University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, November 12
St. Paul, Minn.
4:00 p.m. Central
vs
North Central (Minn.)
Photo by: Abby Bondi
Tommie Men’s Basketball returns to Schoenecker to host Rams Sunday
11/11/2023 9:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas plays North Central (Minn.) before nearly month-long road trip
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas Men's Basketball returns to Schoenecker Arena Sunday, Nov. 11 to host North Central (Minn.). The Tommies and Rams tip-off at 4 p.m. before a nearly month-long road trip.
Series History
St. Thomas and North Central have played two times prior, with the Tommies winning both games in St. Paul by an average margin of 50 points. During last season's 111-63 win over the Rams, six Tommies scored in double figures including junior Ryan Dufault with a career-high 19 points, senior Dom Martinelli with a career-high 18 points, junior Ben Nau with a career-high 15 points, sophomore Kendall Blue with 14 points, and senior Courtney Brown, Jr., with 12 points.
Last Time Out
St. Thomas pulled out a gritty win over Idaho State, 54-53, following last-second free throws from Parker Bjorklund. Both teams finished with just one 3-pointer each, marking the first time St. Thomas totaled one 3-pointer since March 19, 2016 at Benedictine and the first time that both teams finished with only one 3-pointer each since Feb. 14, 2011 against Concordia College (Minn.).
The Cast
Bjorklund and Raheem Anthony combined for 40 points, including 26 of the Tommies' 27 second-half points. The duo also combined for 14 of the team's 18 second-half rebounds. Bjorklund led the Tommies with 21 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth career double-double, 10th career game with at least 20 points, and 12th straight game scoring in double figures. Anthony found his stride scoring 19 points, including the team's only 3-pointer, on 7-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds. He also led the Purple shooting 4-of-5 from the free throw line and with three assists.
Back From 2022-23
St. Thomas returns 10 letter winners and one redshirt freshman (Carter Bjerke, F), along with four newcomers. Among the newcomers is one transfer (Raheem Anthony, G) and three freshmen. Leading the pack is graduate student forward Parker Bjorklund who was named Preseason All-Summit League First Team. Fellow graduate student forward Brooks Allen also returns after starting all 33 games last season and playing in all 64 games for St. Thomas since joining NCAA Division I. Kendall Blue and Ahjany Lee come back for their sophomore seasons after Blue played in all 33 games, with 22 starts, and Lee played in 32 with four starts.
The Opposition
Sunday's game is an exhibition for North Central, who enters the contest 0-2 after losses to Augsburg University, 85-79, and Luther College, 66-64. The Rams had a chance to shoot two free throws with 0.5 seconds left in the game and force overtime Saturday against Luther, but missed the first shot. During his first season, Head Coach Jeremy Becker helped the team finish tied for the most wins in the previous 10 seasons (17) which is also the second most all time in the history of the program.
Tune In
Basketball fans can follow Friday's game on the Summit League Network, the official streaming partner of St. Thomas. Fans can also follow the game on ESPN 1500 radio with Corbu Stathes or via Live Stats on tommiesports.com.
Power Five
The 2023-24 season opener was the third game for St. Thomas against a Power Five opponent as the previous two came last season. The Tommies opened the 2022-23 season at No. 9 Creighton (Big East) in front of a crowd of 17,098, holding a 57-56 lead against the Blue Jays with 9:58 to play before ultimately falling. The first Pac-12 opponent for St. Thomas came during a loss at Utah on Nov. 26. The Tommies face another preseason top 10, Power Five opponent this season Dec. 14 at No. 5 Marquette (Big East).
Lucky 13
Head Coach Johnny Tauer is in his 13th season at St. Thomas as the longest tenured head coach among all Summit League programs and among the top 40 in their current role among all DI men's basketball coaches.
Take Care of the Ball
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball and last season was no different. The Tommies ranked tied for 11th nationally for fewest total turnovers (327) after leading the category in 2021-22. The Purple also tied for 12th for fewest turnovers per game (9.9) and tied for 50th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.30). Of the 14 teams with as few or fewer turnovers per game, only four (Iowa, NC State, Oral Roberts, Toledo) finished with a higher scoring offense than St. Thomas' 74.2 points per game. St. Thomas recorded 10 or fewer turnovers in 21 of 33 games last season.
Home Openers
Since taking over as head coach in 2011-12, Tauer is 12-1 in home openers. The only home-opening loss came Nov. 15, 2016 to UW-River Falls, 74-65, which was also the only season- and home-opener for the program over the past 13 seasons.
