Several players from Sun Post-area schools are participating in various college basketball tournaments for both the men’s and women’s brackets this month. The NCAA DI basketball tournament is on the horizon, the DII tournament is underway and the DIII tournament wrapped up last week.
NCAA DI
Champlin Park alum Joshua Strong will represent the Howard University Bison in the NCAA DI tournament. Strong, a graduate student guard who previously attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, has been a consistent presence for Howard this season, playing 31 games and adding 109 points.
Howard will face Wagner me on March 19. The winner of that game will face North Carolina on March 21 or 22.
Brooklyn Park will also be represented by Park Center’s Dain Dainja of the University of Illinois. Dainja, a redshirt junior forward and center who previously attended Baylor, has featured in 34 games for a powerhouse 26-8 Illinois team in his second season playing for the team. Illinois will face Morehead State in the first regional round of the tournament on March 21 or 22.
Yet another Brooklyn Park-native will be at the tournament through Josiah Strong. The Champlin Park alum is a graduate student and guard at Colorado State. The Rams will play Virginia in a first four game on Mar. 19, with the winner then set to face the Texas Longhorns on Mar. 21 or 22.
In the women’s tournament, Cooper alum Kierra Wheeler is set to feature for Norfolk State, having already earned honors as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. The junior forward, who previously attended Daytona State College, has made 31 starts for Norfolk this season, collecting 547 points along the way.
With the 15th seed, Norfolk State will face No. 2 seed Stanford in a big test in the first regional round of the tournament on March 21 or 22.
Fellow Hawk alum Vanessa Saidu’s Texas A&M team will also feature in the tournament. Minutes have been an expected challenge for the freshman, but she has still made 13 appearances for the school this season. Texas A&M will play as the 11th seed, facing sixth seed Nebraska in the first regional round on Mar. 22 or 23.
NCAA DII
Former Pirate Joshua Browne played for his University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as they beat Fort Hays State by one point, 59-58, in the first round. Browne played 19 minutes in the game and was tied for most assists with three. Duluth faced Northwest Missouri State the next day, falling 72-62 to conclude their season.
Mankato took on the NCAA DII tournament last week, opening with a 75-68 victory over Arkansas Tech. Fellow Park Center alum Dawson Rudolph did not feature in the game, but the sophomore has been an active part of the roster this season. Mankato faced Minnesota State Moorhead the next day, winning 78-55 to set up a regional final against Northwest Missouri on Mar. 19, after this edition went to press.
NCAA DIII
Champlin Park alum and Brooklyn Park native Izzy Quick played for Gustavus Adolphus in their first-round loss to Trine in the NCAA DIII tournament earlier in March. The forward played 34 minutes in the close 61-58 defeat, adding eight points.
Osseo Senior High’s Jay Kwatch featured for the University of Minnesota Morris. The program faced Wisconsin-Whitewater in an 86-47 loss to end their run early. Kwatch, a senior guard, added 12 points against tournament opponent Whitewater, playing 25 minutes in Morris’ final game of the season.
The Gustavus Adolphus men also played in the first round of their respective NCAA DIII tournament. Armstrong-alum and Golden Valley native Adam Biewen played 33 minutes in the school’s 89-64 loss to Loras College, scoring three points along the way. The senior forward was joined by teammate Jake Schmitt, a Wayzata-alum from Plymouth, who featured briefly in the game to conclude his first year.
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