Division I basketball now and probably forevermore will get plenty of coverage. But you also can find good hoops at the so-called lower levels, such as Division II.
Minnesota Duluth is located around three hours away from the Cities, where the state’s two DI programs, Minnesota and St. Thomas, reside. The UMD Bulldogs, members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), have for the last two seasons, after Justin Wieck’s arrival in 2018, been a force in the conference. This season is no different.
The Bulldogs (22-5, 17-4 NSIC, 3rd place) are on a 10-game winning streak, currently the state’s hottest college basketball team. They have secured themselves a first-round bye through the beginning of the NSIC tournament after consecutive weekend sweeps. They also are in the top 20 in the NABC polls but seemingly remain a well-kept secret among the so-called hoops aficionados because they’re Division II.
All five of the UMD core starters—Joshua Brown, Charlie Katona, Austin Andrews, Jack Middleton, and Drew Blair—have individually achieved 1,000+ career points, in combination with nearly 7,600 points and growing throughout the season.
“It’s really unique for us [as a starting unit],” said Brown, a 6-4 guard from Minneapolis (Park Center). “I just really appreciate all my teammates and really appreciate all my coaches.”
Brown is among six players on this year’s roster who hail from the Twin Cities area, and one of two Black players (with redshirt freshman Karon Abdullah, also from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry High).
“I think we’ve definitely made a lot of progress with some of these guys that have chosen to come here,” said Coach Wieck, now in his fifth season. UMD has won over 69 percent of its games and 67 percent of its league contests on his watch.
“I do think we’re lucky around here because there’s so many high-quality DII programs in our state,” continued Wieck. “There’s a great respect for DII basketball, even Division III basketball in the state of Minnesota. We’re lucky to be so close to the Twin Cities where there’s so many good players [to recruit].”
Said Brown, “I came here and it’s just like a kind of family atmosphere and environment that we have day in and day out, practices and games.”
“We’ve really tried to talk about and really fulfill just having a positive relationship,” reaffirmed Wieck. “I want them to feel like it’s a family.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion is still a work in progress at UMD. According to Data USA, the school’s Black student population is 0.87 percent, Asian 2.11 percent, Latino 3.26 percent and White 75.2 percent. Duluth’s Black population is 2.5 percent.
“I would say there’s always room for improvement,” admitted Wieck, who said UMD Athletic Director Forrest Karr, since his hiring in August 2022, has made DE&I a top priority. “JB is the president,” he said of Brown’s role on the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, which is made up of student-athletes and regular students.
“I would say the comfortability has increased” on campus, added Brown.
As for men’s hoops, the Bulldogs are thriving: “We’ve got a pretty good thing here to attract students” like Brown, Abdullah, and others from the Cities like them, surmised Wieck. “It’s within a 2-3 hours to 2-4 hours radius. We’ve got some good academic services, some good resources here. We can always be better and always looking to improve.
“We got a month or two left [in the season] to write another chapter of this book. I think this is really, really a special group, and I’m grateful to be a part of it,” said Brown.