COVER
2023-24 BASKETBALL
REMARKABLE
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R E M A R K A B LY I N C R E D I B LY
fresh. friendly.
SEASON PREVIEW Presented by Deerwood Bank Experience will not be in short supply on the Saint John’s University basketball team this season. The Johnnies – who finished 17-10 and advanced to the MIAC Championship game last season – return four of the five players who started the title matchup. The group is led by senior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview), who led the team in scoring with an average of 18.1 points per game and earned All-MIAC honors in 2022-23. But that veteran leadership will be put to the test by one of the strongest schedules the program has faced in recent years. Here is a more complete look at how the 2023-24 Johnnies look to stack up:
ALL-REGION RETURNER Thissen was named All-MIAC and selected to the D3hoops.com All-Region 9 third team after leading the Johnnies in scoring (18.1 ppg.), minutes played (34.9 mpg.), 20-point games (10) and steals (22) with a .546 shooting percentage in 25 games last season. He led the MIAC in assist/turnover ratio (+3.7) and was second in free-throw percentage (.866), fourth in shooting percentage (.562) and seventh in scoring (17.6 ppg.) in 18 conference games. Thissen was named to the MIAC AllPlayoff team after he played all but one minute and averaged 24 points, five rebounds and two assists per contest, while shooting 63.6 percent (21-for-33) from the field in two postseason games. He begins his senior season 88 points away from becoming the 40th Johnnie to reach 1,000 in their career. Off the court, Thissen earned his second consecutive MIAC Elite 22 Award, which last year was presented to the individual with the highest GPA among the student-athletes who played in the MIAC Tournament. He also became the fifth Johnnie basketball student-athlete, and the eighth overall, to be named an Academic All-American with College Sports Communicators first-team honors.
Thissen
KOOPER HOOPER An All-MIAC third-team selection in 202122 and All-MIAC honorable mention last season, Kooper Vaughn played 25 games and led SJU in both three-pointers (59) and free-throw percentage (.890, 65-for-73), and was second in scoring (11.8 ppg.). He finished fifth in the MIAC among those with 100 attempts or more from three-point range, at 38.3 percent (44-for-115). His 44 treys were good for seventh in league play. Vaughn joined Thissen on the MIAC AllPlayoff team after he averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.0 assists in the two postseason games. He begins his junior season tied for second in program history with a .870 percentage (127-for-146) from the charity stripe and needs 15 threepointers to crack the program’s top-10 list.
GUARD POWER SJU returns six guards who played 19 games or more in 2022-23. Senior Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) played 26 games last season, including 12 starts, and averaged 6.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. He shot 47.9 percent (69-for144) from the field. Senior Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) also played 26 games, averaging 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. He shot 52.8 percent from the field (56-for-106). The lone returner who played all 27 games (22 starts) last season, junior Zach Longueville (Eagan, Minn. St. Croix Lutheran), averaged 5.3 points per contest and dished out a team-leading 89 assists.
Junior Andrew Wagner (Prospect Heights, Ill./Hersey) and sophomore Kyle Johnson (Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle) each played in 22 games last season. Wagner shot 45.2 percent from the field (14-for-31), while Johnson shot 44.4 percent (24-for-54) and 42.5 percent from beyond the arc (17for-40). Junior Luke Healy (Hudson, Wis.) appeared in 19 games, with five starts, in his first season as a Johnnie and averaged 10.3 minutes per contest.
MORE DEPTH Two other Johnnies - senior wing Connor Schwob (Waconia, Minn.) and junior wing Griffin Rushin (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) – return after playing 15 games or more last season. Schwob shot 64.3 percent (9-for14) from the floor with an average of 7.1 minutes per contest and Rushin shot 53.8 percent (14-for-26).
PAIR OF TRANSFERS The Johnnies’ 2023-24 roster includes two Division II transfers in sophomore guard Chris Mitchell (Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) and junior post Jonathan Zinniel (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral). Mitchell played 20 games, with one start, last season at Newman (Kan.), while Zinniel spent three seasons at Southwest Minnesota State.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE The 2023-24 season is the 51st for Saint John’s in the Warner Palaestra/Sexton Arena, where the Johnnies boast a 460150 (.754) all-time record, including a 63-9 (.875) mark over the last six years.
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F U L L PAG E A D
SEASON PREVIEW
2023-24 Schedule Date
Time
Opponent
Location
Nov. 14
7 p.m.
at UW-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wis.
Nov. 17
2:30 p.m.
vs. UW-Platteville
Aberdeen, S.D.
Nov. 18
12 p.m.
vs. Stockton, N.J.
Aberdeen, S.D.
Nov. 21
7 p.m.
at Carleton
Northfield
Nov. 29
7 p.m.
Saint Mary’s
Collegeville
Dec. 2
3 p.m.
Hamline
Collegeville
Dec. 4
7 p.m.
Augsburg
Collegeville
Dec. 6
7 p.m.
at Concordia
Moorhead
Dec. 9
3 p.m.
Macalester
Collegeville
Dec. 19
5 p.m. ET
vs. Nazareth, N.Y.
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Dec. 20
5 p.m. ET
vs. Mount Union, Ohio
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jan. 3
7 p.m.
at St. Olaf
Northfield
Jan. 6
3 p.m.
at St. Scholastica
Duluth
Jan. 10
7 p.m.
at Bethel
Arden Hills
Jan. 15
7 p.m.
Gustavus Adolphus
Collegeville
Jan. 17
7 p.m.
at Saint Mary’s
Winona
Jan. 20
3 p.m.
at Hamline
St. Paul
Jan. 24
7 p.m.
Carleton
Collegeville
Jan. 27
3 p.m.
at Macalester
St. Paul
Jan. 31
7 p.m.
at Augsburg
Minneapolis
Feb. 3
3 p.m.
St. Scholastica Alumni Collegeville
Feb. 5
7 p.m.
Concordia
Collegeville
Feb. 7
7 p.m.
St. Olaf
Collegeville
Feb. 10
3 p.m.
at Gustavus Adolphus
St. Peter
Feb. 14
7 p.m.
