out on top, we’re not going to make it easy on anyone,” she said.

“We’re going to fight and we’re going to have fun doing that. We don’t care about the name on people’s jerseys, we just want to go out there and play the game we know how to play.”

For a player who has not been with the program too long, she gives an incredibly accurate summation of Darren Mueller’s program. Then again, Cara Beatty does have some familiarity with North Dakota State and its softball team, it runs in the family bloodline now. It is now Cara Beatty’s turn to carry on the family’s softball legacy at NDSU. Safe to say, she’s on the path to do far more in Fargo.

TEAM MAKERS

New Reserved

Tailgating spots Are Here NDSU Team Makers will have additional reserved tailgating spots beginning this football season.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED a p r i l 2 0 1 9

What You Need To Know About Reserved Tailgating Spot Changes • The entirety of lot G (yellow) will now be used for reserved tailgating spots.

Previously, part of lot G was used for general admission tailgating spots.

• General admission tailgating space will now be located in the NQ lot (purple).

• DEADLINE to request reserved tailgating spaces is May 1.

• To get on the reserved tailgating wishlist, you must contact Helena Johnston at 701-231-6172 or Brandon

Baumgartner at 701-231-5990.

• You may request up to six spots.

• Team Makers in the Captains Club ($500+) and above: Look for an application in the mail to request VIP parking spaces in lots D and R (green) for the upcoming season. VIP spots will cost $100 and must be requested

by May 1. There WILL NOT be any complimentary passes issued.

POpQUIZ WITH NDSU ATHLETES

What is the best thing about Spring?

Your favorite genre of movies/TV shows is...

Alex Bartholomay

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD

The sophomore from Bowman, North Dakota, had a stellar indoor season for the Bison. In the mile run, Bartholomay finished third and first at the Thundering Herd Classic and the Bison Team Cup, respectively. He also captured a win in the 3000 meter run at the Mark Colligan Invitational.

Bartholomay snagged runner-up honors in the mile at the Summit League indoor Championships too.

The start of Twins baseball

Comedy

Akealy Moton

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

The West Fargo native has found success in her first season in the throws program.

Moton finished runner-up in the shot put at the Mark Colligan Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska. Add to that, runner-up marks at the Bison Team Cup and Bison Open, where she threw the shot put 54-05.25, second best in NDSU indoor history. The redshirt freshman finished runner-up to teammate Bailey Retzlaff in the shot put at the Summit League Indoor Championships.

The warm weather

Action and Adventure or Horror

All the places we get to travel and compete at for softball!

Action/Thriller

Being able to walk outside and not constantly have to worry about falling

Grey's Anatomy (I consider it a genre)

Being closer to summertime and of course....baseball season!

My favorite genre of TV shows is crime or comedy

Montana DeCamp

SOFTBALL

DeCamp has become the everyday shortstop for Darren Mueller and the Bison. She played in 53 games last season and has started every game this season as well. The Indianola, Indiana, native is also a sure-handed fielder, having a .917 fielding percentage or higher each of the last two seasons. DeCamp was an AllSummit League First Team performer in 2017.

Sierra Bennion

WOMEN'S GOLF

Bennion had a stellar campaign in what was her sophomore year last season including a win at the Wildflower Cobber Invitational. In this year's fall slate, she finished in the top 20 in three of NDSU's four tournaments including two top ten finishes. The Jamestown, North Dakota, product is also a two-time Summit League Academic Honor Roll member.

Hunter Koep A Northfield, Minnesota, native, Koep duals as a pitcher and infielder for Tod Brown and Bison baseball. He pitched 17 and a third innings in 2018 with 17 strikeouts. So far this season, Koep has pitched five innings, striking out four batters and surrendering a stingy .188 average to opposing batters. He has also hit four home run so far this year.

BASEBALL

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Which is best for pre-game/warm-ups?

Airpods or Over-Ear headphones?

What is one type of food everyone loves, but you hate?

If you were running for President, who would be your running mate?

Anything but Airpods

Vegetables

My roommate Timmy Heikkila - he'd talk me up to make sure I look pretty good

Over-ear headphones.

I love all types of food but the only specific food I don't like is olives

My grandma

Pre-game/warm-up the whole team jams out to a speaker. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with Over-Ear!

