Oct. 6—SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Faculty basketball is lower than one month away.
The UND males’s and ladies’s groups each open the season on Nov. 2.
The Preventing Hawks ladies begin with a house recreation in opposition to Minnesota Crookston. The boys will start on the highway in opposition to Minnesota.
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Each packages are in Sioux Falls, S.D., for Summit League Media Day. The boys have been represented by senior guard Zach Kraft and senior heart Josh Jones, whereas sophomore guard London Harris and junior guard Sydney Piekny represented the ladies.
Listed below are six takeaways from their press conferences.
Jones and Kraft have been becoming representatives of the UND males’s group.
The 2 seniors, together with sophomore ahead Karson Ouse, are the one returners from final yr’s roster.
The Hawks added seven transfers and 4 freshmen this offseason, together with senior ahead Andrija Radojević from Kruševac, Serbia.
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“It is a fantastic alternative for us to only assist a brother out, and be there for each other,” Jones stated. “Our protection, it may be difficult at instances, and considerably complicated. So (Kraft and I are) simply being there and being vocal and prepared to work with them and proceed to try this.”
The 2 have helped the teaching workers get the gathering of recent faces up to the mark.
“Our returning guys, Josh and Zach, have performed a extremely good job of being a great instance each single day,” head coach Paul Sather stated. “But additionally having a voice and serving to folks alongside.”
Jones, a 6-foot-9 heart who transferred from Oral Roberts final season, made 19 begins in 26 video games in 2025-26. Jones suffered an arm harm and missed 5 video games final season.
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With out Jones within the lineup, UND went 1-4.
Jones spent this offseason targeted on enhancing bodily.
“I labored on simply understanding quite a bit, shedding pounds,” Jones stated. “I misplaced 10 to fifteen kilos this offseason, and simply getting extra bodily and studying to have extra confidence after which simply being extra versatile on the perimeter, in addition to on the block.”
The Hawks added some dimension within the switch portal this offseason to help Jones within the publish.
Daemon Ely, a junior switch from Angelina Faculty, is a 6-foot-8 ahead. Radojević, one other ahead, is 6-foot-6. Jayden Thomas is a 6-foot-7 junior ahead from Lee Faculty.
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UND additionally introduced in a number of prolonged guards. Sophomore Tyler Wagner, senior Samuel Hincapie and sophomore Zack Parks are all transfers who’re 6-foot-5 or taller.
“I feel the main focus for us was including depth within the publish,” Sather stated. “Serving to Josh out and getting extra positional dimension and a few depth with some talent.”
The Hawks’ protection performed a significant half of their third-place end within the convention and their postseason run to the Summit League match championship recreation.
UND pressured 14.3 turnovers per recreation final yr, good for first within the convention and fifth in NCAA Division I basketball. The Hawks additionally led the convention with a 4.51 turnover margin.
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Assistant coach Ty Danielson helped UND type an aggressive defensive system targeted on doubling within the publish and trapping.
Danielson left within the offseason to take the pinnacle teaching job at Northwestern Oklahoma State. By the sound of it, although, the Hawks look like sticking with final yr’s defensive fashion.
Jones and Kraft, each used to the system, have helped the brand new faces — like Radojević — get acquainted with it.
“He would not actually communicate English,” Kraft stated of Radojević. “We’re answerable for serving to him out on protection, as a result of our defensive scheme is quite a bit totally different than different groups with the trapping ball screens and blitzing the publish.”
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When requested what followers and opposing groups can anticipate out of UND this yr, Jones was fast to say the protection.
“I feel we’re simply going to convey it, like final yr,” Jones stated. “We’ll have loads of coronary heart after we play, and I feel our protection goes to ultimately simply put on groups out by the top of the sport. We’ll fly round, simply be a blue-collar group that wishes to play their coronary heart out for our fan base, our coaches and our households, and simply characterize us effectively.”
The UND ladies’s group has only one senior on the roster: Addison Klosterbuer, a 5-foot-11 guard who missed all of final season because of an ACL tear.
Abby Duchscherer is a graduate scholar, however she spent the final 4 seasons enjoying softball for Alabama.
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The Hawks have six returners from final yr’s roster, 4 of whom are sophomores.
“We’ve to be taught to cope with adversity slightly bit,” head coach Dennis Hutter stated. “Issues that come up, it may very well be an harm, it may very well be a troublesome loss, it may very well be a nasty observe, no matter it is perhaps, I feel that is a part of the expansion. We’re a younger group with just one senior on the group, so all that stuff they nonetheless must be taught.”
Hutter misplaced his start line guard of 5 years this offseason.
Mackenzie Hughes performed for Hutter at Mayville State earlier than transferring to UND final yr for her graduate season.
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Hughes led the Hawks in scoring, averaging 12.2 factors per recreation.
Hutter and this system turned to the switch portal to assist exchange her.
Junior guard Ciona Wells transferred from Western Oregon. Final yr, Wells led Division II ladies’s basketball with a 3.03 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Final yr, the Hawks had a -6.48 turnover margin, which ranked 354th in Division I ladies’s basketball.
“The purpose guard is a extremely invaluable spot,” Hutter stated. “We’re excited in regards to the child that we introduced in that is going to take that spot over.”