Bethel
Collegeville
THE 2023-24 SCHEDULE Based on last year’s records, the schedule features the toughest non-conference competition the program has seen in quite some time. The five non-conference opponents combined for a 106-37 (.741) record in 2022-23 and include two NCAA Division III Tournament teams.
Four of the five nonconference games will be played in two out-of-state tournaments. SJU opens the 2023-24 season Nov. 14 at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, then ventures to Aberdeen, S.D. for Small College Basketball’s 2023 Champions Classic on the campus of Division II Northern State University. The Johnnies face Wisconsin-Platteville Nov. 17 and Stockton (N.J.) Nov. 18. Platteville finished 14-12 last season and fell to Eau Claire (17-10 record) by two points in the quarterfinal round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament. Stockton, meanwhile, tallied a 24-6 record and advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet 16.
Non-conference play wraps up for SJU with a pre-Christmas trip on Dec. 19-20 to St. Petersburg, Fla., for two more neutral-site games against Mount Union (Ohio) - ranked No. 5 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll - and Nazareth (N.Y.). Mount Union posted a 30-3 record and could have won the 2022-23 national championship had Christopher Newport (Va.) not scored a last-second basket to take the title with a 74-72 score. Nazareth,
Go
s e i n n Joh
Continued
meanwhile, finished 21-6 with a loss in the Empire 8 Conference’s championship game.
SJU begins MIAC action Nov. 21 at Carleton – a rematch of last season’s MIAC championship game – before returning home for three-straight contests against Saint Mary’s (Nov. 29), Hamline (Dec. 2) and Augsburg (Dec. 4). The Johnnies visit Concordia Dec. 6 and play host to Macalester Dec. 9 to wrap up the fall-semester portion of the conference slate before their trip to Florida. Five of the Johnnies’ first six games of 2024 are on the road as only two contests – Jan. 15 vs. Gustavus Adolphus and Jan. 24 vs. Carleton – out of the month’s nine are scheduled to be played at home. The rugged road schedule means that the month of February will be a bit more friendly for SJU, which plays four of its last five games in Collegeville: Feb. 3 vs. St. Scholastica (Alumni/Senior Day), Feb. 5 vs. Concordia, Feb. 7 vs. St. Olaf and Feb. 14 vs. Bethel. The Johnnies boast a 460-150 (.754) record at Sexton Arena (Warner Palaestra), including a 63-9 (.875) mark over the last six seasons. The MIAC quarterfinals are set for Tuesday, Feb. 20, and the MIAC semifinals follow on Thursday, Feb. 22. The MIAC championship game, with the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament on the line, is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 24. The high seed hosts in all three rounds.
Proud supporter of SJU athletics.
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F U L L PAG E A D
JOHNNIE BASKETBALL NO. NAME
YR.
POS. HT.
WT. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
0
Kyle Kallenbach
Fr.
G
6-0
165
Independence, Minn./Orono
1
Kyle Johnson
So.
G
6-2
185
Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle
2
Zach Longueville
Jr.
G
6-2
185
Eagan, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran
3
Blake Berg
Sr.
G
6-4
205
West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne
4
Brandon Adelman
Sr.
G
6-4
185
New London, Minn./New London-Spicer
5
J.T. Gaffney
Sr.
W
6-7
200
Wayzata, Minn./Minnetonka
10
Luke Healy
Jr.
G
5-11
180
Hudson, Wis./Hudson
11
Thomas Menk
So.
G
6-4
200
Lewiston, Minn./Lewiston-Altura
12
Owen Skram
Fr.
W
6-5
190
New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong
13
Vincent Hillesheim
Fr.
P
6-6
215
Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins
14
Kooper Vaughn
Jr.
G
6-1
180
St. Charles, Minn./St. Charles
15
Chris Mitchell
So.
G
6-2
175
Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy
20
Andrew Wagner
Jr.
G
6-0
175
Prospect Heights, Ill./Hersey
21
Griffin Rushin
Jr.
W
6-8
200
Baxter, Minn./Brainerd
22
Brady Spaulding
So.
P
6-7
215
Annandale, Minn./Annandale
23
Baiden Bean
Fr.
G
6-1
160
Farmington, Minn./Farmington
24
Ryan Thissen
Sr.
W
6-6
210
Rosemount, Minn./Eastview
25
Jonathan Zinniel
Jr.
P
6-7
220
New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral
30
A.J. McCleery
Fr.
G
6-2
185
Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi
32
Connor Schwob
Sr.
W
6-5
200
Waconia, Minn./Waconia
35
Luke Budzyn
Jr.
W
6-7
205
St. Paul, Minn./East Ridge
40
Andrew Nerud
Jr.
P
6-8
230
Elko New Market, Minn./New Prague
41
Brady Paumen
Fr.
W
6-5
200
Becker, Minn./Becker
42
Xander Baldessari
Fr.
W
6-4
205
Englewood, Colo./Douglas County
45
Gerald Melin
Fr.
W
6-5
190
Trail, Minn./Red Lake County Central
51
Anthony Thorman
Fr.
P
6-7
220
Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
55
Gus Audley
Fr.
G
6-3
180
Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc
2022-23 Team
Healy
Longueville
Johnson
Vaughn 6
GARY’S OPENED IN 1982. F U L L PAG E A D
Coincidence? We think NOT!
Coaching Staff Pat McKenzie enters his ninth season as the head coach of the Saint John’s University basketball team in 2023-24. The 2004 SJU graduate became the 15th coach in the 113-year history of Johnnie basketball when he was hired to replace Jim Smith in April of 2015. Smith, the winningest coach at any level in Minnesota college basketball history, retired following the 2014-15 season after coaching the Johnnies for 51 seasons.
(.766) and has led SJU to three conference championships and four appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament. He has twice been named MIAC coach of the year - in 2017-18 and 2021-22. During the 2019-20 season, he led the Johnnies to a 27-2 record and two NCAA tournament wins before the season was halted as a result of the onset of COVID-19. His family connections to SJU basketball run deep. His father Pat McKenzie Sr.
