University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, December 29
Grand Forks, N.D. / Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
7:00 p.m. Central
at
North Dakota
Photo by: Corina Sandy
Summit League play opens as Tommies face Hawks, Roos
12/28/2023 9:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas travels to UND Friday before hosting UMKC Sunday
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Summit League play begins Dec. 29 and 31 as St. Thomas men's basketball travels to face North Dakota and host Kansas City.
The Tommies (8-5) travel to Grand Forks, N.D., for a 7 p.m. tip-off Friday, Dec. 29 against the Fighting Hawks and return home for a 2 p.m. start time Sunday, Dec. 31 against the Roos. Fans can join the Tommies for the Summit League home opener on Sunday by purchasing tickets HERE.
TUNE IN
Basketball fans can watch Friday's game on CBS Sports Network with play-by-play Alex Heinert and color commentator Brian Butch. The game can be listened to on ESPN 1500 radio, with Corbu Stathes calling the action or via Live Stats on fightinghawks.com.
Fans can watch Sunday's game on the Summit League Network and listen on ESPN 1500 radio with Corbu Stathes calling the action, or via Live Stats on tommiesports.com.
SERIES HISTORY | NORTH DAKOTA
St. Thomas and North Dakota have played 16 times in history, led 9-7 by the Fighting Hawks. Before meeting regularly starting in 2022, the two programs hadn't played since 1962. Parker Bjorklund averaged 18.5 points per game last season against UND, including a 29-point performance during the Summit League opener in St. Paul. Bjorklund has averaged 16.8 points in four games against UND while junior Ryan Dufault scored 11 points Feb. 25, 2023 in Grand Forks, N.D.
THE OPPOSITION | NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota begins Summit League play with an 8-5 overall record after falling in four of its past six games, most recently taking an 83-75 loss at Nebraska on Dec. 20, 2023. The Fighting Hawks are led by Paul Sather in his fifth season at the helm, garnering a record of 51-85 with UND.
Leading UND is reigning Summit League Peak Performer of the Week and sophomore forward B.J. Omot, who is coming off a 21-point and 8-rebound performance at Nebraska. He leads the team with 16.5 points per game and ranks fifth in the Summit League. Sophomore guard Treysen Eaglestaff averages 15.3 points per game and leads the league with 2.8 3-point field goals per game. Junior forward Amar Kuljuhovic is third in the Summit with 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Hawks are the only team to rank among the top four in the Summit League in scoring offense (4th/75.2) and defense (2nd/69.5), while St. Thomas is the only team allowing fewer points per game. UND allows the league's best 3-point shooting defense at 30.2 percent, followed closely by St. Thomas allowing 31.7 percent from 3-point range.
SERIES HISTORY | KANSAS CITY
St. Thomas and Kansas City's series history began with the Toms' transition to NCAA Division I, playing four times over the past two seasons. UMKC won the first three games of the series while St. Thomas won the most recent, 73-43, on Feb. 11, 2023 in St. Paul. The 43 points allowed is the fewest for St. Thomas since holding Macalaster to 35 points on Dec. 4, 2019. Bjorklund has averaged 14.0 points per game against Kansas City, shooting 52.5 percent overall, including 26 points during the first ever meeting between St. Thomas and Kansas City.
THE OPPOSITION | KANSAS CITY
Kansas City enters conference play with a 5-8 overall record, including a 1-5 mark in road games, while dropping three of its last five games. The Roos open Summit League play Dec. 29 at home against 2022-23 Summit League Champions Oral Roberts. UMKC is led by second-year head coach Marvin Menzies who holds a record of 16-29 with the Roos.
Junior guard Jamar Brown paces the Roos and ranks 10th in the Summit League with 14.0 points per game, followed by graduate student guard Anderson Kopp with 13.1 points per game. Brown is second in the Summit League with 2.62 offensive rebounds per game while junior guard Cameron Faas leads shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range and is second with 2.7 3-point field goals per game.
The Roos rank last in the Summit League with 71.0 points per game and are fourth allowing 70.0 points per game. UMKC's defense is powered by 12.6 turnovers forced per game, which is second in the league, while it crashes the glass offensively with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game to rank second in the league and 34th in the country.
