UND Fan

As noted below, Roger is one of two finalists for the NCC Commissioner job. I know Roger - he is really a good guy. I think he would do a great job as commissioner plus I think he is in over his head a bit when it comes to the business end of being the AD at UND. I really don't mean that to be a negative statement about him. I just think it may be good for all parties if he takes that job! Collins and Thomas Named Finalists For NCC Commissioner Posted: 12/2/04 11:27 Tom Collins of Buies Creek, N.C. and Roger Thomas of Grand Forks, N.D. have been named the finalists for the position of commissioner of the North Central Conference. Both candidates will interview for the position before representatives and chief executive officers of the league

It worked very well last Saturday!

What is going on right now at UND is different than in the past. We are finally taking a close look and seriously analyzing the ramifications of moving to DI. There is a sense of urgency in discussions that hasn't been there in the past! We all know the pros and cons of going DI. I believe the cost of DI is the No. 1 challenge. Over and above the actual increase in scholarship $ and travel (which are major), we need to all understand that it is much more expensive to bring kids into Grand Forks on recuriting trips than most anywhere in the country. This is primarily because it is all air travel (which is expensive) - there aren't all that many DI prospects within driving distance, etc. Plus, we usually need to bring in more kids than average because many decide to go elsewhere due to proximity to home, better climate, etc. These comments probably do not apply to FB as much as our other sports. Due to the success of our FB program, kids are more likely to want to be part of the program. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE RESPONSES LIKE "IF NDSU CAN DO IT, WHY CAN'T WE". This discussion has nothing to do with NDSU and whether they can do it or not - let's simply talk about whether UND can pull it off. The questions: If you are currently a Fighting Sioux Club member, would you increase your annual contribution by 25% (or any appreciable amount) to assist with the additional costs? If you are currently not a FSC member, would you join and begin annual contributions to assist with these costs? If you are a UND student, would you agree to higher fees ($50 per semester, for instance) to assist with these costs? Do you think that attendance at UND athletic events can increase enough to assist with these costs? Remember that we might not be overly successful in basketball, etc. Last question, if 3-4 years from now, UND was not doing well in most of the major sports (I personally think we would do very well in FB, be mediocre at best in most others), would you continue to write checks each year at the same or higher amounts (remember that tuition and travel costs, etc. will continue to increase each year)? Please think about these questions and answer them truthfully. All UND posters truly love the Sioux but unless hundreds of fans/boosters like us step up with more $, a successful step up to DI would be very difficult!

That is too bad but she shoudl be able to get a medical redshirt. Fortunately, it happened early in the season. We we have at least four VERY talented freshmen of the team next year!

Thanks for the info. Does Martin have two years of eligibility left? Do you know why he has jumped around? Apparently you have a good handle on what is going on in the Sioux camp so do you know: Are there any other transfers sitting out this year? Is Longe impressing everyone as was mentioned in an earlier post? How are the redshirt freshmen looking? Is Freund the real deal? How is Trenbaeth doing? I had heard that he will play baseball this spring and be ready for FB next fall. Does the team have any commitments yet for next year? Thanks!

I had made the statement that Longe didn't play a lot of RB in HS. Probably a bad assumption on my part. I read the blurb about him when he was recruited to Illinois. It talked about all his defensive abilities and his speed in track, then it mentioned that he ran for 700 yards as a senior. Where did Tatum transfer from?

I seriously doubt that Charles is a guy who "is better than that guy from USD". Charles has decent speed but I don't think they have high hopes for him as a big contributor at RB in the future. I suppose it could be that UND has a commitment from a talented RB transfer who will be here next year. A current player may have known of the commitment. I really would have thought we would have heard about a great RB and talented receiver who had transferred in last fall! Yes, Lueck had to sit out his first year due to issues with the number of transferable credits.

I am quite sure Longe is playing DB. He didn't play a whole lot of RB in HS. He apparently was a very good DB with great speed. He was another very good track athlete. I would be real curious who the RB and WR are. If they transferred from a DI school or JC, they would have been eligible to play this year so I would have thought they would be on the roster - even if they were red-shirting. They probably would not be listed on the roster if they were transfers from another DII school.

That is quite possible - quite stupid, but quite possible!