’79 was a point guard on four nationaltournament teams at SJU from 1975-79 before going on to become the longtime team physician of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. His younger brother, Kevin ‘14, also played point guard for the Johnnies from 2010-14. McKenzie and his wife Jillian (CSB ‘09) reside in Sartell and have two daughters, Evelyn and Margaret, and a son, Patrick.
McKenzie was one of his players. As a point guard at SJU from 2000-04, he recorded 305 career assists, which ranks seventh in program history. He was part of an NCAA Division III Sweet 16 team as a freshman in 2000-01 and led the MIAC in assists as a senior in 2003-04. He then went on serve two seasons as director of basketball operations at Division I Wisconsin-Green Bay from 2004-06 before returning to Collegeville, where he spent nine seasons as an assistant on Smith’s staff from 2006-15. In his tenure as the Johnnies’ head coach, McKenzie has compiled a record of 154-47
JERRY FOGART Y - Jerry Fogarty enters his 24th year as an assistant coach for SJU in 2023-24. A 1964 graduate of St. Thomas, Fogarty played basketball for the Tommies and became a basketball assistant at Rochester Lourdes High School after earning his degree. In 1969, he became the school’s head coach and guided Lourdes to a state independent crown in 1973. He was inducted into the Lourdes Sports Hall of Fame in December of 2009.
SAM DIT TBERNER - Sam Dittberner enters his 10th season as an assistant coach for SJU in 2023-24. A 2013 graduate, Dittberner appeared in all 26 games and served as a team captain for the Johnnies in 2012-13.
SEAN RYAN - Sean Ryan enters his third season as an assistant coach for SJU in 2023-24. A 2020 graduate, Ryan was a four-year member of the Johnnie basketball team. During his time at the school, SJU won two MIAC regular-season championships, two MIAC Playoff championships and made three national tournament appearances, including a trip to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 in 2019-20.
DANNY QUINN - Danny Quinn enters his second season as an assistant coach for SJU in 2023-24. He previously served as an assistant basketball coach at MIAC foe Saint Mary’s in 2021-22 and spent one season on the coaching staff at his alma mater Loras (Iowa) in 2020-21. Quinn was a graduate assistant coach at La Verne (Calif.) in 2019-20.
ALEX RASMUSSEN - Alex Rasmussen enters his second season as an assistant coach at SJU in 2023-24. A 2022 graduate, Rasmussen was a member of two MIAC regular-season and three MIAC playoff championship teams during his time as a player for the Johnnies.
GARRETT GOETZ - Garrett Goetz enters his sixth season as a volunteer assistant coach at SJU in 2023-24. A 2018 graduate, Goetz was a four-year member on the SJU basketball team. He led the MIAC in assists, in both conference play (5.5 apg.) and overall (5.7 apg.), in 2017-18. He ended his career ninth in school history with 271 career assists.
8
RYAN THISSEN
Presented by St Cloud Orthopedics
Wing a lot this offseason. We want to come back and finish the job. You can already see that in practice. It’s a different vibe this preseason. Everybody is a little more motivated.” “For me, the way last season ended was the worst possible way to go out,” the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Berg added. “Falling in the championship game and seeing your season end is not a good feeling. We don’t want to feel that way again. We know we’re capable of doing more.” No one would call a 17-10 finish and a berth in the MIAC championship a down season. But it’s not exactly what players like Ryan Thissen and Blake Berg were aiming for either. The current seniors on the Saint John’s University basketball team had higher ambitions than that a year ago. “If you look at the season as a whole, we feel like we underperformed,” said the 6-foot-6, 210-pound Thissen, whose team fell 86-76 on the road at Carleton in the conference title game and missed the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 2016-17 (not counting the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 season in which no NCAA tournament was played). “It wasn’t indicative of the kind of talent we have. That motivated us
Now players like Thissen, Berg and others are expected to play key roles in making that happen. Thissen, a wing out of Eastview High School, returns for his fourth season in the starting lineup. The biochemistry major averaged a team-best 18.1 points and five rebounds per game a year ago to earn All-MIAC first-team honors.
Berg, meanwhile, has seen consistent playing time as part of the rotation in each of the past two seasons. The West Fargo, North Dakota, native played in all but one game in 2022-23 and started 12 – averaging 6.6 points per game with 42 assists. But perhaps the biggest moment of his SJU career came in the conference title game two years ago when he had 15 points – including 13 in the second half – as the
He also finished second on the team with 78 assists and enters this season with 912 career points, needing just 88 to become the 40th player in program history to reach 1,000. “He’s always prepared,” Johnnies head coach Pat McKenzie said.
“He’s focused, he’s competitive and he’s consistent. He’s been a steady presence for us since he first got here.”
9 GoJohnnies.com
“He’s focused, he’s competitive and he’s consistent. He’s been a steady presence for us since he first got here.”
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“He just has a presence on the court and in the locker room that other guys respond to. He’s definitely one of our leaders.” Johnnies edged Macalester 75-71 at Warner Palaestra’s Sexton Arena. Saint John’s finished 23-5, but fell to Calvin (Michigan) in the first round of the Division III tournament. “He brings a real edge,” McKenzie said. “He just has a presence on the court and in the locker room that other guys respond to. He’s definitely one of our leaders.” Both players are expected to graduate this May. Thissen would like to attend medical school at some point, but he may explore the possibility of playing professionally overseas first. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play pro basketball,” he said. “So if the
chance presents itself, I’ll definitely have to consider it.” Berg has designs on starting a contracting business with his brother. “The goal is to get into federal contracting,” he said. “That’s what our parents did in the past and we learned from them.” First, though, there is unfinished business to tend to. “The main reason I came to Saint John’s was because I wanted to win,” Berg said. “There’s a long and successful tradition here and we want to do our part to uphold it.” “The goal is 20-plus wins and to come away with a conference championship,” Thissen added. “Then we’d like to go deeper than the first round in the NCAAs. But we know we have to take it one-game-at-a-time. None of them are going to be easy. “All we can do is make sure we’re playing our best basketball and see how far that takes us.”
“ALL WE CAN DO IS MAKE SURE WE’RE PLAYING OUR BEST BASKETBALL AND SEE HOW FAR THAT TAKES US.”