I do not like french fries or mashed potatoes

Lauren Reimers

Over-ear

Chicken sandwiches

Dwight Schrute

Over ear headphones

I don’t like any type of fruit pies. Especially apple pie

My running mate would be Jake Drew

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e r A e r e ?

Wh w o N y e Th Tone-Setter

Helping establish what is now one of collegiate track's most impressive dynasties, Laura (Hermanson) Januszewski continues her love for competition as a coach.

n North Dakota State and dynasties.

The two words seem to have become synonymous with one another over the course of the last decade or more.

Many go straight to football and rightfully so, seven FCS titles in eight seasons is the definition of a dynasty.

However, there is another dynasty on campus. One that began well before the Bison football team was commanding the gridiron.

This dynasty is in women's track & field. Since joining the Summit League in 2008, the Bison women have yet to lose a conference crown during the indoor and outdoor season. With their most recent conference crown this indoor season, it has pushed the streak to 23. As in, the North Dakota State women's track & field team has won the Summit League 23 consecutive times

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between indoor and outdoor.

That is complete and utter dominance. There is really no other way to put it. While the program was no doubt a powerhouse in the North Central Conference, this string of success in Division I is unparalleled across collegiate track & field.

Laura (Hermanson) Januszewski was on the ground floor of this streak, competing for the Bison during their first two seasons in the Summit League in 2008 and 2009. Januszewski more than competed too, in fact, she dominated. So much so, that she had an opportunity to become an Olympian in the 800 meter.

Much of her success as a professional is directly attributed to her time at North Dakota State.

Yet, track & field was not Januszewski's first love.

She says she came to North Dakota State in 2004 because she could run track and also play soccer, her favorite sport growing up in Burnsville, Minnesota. Januszewski played in 16 matches for the Bison soccer team in 2004, but found that balancing both sports was a challenge.

"One of my biggest reasons for coming to NDSU was because I could do both, play soccer and run track.

Growing up, soccer was actually my first love. I would say by my senior year of high school, it was kind of a toss up, but I felt like in soccer I still had some unfinished business. That kind of attracted me to play in college. After my freshman year of college playing soccer and starting the training for track, I realized they don't necessarily go very well together if you really want to have success," Januszewski said. "If you want success in

BY Nolan P. Schmidt | FEATURE PHOTO BY Hillary Ehlen

Laura with her husband Jake, son Jett and daughters Jemma and Lola

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l l a s r a t s e h t , 9 0 “In 20 for me, it all aligned really well.� went one, you really have to be able to focus on it. I just felt the fire for soccer was dying a little bit and I was just having some new loves for track and so it was kind of nice because it was an easy way for me to kind of break a little bit. It would have been harder if I really liked soccer in some regard. It was like this perfect culmination of it felt like the chapter was ready to close on soccer and open up on track."

Januszewski took a redshirt in her first track & field season for the Bison. During her high school career, she was mainly a sprinter.

However, as her freshman season progressed, head coach Ryun Godfrey had another vision in mind for Januszewski.

"It's kind of funny because I was a sprinter coming from high school. I ran the 200 and the 400 and after my first or second year of track, Ryun sat down with me and said that if I want to be able to make an impact in the NCAA, you're going to have to move up in distance.

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That was a huge shock to the system for me because one lap around the track was plenty for me. He said I'd run the 800 and cross country," she said. "So, when I came in, it was the Kinsey Coles era and Kinsey was the big name in NDSU track & field and she was like that person on the pedestal for everybody.

My freshman year I thought it would be nice to just fit in and then I felt this natural progression of wanting to make the top ten board and then you want to get the school record."

In her redshirt freshman season, Januszewski won the 400 at the Bison Open and eventually cracked the school's top ten list in the event. As the season progressed, the distance steadily increased and decreased. By year's end, Januszewski had competed in the 200, 400, 800, the 4x400 relay and 1,600 meter relay. By her sophomore season, Januszewski was second all-time in school history in the outdoor 800 meter.

In her junior and senior seasons, Januszewski established herself as an NDSU track & field legend.

She set the indoor and outdoor school record in the 800 her junior season.

Add to that an individual Summit League title in the 800 and the mile. "In 2008, we started talking about making the Olympic Trials and then it was to become an All-American in 2009 and start breaking records.