LAST TIME OUT | UW-RIVER FALLS
St. Thomas closed out its non-Division I opponents with a 104-51 win over UW-River Falls and set a season high in points, converting on 41-of-72 field goals (56.9 percent), shooting 14-of-28 (50 percent) from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) from the charity stripe. It is the Purple's largest victory since Dec. 14, 2021, a 59-point win over Northland College. The 51 points scored by River Falls is tied for the lowest number of points scored against the Tommies this season, with the Toms defense holding Western Michigan to 51 points in a contest earlier this year.
THE CAST | VS UW-RIVER FALLS
Five Toms scored in double figures, led by sophomore Ahjany Lee with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Junior Ryan Dufault recorded 13 points going 6-of-8 from the field, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out a team-high seven assists. The trio of Brooks Allen, Parker Bjorklund, and Carter Bjerke all scored 11 points apiece for the Tommies shooting a combined 12-of-20 from the floor, including an efficient 8-of-12 from downtown in the victory.
HOME COOKING
The Tommies have embraced playing in front of the hometown crowd, going 18-2 over its last 20 games at Schoenecker Arena. St. Thomas closed out the 2021-22 season with a home win and went 12-2 last season, including a 10-game home winning streak, before opening the 2023-24 season with five straight non-conference wins.
The only two home losses last season came Jan. 28 to South Dakota and Feb. 9 to Oral Roberts. Over the final five home games, St. Thomas averaged an attendance of 1,707 per game, including a record crowd of 2,013 against Oral Roberts, and set the top five attendance marks during the DI era.
POWER SIX
St. Thomas played two games against Power Six opponents this season, a 71-66 season-opening loss Nov. 6 at Cal and an 84-79 loss Dec. 14 at No. 7 Marquette. The 71 points scored against the Tommies is the Golden Bears' third lowest offensive output of their season. Marquette allowed its most points (79) to St. Thomas while the margin of victory (5) was the second smallest for MU this season.
The meeting against Marquette was the second game against a Top 10 Big East opponent in as many years for St. Thomas after opening the 2022-23 campaign at No. 9 Creighton. The Tommies overcame a double-digit deficit to lead in the second half against the Bluejays and nearly overcame a double-digit deficit to the Golden Eagles, pulling within one point multiple times against MU.
The Tommies have now played four Power Six opponents over the past two seasons, adding a loss Nov. 26, 2022 at Utah for its first ever game against a Pac-12 opponent.
NOTHING BUT NET
When the NCAA's first NET Rankings were released on Dec. 4, St. Thomas was slotted at 175 and currently ranks 175, second in the Summit League behind Denver (146), through games on Dec. 27. The Tommies entered its matchup at No. 7 Marquette ranked 185 and jumped 20 spots to 165 following a five-point loss to the Golden Eagles. North Dakota ranks 247 in the NET Rankings, sixth among Summit League programs.
I'M JUST KEN (POM RANKINGS)
The Tommies saw a more impressive ascent in the Ken Pom Rankings following the game at Marquette. The Purple entered Milwaukee, Wis., ranked 218 in the Ken Pom Rankings before moving up to 185 after the loss. St. Thomas, currently ranked 191, is third among Summit League programs in the Ken Pom Rankings, slotting in behind South Dakota State (160) and Oral Roberts (175). North Dakota is also sixth in the rankings among Summit League teams at 252.
Of 363 NCAA Division I programs, St. Thomas ranks 356 in adjusted tempo with 63.6 possessions per 40 minutes. The Tommies are 177 with an adjusted offensive efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions) of 104.2 and 214 with an adjusted defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 106.1.
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 and leads the team this season with 14.2 points per game. 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 52.9 percent shooting, one of two Tommies (Raheem Anthony, 51.7%) with a career field goal percentage above .500 (minimum 250 FGA).
He currently ranks second in the Summit League shooting 50.3 percent from the field and finished 13 games last season shooting above 50 percent while taking at least seven shots in all but one game. His 15.1 points per game ranked 10th in the Summit League in 2022-23 and he's currently fourth among active Summit League student-athletes (min. 30 games) in career scoring average (14.0 PPG).
Bjorklund currently sits at 959 career points in 69 career games and has 389 career rebounds, five shy of Anders Nelson for 32nd all-time at St. Thomas.
THE 1,500 POINT CLUB
Newcomer Raheem Anthony, a transfer from NCAA DIII Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minn., eclipsed 1,500 career points Dec. 6, 2023 during a 75-71 win over Milwaukee. 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.