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JOHNNIE UPPERCLASSMEN Presented by Northwestern Mutual 4 Brandon Adelman
Sr. | G | 6 -4 | 185 | New London, Minn./New London-Spicer 2022-23: Played 26 of the Johnnies’ 27 games…averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game…shot 52.8 percent (56-106) from the field and 51.1 percent (23-45) from three-point land. 2021-22: Played two games…totaled two points and two rebounds in three minutes of play. Personal: Transferred to SJU during the 2021-22 holiday break from Division II St. Cloud State…a 2019 graduate of New LondonSpicer High School…coached by Chad Schmiesing…Global Business Leadership major…son of Dean and Cheryl Adelman of New London, Minn.
3 Blake Berg
Sr. | G | 6 -4 | 205 | West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne 2022-23: Played 26 games with 12 starts for the Johnnies…second on the team with 15 blocks…averaged 6.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game…shot 47.9 percent (69-144) from the field. 2021-22: Played all 28 games for the Johnnies with three starts…averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds…shot 56.5 percent (61108) from the field and 45.5 percent (10-22) from three-point range. 2020-21: Appeared in four games for the Johnnies…collected four points and five rebounds in 28 minutes of play. Personal: A 2020 graduate of West Fargo (N.D.) Sheyenne High School…coached by Thomas Kirchoffner…Global Business Leadership major…son of Kyle and Connie Berg of West Fargo, N.D.
5 J.T. Gaffney
Sr. | W | 6-7 | 200 | Wayzata, Minn./Minnetonka 2022-23: Came off the bench in five games…grabbed five rebounds in 17 minutes...Academic All-MIAC…NABC Honors Court. 2021-22: Played three games…scored five points in 14 minutes of play...Academic All-MIAC. 2020-21: Appeared in one game for the Johnnies…scored two points in four minutes of play. Personal: A 2020 graduate of Minnetonka High School…coached by Bryce Tesdahl…previously attended Wisconsin…Biology major…son of Ray and Leslie Gaffney of Wayzata, Minn.
32 Connor Schwob
Sr. | W | 6-5 | 200 | Waconia, Minn./Waconia 2022-23: Played 17 games, with one start, for the Johnnies…averaged 1.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game…shot 64.3 percent (9-14) from the field...College Sports Communicators Academic All-District…Academic All-MIAC…NABC Honors Court. 2020-21: Played two games for the Johnnies…scored two points and collected three rebounds in eight minutes of play...Academic All-MIAC. Personal: A 2020 graduate of Waconia High School…coached by Pat Hayes…Global Business Leadership major…son of Dave and Lynn Schwob of Waconia, Minn…mother played volleyball at CSB.
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JOHNNIE UPPERCLASSMEN Presented by McGough 24 Ryan Thissen
Sr. | W | 6-6 | 210 | Rosemount, Minn./Eastview 2022-23: Started 25 games for the Johnnies…led the MIAC in assist/turnover ratio (+3.7) and was second in free-throw percentage (.866), fourth in shooting percentage (.562) and seventh in scoring (17.6 ppg.) in 18 conference games...led SJU in scoring (18.1 ppg.), minutes (34.9 mpg.), 20-point games (10) and steals (22) with a .546 shooting percentage...D3hoops.com All-Region 9 third team…All-MIAC…MIAC All-Playoff team…College Sports Communicators Academic All-District…College Sports Communicators Academic All-America first team…Academic All-MIAC…earned MIAC’s Elite 22 Award for having the highest GPA among the six playoff teams…NABC Honors Court. 2021-22: Started all 28 games for SJU…averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game…shot 52.0 percent from the field (145279)…recorded a double-double Feb. 27 vs. Macalester (11 points and 11 rebounds)...earned MIAC’s Elite 22 Award for having the highest GPA among the two teams playing in the MIAC championship game...All-MIAC second team...Academic All-MIAC. 2020-21: Started all seven games for the Johnnies…averaged 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game…totaled 20 assists…shot 55.1 percent (38-69) from the field and 46.7 percent (7-15) from three-point range…81.3 percent (13-16) from the free-throw line. Personal: A 2020 graduate of Eastview High School…coached by Paul Goetz…Biochemistry major (pre-medicine emphasis)…son of Jon and Michelle Thissen of Rosemount, Minn…father played football at Division I Minnesota…older brother, Zach, played football at Division II Southwest Minnesota State.
35 Luke Budzyn
Jr. | W | 6-7 | 205 | St. Paul, Minn./East Ridge 2022-23: Appeared in four games for SJU. 2021-22: Played four games for the Johnnies…recorded two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes of play. Personal: A 2021 graduate of East Ridge High School…coached by Josh Peltier…Global Business Leadership major…son of Bill and Cathy Budzyn of St. Paul, Minn.
10 Luke Healy
Jr. | G | 5-11 | 180 | Hudson, Wis./Hudson 2022-23: Played 19 games with five starts for the Johnnies…averaged 1.7 points in 10.3 minutes per game. Personal: Transferred to SJU from Division II Sioux Falls (S.D.)…played 14 games, with one start, and averaged 4.3 points and 12.9 minutes per game for the Cougars…a 2021 graduate of Hudson (Wis.) High School…coached by John Dornfeld…Accounting (Finance) major…son of Brian and Terri Healy of Hudson, Wis.
2 Zach Longueville
Jr. | G | 6-2 | 185 | Eagan, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran 2022-23: Played all 27 games with 22 starts for SJU…led the team with 89 assists…averaged 5.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. 2021-22: Appeared in 15 games for the Johnnies…averaged 4.1 points and recorded 14 assists…shot 42.6 percent (20-47) from the field and 46.2 percent (18-39) from three-point range. Personal: A 2021 graduate of St. Croix Lutheran Academy…coached by Drew Koch…Accounting (Finance) major…son of Jane Longueville and Joe Longueville…father played football at South Dakota.