For me, those first couple years, the NCAA postseason wasn't even on my radar. I had to build my confidence a little bit and really feel like I belonged before I could think about that sort of stuff," she said. "It was belong on the team first and then conference and then really start to think about the national scene. I remember watching the nationals when I was younger and thinking these people seem like these super-talents and so when you first come in, you don't really think about possibly being on that stage. In 2008, I think I probably could have qualified, but I still had the Olympic Trials to shoot

for so I never felt slighted necessarily in where I was during the transition period."

The Bison women began their streak of Summit League team championships in 2008 in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. By 2009, Januszewski and the Bison were eyeing back to back titles. They accomplished that in 2009 with Januszeski claiming another conference title in the 800 and mile during the indoor season. In the 800, she qualified for nationals, finishing seventh.

As far as the outdoor season her senior year, Januszewski continued to dominate.

She was a Summit League champion in the 1,500 meter and 800 as well. She qualified for nationals again in the 800, but before that, she claimed the NCAA Midwest Champion crown in the event. At the NCAA Championships, she finished second. Thanks to the phenomenal performance, she competed at the United State Championships too.

Januszewski finished fifth in the 800 there. Thanks to all that success, she was named an All-American in 2009.

"In 2009, the stars all aligned for me, it all went really well," she said.

Track did not end there for Laura Januszewski though. She competed in the Olympic Trials in 2008 and 2012. "2008, I had qualified for the trials, that was the thing I shot for in 2008 and I stumbled my way into the finals. Ryun and I still laugh because we had booked tickets to leave before the finals, thinking that it would be great if I made it through the first round," she said. "In the semifinals, the leaders fell and I just got into the finals. I remember running the finals and it felt like I didn't belong there, but I feel like it was the experience I needed to make myself believe that 2009 was possible to have the year that I had."

Competing at the 2012 Olympic Trials was the goal after Januszewski finished her career at North Dakota State. While she was offered to train with some top-tier track clubs, she decided to stick with her head coach Ryun Godfrey. "I had a chance to go out and run with Oregon Track Club and I decided to stay with Ryun for three years because I felt like everything was going really well," she said. "To me, there was no reason to switch something and fix something that wasn't broken. It was different and I realized some of the things like not having a team

and practices by myself.

It was pretty much Ryun and myself for three years, working out."

That time did not come without its challenges though. Januszewski had recently gotten married in 2009. While track was at the forefront of her mind, she still had to find ways to sustain herself. "During that period, I was trying to work and sustain myself, Jake and I had gotten married in 2009. So now I wasn't just trying to go to school and run, but now it's keeping my head above water," she said.

"For the most part, it was minimum wage jobs just to buy groceries because Jake was still in school. Some of those times you just had to think 'is this truly a dream that I really want to chase?' because it was tough."

Januszewski ended up competing in the Olympic Trials in 2012. However, she did not have the performance she was anticipating. "2012 was going really well for the trials and I kind of mentally broke down a bit. Ryun and I didn't talk about it for a long time because I was ashamed of the way 2012 ended. I didn't like that I felt like I didn't leave on a high note and I think that is something all athletes

go through, you have good years and bad years," she said. "Unfortunately, one of my worst years was 2012. I still ran well, but I wasn't in it anymore and I think it shows how much of a commitment it is. I would never trade those experiences that I had.

I saw parts of the world I never thought I would see."

Competitive track for Januszewski ended after 2012. However, she continues to stay indebted to her coach, Ryun Godfrey.

He has since moved on from NDSU, becoming the head cross country and assistant track & field coach at Kansas State.

"Ryun and I had a total and complete partnership. I know I wouldn't have been the athlete I was if he wouldn't have been there. He was the one that really put those dreams out there in front of me and inspired me to chase them and alongside of me to chase them. He coached me for the next three years even after I graduated so we got to be pretty close, we were together for eight years almost," she said. "He was extremely instrumental in making my dreams become a reality. In 2007, we went to watch the USA Outdoors and he said that this is where I need to be. At first, it was

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kind of like "wow", but you need that person with you to be that support system for you. I think a coach is someone who does that and Ryun was that person, he pushed me to places that he knew I could get to, I just didn't know I was ready yet."

Januszewski then went on to teach after going back to school after the 2012 Olympic Trials. "When I went to NDSU, I had a

business and a marketing degree and then I always had this feeling that I wanted to be a teacher. So I went back to get my teaching degree while I was still competing.

