Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech Come to Town as Golden Eagle Men's Basketball Begins Three Game Homestand


The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team is set to open up their home portion of the schedule this Thursday and Saturday with non-conference games against Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. Minnesota Crookston got off to a nice start this past weekend at the American Family Insurance Classic hosted by Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Eagles won their season opener for the first time since 2016-17, by defeating East Central University 72-70 on a Brian Sitzmann shot at the buzzer. Nebraska-Kearney defeated the Golden Eagles by 18 on Saturday to finish out the classic. Head Coach Dan Weisse prides himself on a tough non-conference schedule, and that will be the case once again this weekend as the maroon and gold welcome in the Wildcats and Huskies. Michigan Tech made the NCAA Tournament a season ago and has an All-American on their roster in senior forward Owen White.

• LEAN ON THE VET. In the season opener against the Tigers, Minnesota Crookston had to make big plays down the stretch. Whether it was a pair of old-fashioned three point play's from Zach Westphal and an Uzo Dibiamaka three point play within the final minute, Minnesota Crookston had to rely on their playmakers to make a play. No play, however, was bigger than what Brian Sitzmann did in the closing seconds. The redshirt senior from Savage, Minn., took a pass from Leonard Dixon and hit a fadeaway shot at the buzzer from about 16 feet to give the Golden Eagles a huge two-point win and to move to 1-0. It was the first win at the buzzer since Dec. 6, 2019 when Ibu Jassey Demba hit a shot from deep to shock the MSU Moorhead crowd in Nemzek Hall. Minnesota Crookston will look for some more magic this weekend and throughout the year in Lysaker Gymnasium.

• IMPRESSIVE ON THE GLASS. It may be just two games, but it seems like the Golden Eagles have improved on the glass. A season ago, the Golden Eagles were near the bottom of the NSIC in both offensive and defensive rebounding, but this year, it seems like the Golden Eagles have flipped the script. Minnesota Crookston has won the rebounding battle in both games this past weekend, including out rebounding the Tigers by 12 on Friday, which was a big factor in the win for the Golden Eagles. Minnesota Crookston pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in both games, which matches their total from a season ago. The Golden Eagles are currently fifth in the NSIC in rebounding margin at 7.5 a game.

• NON-CONFERENCE GEAR UP. Dan Weisse has always scheduled difficult opponents in order to gear up for NSIC play. That hasn't changed in 2021. This weekend, the Golden Eagles will host Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, two opponents that will be playing in Crookston for the first time ever. Michigan Tech is an NCAA Tournament team from a season ago and features one of the best players in the nation in Owen White. This weekend will be another great test for the Golden Eagles before they host Bemidji State in NSIC play next Tuesday.

• CAN WE TURN IT TO THE E! CHANNEL? Ethan Channel had a solid first season a year ago, averaging more than 10 points a game. He picked up right where he left off this past weekend. The Beaverton, Ore., native is tied for first in scoring with 13.0 points per game after two games, while also helping on the glass, pulling down 3.5 per game. The redshirt junior seemingly couldn't miss, shooting 11-18 from the field. Channel is going to be a key component this season to the success of the maroon and gold and this weekend was an excellent start.

• IS MAKING A BIG PLAY ALL YOU DO? All Zach Westphal did last Friday night was make a big play when his team needed it most. Westphal scored a career best 12 points on 5-8 shooting but none were bigger than the back-to-back old-fashioned three point plays that he made down the stretch to help the Golden Eagles get the victory. Weisse trusts Westphal to be on the floor in crunch time and the redshirt senior proved him right on Friday night.

• GOOD JOB ZEN. Zen Goodridge enjoyed a great debut this past weekend as a Golden Eagle. Goodridge scored six points in Saturday's loss to the Lopers, all of which came in the first half. Goodridge also pulled down 10 rebounds during the weekend. If the Orlando, Fla., native can stay out of trouble and continue the effort, he should have a great season for Minnesota Crookston this season.

• HOME COOKIN'. Under the direction of Dan Weisse, the Golden Eagles have enjoyed playing at home. Minnesota Crookston has won five or more games in Lysaker Gymnasium five times in Weisse's eight seasons, including a school record 13 wins on their home floor in 2018=19, the year they advanced to the NSIC Sanford Health Quarterfinals. If the Golden Eagles want to get back to Sioux Falls, it starts by defending their home floor. The Golden Eagles have three straight games in Crookston, which starts this weekend when the Wildcats and Huskies come to town.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 57-119 Season at UMC: Eighth Season


Northern Michigan Wildcats
Head Coach: Matt Majkrzak
Record at NMU: 22-26 Season at NMU: Third Season


Michigan Tech Huskies
Head Coach: Josh Buettner
Record at MTU: 1-1 Season at MTU: First Season


Weekly Snapshot
Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
R-Jr. G 10 Uzo Dibiamaka (6-3, Adelaide, South Australia) 10.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.0 APG
R-Jr. G 1 Ethan Channel (6-4, Beaverton, Ore.) 13.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG
R-Sr. G 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4, Savage, Minn.) 7.5 RPG, 3.4 RPG
R-Jr. F 11 Leonard Dixon (6-7, Demascus, Ore.) 13.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG
R-Jr. C 15 Zen Goodridge (6-8, Orlando, Fla.) 5.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Sr. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, West Fargo, N.D.) 6.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Fr. G 12 Ron Kirk, Jr. (6-4, Milwaukee, Wis.) 1.0 PPG
R-So. C 13 Nathaniel Powell (6-9, Nottingham, England) 7.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG


