Golden Eagle Athletic News
(Crookston, Minn.)- University of Minnesota, Crookston Men's Basketball Coach Jeff Oseth announced today the signing of six players to a National Letter of Intent and two others that will join the Golden Eagle Basketball program on an institutional letter of admission to play basketball for the Golden Eagles during the 2010-2011 season.
Eric Dearden is a 6-2, guard, from Riverton , Utah. Dearden is a transfer from NCAA Division I Utah Valley State. At Utah Valley State he played in 28 games averaging 19 minutes per game and started eight games. He averaged five points per game and shot 38% from the field. He led the team in scoring against CSU- Bakersfield and Houston Baptist. Before Utah Valley State, Dearden played at Western Wyoming Junior College. At Western he was named the All-Conference, All-Region, and All-Defensive teams. Coach Oseth says, "Eric is a very good basketball player. We were looking for a point guard that could play right away and we found one in Eric. We really liked him two years ago when he was at Western Wyoming but knew he was going Division I. To be able to get him a year later we are very excited. Eric is a floor leader that can also guard on the defensive end. He is the type of guard that can get the team into the offense and has a great understanding of what needs to be done. Eric has the skill set to break a defense down with his penetration ability. Eric will make an immediate impact in our program."
Shane Monjeau is a 6-5, freshman, from Hastings, Minn. Monjeau was named to the Pioneer Press All-State Honorable Mention team. He was named All-Conference his senior and junior years and was name to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team is sophomore year. He finished second all- time in scoring at Hastings High School with 1,206 career points. Coach Oseth says, "Shane is a strong competitor and willing to do whatever it takes on the defensive end. Shane can guard four different positions and has polished offensive skills with the potential to get better. As a staff we really like Shane's game and with time and strength he will only get better. I am looking forward to coaching Shane during his college career".
Almir Krdzalic is a 5-11, sophomore, from Sioux Falls, S.D. Krdzalic prepped at Lincoln High School where he led his team to a state championship with a 26-0 record. He was named State Tournament MVP and was also named All-Tournament, All City, All-Conference and 2nd Team All-State. Last season Krdzalic played at Mars Hill College an NCAA Division II school in North Carolina. At Mars Hill College he played in all 28 games and started two games. He averaged 19 minutes per game. Coach Oseth says, "Almir is a point guard. He is very quick and handles the ball extremely well. He is an outstanding on the ball defender especially in the back court. Almir has the skills to push the ball in transition and make the proper pass. Almir works continually on his skills as a basketball player to improve his game. Almir has the knack to make the players around him better."
Larry Brown is a 6-7, junior, from St. Paul, Minn. Brown played last season at North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS). At NDSCS, Brown averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Scott Schumacher Head Men's Basketball Coach at NDSCS had this to say about Brown. "Minnesota Crookston is getting an excellent shooter and an even better person". Brown played his high school ball at St. Paul Central where he was named All-Metro, All-State Honorable Mention, and was the Saint Paul City Conference Player of The Year. Coach Oseth says, "Larry is an explosive wing who has a good feel for the game. He is an athletic slasher who can create match up difficulties on the perimeter. Larry just has that knack for the basketball that you can't coach. We are very excited to have Larry in our program and we look for him to make an immediate impact".
Jacolby Anderson is a 6-2, junior, from Lancaster, Texas. Anderson played last season at Trinity Valley Junior College in Texas. At Trinity Valley he played for Pat Smith, a former NSIC head coach at Bemidji State University. Coach Oseth says, "Jacolby is an outstanding young man. On his visit to UMC I felt he will be a great addition to our program and to the University. Jacolby is a combo guard and will be able to play three different positions in our system. Jacolby is a strong defender and on offense is able to get to the rim. Jacolby plays with great energy and enthusiasm. We look for Jacolby to be an immediate spark for our team next season."
Jay Cary is a 6-3, junior, from Hibbing, Minn. Cary played the last two seasons at Hibbing Community College. Matt Johnson Head Men's Basketball Coach at Hibbing Community College had this to say about Cary. "Jay came into HCC as an ALL-State player, one of the best high school players in Northern Minnesota. He was very highly recruited and he didn't disappoint in his time here. Jay has been one of the best shooters in our league the past two seasons averaging 12 points per game on 42% shooting from the field. Jay shot 40% from three-point land his freshman season and ranked at the top of the NJCAA stats with 93% from the free-throw line this past season. He will be a great addition to UMC basketball. I am excited to see Jay become part of the UMC basketball program". Cary prepped at Hibbing High School. At Hibbing he was a two-time All-Conference performer. He was named to both the Duluth News Tribune and Hibbing Daily Tribune as Player of the Year. He is the all-time leading scorer in Hibbing High School history. Coach Oseth says, "Jay is a good shooting guard that has the ability to stretch a defense out. He can play both the two spot and the wing position. Jay works extremely hard at the game of basketball. We feel Jay will be a great fit here at UMC both athletically and academically and we are looking forward to working with him."