I taught for six years and I was the track coach and cross country coach for a while," she said. Januszewski was coaching at nearby Lake Park-Audubon High School. "Every year, I just felt like I was making the best connections with my

runners because I love what sports can do to a person.

It makes you the most vulnerable you can ever be in your life. You have the extreme highs, the extreme lows and you have to figure out how to balance those.

Those life lessons that you can teach somebody through sports always made a difference to me."

That was when a familiar school came calling.

Concordia College in Moorhead lies a short drive away from North Dakota State. The school asked Januszewski if she would become their head cross country coach as well as a track & field assistant. "When Concordia called asking if I was interested, I said I was good because I really enjoy teaching. I like the impact I can make in the classroom and after school. The more I thought about it, I recalled

the relationships I had with Ryun. The impact he had on me because we had more time to train together, you can take people through three cycles of training rather than two. That was kind of my ultimate push over the edge to say that this is something I feel like if I don't do it, I'll always wonder what it would be like," she said. "This first year, it's just been fun to push kids, push them mentally.

It has brought back a lot of memories for me with my own competition and life and my relationship I had with Ryun. Trying to get these athletes to understand that they can do more than they think they can. Track is a cool sport because usually the harder you push, the results come. It's been different training for them and fun to kind of see them because you have to trust your coach before you can start to make leaps and

bounds. In my career, I made it because I trusted Ryun and everything he said."

She is quick to point out that coaching is far more stressful than running the actual races. "It's cool to watch kids get excited. I watched one of my girls win the conference championship and here I was dancing for her and it is interesting to have the roles reversed where you have no control over the race," she said. "Think about how exhausting it is to run, but it's even more exhausting to watch it and have nothing to do with it. It's fun to watch because as soon as you open those doors, all the emotions come back. Especially when the gun goes off for the 800, I just have this whole force that comes over me, like I'm back in it."

While she was on the first team to win a Summit League title, Januszewski

still cannot believe the success NDSU track & field has reached since she left in 2009. "You look back to Division II and they were a powerhouse and you talk about Stevie and Lars and it's really cool to see what the throws program has done. We didn't have that throws program, nothing even close to what Justin has built. It's really really cool, you look at the facilities they have now. I mean, we laugh because Ryun used to squeegee off lane six in the BSA for us because it would be leaking," she said. "We would be doing reps and he'd be making sure it was clean for us and not having basketballs go across the track. Now they have this beautiful facility to train in all the time and it makes you proud. There was always that athletic tradition, but now there is a facility to really back up the fact that it's a Division I program.

When I came in 2004 and I'm from the Twin Cities and NDSU, there wasn't the momentum it has now in the Cities. It's definitely become this name that people are really recognizing and proud of."

Whether she knows it or not, Laura Januszewski is one of the key figures in making that occur. There would be no Shelly Ellig Track & Field Complex without her success from 2004 until 2009 and beyond. North Dakota State track & field is not the program it is today without her. You could say, there is no women's dynasty without her success. She was able to plant the seeds of greatness within this program at the Division I level. The fruit bore is 23 consecutive conference titles.

That's a dynasty in its purest form.

The Bison At The

White House Check out these highlights from Bison football’s trip to The White House on March 4 to honor their seven FCS national championships. The team was greeted by President Donald Trump and fed a now-customary fast food meal from the President. North Dakota State was then treated to a private lunch thanks to North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and North Dakota House Representative Kelly Armstrong. Finally, the entire squad was given a tour of the United States Capitol.

Photos By Ryan Perreault/NDSU Athletics, Dan Rios and Renee Bouchard/Senate Photographic Studio, Shealah Craighead and Tia Dufour/Official White House Photography

Easton Stick At The NFL Combine Article and Photo By Ross Uglem

Easton Stick arrived in Indianapolis with quite a bit to prove. It’s true, his predecessor, Carson Wentz, wasn’t viewed as the number two overall pick by the time he got to the NFL Combine, either, but Stick seems to have even further to climb.

The goals were simple enough: interview well, throw the ball well and test like crazy.

developed a system for tracking overall athleticism called a Relative Athletic score. It is a one to ten scale that puts things into the perspective of percentiles, and is based on workout data that goes back to 1987. Stick scored a 9.65. In layman’s terms, Stick is as athletic or more athletic than 96.5 percent of the quarterbacks entering the draft since 1987.