St. Thomas has five members of the 1,500-point club, all besides Anthony scored the entirety of their points in the Purple and Gray. Anthony is the first Tommie to reach the 1,500 mark since Karnell James (1993-97) who finished his career with 1,854. Six Tommies have transferred into the program and ended their careers with at least 1,000 points. Anthony's also at 674 career rebounds, including 620 at Saint Mary's, which ranks 12th at St. Thomas.
Anthony is second on the Tommies with 9.8 points per game and leads with 3.0 assists per game, with at least three assists in eight games this season and an eight-assist performance Dec. 10 in a win at Chicago State. He scored a season-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting to push him over the 1,500 point mark against Milwaukee.
THE MAKEUP OF THE TOMMIE ROSTER
The heart of the St. Thomas men's basketball program is comprised from Minnesota natives, including 10 of 15 student-athletes, Head Coach Johnny Tauer and Assistant Coach Cameron Rundles. Four of the remaining five student-athletes hail from Illinois while one is from Wisconsin.
The squad has nine guards and six forwards with an average height of 6-foot-4-inches, which ranks tied for 223rd in the nation among tallest teams. The Purple have three graduate students, four seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, one redshirt freshman, and three true freshmen.
JOINING ELITE COMPANY
Johnny Tauer became one of five active head coaches among all of NCAA to reach 250 career wins with a .740 winning percentage, all with one program, after the Nov. 19 win over Portland State.
The Tommies (8-5) travel to Grand Forks, N.D., for a 7 p.m. tip-off Friday, Dec. 29 against the Fighting Hawks and return home for a 2 p.m. start time Sunday, Dec. 31 against the Roos. Fans can join the Tommies for the Summit League home opener on Sunday by purchasing tickets HERE.
TUNE IN
Basketball fans can watch Friday's game on CBS Sports Network with play-by-play Alex Heinert and color commentator Brian Butch. The game can be listened to on ESPN 1500 radio, with Corbu Stathes calling the action or via Live Stats on fightinghawks.com.
Fans can watch Sunday's game on the Summit League Network and listen on ESPN 1500 radio with Corbu Stathes calling the action, or via Live Stats on tommiesports.com.
SERIES HISTORY | NORTH DAKOTA
St. Thomas and North Dakota have played 16 times in history, led 9-7 by the Fighting Hawks. Before meeting regularly starting in 2022, the two programs hadn't played since 1962. Parker Bjorklund averaged 18.5 points per game last season against UND, including a 29-point performance during the Summit League opener in St. Paul. Bjorklund has averaged 16.8 points in four games against UND while junior Ryan Dufault scored 11 points Feb. 25, 2023 in Grand Forks, N.D.
THE OPPOSITION | NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota begins Summit League play with an 8-5 overall record after falling in four of its past six games, most recently taking an 83-75 loss at Nebraska on Dec. 20, 2023. The Fighting Hawks are led by Paul Sather in his fifth season at the helm, garnering a record of 51-85 with UND.
Leading UND is reigning Summit League Peak Performer of the Week and sophomore forward B.J. Omot, who is coming off a 21-point and 8-rebound performance at Nebraska. He leads the team with 16.5 points per game and ranks fifth in the Summit League. Sophomore guard Treysen Eaglestaff averages 15.3 points per game and leads the league with 2.8 3-point field goals per game. Junior forward Amar Kuljuhovic is third in the Summit with 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Hawks are the only team to rank among the top four in the Summit League in scoring offense (4th/75.2) and defense (2nd/69.5), while St. Thomas is the only team allowing fewer points per game. UND allows the league's best 3-point shooting defense at 30.2 percent, followed closely by St. Thomas allowing 31.7 percent from 3-point range.
SERIES HISTORY | KANSAS CITY
St. Thomas and Kansas City's series history began with the Toms' transition to NCAA Division I, playing four times over the past two seasons. UMKC won the first three games of the series while St. Thomas won the most recent, 73-43, on Feb. 11, 2023 in St. Paul. The 43 points allowed is the fewest for St. Thomas since holding Macalaster to 35 points on Dec. 4, 2019. Bjorklund has averaged 14.0 points per game against Kansas City, shooting 52.5 percent overall, including 26 points during the first ever meeting between St. Thomas and Kansas City.
THE OPPOSITION | KANSAS CITY
Kansas City enters conference play with a 5-8 overall record, including a 1-5 mark in road games, while dropping three of its last five games. The Roos open Summit League play Dec. 29 at home against 2022-23 Summit League Champions Oral Roberts. UMKC is led by second-year head coach Marvin Menzies who holds a record of 16-29 with the Roos.