Shoes to Fill
The Tommies have scoring production to replace as two of its top three scorers are no longer on the roster. Summit League Newcomer of the Year Andrew Rohde and 3-point shooter Riley Miller combined for 915 points. Bjorklund ranked second for St. Thomas with 393 points, averaging 15.5 points per game, and led the team in scoring during nine of the last 20 games, as the Tommies went 6-3 in those games. Allen and Blue followed Miller in scoring, as Allen scored 8.8 points per game and Blue added 7.4.
All Business for Bjorklund
Since joining the Tommies off the intramural courts, it's been all business for Parker Bjorklund as he's averaged double-digit scoring in each of his three seasons. He put in 12.6 points per game during the program's first DI season in 2021-22 on 54.4 percent shooting from the field. Bjorklund is averaging 13.9 points per game through his career on 53.2 percent shooting, the only Tommie with a career field goal percentage above .500 (minimum 250 FGA). He ranked second in the Summit League last season shooting 49.5 percent from the field and finished 13 games shooting above 50 percent while taking at least seven shots in all games. His 15.1 points per game ranked 10th in the Summit League and he's currently second among active Summit League student-athletes in career scoring average (13.9 PPG).
Success on Both Sides
The Purple were the only Summit League team to rank among the top three in both scoring offense (74.2) and scoring defense (70.2). St. Thomas joined South Dakota State as the only two teams in the league to rank among the top four in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Keeping the Division III Pipeline
A newcomer to the team in 2023-24 is graduate student guard Raheem Anthony, a transfer from NCAA DIII Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minn. He was a two-time All-American (NABC, D3hoops.com) in 2022-23 after averaging 24.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and shooting 54.5 percent from the field. Anthony started all 78 games played in at Saint Mary's and averaged 19.3 points during three games against St. Thomas during the 2019-20 season. He's scored a career-high 41 points twice and currently has 1,427 career points.
National Signing Day: Going Out of State
The Toms welcomed four signees this week as part of National Signing Day. Committing to join St. Thomas in 2024 are Kyle Counts (F, 6-7, Wilsonville, Ore./Wilsonville HS), Tim Franks (G, 6-5, Mequon, Wis./Homestead HS), Ryan Lafferty (G, 6-5, Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane HS), and Nolan Minessale (G, 6-5, Brookfield, Wis./Marquette University HS).
"We are thrilled to receive commitments from four outstanding seniors, two from Wisconsin and two from the Pacific Northwest," Head Coach Johnny Tauer said. "These four young men come from outstanding families, excel in the classroom and on the court, and are high character individuals who fit the fabric of our program exceptionally well. They will continue to build a strong foundation of Tommie Basketball that is predicated on unselfish, skilled, smart, and tough players who are committed to being the best they can be on and off the court."
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2023-24 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Series History
St. Thomas and North Central have played two times prior, with the Tommies winning both games in St. Paul by an average margin of 50 points. During last season's 111-63 win over the Rams, six Tommies scored in double figures including junior Ryan Dufault with a career-high 19 points, senior Dom Martinelli with a career-high 18 points, junior Ben Nau with a career-high 15 points, sophomore Kendall Blue with 14 points, and senior Courtney Brown, Jr., with 12 points.
Last Time Out
St. Thomas pulled out a gritty win over Idaho State, 54-53, following last-second free throws from Parker Bjorklund. Both teams finished with just one 3-pointer each, marking the first time St. Thomas totaled one 3-pointer since March 19, 2016 at Benedictine and the first time that both teams finished with only one 3-pointer each since Feb. 14, 2011 against Concordia College (Minn.).
The Cast
Bjorklund and Raheem Anthony combined for 40 points, including 26 of the Tommies' 27 second-half points. The duo also combined for 14 of the team's 18 second-half rebounds. Bjorklund led the Tommies with 21 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth career double-double, 10th career game with at least 20 points, and 12th straight game scoring in double figures. Anthony found his stride scoring 19 points, including the team's only 3-pointer, on 7-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds. He also led the Purple shooting 4-of-5 from the free throw line and with three assists.
Back From 2022-23
St. Thomas returns 10 letter winners and one redshirt freshman (Carter Bjerke, F), along with four newcomers. Among the newcomers is one transfer (Raheem Anthony, G) and three freshmen. Leading the pack is graduate student forward Parker Bjorklund who was named Preseason All-Summit League First Team. Fellow graduate student forward Brooks Allen also returns after starting all 33 games last season and playing in all 64 games for St. Thomas since joining NCAA Division I. Kendall Blue and Ahjany Lee come back for their sophomore seasons after Blue played in all 33 games, with 22 starts, and Lee played in 32 with four starts.