Test like crazy he did. Stick ran a 4.62 second 40-yard dash, jumped 33.5 inches in the vertical test and 9’10” in the broad test. He ran the short shuttle in 4.05 seconds and ran the 3-cone drill in a blistering 6.65 seconds. Stick’s 3-cone drill time, a key agility test, tied the best quarterback mark of all time and beat all the wide receivers in this class.

Stick’s unbelievable testing performance actually brought forward the idea of a position switch. Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report and Football Outsiders suggested that an athlete of Stick’s caliber could have a similar career to that of former Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman, should playing quarterback not work out. I also posited on Bison 1660 that Stick could play a similar role as current New Orleans Saints

Kent Lee Platte of the Pride of Detroit blog on SB Nation

quarterback/punt protector/ running back/tight end Taysom Hill has had early in his career.

from Fox Sports asked him to make a start/sit/trade decision on Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald.

Stick, though, has a clear goal to play quarterback.

Easton did take the time to explain just how his time at North Dakota State and their offensive system prepared him for the pros:

“The stuff we’ve been working on in this process is finding consistency mechanically. That’s what we’ve been working on.

Tying my feet to my body and staying on the same level with my shoulders, I’ll continue to work on.

Getting better at those things will give me a chance to be successful,” Stick said.

Stick fielded a number of different questions from the media. The Philadelphia writers asked him about Carson Wentz. The Kansas City writers asked him how Coach Klieman would do at Kansas State. One gentleman

“As a whole schematically there’s so much carryover.

Being in a huddle, verbalizing a play, understanding various personnel groupings, shift trey motion pre-snap. We set all the protections at the line of scrimmage,” Stick said. “All that’s transferable. Getting in and out of plays, whether it’s run to run, run to pass, pass to run, whatever it is. Being able to audible and get out of plays. All of that will help me moving forward.”

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the ross

Report

Uglem is a native of Northwood, North Dakota, and covers NDSU basketball and football for Bison Report, a division of 247 Sports.

BY ross uglem

a journey completed

At the beginning of each basketball season since I started at BisonReport, I’ve been afforded the chance to sit down and speak to men’s basketball head coach David Richman. It usually goes for about 20 or 25 minutes as he and I reflect on the season past, discuss the incoming recruiting class and forecast the upcoming year. I had the chance to do the very same before this season.

2017-18 was not a fun season for The Herd. They should have been set up for greatness. Everyone knows that mid-major basketball is run by guards and North Dakota State was set up with two really good ones. Paul Miller is one of the top five scorers in North Dakota State history and was a senior. Khy Kabellis had taken a huge step in his development as a sophomore and was headed for his junior season.

Then everything changed. Kabellis chose to transfer out of the program.

The Bison were left with a freshman point guard in Cameron Hunter and virtually no backup plan. The Bison struggled, as would a ship without a captain. Their 5-9 conference record was their worst mark since entering the Summit League full-time.

That created relatively low expectations for the 2018-19 Bison. They were picked to finish fifth in the league, and fans of the program didn’t really throw a fit or disagree. It made sense.

Zachary Hanby

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An idea that perhaps made even more sense was that this team was building for “next year”. The Bison roster had no seniors. Theoretically, if they could keep the group together the following year, they could be something special. The league would lose Zach Jackson from

Omaha, John Konchar from Fort Wayne and Mike Daum from South Dakota State. The Bison would counteract that by fielding a group featuring five seniors and three juniors. They’d have a real shot.

That led me to ask a question about the marketing slogan used by the University to promote the 2018-19 season.

“Embrace the journey.”

The Bison were clearly going places, but maybe they didn’t expect to get there this season.

“That ‘Embrace the Journey’ came specifically out of my mouth,” said coach Richman. “I don’t want to make it about (this) team, I want to make it about Bison basketball. This is a game that we are playing because we love (it). If you don’t love the game, and if you don’t embrace that journey, if you don’t understand that there are some things you’re going to have to struggle through, you’ve got no chance. It’s a journey, there are a lot of sacrifices by a lot of people, a lot of things that don’t seem fun are going to lead to where we want to be.”

“Let me tell BisoNation, I’m not using age as an excuse. I’m not using anything an excuse. There are no excuses, there’s an expectation and that’s why you come to a place like this,” Richman added.

How. About. That.