McGough wishes the SJU JOHNNIES good luck this season! www.mcgough.com 13 GoJohnnies.com
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JOHNNIE UPPERCLASSMEN Presented by Weidner’s Mechanical Contractors 40 Andrew Nerud
Jr. | P | 6-8 | 230 | Elko New Market, Minn./New Prague 2022-23: Appeared in two games for SJU...recorded two points and a rebound in five minutes…Academic All-MIAC. Personal: A 2021 graduate of New Prague High School…coached by Dan Peterka…Computer Science and Mathematics doublemajor…son of Dan and Dawn Nerud of Elko New Market, Minn…father played basketball at St. Thomas…mother played basketball at Towson State (Md.).
21 Griffin Rushin
Jr. | W | 6-8 | 200 | Baxter, Minn./Brainerd 2022-23: Played 15 games for the Johnnies…averaged 2.2 points and recorded 15 rebounds in 6.3 points per game. 2021-22: Appeared in 15 games for the Johnnies…recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds…shot 55.6 percent (10-18) from the field. Personal: A 2021 graduate of Brainerd High School…coached by Charlie Schoeck…Biology major…son of Chad and Jennifer Rushin of Baxter, Minn.
14 Kooper Vaughn
Jr. | G | 6-1 | 180 | St. Charles, Minn./St. Charles 2022-23: Started 25 games for the Johnnies…finished fifth in the MIAC among those with 100 attempts or more, at 38.3 percent (44-115) from three-point range and his 44 treys were good for seventh in league play…led SJU in three-pointers (59) and freethrow percentage (.890, 65-73)…was second in scoring (11.8 ppg.) and steals (20)…shot 42.2 percent (86-204) from the field and 39.1 percent (59-151) from three-point range...All-MIAC honorable mention…MIAC All-Playoff team…College Sports Communicators Academic All-District…Academic All-MIAC. 2021-22: Started all 28 games for SJU…finished second on the team in scoring with an average of 11.6 points per game…shot 43.5 percent (97-223) from the field and 40.9 percent (70-171) from three-point range...broke SJU’s single-season record for threepointers made by a freshman - 53 by Chris Schwartz ‘11 in 2007-08 - with 70…All-MIAC third team...MIAC All- First year team. Personal: A 2021 graduate of St. Charles High School…coached by Terry Knothe…Global Business Leadership major…son of David and Jackie Vaughn of St. Charles, Minn.
20 Andrew Wagner
Jr. | G | 6-0 | 175 | Prospect Heights, Ill./Hersey 2022-23: Played 22 games off the bench for SJU…shot 45.2 percent (14-31) from the field…averaged 1.5 points and 7.8 minutes per game. 2021-22: Appeared in 14 games for the Johnnies…recorded nine points and four rebounds in 38 minutes of play. Personal: A 2021 graduate of Hersey (Ill.) High School…coached by Austin Scott…Global Business Leadership major…son of Patrick and Jeannine Wagner of Prospect Heights, Ill.
25 Jonathan Zinniel
Jr. | P | 6-7 | 220 | New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral Personal: Transferred to SJU from Division II Southwest Minnesota State…totaled eight points and eight rebounds in eight games over three seasons for the Mustangs…a 2020 graduate of New Ulm Cathedral High School…coached by Alan Woitas…Chemistry major…son of Terry and Amy Zinniel of New Ulm, Minn.
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JOHNNIE SOPHOMORES Presented by Coborn’s 1 Kyle Johnson
So. | G | 6-2 | 185 | Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle 2022-23: Played 22 games off the bench for SJU…shot 44.4 percent (24-54) from the floor and 42.5 percent (17-40) from threepoint range…averaged 3.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game. Personal: A 2022 graduate of DeLaSalle High School…coached by Travis Bledsoe…Psychology major…son of Joe and Tina Johnson of Prior Lake, Minn.
11 Thomas Menk
So. | G | 6-4 | 200 | Lewiston, Minn./Lewiston-Altura Personal: A 2022 graduate of Lewiston-Altura High School…coached by Michael VanderPlas…Accounting (Finance) major…son of Brian and Nicole Menk of Lewiston, Minn.
15 Chris Mitchell
So. | G | 6-2 | 175 | Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy Personal: Transferred to SJU from Division II Newman (Kan.)…played 20 games, with one start, and averaged 1.4 points and 7.4 minutes per game for the Jets…a 2022 graduate of Notre Dame Academy (Wis.)…coached by Brian Bobinski…Environmental Studies major…son of Jeff and Becky Mitchell of Green Bay, Wis.
22 Brady Spaulding
So. | P | 6-7 | 215 | Annandale, Minn./Annandale 2022-23: Appeared in one game for SJU…grabbed a rebound in three minutes of play. Personal: A 2022 graduate of Annandale High School…coached by Skip Dolan…Global Business Leadership major…son of Todd and Robin Spaulding of Annandale, Minn…father played basketball at Division II St. Cloud State…three older sisters - Mykenzie, Hannah
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JOHNNIE FRESHMEN 0 Kyle Kallenbach
Fr. | G | 6-0 | 165 | Independence, Minn./Orono Personal: A 2023 graduate of Orono High School…coached by Barry Wohler…Global Business Leadership major…son of Rob and Joy Kallenbach of Maple Plain, Minn.
30 A.J. McCleery
Fr. | G | 6-2 | 185 | Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi Personal: A 2023 graduate of Mahtomedi High School…coached by Keith Newman…Global Business Leadership major…son of Andy and Heather McCleery of Mahtomedi, Minn.
45 Gerald Melin
Fr. | W | 6-5 | 190 | Trail, Minn./Red Lake County Central Personal: A 2023 graduate of Red Lake County Central High School…coached by Steve Philion…Elementary Education major…son of Greg and Kelly Melin of Gully, Minn.
41 Brady Paumen
Fr. | W | 6-5 | 200 | Becker, Minn./Becker Personal: A 2023 graduate of Becker High School…coached by Josh Ihrke…Biology major…son of Troy and Pam Paumen of Becker, Minn.
12 Owen Skram
Fr. | W | 6-5 | 190 | New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong Personal: A 2023 graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School…coached by Rob Ware…Data Science major…son of Mike and Lori Skram of New Hope, Minn.