Northern Michigan
Projected Starters
R-Sr. G 2 Nick Wagner (6-3, Galesville, Wis.) 14.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Sr. G 4 Max Bjorklund (6-2, Orono, Minn.) 7.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG
R-Sr. F 10 John Kerr (6-7, Lake Villa, Ill.) 7.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG
Fr. G 24 Brian Parzych (6-1, Milwaukee, Wis.) 3.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG
Jr. F 33 Ben Wolf (6-8, Naperville, Ill.) 9.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 00 Tre Harvey (6-2, Southfield, Mich.) 11.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Jr. G 11 Justin Kuehl (6-2, Iron Ridge, Wis.) 6.5 PPG
So. F 21 Sam Schultz (6-7, Aurora, Ill.) 4.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
So. G 5 Carson Smith (6-1, Menomonee Falls, Wis.) .5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Michigan Tech
Projected Starters
R-Fr. G 5 Adam Hobson (6-4, Stoughton, Wis.) 11.5 PPG, 1.0 RPG
Jr. G 15 Carter Johnston (6-3, Beaverton, Mich.) 3.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Jr. G 21 Eric Carl (6-5, Kaukauna, Wis.) 14.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Sr. F 22 Owen White (6-6, Rhinelander, Wis.) 19.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG
Sr. F 32 Trent Bell (6-7, Negaunee, Mich.) 4.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 2 Jalen Carter (5-10, Chicago, Ill.) 5.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Sr. F 12 Kyle Clow (6-5, Germantown, Wis.) 2.0 RPG
R-Fr. F 30 Brad Simonsen (6-6, Houghton, Mich.) 4.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG


#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY. The Golden Eagles will continue a trend through the first two weeks of the season: playing a program they have never played in school history. Northern Michigan, whose campus is located in beautiful Marquette, Mich., is 1-1 on the season with a loss to McKendree University and a win at Lewis to open up the season. Minnesota Crookston is the first of three NSIC opponents on the docket for the Wildcats, who will also host St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth later this month.

HAVEN'T WE MET BEFORE? Although the Wildcats will be brand new to Crookston, NMU has three players on their roster that are very familiar with the Golden Eagles and Lysaker Gymnasium. Nick Wagner and Max Bjorklund are former Bemidji State Beavers, while Jack Rusch spent one season playing for Chad Walthall and MSU Moorhead. In four games in two seasons against the Golden Eagles, Wagner averaged 13.5 PPG, while Bjorklund scored 10 a game two years ago against the Golden Eagles. The former Beaver teammates are now both starters in Marquette and are making their mark.

WOLF IS A WILDCAT. So far through two games, the Wildcats have just two scorers in double-figures in Wagner and Tre Harvey, but Naperville, Ill., native Ben Wolf is one double-digit scoring game away from averaging double-figures. In the season-opening win to Lewis, Wolf scored 13 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from the field, while also pulling down nine rebounds. Wolf had six points in the loss against McKendree. If Wolf can lead the pack, the Wildcats are in good hands this season.

KUEHL AS A CUCUMBER. After scoring just three points in the win against Lewis to open up the season, Justin Kuehl bounced back with a 10 point, two assist and four steal game against McKendree. The Wildcats hope that the Iron Ridge, Wis., native can continue his play from Saturday into this Thursday.

MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY. The Huskies are a perennial power in the GLIAC. A season ago, MTU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in school history, where they got a No. 2 seed and advanced to the Regional Finals after defeating Southern Indiana and falling to Truman State, just one game away from the Elite Eight. The Huskies are really, really good and will be a great test for the Golden Eagles.

GIANT SHOES TO FILL. Huskies' Head Coach Josh Buettner takes over this season for Kevin Luke, who spent 27 seasons in Houghton. Luke led the Huskies to a .500 or better record in 21 of his first 27 seasons. Before Luke was named Head Coach in 1994, the Huskies made the NCAA Tournament just once, which came 32 seasons previous, when the Huskies finished the regular season 17-5 in 1962-63. The Huskies have made the NCAA Tournament 10 times, including advancing to the Regional Finals twice. Luke is the Huskies' all-time winningest coach and the longest tenured coach in school history, which dates back to 1919. Buettner, a long-time assistant at Michigan Tech will hope to have the same success as he follows in his successors footsteps, but that might be easier said than done

ALL-AMERICAN IN HOUGHTON. Owen White is going to be the best test that the Golden Eagles have faced in a long time. Here's a list of all the accolades White has in a Huskies uniform: NABC Honors Court...NABC All-American and First Team All-Midwest District honors...GLIAC Player of the Year, GLIAC First Team, All-GLIAC Defensive Team...CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team...CoSIDA Academic All-District...GLIAC Player of the Week 3 times...Ken Hamar Team MVP Award. THAT WAS JUST LAST SEASON! White has also been named to the GLIAC All-Defensive team in his career as well. So far, White is averaging 19.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG. Shutting down White will be tough for opponents this season.

TROUBLE FINISHING A POSSESSION. One thing the Huskies have struggled with through two games is rebounding. The Huskies are averaging just 26 rebounds in the two games, compared to almost 40 per game for Minnesota Crookston. The Huskies will need to finish off opponents' misses this season, especially this weekend when they make the long trek to Crookston.