Men's Basketball | 2/19/2025 1:48:00 PM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball is home for the final games of 2024-25. The season usually goes by in the blink of an eye and that has been the case this season. Minnesota Crookston has seen a bunch of growth in their youngsters and has seen a lot of bright moments, especially when they knocked off nationally-ranked Minot State in late January, their first win over a ranked opponent in more than a decade. This weekend, the Golden Eagles wrap-up the regular season with games against Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth, both of which are fighting for seeding and the NSIC regular season title. The Golden Eagles will look to play spoiler this weekend.

·   SENIOR NIGHT FESTIVITIES. As is customary across every campus in America, the Golden Eagles will honor their seniors in the last home weekend of the season. This weekend, the Golden Eagles will honor their seven seniors (six players, one manager) in the pregame on Saturday against Concordia-St. Paul. The recognition of the seniors will take place at roughly 3:20 P.M., Central.

• LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU LEFT IT. Minnesota Crookston will honor their seven seniors this weekend and it's safe to say that every single one of them is leaving the fantastic campus in better shape than when they stepped foot on campus. Reid Grant, Ben Hoverson, Jordan Mitchell, Aguek Deng, Pedro Rossi and Xzavier Jones, as well as manager Zak Garad have done outstanding things for head coach Bryan Beamish on and off the floor and will always be a part of the Golden Eagle family. The Golden Eagles will look to send them out with some fond memories this weekend with some more upsets in 2024-25.

·  BIG, BIG DIFFERENCE. The last time the Golden Eagles played both the Golden Bears and the Bulldogs, there was a massive disparity at the free throw line in both of those games. Both the Golden Bears and Bulldogs combined to shoot 32 more free throws than the Golden Eagles and in turn, made 25 more free throws than the Golden Eagles. This season, there has been eight instances when the opponents have shot at least 15 or more free throws than the maroon and gold. The Golden Eagles will look to reverse that trend in the final weekend of the season.

·   SPOIL THE PARTY.  Minnesota Crookston would undoubtedly rather be using this weekend to gear up for their first round opponent in the NSIC tournament. Instead, this weekend, they will look to play spoiler against a pair of teams that have a ton to play for. Minnesota Duluth is technically in fifth place in the NSIC and Concordia-St. Paul could be playing for a conference championship on Saturday night, as they currently lead the pack in a four-way tie for first, as of right now. The Golden Eagles would love nothing more than spoiling the party this weekend.

·    HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? I ask that question, because I don't know if I have ever seen a box score quite like last Saturday's loss for the Golden Eagles to Southwest Minnesota State. Minnesota Crookston shot 18 more field goal attempts than the Mustangs, made four more field goals and were only outscored by three points from behind the three-point line. So, you may be asking how the Golden Eagles lost by 15. The simple answer would be the Mustangs made 30 free throws, compared to just eight for the Golden Eagles. It's the second time this season that the Golden Eagles have had 10 or more field goal attempts than their opponents, both of which were losses.

·   LAST TIME IN LYSAKER. It's only fitting for Reid Grant that the final games of his collegiate basketball career will come inside his home gym, because he has loved playing in Crookston. Not only has that been the case over his two year Golden Eagle career, but it has been more so as of late. In the Golden Eagles last five home games, Grant is averaging 22.8 points per game, including a career-high 35 in a loss to Wayne State earlier this season, which is in the top-five in terms of individual scoring in the NSIC this year. Hopefully Grant has one last Lysaker moment this weekend.

• THANK YOU SENIORS. We touched on it before, but the seniors this weekend will be honored this weekend and rightfully so. They have been with the Golden Eagles for multiple seasons and the trio of Jones, Rossi and Mitchell have been with head coach Bryan Beamish since he got the job three seasons ago. The tough part about collegiate athletics is the cycle of every four years, you see the student-athletes play the sport they love for the final time. We thank the seniors for everything they have given to the men's basketball program. The great Kenny Chesney once said, "Don't Blink".

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 13-69 Season at UMC: 11th Season (Third as Head Coach)

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Head Coach: Justin Wieck
Record at UMD: 140-53  Season at UMD: 7th Season

Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears
Head Coach: Matt Fletcher
Record at CSP: 41-83  Season at CSP: 5th Season 