51 Anthony Thorman
Fr. | P | 6-7 | 220 | Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson Personal: A 2023 graduate of Bloomington Jefferson High School…coached by Jeff Evens…Biochemistry major…son of Jason Thorman and Laura Agrimson of Bloomington, Minn.
19 GoJohnnies.com
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Senior Spotlight
Ryan Thissen 6-6, 210, Wing, Eastview High School What is your favorite spot on campus and why? I really enjoy going to the Reef in the mornings. There aren’t a lot of other students and it’s a great time to hang out with teammates before the class day begins. What are your post-graduation plans? If the opportunity presented itself, I’d love to play professionally somewhere in Europe for a few years. After that, I hope to get into sports medicine or cardiology.
Connor Schwob Blake Berg 6-5, 200, Wing, Waconia High School 6-4, 205, Guard, West Fargo (North What made you decide to attend SJU? Dakota) Sheyenne High School I chose SJU because of the community feel here and (the school’s) great reputation. What is something about you not everyone would know? I’m a third-generation Johnnie. What do you consider your greatest talent? My greatest talent is waterskiing.
What has been the most memorable part of your time at SJU – in basketball or on campus? The most memorable part of my time here at SJU was winning the conference championship game (against Macalester) my sophomore year. What is something about you not everyone would know? I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is any fresh seafood.
What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is “The Greatest Showman.”
Ryan Engel Team manager What has been the most memorable part of your time at SJU – in basketball or on campus? Meeting new people every year and being able to spend time with some of my best friends. What is your favorite food? Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Thissen
What are some of your hobbies away from basketball? Exercising, traveling to new places, watching and reading about sports, spending time with friends and family.
Berg
Be a Bennie Be a Johnnie
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A LOOK BACK Presented by Sentry Bank
SJU outlasted St. Olaf in the MIAC semifinals a year ago to advance to the hcampionship game.
Ryan Thissen led SJU with 24 points against Carleton in the MIAC Championship Game.
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SJU’s Ryan Thissen was named a first-team Academic All-American.
Thissen
Vaughn
Three Johnnie players earned All-MIAC honors during the 2022-23 season.
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FRANKLY SPEAKING
By Frank Rajkowski
REMEMBERING THE LASTING IMPACT OF ADRIENNE SMITH
international trip in 1976), she was there, hanging out and taking care of us. She was such a great person.”
There’s a reason the court at Sexton Arena is named after both Jim and Adrienne Smith. It’s because Adrienne – who passed away at age 87 on Aug. 11 – was more than just a loving and supportive spouse to Jim, the legendary head basketball coach at Saint John’s University from 1964 to 2015. She was also his full partner when it came to the Johnnie basketball program. “There’s no doubt about that,” said Smith of his wife of 66 years and mother to their seven children. “She was my rock. I knew I could go to her with anything. She was so intelligent and had such good judgement. She helped me so much over all those years. “And she was so welcoming. If we had a player who happened to drop by our house on Sixth Avenue (in St. Cloud, near the hospital) at the dinner hour, there was always a place for them to sit down and eat with us. She got to know all our players over the years, and she impacted more people than I even realized.” Indeed, many of those former players speak with great fondness of the warmth and generosity Ade (as she was best known) showed them. “Between my sophomore and junior year, one of our players’ mother passed
away, and Ade really became a second mother to him,” recalls Paul Bernabei, who earned MIAC player of the year honors while leading the Johnnies to their first conference title as a senior in 1968-69. “But I think we’d all say that in a way. “She meant so much to all of us. I can remember at Thanksgiving, those of us who were still on campus would go to their house on Sixth Avenue, and she’d welcome us to their table. There were times we’d all be there and they didn’t have enough chairs. So some of us would be sitting on the floor eating dinner. “It felt like a big family and she was at the epicenter. Ade always made you feel like you were at home and this was where you belonged.” Frank Wachlarowicz, who earned MIAC player of the year honors as a junior and senior in 1978 and ’79, echoed those sentiments. “She really was like a mother to us,” he recalls. “I can remember especially when we went to Poland (for the team’s first
Current Johnnies head coach Pat McKenzie’s father, Pat Sr., played at SJU in the late 1970s. He followed suit, graduating in 2004, then joining Smith’s staff as an assistant in 2006. His younger brother, Kevin, a 2014 graduate, played for the Johnnies as well. So his family has been connected to Jim and Ade for a long time. “When I was playing, she’d ride the team bus with Smitty,” McKenzie recalls. “We’d be playing Scrabble or other board games and she’d become our de facto referee and judge. She just brought such stability. “If you stay married to a basketball coach for 66 years, there’s something in your makeup that really enjoys being around a team and being part of that competitive environment. You could see she really loved it.” Smith said the connections Ade formed with players and their families stayed strong well after they’d left Collegeville. “Over the years, players came through and we got to know their families,” he said. “We built a network that just kept growing and growing. And she was right there at the forefront of all of that.”