Someone on the "MinnesotaPreps.com" website stated that Gunhus has made his college decision but didn't say what it is. Does anyone know? He got off to a good start - 37 in his first game. (Pennick scored 10 - he was in foul trouble.) I know UND is trying to get him to walk on - they would likely give him a 1/4 scholarship if he committed.

Thanks for pointing this out - it is not a given that a 1AA recruit will get a free ride. I looked it up and the 63 scholarships can not go to more than 85 players.

Various comments on the Mertens situation: -- It is very difficult for UND to offer many full rides with only 36 total scholarships and 80+ players receiving some aid. -- Mertens is a real talent and it would be great to get him but with two pretty decent sophomore QBs and a redshirt freshman (Freund), who may be the best of the bunch, it probably wouldn't be the best use of our limited $. -- With only full rides available at 1-AA schools (NDSU), I would guess that they will go after Mertens very hard for two reasons: 1) he is very talented and a winner and 2) to set the precedent that the best FB players in the area should go to SU and play DI ball rather than go to UND. If the table was turned and UND was the I-AA team, that is exactly what we would be trying to do. -- I realize in Mertens case, he would likely get some academic scholarship $ but we need to remember that that doesn't apply to most recruits. Getting a full ride is prestigious for a young recruit, but in many cases, necessary if the family has few resources. We are likely to lose many recruits in FB and BB because of this. This may prompt our coaches (like Lennon) to become even less enchanted with staying DII - which means they may not want to stay at UND! -- With Mertens commenting that he hoped his play in the playoffs would result in "a few more schools giving him a call", I would think that would mean that he wants to go DI. -- Clarification to the previous post - if Mertens would redshirt at NDSU as a freshman (and he would), he could take over from Walker as a junior. ****************** Do any of the GF posters have any idea where Chappelle is leaning right now? I don't know if he is the answer, but UND could sure use some help at RB in the next couple of years. I am not sure if any of the redshirt freshmen RBs can contribute next year. Any of you who have seen them practice have any thoughts on this?

FG Glas 9-6

UND 17 GV 14

Although I am glad Brandt made the team, I would guess part of the reason is that he is a ND kid who may bring in a few more fans.

RD17 - Do you have any inside information regarding Michigan Tech's injury situation? Obviously, UND needs to be concerned about beating them no matter what their injury status is. However, I am curious if they will be at full strength.

I attended the final two UND games of the tourney. We looked very good against Henderson. They had a lot of talent but played totally selfish ball. We played good team ball and controlled the game throughout. All of our guys looked good! Last night, we played a bunch of very talented athletes who were well-coached. They were very quick and played great defense. We had a hard time getting our game going offensively due to their quickness. Lindahl and Ryp didn't get a lot of minutes due to foul trouble and the type of game it was. Wells really played well in their absence and Jake played pretty good as well. I think we will have a good season. Watching the players on the floor and on the bench, it appears that everyone gets along well. If we had a 6'6"-6'7" power forward out there with Ryp and Lindahl, we would really be tough. Doyle is going to be a dandy - very talented, very confident! If we stay healthy, it should be a good year. Not sure about winning the conference - Mankato is going to be very tough!

It appears that Ledger is also the "real deal". A tremendous athlete who will contribute right away. I used to play ball against her dad. He was a big, talented guy. I wonder if he has any other younger kids. I am sure they will all be studs or "studesses"!!!

That really great news and I have commenced smiling. Getting Kimbrough is a real coup for the program. The other two recruits are also very talented. The ladies may be filling up the Betty next year!

As previous posts have noted, the men have an offer out to Cory Vernon of Madison. He probably will stay closer to home. I believe an offer is also out to Jeff Probst, a 6'6" forward from Moose Lake, MN. They hope to convince Gunhus to walk on. We have lots of players at the 2 or 3 position. The search for a big man will likely not take place until spring when they know who will be eligible to go DI and who will who need to go DII.

Speaking of Mahmoud, did he ever surface anywhere else? Too bad so many talented athletes end up like him!

Yes, at this point, they do not feel they have a chance at landing a HS big man.

Thanks for the post! Bow is truly a class act!

I am quite sure Wills and Blackwell both got full rides. Yes, they have an offer out to Vernon but they are afraid that he will want to play closer to home. They would also like to land Jeff Probst out of Moose Lake!