Most would’ve given coach a pass this season. Vinnie Shahid was a junior college transfer. The Bison aren’t a team that takes a ton of transfers and expectations for he and the point guard position could’ve certainly been managed. Just finish at or better than the fifth place prognostication, keep the group together and roll it out again in ‘19-20 against a “weakened” league.

As the great Lee Corso would say on a nationally televised program that may or may not have been to Fargo on an occasion or two, “Not so fast, my friend.”

The Bison finished with a winning record in the conference. They finished with a .500 record in road conference games. It was easy to see that steps were

taken. After those steps, though, the Bison took The Leap.

It was a leap that was supposed to come next year, but it turned out no one on the staff or on the roster gave a rip.

The Bison stormed into Sioux Falls and won three straight games, and won two of them by double digits. They were Summit League Champions, and perhaps more importantly, it was time to dance.

North Dakota State was headed to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in their Division I history.

Dave Richman and his crew followed all that by taking the rest of us on a journey, and what a journey it was.

There was a rather impressive physical journey that brought fans and media from Fargo to Dayton, Ohio, Columbia, South Carolina and back to Fargo in the matter of a week. There was, as always with hoops, an emotional journey. The Bison ran out to a big lead against North Carolina Central, only to give it back but ultimately prevail due to some clutch baskets from Tyson Ward.

That was followed by the utter excitement of a matchup with Duke. The Blue Devils are one of the most polarizing programs on the planet (this writer prefers the fairer shade of blue). In a love-em or hate-em situation, millions of people around the country became part of The Herd, if even for a day.

It was during that game that the Bison gave us all the best gift of all: hope.

North Dakota State’s 12-5 start to the game was positively electric. Shahid’s three-point play opportunity to re-take the lead with 2:34 left in the first half breathed life back into the possibility of an upset.

Duke went on to win the second half (and game) handily. They have, after all, three NBA lottery picks on the squad and an extremely experienced head coach. The final score will never take those moments from NDSU, the coaches, the players or the fans. They were beating Duke. In the NCAA tournament.

What a ride. What a journey. What a program. What kind of journey will next year bring? I’m embracing that already.

slaubaugh's

scoop

March Madness Sports Information Director Style

O

ver the month of March, North Dakota State Athletics’ Wes Offerman was quite the workhorse. Offerman, the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and media contact for the Bison men's basketball program, was in the middle of it all throughout the Bison’s brilliant run through Summit League and NCAA Tournament action.

Joining the North Dakota State University athletic communications office in August 2012, Offerman has developed a stand-up reputation for his quick wit and impressive ability to promote NDSU Athletics on social media. Over the last two months, the men’s basketball Twitter account, ran

by Offerman, has gained over 1,000 followers while “tweet impressions” are up 427.6 percent over a 28-day period.

Other responsibilities for Offerman entail writing and editing press releases, compiling and distributing statistics and producing athletic publications such as game programs and recruiting materials.

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I had the privilege of sitting down with Offerman to get the inside track on the life of a Sports Information Director during another memorable March that saw the Bison punch their third ticket to the Big Dance in the last six years.

What is your role at NDSU Athletics within the Bison men’s basketball program?

It really depends on the day and the time of year. My job varies a lot based on if it’s the week that we’re playing in the NCAA Tournament or if it’s the middle of the summer or if it’s the start of the season. I think that’s one thing that’s pretty enjoyable about my job; it’s never really the same day after day. It changes throughout the year and throughout the day even.

What did you have to do to prepare for the First Four matchup vs. North Carolina Central?

It’s a lot. The workload is pretty large but the more times you’ve done it, the easier it gets because you just kind of know what to expect. Once we won the Summit League tournament you get the

BY DAN SLAUBAUGH Slaubaugh is a Bismarck, N.D., native and is currently a senior at North Dakota State University. Slaubaugh has spent time as an intern for NDSU athletics.

initial blitz the next few days of media requests for Coach Richman around the country or things that the NCAA needs for the tournament. And then that will die off a little before Selection Sunday. But then as soon as the bracket comes out, that night you get swamped again with requests from the schools you could be playing, media in those areas, the host sites of the tournaments such as the people who are running the events in Dayton and all the things that they needed, the CBS and Turner Crew that are going to be broadcasting the game -- they always have a lot of things that they need to be able to do a good job. So you kind of get swamped in large waves.

How do you maximize exposure when the program steps into the national spotlight?