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COACHING RECORDS Year-by-Year Coach Unknown Year Overall 1902-03 0-2 Frank Tewes 1 season 1903-04 4-0 (1.000) Year Overall 1903-04 4-0 Peter Tierney 2 seasons 1904-06 5-2 (.714) Year Overall 1904-05 3-0 1905-06 2-2
1905-06 Coach Unknown Year Overall 1906-07 3-1 1907-08 9-1 John Siebel 1 season 1908-09 4-0-1 (.900) Year Overall 1908-09 4-0-1 Coach Unknown Year Overall 1909-10 5-7 Edward Flynn 10 seasons 1910-1920 47-44-1 (.516) Year Overall MDIC Notes 1910-11 2-0 1911-12 2-6 1912-13 4-5 1913-14 7-4 1914-15 6-3-1 1915-16 9-1 RS 1916-17 1-8 1917-18 6-5 1918-19 6-6 3-3 1919-20 4-6 3-2 Edward Cahill 2 seasons 1920-22 16-12 (.571) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1920-21 8-6 5-3 1921-22 8-6 4-5
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Fred Sanborn 2 seasons 1922-24 9-19 (.321) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1922-23 5-9 2-8 1923-24 4-10 1-6 Eugene Aldrich 1 season 1924-25 6-8 (.428) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1924-25 6-8 3-5 Wilfred Houle 5 seasons 1925-30 34-36 (.486) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1925-26 10-7 5-5 1926-27 5-5 1927-28 8-7 3-5 1928-29 7-6 5-4 1929-30 4-11 1-8 Joe Benda 7 seasons 1930-37 33-74 (.308)
Year Overall MIAC Notes 1930-31 4-11 3-8 1931-32 5-10 2-9 1932-33 6-7 4-7 1933-34 0-12 1934-35 5-9 5-7 1935-36 5-14 2-10 1936-37 8-11 6-6 George Durenberger 4 seasons 1937-41 32-44 (.421)
Year Overall MIAC Notes 1937-38 5-11 1-11 1938-39 10-7 8-4 1939-40 12-11 4-8 1940-41 5-15 2-10 Joe Benda 7 seasons, 14 seasons total 1930-37, 1941-48 35-77 (.312), 68-151 (.310) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1941-42 3-13 1-11 1942-43 3-13 3-11 1943-44 2-8 1944-45 6-5 5-5 1945-46 5-13 3-6
1946-47 1947-48
12-8 4-18
7-5 1-10
1946-47 John “Buster” Hiller 5 seasons 1948-53 40-71 (.360) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1948-49 9-11 6-6 1949-50 4-21 2-10 1950-51 8-15 4-8 1951-52 11-10 4-8 1952-53 8-14 4-12 Bill Osborne 6 seasons 1953-59 60-91 (.397)
Year Overall MIAC Notes 1953-54 11-12 8-8 1954-55 14-11 7-9 1955-56 11-14 6-10 1956-57 11-11 8-8 1957-58 5-19 2-14 1958-59 8-24 6-10 Ed Hasbrouck 5 seasons 1959-64 35-79 (.307) Year Overall MIAC Notes 1959-60 3-18 3-13 1960-61 7-17 3-13 1961-62 8-16 4-12 1962-63 7-15 4-12 1963-64 10-13 4-12
1972-73 1973-74 1974-75 1975-76 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Pat McKenzie 8 seasons 154-47 (.766)
Jim Smith 51 seasons 786-556 (.586)
Year Overall MIAC Notes 1964-65 9-15 6-10 1965-66 11-13 10-6 1966-67 17-7 11-5 1967-68 15-10 10-6 1968-69 20-9 12-4 RS, NAIA 1969-70 11-12 7-9 1970-71 12-12 10-6 1971-72 12-13 10-6
11-16 8-8 10-16 7-9 8-19 6-12 17-10 12-6 NAIA 14-12 11-5 NAIA 23-8 15-3 RS, NAIA 27-3 18-0 RS, NAIA 20-8 14-4 NAIA 18-9 12-6 16-11 13-5 NAIA 18-12 12-6 NAIA 20-8 16-4 NAIA 16-12 13-7 PO, NCAA 23-5 16-4 RS, PO, NCAA 19-8 16-4 RS 19-10 13-7 PO, NCAA 16-10 13-7 19-8 16-4 10-15 10-10 14-11 11-9 20-8 17-3 RS, NCAA 18-8 15-5 17-9 15-5 NCAA 12-12 10-10 14-10 12-8 11-12 10-10 12-11 10-10 20-7 14-6 PO, NCAA 22-6 17-3 RS, PO, NCAA 15-11 13-7 12-15 10-10 8-17 6-12 8-17 6-12 16-10 14-6 21-8 17-3 NCAA 14-12 11-9 14-12 12-8 14-12 11-9 14-11 10-10 16-11 11-9 12-14 11-9 15-11 13-7 16-10 14-6
Year 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
Overall MIAC Notes 19-8 13-7 19-9 13-7 23-4 19-1 RS, NCAA 23-5 17-3 PO, NCAA 27-2 19-1 RS, PO, NCAA 3-4 2-3 23-5 17-2 RS, PO, NCAA 17-10 13-7
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Scholarships Provide Opportunities for Miller in Saint John’s Athletics Graham Miller ’25 has embraced his passion for sports photography during his time at Saint John’s University in ways he feels wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. As a freshman, the communication major and art minor from Victoria, Minnesota, worked in the athletic media relations office at the College of Saint Benedict, and last year he worked as a photographer for Saint John’s athletic media relations director Ryan Klinkner ’04. “I get the chance to see the action from the sidelines and capture moments most fans don’t get to see,” Miller said. “I love my job and I take my position seriously. I’m getting the chance to explore what I want to do. “It can be hard getting access to sporting events at bigger schools, or to find a student job on campus that would allow me to do this. I was fortunate when I came to Saint John’s that I was able to find people right away who supported me and wanted to have me on the team creating images for them.” Miller, the youngest of four siblings,
said coming to Saint John’s wouldn’t have happened if not for scholarships. He receives the Stephen Slaggie Scholarship, the Abbott Baldwin Dworschak Scholarship, the Cyril Pesek Scholarship, the Tse You Kai Scholarship, an academic achievement scholarship, an art scholarship and an alum referral scholarship. “Scholarships have been a really big help for me,” Miller said. “If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have been able to attend Saint John’s. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to receive a great, wellrounded education.” Klinkner said Miller is a pleasure to work with and his skillset is rare to find in an underclassman. “Graham has been impressive since day one, both in his abilities as a photographer and his professionalism,” Klinkner said. “Athletic photography typically demands a long learning process, but that was not the case with Graham. I am excited for Graham’s future and to see how he will continue to enhance Johnnie athletics over the next two years.” Miller also took advantage of the Student Exploration through Alum Mentoring (SEAM) program where students
Photos by Graham Miller
29 GoJohnnies.com
Alumni Association
are matched with alum mentors for informational interviews, networking conversations and an in-person or virtual site visit. It allows student participants to both network and explore the value of their liberal arts degree when it comes to future careers. Miller was paired with James Slagle ‘09, the director of enterprise accounts at Shift4, a financial services company. Slagle has experience in sports marketing in the athletic departments at the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota and the University of Southern California. “It’s great to have the chance to connect with an alum and learn from them,” Miller said. “They share their experience and stories about their career and you pick up skills you might not get in other places.” Miller hopes to work in the sports digital media industry after graduation. He is so grateful to the donors who have helped make it possible for him to chase that dream. “I still remember how it felt receiving my acceptance letter in the mail. I knew at that moment that this was the right place for me, and that feeling hasn’t changed. It’s amazing to know there are so many people out there who care about making this possible. The Johnnie and Bennie network is really something remarkable.”