Junior guard Jamar Brown paces the Roos and ranks 10th in the Summit League with 14.0 points per game, followed by graduate student guard Anderson Kopp with 13.1 points per game. Brown is second in the Summit League with 2.62 offensive rebounds per game while junior guard Cameron Faas leads shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range and is second with 2.7 3-point field goals per game.
The Roos rank last in the Summit League with 71.0 points per game and are fourth allowing 70.0 points per game. UMKC's defense is powered by 12.6 turnovers forced per game, which is second in the league, while it crashes the glass offensively with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game to rank second in the league and 34th in the country.
LAST TIME OUT | UW-RIVER FALLS
St. Thomas closed out its non-Division I opponents with a 104-51 win over UW-River Falls and set a season high in points, converting on 41-of-72 field goals (56.9 percent), shooting 14-of-28 (50 percent) from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) from the charity stripe. It is the Purple's largest victory since Dec. 14, 2021, a 59-point win over Northland College. The 51 points scored by River Falls is tied for the lowest number of points scored against the Tommies this season, with the Toms defense holding Western Michigan to 51 points in a contest earlier this year.
THE CAST | VS UW-RIVER FALLS
Five Toms scored in double figures, led by sophomore Ahjany Lee with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Junior Ryan Dufault recorded 13 points going 6-of-8 from the field, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out a team-high seven assists. The trio of Brooks Allen, Parker Bjorklund, and Carter Bjerke all scored 11 points apiece for the Tommies shooting a combined 12-of-20 from the floor, including an efficient 8-of-12 from downtown in the victory.
HOME COOKING
The Tommies have embraced playing in front of the hometown crowd, going 18-2 over its last 20 games at Schoenecker Arena. St. Thomas closed out the 2021-22 season with a home win and went 12-2 last season, including a 10-game home winning streak, before opening the 2023-24 season with five straight non-conference wins.
The only two home losses last season came Jan. 28 to South Dakota and Feb. 9 to Oral Roberts. Over the final five home games, St. Thomas averaged an attendance of 1,707 per game, including a record crowd of 2,013 against Oral Roberts, and set the top five attendance marks during the DI era.
POWER SIX
St. Thomas played two games against Power Six opponents this season, a 71-66 season-opening loss Nov. 6 at Cal and an 84-79 loss Dec. 14 at No. 7 Marquette. The 71 points scored against the Tommies is the Golden Bears' third lowest offensive output of their season. Marquette allowed its most points (79) to St. Thomas while the margin of victory (5) was the second smallest for MU this season.
The meeting against Marquette was the second game against a Top 10 Big East opponent in as many years for St. Thomas after opening the 2022-23 campaign at No. 9 Creighton. The Tommies overcame a double-digit deficit to lead in the second half against the Bluejays and nearly overcame a double-digit deficit to the Golden Eagles, pulling within one point multiple times against MU.
The Tommies have now played four Power Six opponents over the past two seasons, adding a loss Nov. 26, 2022 at Utah for its first ever game against a Pac-12 opponent.
NOTHING BUT NET
When the NCAA's first NET Rankings were released on Dec. 4, St. Thomas was slotted at 175 and currently ranks 175, second in the Summit League behind Denver (146), through games on Dec. 27. The Tommies entered its matchup at No. 7 Marquette ranked 185 and jumped 20 spots to 165 following a five-point loss to the Golden Eagles. North Dakota ranks 247 in the NET Rankings, sixth among Summit League programs.
I'M JUST KEN (POM RANKINGS)
The Tommies saw a more impressive ascent in the Ken Pom Rankings following the game at Marquette. The Purple entered Milwaukee, Wis., ranked 218 in the Ken Pom Rankings before moving up to 185 after the loss. St. Thomas, currently ranked 191, is third among Summit League programs in the Ken Pom Rankings, slotting in behind South Dakota State (160) and Oral Roberts (175). North Dakota is also sixth in the rankings among Summit League teams at 252.
Of 363 NCAA Division I programs, St. Thomas ranks 356 in adjusted tempo with 63.6 possessions per 40 minutes. The Tommies are 177 with an adjusted offensive efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions) of 104.2 and 214 with an adjusted defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 106.1.
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 and leads the team this season with 14.2 points per game. 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 52.9 percent shooting, one of two Tommies (Raheem Anthony, 51.7%) with a career field goal percentage above .500 (minimum 250 FGA).
