Bulldogs On the Rise With Wieck Under the Helm

Senior Mamadou Ngom defends against a team member from Northern States. Photo by Drew Smith, courtesy of UMD Athletics

The men's basketball team is currently 11-7 and are on pace to earning a better record than last year. This is mostly due to the addition of first year head coach, Justin Wieck.

Weick was a coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead for four seasons before coming to UMD.

“Our guys are playing with a lot of confidence,” Wieck said. “It helps that they are getting older and putting a lot of time into their game.”

It’s very apparent that a lot has changed from the past couple years and the players seem to be buying in to what their coaches are preaching.

“A big difference is just the culture change,” Junior guard Trevor Entwisle said.

Another area the Bulldogs have had success in is the play they have received from Junior forward Brandon Myer.

Myer has already received three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week awards and currently leads the NSIC in reboudnding.

Wieck had very high praise for him and said, “He’s one of the top three to four players in our league. He’s such a key part to our team offensively.”

The Bulldogs are currently sitting at fourth in the North NSIC standings after coming off a big 76-70 win against first place Northern State, handing them their fifth loss of the season.

When the team isn’t on the court, you might find some of them playing NBA 2K. Specifically, Ryan Kaczynski who “puts in a lot of hours” according to his teammate Sean Burns.

The team will look to continue their winning ways at home this weekend with games against Winona State and Upper Iowa. Teams that are both at the bottom in their division.  

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and as always, UMD Students get in for free with a valid ID.