I’ve never really been a guy that has a manual to follow or set list of bullet points of things to accomplish. I just kind of feel out the situation as it comes.

So, to me, the best thing I can possibly do in my situation is to put our guys into situations to talk. They are the best spokespeople for our program. It doesn’t matter what I have to say. A lot of times it doesn’t really matter what our coaches have to say. Our best marketers for our program are our players. They are the best recruiters for our program. In that sense, it’s been pretty easy for me because I don’t feel I have to do a ton of preparation on coaching people up or building talking points. I already have 14 guys who are really good at talking about who we are and what we do.

After the team defeated NC Central in the First Four, did you plan for a remarkable opportunity for exposure for the program just in case the Bison hung around with Duke?

Yes and no. I had a feeling that our team was going to do something that was going to garner attention. I was there when we beat Oklahoma, so you had a good feeling we had a chance to win that game. When we played Gonzaga, we kept it really close and Dexter (Werner) became a national phenomenon. I would’ve been shocked if we didn’t have a splash, so in a way you kind of expect it. But from a social media standpoint, there was nothing scripted. I think, it’s easier for me to do that social media type stuff if I can sit there, soak it all in, and react. I don’t want to force anything or have a pre-made plan that I’m so worried about following. I kind of think of myself in those situations as a big fan who gets to sit courtside. You just kind of soak it in and think whatever would get me excited about this game is what is going to get our fans excited about it.

Was it surreal playing Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament?

Yes. It’s almost one of those things, the further you are away from it afterwards -- the further down the road we get -- the more you realize how unique it was. I’ve been to Macomb, Ill. a bunch of times. You know, you do a bunch of things that don’t make a big impact or they don’t stand out in your career. This is one that, as each day passes on, you

sort of think back on. I was standing on the court at the same time as all these guys who are going to be in the NBA next year and next to the greatest college coach of all time.

So it definitely didn’t feel like a regular game, you would say?

No. But before a regular season game, I get really, really nervous because I just want so badly for our guys to win because I know how much goes into it from our players perspective and our coaches and just all the work and the time that they put into it. But before our game versus Duke, I didn’t really feel like that just because, as all the media said, there’s really no pressure. Yes, you want to win, but there’s really no pressure of the game being a 50-50 toss-up. And also, I’m not playing. My mindset doesn’t need to be on doing something to win the game. It’s kind of like, you’re there, you’re in this moment, let’s make the most of it.

Do you think the players viewed it as just another game once the game was over?

Yeah. I think some of our players thought that once it was over, they would just immediately think, “Oh, that was really cool. We played Duke but we lost.” However, I think their reaction was more, “We could’ve played better and did a couple more things here and there and it would’ve been a closer game or made it more interesting. We lost and now the season is over.”

Was it hard staying up to date with all the Twitter traction during the game?

Yes. When you’re playing Duke in the first half like that, and things are going well, it was almost impossible to keep up with all of the mentions or national media who might be talking about us. It was very tough to keep up with all of it.

If you tried to, you’d be so distracted that you wouldn’t even be able to follow the game or realize what’s going on around you. And that’s something you just kind of get used to. The more times that you’ve done it, you realize that it’s going to be a fast and furious blitz and you just let it happen and play along when you can.

What did you think was best-case scenario for the game?

Win. Best-best case scenario was to win.

I think what we got out of the week, with getting to go to the First Four and then play Duke, I thought that was the best-case scenario.

So, essentially, you were happy they went to the First Four?

Yes. The more I thought about it, I think we got the absolute best-case scenario because we have a team with no seniors and everybody’s back next year. They got the ultimate NCAA experience.

They got three charter flights instead of two. They got to go to two different really cool arenas and experience those.

They got to play twice as many games.

They got to have four NCAA press conferences instead of two. They got two games on national television instead of one, and with one of those being Duke on Friday night in primetime, that was the best possible option when factoring media and public relations.

Zachary Hanby

Special thanks to Offerman for sitting down with Bison Illustrated.

I’m Dan Slaubaugh and this is your Slaubaugh’s Scoop.

Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful April. Go Bison.

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SWANY SAYS

BY JOSHUA A. SWANSON *Swanson is a native of Maddock, N.D., a proud NDSU alum and a lifelong Bison fan.

March Madness Isn’t So Mad After All

M

arch is not an enigma.

Brackets are always busted. They have been since the beginning of time.