He currently ranks second in the Summit League shooting 50.3 percent from the field and finished 13 games last season shooting above 50 percent while taking at least seven shots in all but one game. His 15.1 points per game ranked 10th in the Summit League in 2022-23 and he's currently fourth among active Summit League student-athletes (min. 30 games) in career scoring average (14.0 PPG).
Bjorklund currently sits at 959 career points in 69 career games and has 389 career rebounds, five shy of Anders Nelson for 32nd all-time at St. Thomas.
THE 1,500 POINT CLUB
Newcomer Raheem Anthony, a transfer from NCAA DIII Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minn., eclipsed 1,500 career points Dec. 6, 2023 during a 75-71 win over Milwaukee. 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.
St. Thomas has five members of the 1,500-point club, all besides Anthony scored the entirety of their points in the Purple and Gray. Anthony is the first Tommie to reach the 1,500 mark since Karnell James (1993-97) who finished his career with 1,854. Six Tommies have transferred into the program and ended their careers with at least 1,000 points. Anthony's also at 674 career rebounds, including 620 at Saint Mary's, which ranks 12th at St. Thomas.
Anthony is second on the Tommies with 9.8 points per game and leads with 3.0 assists per game, with at least three assists in eight games this season and an eight-assist performance Dec. 10 in a win at Chicago State. He scored a season-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting to push him over the 1,500 point mark against Milwaukee.
THE MAKEUP OF THE TOMMIE ROSTER
The heart of the St. Thomas men's basketball program is comprised from Minnesota natives, including 10 of 15 student-athletes, Head Coach Johnny Tauer and Assistant Coach Cameron Rundles. Four of the remaining five student-athletes hail from Illinois while one is from Wisconsin.
The squad has nine guards and six forwards with an average height of 6-foot-4-inches, which ranks tied for 223rd in the nation among tallest teams. The Purple have three graduate students, four seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, one redshirt freshman, and three true freshmen.
JOINING ELITE COMPANY
Johnny Tauer became one of five active head coaches among all of NCAA to reach 250 career wins with a .740 winning percentage, all with one program, after the Nov. 19 win over Portland State.
| Head Coach | School | Wins | Pct. |
| Mark Few | Gonzaga | 697 | .835 |
| Jeff Young | Walsh | 442 | .756 |
| Joe Lombardi | Indiana (PA) | 407 | .786 |
| Ben McCollum | Northwest Mo. State | 373 | .807 |
| Johnny Tauer | St. Thomas | 255 | .741 |
Tauer is also one of 11 active head coaches to reach 250 career wins with a .740 winning percentage at any program.
Since taking over as head coach in 2011, Tauer has averaged 20.5 wins per season heading into 2023-24. He is the fastest to reach 250 career wins in program history, joining Steve Fritz (594-246) and Tom Feely (417-269). Tauer was a senior with Tommie Basketball when Fritz reached the 250-milestone in 1995 and Fritz was a senior for the program when Feely reached the milestone in 1970-71.
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 50 in their current role among all DI men's basketball coaches. He leads league head coaches with a .741 winning percentage and is third in career wins (255).
| 2023-24 Summit League Head Coaches | |||
| Head Coach | School | Wins | Pct. |
| Johnny Tauer | St. Thomas | 255 | .741 |
| Eric Henderson | South Dakota State | 93 | .689 |
| David Richman | North Dakota State | 182 | .603 |
| Paul Sather | North Dakota | 333 | .585 |
| Marvin Menzies | Kansas City | 262 | .582 |
| Russell Springmann | Oral Roberts | 5 | .455 |
| Jeff Wulbrun | Denver | 34 | .442 |
| Eric Peterson | South Dakota | 19 | .432 |
| Chris Crutchfield | Omaha | 25 | .391 |
Tauer's winning percentage of .741 ranks 13th among active head coaches across all of NCAA with at least 10 years of experience. The only head coaches at their current NCAA DI programs for at least 10 seasons with a higher winning percentage than Tauer are John Calipari (Kentucky), Mark Few (Gonzaga), and Bill Self (Kansas).
