USTBench
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Posts posted by USTBench
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5 hours ago, Bison Dan said:
Maybe you should wonder about und fans supporting a FB team in a watered down FCS? 18 of the playoff teams are terrible. So if your fans love beating up on UST and Murry State of the world you'll get your wish.
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17 hours ago, SiouxFan100 said:
How nil money per year does st Thomas have for basketball?
I had heard they had a $700K roster last year. Who knows if that's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.
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5 hours ago, EternalOptimist said:
What is different about St Thomas? They don't have anyone listed in the portal on verbal commits. Is it the NIL $ or player/coach relationship, or a combination?
UST flagshipped basketball and left football in the doldrums of the non-scholarship Pioneer League, so the circumstances are a bit different. They have gone all-in on their hoops NIL so they might be able to retain some more talent. There's also a few other things working in their favor from a facilities and location standpoint. That said, they're not immune either. Andrew Rohde and Kendell Blue both defected after good seasons.
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On 3/10/2026 at 4:06 PM, F'n Hawks said:
Received this email as well.
I tried to remain from being bitchy, but I offered some clear and thoughtful opinions when filling out this survey. Here’s a quick summary of my thoughts:
I talked about the intro needing some serious work. Would be cool to have something of our own and something people look forward to and actually hype up the stadium pregame. As much as I hate NDSU, what they have with Thunderstrck is cool, Montana State has a cool intro too. Whether it’s showing the tunnel walk, having a dedicated song of our own, (Believe it used to be Welcome to the Jungle in the late Mussman early Bubba days. Although it is kind of USA hockeys song, Free Bird makes a lot of sense.) etc…
Not sure what they are able to do about this; but would be nice since it is home of UND football to have some more stuff around the building showing the history and making it more filled with UND stuff.
They brought up our opinion on the sound system, I feel like every year there are times where there are issues with that and I pointed that out. I know last year there was amost a whole quarter where the other side couldn’t hear anything. Also feel like sometimes it takes them some time into the game to get the correct volume levels.
Probably not doable or realistic, but would be cool to have some concessions/drinks promotions for games. Something like half off beers before kick off would be nice.
Got to make the entrance or post tuddy celebraish the "Freebird" solo. It would be so electric. Who cares if it's the USA's hockey song? UND's hockey team copies just about everything the Blackhawks do, and nobody cares.
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A Misdemeanor for joshing around with a fire extinguisher in the dorms. Not the crime of the century. Pled immediately. Some restitution for replacing it and cleaning up the damage. Deferred imposition of sentence, so if he stays out of trouble for 6 months it'll be dismissed, assuming he does everything he's supposed to do.
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1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said:
Getting kicked out of the MIAC was the best thing that ever happened to UST. And I think your FB program will eventually land in the MVFC.
That'd be nice, but it sounds like AD Phil Esten and the powers that be don't have much stomach for scholarship football, but if there is a path it will require some major facility upgrades. When UST's unsolicited offer to buy the Town & Country Club for an athletic village for $60 million was rejected they decided to buy the old Ford Motor plant site in Highland Park about 2 miles south of campus, where they'll move baseball and softball, but Minnesota and their endless bureaucratic nonsense will have that project stalled for awhile with environmental impact studies and whiney neighbors.
Softball shares space with soccer and baseball takes up a ton of surface area on the NW side of campus just north of the football stadium. I don't know what, if anything, they have that space earmarked for, but if they could get a proper indoor facility for track/football/soccer and make some serious upgrades for spectators at the football stadium it might be MVFC worthy. Of course, having dumpy facilities never stopped Western Illinois, Indiana State, and Murray State from being part of the MVFC, so who knows. I just think if UST is going to make that type of move it will be to compete for a conference title, and there's challenges to being landlocked with unfriendly neighbors (sharing a stadium with track & field, no space to build out the stadium or revamp it, etc.). The other major issue is getting folks on board to fund scholarship football when they've clearly decided to flagship basketball and hockey, which is a little shortsighted as I think football is the hood ornament of just about every major school in the Midwest and it raises your profile in ways that hockey just can't. That said, drawing 7,000 to 8,000 fans a game would be optimistic, even with upgrades to the stadium, especially if game times overlap with the Gophers. What UST is missing is a rival like SJU to push them into an arms race, and you're just not going to get that in the Pioneer League, because Drake/Butler/Valpo just don't care enough about football.