Institutional Letter of Admission Signees
Ben Curran a 6-1, guard, from Crookston, Minn. and Evan Collette a 5-9 guard from Grafton, N.D. will join the Golden Eagle squad for the 2010-11 campaign as well.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
Monjeau- Mon-joe
Dearden- Dear-done
Krdzalic- Krad-zla-act
All signees are contingent upon admission to the University of Minnesota, Crookston and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
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Eric Dearden is a 6-2, guard, from Riverton , Utah. Dearden is a transfer from NCAA Division I Utah Valley State. At Utah Valley State he played in 28 games averaging 19 minutes per game and started eight games. He averaged five points per game and shot 38% from the field. He led the team in scoring against CSU- Bakersfield and Houston Baptist. Before Utah Valley State, Dearden played at Western Wyoming Junior College. At Western he was named the All-Conference, All-Region, and All-Defensive teams. Coach Oseth says, "Eric is a very good basketball player. We were looking for a point guard that could play right away and we found one in Eric. We really liked him two years ago when he was at Western Wyoming but knew he was going Division I. To be able to get him a year later we are very excited. Eric is a floor leader that can also guard on the defensive end. He is the type of guard that can get the team into the offense and has a great understanding of what needs to be done. Eric has the skill set to break a defense down with his penetration ability. Eric will make an immediate impact in our program."
Shane Monjeau is a 6-5, freshman, from Hastings, Minn. Monjeau was named to the Pioneer Press All-State Honorable Mention team. He was named All-Conference his senior and junior years and was name to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team is sophomore year. He finished second all- time in scoring at Hastings High School with 1,206 career points. Coach Oseth says, "Shane is a strong competitor and willing to do whatever it takes on the defensive end. Shane can guard four different positions and has polished offensive skills with the potential to get better. As a staff we really like Shane's game and with time and strength he will only get better. I am looking forward to coaching Shane during his college career".
Almir Krdzalic is a 5-11, sophomore, from Sioux Falls, S.D. Krdzalic prepped at Lincoln High School where he led his team to a state championship with a 26-0 record. He was named State Tournament MVP and was also named All-Tournament, All City, All-Conference and 2nd Team All-State. Last season Krdzalic played at Mars Hill College an NCAA Division II school in North Carolina. At Mars Hill College he played in all 28 games and started two games. He averaged 19 minutes per game. Coach Oseth says, "Almir is a point guard. He is very quick and handles the ball extremely well. He is an outstanding on the ball defender especially in the back court. Almir has the skills to push the ball in transition and make the proper pass. Almir works continually on his skills as a basketball player to improve his game. Almir has the knack to make the players around him better."
Larry Brown is a 6-7, junior, from St. Paul, Minn. Brown played last season at North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS). At NDSCS, Brown averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Scott Schumacher Head Men's Basketball Coach at NDSCS had this to say about Brown. "Minnesota Crookston is getting an excellent shooter and an even better person". Brown played his high school ball at St. Paul Central where he was named All-Metro, All-State Honorable Mention, and was the Saint Paul City Conference Player of The Year. Coach Oseth says, "Larry is an explosive wing who has a good feel for the game. He is an athletic slasher who can create match up difficulties on the perimeter. Larry just has that knack for the basketball that you can't coach. We are very excited to have Larry in our program and we look for him to make an immediate impact".
Jacolby Anderson is a 6-2, junior, from Lancaster, Texas. Anderson played last season at Trinity Valley Junior College in Texas. At Trinity Valley he played for Pat Smith, a former NSIC head coach at Bemidji State University. Coach Oseth says, "Jacolby is an outstanding young man. On his visit to UMC I felt he will be a great addition to our program and to the University. Jacolby is a combo guard and will be able to play three different positions in our system. Jacolby is a strong defender and on offense is able to get to the rim. Jacolby plays with great energy and enthusiasm. We look for Jacolby to be an immediate spark for our team next season."
Jay Cary is a 6-3, junior, from Hibbing, Minn. Cary played the last two seasons at Hibbing Community College. Matt Johnson Head Men's Basketball Coach at Hibbing Community College had this to say about Cary. "Jay came into HCC as an ALL-State player, one of the best high school players in Northern Minnesota. He was very highly recruited and he didn't disappoint in his time here. Jay has been one of the best shooters in our league the past two seasons averaging 12 points per game on 42% shooting from the field. Jay shot 40% from three-point land his freshman season and ranked at the top of the NJCAA stats with 93% from the free-throw line this past season. He will be a great addition to UMC basketball. I am excited to see Jay become part of the UMC basketball program". Cary prepped at Hibbing High School. At Hibbing he was a two-time All-Conference performer. He was named to both the Duluth News Tribune and Hibbing Daily Tribune as Player of the Year. He is the all-time leading scorer in Hibbing High School history. Coach Oseth says, "Jay is a good shooting guard that has the ability to stretch a defense out. He can play both the two spot and the wing position. Jay works extremely hard at the game of basketball. We feel Jay will be a great fit here at UMC both athletically and academically and we are looking forward to working with him."
Institutional Letter of Admission Signees
Ben Curran a 6-1, guard, from Crookston, Minn. and Evan Collette a 5-9 guard from Grafton, N.D. will join the Golden Eagle squad for the 2010-11 campaign as well.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
Monjeau- Mon-joe
Dearden- Dear-done
Krdzalic- Krad-zla-act
All signees are contingent upon admission to the University of Minnesota, Crookston and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
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