DOCTOR, DOCTOR
An NCAA Postgraduate Scholar and Academic All-America honoree, Head Coach Johnny Tauer earned master's and PhD degrees in social psychology at UW-Madison. He returned to St. Thomas as a member of the faculty in 2000 before being promoted to full professor in 2011. Tauer taught for 21 years at St. Thomas and is one of the only head college basketball coaches in the nation to be a tenured faculty member and to hold a doctorate in sport-related psychology. He has published academic work on motivation, goal setting and competition in top academic journals, in addition to a book on youth sports, parents and motivation titled "Why Less is More for WOSPs (Well-Intentioned, Overinvolved Sports Parents); How to Be the Best Sport Parent You Can Be."
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Head Coach Johnny Tauer's excellence within the Tommie Men's Basketball program dates back to his days as an Academic All-American that led to his induction to the St. Thomas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. As a student-athlete from 1991-95, Tauer was an All-MIAC player, first team All-West Region, and as a senior led the 1994-95 Toms to a school-record 27-0 start, including an MIAC Championship with an unprecedented 20-0 record. He helped the Toms to NCAA DIII Tournament berths in 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95, including a run to the Final Four in 1993-94. Tauer ranks 24th in career scoring (1,219 points) and 22nd in career rebounding (482) at St. Thomas and was the school 3-point leader until 1999-2000.
After earning master's and PhD degrees at Wisconsin, Tauer joined the Tommie Men's Basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach and ran the St. Thomas defense for two seasons (2001-03) and also directed the Tommies' offensive sets that had consistently ranked among the best in NCAA basketball in overall offensive efficiency, field-goal percentage, 3-point proficiency, fewest turnovers, and assist-to-turnover ratio. With Tauer serving as an assistant, the Toms won the 2010-11 DIII National Championship title, made a run to the 2008-09 Final Four, and totaled seven DIII National Tournament runs.
With the retirement of longtime head coach Steve Fritz in 2011, Tauer took over the program and continued its storied tradition with another national title in 2015-16, a Final Four run in 2012-13, and five DIII National Tournament appearances.
As a student-athlete, assistant coach, and head coach at St. Thomas, Tauer has helped the Tommies to 587 wins in 28 seasons, averaging out to over 20 wins per season. He's been part of 19 conference titles, 15 national tournament appearances, three Final Fours, and two national championships.
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 69 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.
TAKE CARE OF THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball and this season is no different. The Tommies currently rank tied for 29th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.9) after ranking tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) last season and leading the category in 2021-22. Of the 14 teams with as few or fewer turnovers per game last season, only four (Iowa, NC State, Oral Roberts, Toledo) finished with a higher scoring offense than St. Thomas' 74.2 points per game.
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) last season. 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. This season, St. Thomas ranks tied for 17th nationally with 62.5 points allowed per game.
A FRESHMAN FEAT
Redshirt freshman Carter Bjerke scored 14 points Nov. 12 against North Central, setting a career high. In doing so, he became the eighth freshman under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with a 14+ point performance within his first three career games.
2022-23
Kendall Blue: 15 pts vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (3rd career game)
Ahjany Lee: 14 pts vs. Chicago State (2nd career game)
Andrew Rohde: 15 pts vs. Creighton (1st career game)
2020-21
Parker Bjorklund: 15 pts vs. Concordia College (Minn.) (2nd career game)
2019-20
Will Engels: 15 pts vs. Whitman (1st career game)
2018-19
Anders Nelson: 24 pts vs. Emerson (2nd career game)
2017-18
Burt Hedstrom: 15 pts vs. St. Scholastica (3rd career game)
PREP CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
Five of the Tommies' 15 student-athletes have reached the ultimate pinnacle of their high school prep careers, winning state titles, while COVID brought another imminent title run to a halt. Three others also led their programs to Minnesota State Tournament appearances in Kendall Blue (2018-22) and Courtney Brown, Jr., (2015-19) at East Ridge High School and Adam Tauer (2019-23) at Cretin-Derham Hall.
Carter Bjerke - Wayzata HS
- 2020-21 Class AAAA MSHSL State Championship - 2021-22 Runner-Ups
Drake Dobbs - Eden Prairie HS
- 2019-20 28-0 and #10 in the nation (COVID shortened season)
Ryan Dufault - Waseca HS
- 2020-21 Class AA MSHSL State Championship - Game-winner with 3 seconds left
Ben Nau - Brookfield Central HS
- 2018-19 WIAA Division I State Championship
Hayden Tibbits - Wayzata HS
- 2020-21/2022-23 Class AAAA MSHSL State Championship - 2021-22 Runner-Ups
Ahjany Lee - Totino-Grace HS
- 2021-22 Class AAA MSHSL State Championship
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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