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (5-21)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 3 Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 16.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG
Jr. F 25 Andrew Stokes (6-5, Westchester, Ill.) 11.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Jr. G 13 Micah Garrett (6-3, Portland, Ore.) 9.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Fr. F 23 Brayden Carlson (6-9, Woodbury, Minn.) 3.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG
R-Jr. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 8.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. F 33 Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 2.0 PPG, .8 RPG
Jr. G 1 Christian Bowen-Webb (6-2, Atchison, Kan.) 6.2 PPG
Fr. G 12 Landon Dimler (6-5, Mankato, Minn.) 4.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG
Fr. G 11 Caiden Swenby (6-3, Fertile, Minn.) 1.8 PPG
R-Sr. F 2 Aguek Deng (6-9, Des Moines, Iowa) 3.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Jr. G 24 GD Deng (6-4, Des Moines, Iowa) 1.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (18-8)
Projected Starters
Gr. G 1 Joshua Brown (6-4, Minneapolis, Minn.) 11.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG
Fr. G 3 Kole Hanson (6-2, Prior Lake, Minn.) 5.8 PPG, 1.1 RPG
R-Jr. F 12 Mattie Thompson (6-8, Duluth, Minn.) 7.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Gr. F 24 Charlie Katona (6-7, Shakopee, Minn.) 16.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG
Gr. F 32 Austin Andrews (6-6, Eden Prairie, Minn.) 10.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-So. G 13 Nick Katona (6-6, Shakopee, Minn.) 6.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Gr. G 11 Jayden Johnson (6-6, Batavia, Ill.) 7.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG
R-Jr. F 34 Noah Paulson (6-9, Duluth, Minn.) 3.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (19-7)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 0 Antwan Kimmons (6-0, St. Paul, Minn.) 24.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 6.1 APG
Sr. G 3 Ian Sluice (6-3, Tulsa, Okla.) 4.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG
So. G 5 Ben Kopetzki (6-0, Andover, Minn.) 13.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Sr. F 11 Cade Meyer (6-9, Monroe, Wis.) 14.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG
Jr. G 14 Reid Patterson (6-2, Lakeville, Minn.) 5.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. F 4 Japannah Kellogg (6-8, Ames, Iowa) 6.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG
So. G 2 Will Boser (6-6, Eau Claire, Wis.) 1.6 PPG, .9 RPG
So. F 24 Chet Kloss (6-6, Apple Valley, Minn.) 1.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG

KNOW THE OPPONENTS
Minnesota Duluth. The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs will be the first challenge of the weekend for the Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs come into the matchup with an 18-8 record, including a dominant 107-67 win over the Golden Eagles earlier this season. Historically, the Bulldogs have controlled this series, boasting a 41-3 record against The Golden Eagles.

EARLIER THIS SEASON.  In their last meeting, the Bulldogs showed off their depth, with six players scoring in double figures. Kole Hanson and Charlie Katon led the charge, each dropping 19 points, while Nick Katona made his presence felt with a game-high nine rebounds and 10 points. The Bulldogs have had a balanced attack all year with at least 4 players averaging above 10 points every game.

DEFENSIVE STALWART.  Charlie Katona has been one of the top performers in the NSIC this season, ranking fifth in the conference in scoring with 16.7 points per game. He's shooting an efficient 48.5% from the field (160-330) and contributing on the glass with 7.3 rebounds per game. Katona's impact goes beyond this season's stat sheet. He was a key piece of The Bulldog's success last season, earning NSIC Defensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the NSIC All-Conference First Team.

SOME STRUGGLES ON THE ROAD.  While the Bulldogs have been impressive this season, they've been less dominant on the road, with only four of their 18 wins coming away from home. Interestingly, all three of The Golden Eagle's wins against The Bulldogs have come at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles can use their homecourt to their advantage.

Concordia-St.Paul. The Golden Eagles wrap up the 2025 season with a matchup against Concordia-St. Paul. The Golden Bears come in with a 19-7 record, including 14 wins in NSIC play. This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. In their previous matchup, Concordia claimed a dominant 93-68 victory. Historically, the Golden Bears hold a 28-10 advantage over the Golden Eagles.

GOING FOR THE SWEEP. In their first meeting of the season, Concordia's 25-point win was their second-largest margin of victory this year. Senior guard Antwan Kimmons led the charge, scoring 28 points on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting while adding seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Japannah Kellogg made a strong impact off the bench, posting season-highs with nine points and nine rebounds.

NO SCORING DROUGHT WITH CSP. The Golden Bears have been the most explosive offensive team in the NSIC, leading the NSIC with  87.1 points per game. They shoot an impressive 49.4% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc. With four players averaging at least 13 points per game, their scoring depth makes them a difficult matchup. Their dominance goes beyond offense, as they also lead the conference in rebounding, pulling down 40.1 boards per game, led by Marcus Skeete's 6.2 rebounds per game.

AK EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION. Antwan Kimmons was recently named to the Bevo Francis Top 50 Watch List, an annual honor recognizing the best player in Small College Basketball. Now in its eighth year, the award highlights the top performer across all of NCAA Division II. Kimmons has been a force this season, leading the NSIC and ranking in the top 10 nationally in both points per game (24.6) and assists per game (5.8). He also leads all of Division II with 164 made free throws and ranks third in the country with 203 made field goals. Kimmons is one of only two NSIC players on the prestigious watch list, joining Minot State's Caleb Van De Griend.