David versus Goliath isn’t just a myth made up by coaches looking to give their underdog teams some Biblical motivation. Think of those poor sports bettors and experts in the Valley of Elah. In a stunner, it was the

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top-seeded and heavily favored Goliath falling, quite literally, to the upstart David on a last second stone-sling that found nothing but net! Yet, ever since David shattered the glass ceiling of upsets, and Goliath’s forehead, we fall prey every year to the expectations and false narratives about why certain teams are destined for greatness, or why others aren’t.

The term “March Madness” entered our greater pop culture lexicon in 1982 when then-CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger first used it during the NCAA Tournament. Everyone forgets that Henry Porter, an Illinois high school hoops aficionado, was the first

to use the phrase way back in 1939. But Porter isn’t sexy or aligned with the hype surrounding one of sport’s pinnacle moments. Bye Henry, hello Brent! March is only mad because we let it be.

There was a recent article in The Athletic that described March as “a month destined to knock the sense out of logical outcomes.” Please. As far as cliché, it doesn’t get much lazier than that. What is a logical outcome in March, some talking heads on ESPN blabbering on about Duke and North Carolina destined to collide in the Final Four? Michigan State and Auburn had other plans.

Therein is the rub. The experts at the Associated Press, and even the Coaches

Poll, had Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Gonzaga making the Final Four before this year started – particularly Duke with its freshman sensations Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. While three of these traditional blue bloods made the Elite 8, not a single made it to Minneapolis for the Final Four. There’s a lesson in this, a lesson we overlook each March.

Those teams grinding for nearly a year, like North Dakota State, don’t care that it was supposed to be a South Dakota State coronation in Sioux Falls at the Summit League Tournament.

Competitors compete. There is nothing crazy or surprising about NDSU making the NCAA Tournament, and nothing shocking, despite how talented Duke was, that the Blue Devils fell an agonizing few seconds shy of the Final Four. That’s college basketball, or any sport, for that matter. I’ll say it again – competitors compete. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke’s Hall of Fame head coach, specifically referenced the fact that he thought the Bison were the best team in the Summit League over the last month of the season.

“I thought they were the best team in their league, they’ve been playing beautiful basketball. I’ve watched at least six of their games,” Krzyzewski said after Duke’s 85–62 win against NDSU in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. “They play solid, really good basketball. And each kid has confidence in his role. Very, very wellcoached team. I’m very impressed with them. We beat a good team today.” The iconic Coach K wasn’t surprised that the Bison made March Madness, so why should anyone else be?

The Bison expected to be right there, competing on the biggest stage in American sports besides the Super Bowl. “I think we saw this plan at the beginning of June,” said Vinnie Shahid, the Summit League’s Newcomer of the Year and likely preseason conference Player of the Year next fall. “When we came together as a family, we saw this happening. Through the ups and downs, many people were like, they’re too young, they can’t do this. But I think our locker room stayed together, and we definitely kept our mind on the goal at stake, to get here to March Madness,

Zachary Hanby

and not only to get here, but to win some games.”

The Bison were 5-0 in the month of March before falling to Duke, including an impressive 78-74 win over North Carolina Central in Dayton, Ohio, in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament.

It was NDSU’s second win in March Madness, the first coming in 2014 versus Oklahoma. No other Summit League team has won a game in March Madness. “They return everybody, watch out man, watch out,” said Krzyzewski on NDSU not having a single senior on the roster.

Nothing will be given to the Bison, though. They’ll have to earn their way back to March Madness. “I challenged them to what are they going to sacrifice to put ourselves in a position where we can be right back here next year,” said Dave Richman, NDSU’s head coach. The Bison will be the preseason favorite to

win the Summit League. “We can take just how hard we worked, how much perseverance we went through,” said junior Tyson Ward, who led all scorers with 23 points in the North Carolina Central win. “That first practice in the summer or first practice in the spring, just preparing for those big moments and those little moments.”

Will this March’s game against Duke, where the Bison led for most of the first half and only trailed by four points at halftime, be a precursor to bigger things?

Maybe. Maybe not. That isn’t up to us, or the experts. That’s up to NDSU. “I think it breeds a lot of confidence on the biggest stage against the best in the biggest tournament in the greatest sporting event there is,” said Richman.

The only mystery of March is forgetting that competitors, not experts, decide games. Just ask Goliath. Everybody up for the tip off, the March is on!

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