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Speaking of the NSIC and ND kids, what's everyone's take on Carson Yale from Minot State? He didn't look like a D1 kid his senior year at Des Lacs - Burlington, but it's clear that kid has been working his ass off in the weight room, and is averaging 9ppg/5rb as a redshirt freshman. 6'9", can stretch the floor and shoot the 3 a bit (36%), and isn't passive at the cup - dunks hard in traffic. If he hits the portal, do we think he can play in the Summit?
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2 minutes ago, Hawkster said:
Maybe it's time to follow St. Cloud and substitute hockey for football.
I don't suspect I'll be doing any such thing. Lol
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23 hours ago, Hawkster said:I can't say that Long Island U and St. Thomas are exactly marque attractions. I know, I know, let's get some wins, but I'm not a fan of this type of scheduling.
I'll be there! 😆
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On 2/14/2026 at 10:38 AM, SIOUXFAN97 said:
what infractions did st thomas do in the miac to get kicked out?
Nothing really, but we were about as sportsmanlike with St. Olaf as NDSU was with us. 😆 That, and winning 2/3 of the team titles in an 11/12 team league, it was pretty clear it was time to go. I was upset at the time, but having a few years to reflect on it, I get why the MIAC did what they did. The mission of our athletic department was incompatible with the rest of the conference. That said, it's sad UST has left the football program out in the cold while they pour money into everything else.
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UND has the infrastructure in place and there is no excuse to not compete for a national title this year. The Bison leaving for assumed "greener pastures" was inevitable, and the right move for them, but I have some ideas to keep UND relevant and expand their national brand as the landscape of college football continues to change, as I do believe another shake-up is coming where eventually the P4 contemplates splitting off with Notre Dame, and the remaining G6 is the de facto I-AA/FCS.
1) Dakota Cup: Similar to the Commander-in-Chief's Cup with USAFA, Army, and Navy, but with SDSU, UND, and USD. Alternatively, establish SDSU as your rival. USD does not have the resources, fan support, or community to back a play for FBS in the future like SDSU.
2) Die Hard Commitment to sell-outs. Whatever it takes. Semester of tuition for students given away in the 4th quarter (must be present to win); drop concession/beer prices to Tarleton State levels; open up the catwalks; start planning a proper entrance now (this cannot be an afterthought, think Montana State level cool); flagship these games like it's the only thing going on in the state. Explore what Midco can do but get your ass out of the valley and start contemplating what being on statewide TV might look like. Make the fan experience at the Alerus the best it can possibly be - take the bitching seriously, the fans know. Every single city with an alumni presence: Bismarck, Fargo, Minot, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver - needs to have a bar where watching the game is the thing. We're not just a hockey school, too much has been invested.
3) Associate yourself with Montana State, Montana, and SDSU every chance you get. Do what you can to schedule a major Big Sky opponent with open dates in 2027, 2028, or 2029. Alternatively, seek out Tarleton State.
4) Find a neutral site game for football in Vegas or Nashville. Promote the hell out of it and have fan flights.
5) Finally, I think the Top $ programs in the Big Sky and MVFC need to discuss a merger and trim the fat. Indiana State, Murray State, Portland State, Northern Colorado, etc., don't have the requisite commitment to football required to boost UND's brand. UND, SDSU, Montana, Montana State, Idaho, Illinois State, UC Davis, and then perhaps see what kind of stomach USD, UNI, Southern Illinois, Youngstown, EWU, Weber State, Northern Arizona has for really doubling down on football from a financial standpoint. Sac State can go to hell, they made their bed, they can lie in it. I'd like to for my alma mater, UST, to go all in on football, but I just don't think that's going to happen, if it did, UST would have the market and financial resources to compete right away, the issue now is facilities and being landlocked in a neighborhood that is anti-campus expansion. They've essentially flagshipped basketball and hockey, and I think they'll leave the Summit eventually.
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I am pretty excited to watch these guys develop in a proper program designed to maximize their raw strength. As impressive as it is, and it IS impressive, I just don't know that raw benching north of 400lbs for reps is something that should be done often, if at all, if your goal is to be a great DL, as opposed to an elite power lifter. That being said, you can't argue that at least from a strength standpoint the Beavers won't be ready to contribute immediately. Might take some time to get technique and concept down, but good luck dealing with these boys late in the game.
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PA on the home side seemed to be out for the 1st half, and very hard to hear in the second half. I do recall some indication of which player made the play a few years ago on the two big endzone jumbotrons, that seems to be gone. Alerus production is definitely lacking and in some respects getting worse. I like leaning into the State of ND, and the ND flags for every player. I think UND lost sight of the fact that they represent the entire state some years ago, you get outside of the RRV and it's all Bison, so, in that vein, I like the run-out. Other than that, if you can't get the place that dark, turning off the lights is pointless unless you're going to do some green smoke or change the lighting in the tunnel, reminds me of trying to sleep with the hallway light on. Lose the Hawk in the car. Cheesy. Step up the hype video. Just make it more...bad ass, I guess. Hawks...Free Bird solo like team USA when they score a goal, IDK? Something. I hate the Bison, but they kill their intro. Other suggestion, cover up the endzone bleachers that are pushed in with something UND related. Looks horrible.