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JIM AND ADRIENNE SMITH COURT AT SEXTON ARENA Presented by Kwik Trip Jim Smith never had the chance to coach Bill Sexton. The longtime Saint John’s University basketball head coach did not arrive in Collegeville until 1964 – nine years after Sexton’s college career came to an end. But Smith certainly heard about him plenty. “At that time, there was no bigger name in Saint John’s basketball,” Smith recalls. “He was the one everybody talked about.” With good reason of course. Sexton did not just rewrite the SJU record book during his time in Collegeville. He essentially created it. His 1,480 points made him the school’s all-time scoring leader to that point, and the total still ranks fifth in school history. He was the first Saint John’s player to earn All-MIAC honors twice - in 1954 and 1955 - and he became the first Johnnie to be named an All-American when he was selected to the All-NAIA third team in 1954. Perhaps the highlight of Sexton’s distinguished career came during the final game of his junior season in 1954. On that night, he scored 49 points in a victory over Macalester, a total that still stands as a single-game school record.
The performance also wrapped up that season’s MIAC scoring title. He entered play leading Pat Costello of Saint Mary’s by just three points. “I don’t recall much of the specifics from a lot of the big games I played in,” he said. “I know the charts say I was 19-for-32 from the field and 11-for-11 from the free throw line. I guess it was one of those games when I just got going.” His senior year was equally spectacular as he finished with a team-best 511 points. And his involvement at Saint John’s did not end with his graduation. In fact, it’s only grown stronger in the decades that have followed. He went on to a successful career in the insurance business, and served as a member of the school’s Board of Regents from 1989-2001. He and his family, meanwhile, are among the school’s biggest donors. The current Sexton Commons on campus is named in honor of his parents. A $10 million pledge in 2004 created the Joyce and William Sexton Family Endowed Scholarship, as well as supporting the Abbey Guest House project and SJU athletics. In 2000, he received the Fr. Walter Reger
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Award for service to his alma mater – the SJU Alumni Association’s highest honor. And, of course, it was his gift that allowed for a renovation of the Warner Palaestra in 1997, which included a new wood floor in the basketball arena, which was named in his honor. In 2008, the court was redone thanks to the support of a group of former Johnnie basketball players - Sexton, Joe Mucha ’66, Michael Dady ’71, Tom Grudnowski ’72, Pat McKenzie ’79, Tim Kosiek ‘80 and John Wiehoff ’84. The court itself was named in honor of Smith and his wife Adrienne while the arena remains named for Sexton - uniting their two legacies and their collective impact on the SJU basketball program. “Saint John’s has played such an important role in my family’s life,” Sexton said.
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FLASHBACK: 1978-79 SEASON Presented by McDowall Company The 1978-79 season could not have started worse for the Saint John’s University basketball team. Not only did the Johnnies drop their season opener 81-68 on the road on a frigid late November night at Jamestown (North Dakota), but the trip home turned into an 11-hour exercise in misery. “Our team bus blew a clutch or something a short distance out of Jamestown,” Johnnies coach Jim Smith recounted in the St. Cloud Times the following day. “We caught a ride into Valley City and got another bus, but that one barely reached Fargo before the radiator froze up. We ordered another bus in Fargo, but the driver misunderstood our request. “We waited about two hours for him at a restaurant, then ordered another bus. That one got us home.” Things didn’t get much better for SJU on the road at Minnesota-Morris a few nights later when Rodney Oliver drained an 18foot jumper with just more than a minute remaining to lift the Cougars past the Johnnies 42-41. Suddenly, a team with sky-high expectations was 0-2.
“I think we knew the pieces of the puzzle were there,” said Frank Wachlarowicz, one of seven seniors who returned that season and the only SJU player to be a two-time All-American. “It was just a matter of time before they started falling into place. Starting 0-2 was frustrating, but no one hit the panic button.” Indeed, from there everything started going the Johnnies’ way in what turned into perhaps the most remarkable season in school history. Wachlarowicz and company rattled off 27 straight wins, including an 18-0 MIAC record in which they won 13 games by 10 or more points. SJU rolled past Moorhead State 86-61 in the NAIA District 13 semifinals at Warner Palaestra, led by 14 points off the bench from John Eisenschenk. That set up a showdown at Northern Intercollegiate Conference champion Mankato State in the district final. In that game, before a packed house of more than 6,000, the Johnnies trailed almost the entire way. But a pair of free throws by Dan Smith tied the game at 71 with 37 seconds remaining in regulation. SJU then hit 11 of 12 free throws in overtime to emerge with an 84-82 victory. “The whole season was surreal,” Wachlarowicz said. “We won five in a row. Then it was 10. Then it was 15. All of a
sudden, we’re setting a Saint John’s record by going undefeated in the conference. But everyone kept an even keel.” At the 32-team NAIA national tournament at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, the Johnnies beat West Virginia Wesleyan 83-81 in the first round. But in the second, they fell 79-75 to Southwest Texas State despite shooting 55.8 percent from the field. Wachlarowicz finished with 25 points and ended his career as the leading scorer in Minnesota college history (a record that stood until it was broken by St. Cloud State guard Gage Davis in 2019). But he and fellow seniors Smith and post Ted Nowak fouled out in the second half. “They were a pretty good team, but there were like 60 whistles in that game,” Wachlarowicz recalls. “It felt like if you touched someone, they were going to call a foul.” Still, the season was memorable. Smith was named NAIA District 13 coach of the year. Wachlarowicz earned allconference and all-district honors for the fourth consecutive season. Dan Smith and point guard Pat McKenzie Sr. (father of the current SJU head coach) joined Wachlarowicz (MIAC player of the year) on the all-conference first team while Nowak and senior John Patterson earned honorable-mention distinction.
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