The Opposition
Sunday's game is an exhibition for North Central, who enters the contest 0-2 after losses to Augsburg University, 85-79, and Luther College, 66-64. The Rams had a chance to shoot two free throws with 0.5 seconds left in the game and force overtime Saturday against Luther, but missed the first shot. During his first season, Head Coach Jeremy Becker helped the team finish tied for the most wins in the previous 10 seasons (17) which is also the second most all time in the history of the program.
Tune In
Basketball fans can follow Friday's game on the Summit League Network, the official streaming partner of St. Thomas. Fans can also follow the game on ESPN 1500 radio with Corbu Stathes or via Live Stats on tommiesports.com.
Power Five
The 2023-24 season opener was the third game for St. Thomas against a Power Five opponent as the previous two came last season. The Tommies opened the 2022-23 season at No. 9 Creighton (Big East) in front of a crowd of 17,098, holding a 57-56 lead against the Blue Jays with 9:58 to play before ultimately falling. The first Pac-12 opponent for St. Thomas came during a loss at Utah on Nov. 26. The Tommies face another preseason top 10, Power Five opponent this season Dec. 14 at No. 5 Marquette (Big East).
Lucky 13
Head Coach Johnny Tauer is in his 13th season at St. Thomas as the longest tenured head coach among all Summit League programs and among the top 40 in their current role among all DI men's basketball coaches.
Take Care of the Ball
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball and last season was no different. The Tommies ranked tied for 11th nationally for fewest total turnovers (327) after leading the category in 2021-22. The Purple also tied for 12th for fewest turnovers per game (9.9) and tied for 50th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.30). Of the 14 teams with as few or fewer turnovers per game, only four (Iowa, NC State, Oral Roberts, Toledo) finished with a higher scoring offense than St. Thomas' 74.2 points per game. St. Thomas recorded 10 or fewer turnovers in 21 of 33 games last season.
Home Openers
Since taking over as head coach in 2011-12, Tauer is 12-1 in home openers. The only home-opening loss came Nov. 15, 2016 to UW-River Falls, 74-65, which was also the only season- and home-opener for the program over the past 13 seasons.
Shoes to Fill
The Tommies have scoring production to replace as two of its top three scorers are no longer on the roster. Summit League Newcomer of the Year Andrew Rohde and 3-point shooter Riley Miller combined for 915 points. Bjorklund ranked second for St. Thomas with 393 points, averaging 15.5 points per game, and led the team in scoring during nine of the last 20 games, as the Tommies went 6-3 in those games. Allen and Blue followed Miller in scoring, as Allen scored 8.8 points per game and Blue added 7.4.
All Business for Bjorklund
Since joining the Tommies off the intramural courts, it's been all business for Parker Bjorklund as he's averaged double-digit scoring in each of his three seasons. He put in 12.6 points per game during the program's first DI season in 2021-22 on 54.4 percent shooting from the field. Bjorklund is averaging 13.9 points per game through his career on 53.2 percent shooting, the only Tommie with a career field goal percentage above .500 (minimum 250 FGA). He ranked second in the Summit League last season shooting 49.5 percent from the field and finished 13 games shooting above 50 percent while taking at least seven shots in all games. His 15.1 points per game ranked 10th in the Summit League and he's currently second among active Summit League student-athletes in career scoring average (13.9 PPG).
Success on Both Sides
The Purple were the only Summit League team to rank among the top three in both scoring offense (74.2) and scoring defense (70.2). St. Thomas joined South Dakota State as the only two teams in the league to rank among the top four in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Keeping the Division III Pipeline
A newcomer to the team in 2023-24 is graduate student guard Raheem Anthony, a transfer from NCAA DIII Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minn. He was a two-time All-American (NABC, D3hoops.com) in 2022-23 after averaging 24.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and shooting 54.5 percent from the field. Anthony started all 78 games played in at Saint Mary's and averaged 19.3 points during three games against St. Thomas during the 2019-20 season. He's scored a career-high 41 points twice and currently has 1,427 career points.
National Signing Day: Going Out of State
The Toms welcomed four signees this week as part of National Signing Day. Committing to join St. Thomas in 2024 are Kyle Counts (F, 6-7, Wilsonville, Ore./Wilsonville HS), Tim Franks (G, 6-5, Mequon, Wis./Homestead HS), Ryan Lafferty (G, 6-5, Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane HS), and Nolan Minessale (G, 6-5, Brookfield, Wis./Marquette University HS).
"We are thrilled to receive commitments from four outstanding seniors, two from Wisconsin and two from the Pacific Northwest," Head Coach Johnny Tauer said. "These four young men come from outstanding families, excel in the classroom and on the court, and are high character individuals who fit the fabric of our program exceptionally well. They will continue to build a strong foundation of Tommie Basketball that is predicated on unselfish, skilled, smart, and tough players who are committed to being the best they can be on and off the court."
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2023-24 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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