University of St. Thomas Athletics
Photo by: Wesley Dean
Tommies slotted 4th, Bjorklund named All-Summit League First Team
10/10/2023 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas among top half of 2023-24 Summit League Preseason Coaches’ Poll
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Graduate student forward Parker Bjorklund will lead the charge for St. Thomas men's basketball as a Preseason All-Summit League First Team selection, while the team was selected to finish fourth in the 2023-24 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The poll released Tuesday features St. Thomas ranked fourth with 386 points behind South Dakota State in first (600 points, 27 first-place votes), Oral Roberts in second (510, 7), and North Dakota State (482, 2). The Tommies' fourth-place ranking is the highest for the program since joining the Summit League in 2021-22.
Bjorklund, a native of Chaska, Minn., ended the 2022-23 season as an All-Summit League First Team selection, the first all-conference selection for the program since joining the Summit League. He tied for ninth in the Summit League scoring 15.1 points per game and was second shooting 49.5 percent from the field. Bjorklund totaled three double-doubles last season, including back-to-back performances at the 2023 Summit League Championships. In addition to this honor from the league, Bjorklund was named a Preseason All-Summit League First Team selection by The CBB Almanac.
St. Thomas enters its 13th season under Head Coach John Tauer, who has compiled a record of 247-84 with the Tommies. He is the longest tenured head coach among the Summit League's men's basketball programs and is among the top 40 tenured in their current role among all NCAA Division I men's basketball coaches.
The Tommies finished the 2022-23 season with 19 wins, improving on its first year in NCAA DI by nine wins. Its nine-win improvement is the second best from year one to year two of 50 schools to reclassify into DI over the last 25 years. The Tommies went 12-2 in Schoenecker Arena and won its first postseason game of the DI era during the opening round of the 2023 Summit League Championships before being ousted by the eventual Summit League champion, Oral Roberts, 70-65.
St. Thomas opens its 2023-24 slate on Monday, Nov. 6 with a contest at California in Berkley, Calif. The Purple follow with its home opener on Friday, Nov. 10, facing off against Idaho State on FOX9+.
2023-24 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll
The poll released Tuesday features St. Thomas ranked fourth with 386 points behind South Dakota State in first (600 points, 27 first-place votes), Oral Roberts in second (510, 7), and North Dakota State (482, 2). The Tommies' fourth-place ranking is the highest for the program since joining the Summit League in 2021-22.
Bjorklund, a native of Chaska, Minn., ended the 2022-23 season as an All-Summit League First Team selection, the first all-conference selection for the program since joining the Summit League. He tied for ninth in the Summit League scoring 15.1 points per game and was second shooting 49.5 percent from the field. Bjorklund totaled three double-doubles last season, including back-to-back performances at the 2023 Summit League Championships. In addition to this honor from the league, Bjorklund was named a Preseason All-Summit League First Team selection by The CBB Almanac.
St. Thomas enters its 13th season under Head Coach John Tauer, who has compiled a record of 247-84 with the Tommies. He is the longest tenured head coach among the Summit League's men's basketball programs and is among the top 40 tenured in their current role among all NCAA Division I men's basketball coaches.
The Tommies finished the 2022-23 season with 19 wins, improving on its first year in NCAA DI by nine wins. Its nine-win improvement is the second best from year one to year two of 50 schools to reclassify into DI over the last 25 years. The Tommies went 12-2 in Schoenecker Arena and won its first postseason game of the DI era during the opening round of the 2023 Summit League Championships before being ousted by the eventual Summit League champion, Oral Roberts, 70-65.
St. Thomas opens its 2023-24 slate on Monday, Nov. 6 with a contest at California in Berkley, Calif. The Purple follow with its home opener on Friday, Nov. 10, facing off against Idaho State on FOX9+.
2023-24 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank | School (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | South Dakota State (27) | 600 |
| 2. | Oral Roberts (7) | 510 |
| 3. | North Dakota State (2) | 482 |
| 4. | St. Thomas | 386 |
| 5. | North Dakota | 374 |
| 6. | South Dakota | 274 |
| 7. | Omaha | 252 |
| 8. | Kansas City | 201 |
| 9. | Denver | 161 |
2023-24 Preseason All-Summit League First Team
| Name | School | Year | Position |
| Luke Appel | South Dakota State | R-Sr. | F |
| Parker Bjorklund | St. Thomas | Gr. | F |
| Frankie Fidler | Omaha | Jr. | F |
| Zeke Mayo | South Dakota State | Jr. | G |
| Issac McBride | Oral Roberts | Sr. | G |
| Boden Skunberg | North Dakota State | Sr. | G |
2023-24 Preseason All-Summit League Second Team
| Name | School | Year | Position |
| Tommy Bruner | Denver | Sr. | G |
| William Kyle III | South Dakota State | So. | F |
| Andrew Morgan | North Dakota State | Jr. | F |
| B.J. Omot | North Dakota | So. | F |
| Kareem Thompson | Oral Roberts | Gr. | G |
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-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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