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1 hour ago, gfhockey said:
Link?
I don't have it, which is why I included "If this is true..." as a qualifier. That said, after dealing with my fair share of Red River parents over the years, I wouldn't be shocked
I kid, I kid.
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If this is true, at all, consider me all in on Lauren Reardon becoming a UND legend.
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15 minutes ago, gfhockey said:
Use to be brick by brick then day by day now it’s inch by inch? Woof
sounds like a long turnaround if we are going inches
At least he's not taking a nap.
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4 hours ago, UND1983 said:
He has only had two assistants? And the last one you mentioned left after a year
Do you want me to name all of his assistants over the last 15 years? I'm confused. Also, if you get a B1G offer and you coach in the PFL, you take it. Lol. Caruso was not particularly well liked by other coaches in the MIAC or Kheres at Mt. Union, but he's got some loyal guys on his staff and he wins.
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18 minutes ago, AJS said:
If they think Caruso is the guy. Get it done. Better not come down to not being able to pay.
He'd jolt the program immediately. He's once opined that it's a lot easier to go from 100 to Top 5, than Top 5 to National Champ. Right mentality.
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22 hours ago, UND1983 said:
his former assistants
His DC, Wally Kuchinski, has been with him for 15 seasons. Holinka coached for him twice. I don't know that he cares if he's well liked, I think he cares about winning.
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15 minutes ago, Shawn-O said:
Thank you. I’m hopeful our AD reached out, sold him on it and urged him to apply. At least I think that’s what AD’s typically do. Was unaware that his wife’s health challenges were ongoing.
I think she's in remission, but there's always that risk I suppose. Caruso has great passion, great intensity, a little PJ Flecky for some people's taste, but the results speak for themselves. I just think Drake and Butler raised their level when Caruso came in and won the league with mostly D3 guys. Also, the issue with the PFL is your best players have one foot out the door. Their non-conference games against the Big Sky/MVFC are basically auditions for scholarships elsewhere. You're fighting over players with the NSIC.
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On 12/3/2024 at 4:43 PM, Shawn-O said:
That’s my guess as well. @USTBench What say you?
I don't know if he put in, but Caruso would be a good fit. His kids are out of the house and I don't know that UST has any immediate plans to move on from the PFL. It has to be tough going from the Athletic Department's top priority to an after-thought after UST decided to flagship hockey and basketball and build a new baseball/softball complex, while football mires in a non-scholarship league in the most fertile recruiting area in the MVFC. Caruso is a winner and familiar with the culture of the MVFC (though he coached at NDSU/USD pre-MVFC), and is an excellent recruiter.
That said, he's extremely comfortable in St. Paul, his job couldn't be more secure, and his wife has been battling some health issues. Guessing he's not going anywhere.
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12 hours ago, zonadub said:
The DeBoer ship has sailed…
Is there any chance in the world that UND could lure Central Valley’s Brent Vigen back to the state?
Lol...even with all the Californians I'd still pick Bozeman.
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2 minutes ago, siouxfan512 said:
Anyone worth stealing from UST? We could use a burner WR or anyone on defense!!
Andrew McElroy but he was in the TP for about .5 seconds before NIU snatched him up. Our game against USD was an open tryout for a LB named Jonathan Bunce apparently. Lol. Seth Bullard was an ILB that transferred to SFA. Shawn Shipman landed at WIU. Anyone UND would want is already spoken for, it seems.
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Tampering! Just kidding fellas. Great hire for my second favorite FCS team.
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Transfer Portal - 2026
in Men's Basketball
Posted
Outside of hockey, the U has avoided UST at all turns. A jump from the Summit League to the Big East is a pretty lofty goal, but of course they'd jump at the opportunity if it presented itself. That said, where are you getting the "football will be dumped" information? Georgetown, Villanova, Butler, and UConn all kept/have football programs, and some of UST's biggest donors are former football players. The last Big East schools to dump football (Marquette/Xavier) did it in the 70s. I think UST will kick around the Pioneer for a long time. Now, if the P4 branches off and the G6 creates a subdivision I think a lot of FCS schools (including some in the MVFC) might have a decision to make, dump football or go all in. We'll see.