bincitysioux

I have wondered the same thing about Joseph. He saw very little playing time during UND's little run to end the season. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he were not back for next year.

Sioux have plan in place

I think it would be wise to find someone else to punt. Not that I question Hellevang's ability to do both, I just don't like the idea of one guy doing both. Besides exposing the kicker to more snaps and therefore the potential for injury, I'd think that taking up punting again when he hasn't done it regularily could throw off his mechanics for place-kicking.

I agree. Forgive me if I missed it, but was there a timeline ever mentioned for when a new A.D. would be named, and when he would start his duties?

Has Rob Bollinger applied for the position? I have not heard that. I don't know anything more or less about Bollinger than I do about the other canditates, other than the fact that the UND coaches and the UND/GF community know and respect him. And that he is known to be a great fundraiser. Aside from being noted for being able to raise funds at a DII university in North Dakota and a DII university in Minnesota, what are his other administrative qualifications that could be found on his resume, if he decided to to present it? It sounds like he has great relationships and connections with the community, alumni, former players, potential donors, etc. That would be a great asset to have right now, for sure. But what relationships, connections, or contacts does he have with other coaches, athletic directors, or administrators of other schools that we'll be needing to forge quick relationships with in DI. What conference officials does he have the ear of while we search for a home for all sports? Basicaly, what relationships or skills does he have to help make this transition go as smoothly as possible? I ask these questions because I don't know, and I'm sure some here do. I would not necessarily be against Bollinger being the next a.d., nor am I ready to endorse him. But I do know that for those who want him mainly because he has great relationships with the coaches and community, should remember that he did not originally come to UND with them in place. As everyone else he built them over time. Who's to say one of the candidates who have actually applied for the position could not do the same over time?

The Sioux and Yotes will play twice next season.

I heard NDSU coach Saul Phillips mention on the Dan Hammer show today that the Bison will be playing in a tourney at Drake next season. In January, Coach Jones was on Hammers show and said that UND will be playing in a tournament at Drake next year. Drake normally hosts two tournaments in November and/or December, so I don't know if they'll participate in the same one or not. Just something to ponder.

Interesting timing, considering that the radio broadcast rights for both UND and NDSU are up this summer. I wonder if Hennen's new station could be another candidate. If he does add him to the list of Clear Channel, Leighton, Radio Fargo-Moorhead, and Forum Communications all as possibilities for wanting to acquire the rights to one of the two schools. Personally, I think there is a good chance that Ingstad's Radio Fargo-Moorhead will become the new flagship for NDSU soon.

I also don't think next to the Alerus would be the right location since this is a facility that would be used nearly everyday by hundreds of student-athletes and several athletic departments. However I do think that UND should make a long term commitment to keep football in the Alerus.

Here's a link to the video for the story.

What was the average attendance for the games of the Class B boys tourney this year, and what was the attendance for the championship game?

As always, thanks for your great insight BisonBacker.

It was a bit of a roller coaster season for the men's team this past season. We had some optimism in December, we were praying for mercy in January and Februray, then we nearly pulled off a near miracle to end the season including upset wins over two ranked opponents. Although I admit I was questioning the direction of this program during the middle of the conference season, I feel comfort knowing that Coach Jones had this team playing it's best basketball at the end of the season. That was the opposite from 2006-07, when the Sioux were competetive virtually all season long (suffering several close losses), then fell off the face of the earth and got blown out the last 3-4 games. Obviously there will be huge holes to fill next year with the loss of our top 2 scorers Emmanuel Little and Earvin Youmens. But I see Bledsoe stepping his game up and O.J. Harrison taking on a huge role next season. Add a productive post player and this could have been an entirely different team. With the move to DI commencing next season, no post-season to shoot for, and no conference race to be a part of, we must reconsider what we should expect from this team in 2008-09. I'm sure Coach Jones, his staff, and players already have highlighted their goals for next year, but we should discuss what this squad should set its sights on next season, and for the following seasons throughout the transition, for that matter. Here is what I would like to see this team accomplish next year: 20 Wins: We went from 11 to 15 wins in the last two years. The first season of our reclassification will most likely have one of the weakest schedules we've seen in years. Possibly littered with even more NAIA and DIII schools than the high number we've seen in the past few years. 20 wins should be very realistic if improvement continues. Win against the other transitionals/independents: We don't have a conference, but we will be playing home-and-homes against fellow DI newbies South Dakota, Seattle, and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. All three have been known to be good basketball programs in DII. I want an above .500 record against those three teams. We will probably play some of the other indy's out there, and I expect us to beat them more than we lose to them. Beat an established DI on their court: It sounds like we won't have many games against DI teams in our first year, but we need to take advantage of the ones we do. I'm not saying beat Kansas or UCLA, but we should be competetive against a handful of Horizon, Summit, or Big Sky schools if we get the chance to play some of them. Beat South Dakota: I hate the Coyotes. Let's sweep them. What are other goals that this team should shoot for? Am I too optimistic, or not enough? I know we've had some down years recently, but UND has traditionally been one of the top two basketball programs in the history of the NCC, so I expect alot, even when the program is not meeting its own standards.

A strong finish

Sioux begin new chapter

It won't be real pretty. There will be home and away games against South Dakota, Seattle, and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. They are playing in tournaments at Iowa St., and at Drake. They are trying to get games with several Horizon and Summit schools. I'd look for probably all of the DAC schools (at least the North Dakota ones) to be on the home schedule. Probably Crookston and Mary, too. South Dakota will definately be the highlight of the home schedule. I wonder if Concordia may come up to GF for a game next year?

Hammersmith, I think I asked you to clarify this before, but I can't remember. Would UND and USD be eligible for the WNIT in 2008-09? Not that they could put together a schedule good enough and have enough success in their first season, but could they even be eligible next season?

Damn, she was my favorite. I wonder if it is an indication that she will be getting the offer from Eastern Illinois?

Thanks for the info! How come UND guys are participating in Fargo this year? UND has always had a pro day as well.

Bison06, just in case you are not familiar with some of the names that others have thrown out, here is some more info on a few of the notable Canadians to play at UND: Dave Fennell: CFL Hall of Famer, 6 time Grey Cup winner, 1978 CFL Defensive Outstanding Player Scott Schultz: Played in NFL for Steelers and Chargers, #1 overall pick in CFL draft, CFL All-Star Greg Lotysz: Played for the NY Jets before suffering life-altering knee injury Milson Jones: 9 year CFL career, Most Outstanding Canadian in 1987 Grey Cup, won two Grey Cups Mike Juhasz: One of UND's most prolific wide receivers, 14th overall selection in CFL Draft Donovan Alexander: One of UND's best DB's ever, 23rd overall selection in last year's CFL Draft

This article makes it sound as if it was UND's choice to go back to Vermillion again this year. USD football schedule builds slowly Damn, we're nice guys up here!

[url=http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=70310&section=Sports]UND

People from South Dakota are funny. UND women show lack of class in loss

I have seen some internet posts indicating that UND will be at Northwestern St (Southland Conference), in September of '09.