Huskies picked eighth in NSIC Preseason Poll

NSIC Release

BURNSVILLE, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team has established itself as a top tier team in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) the past several years. With back-to-back appearances in the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals and NCAA Regional, the Huskies don't look to change a thing in 2019-20. The team, though, will have its work cut out for a three-peat, as it was picked to finish eighth in the overall standings and sixth in the North Division in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, released Thursday morning.

The Huskies will have a very different look this year, as they lose four of five starters and six total seniors from a 2018-19 team that was statistically one of the best in program history. Last year, the team broke upwards of 22 program records and made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. More importantly, St. Cloud State will need to replace the most prolific scorer, shot blocker and three-point shooter in program history, as former standouts Gage Davis, Sean Smith and Brindley Theisen all graduated last spring.

There are plenty of players ready to step in and fill those big shoes, including seniors Trevon Marshall (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston), Jake Mussman (St. Cloud, Minn. / Tech) and Diamond Onwuka (Barcelona, Spain / Canrias Basketball Academy), all of whom made contributions to the team in 2018-19. Joining the three seniors are five true freshman, three transfers and two sophomores, making this a very different roster from past seasons.

Meet the 2019-20 men's basketball team (in 280 characters or less):

1 – Daniel Giestler (R-Fr.; Forward; Norwalk, Iowa / Norwalk)
Redshirted in 2018-19 to preserve a season of eligibility.

4 – Trevon Marshall (Sr.; Guard; Evanston, Ill. / Evanston Township)
NSIC Preseason Player to Watch; as a junior, appeared in all 31 games with 12 starts; scored 196 points with 67 rebounds, 65 assists, 37 steals and four blocks; became just the sixth player in program history to record a perfect game (6-6 shooting from the floor) in 2018-19.

10 – Andrija Blatancic (Sr.; Guard; Bergen, Norway / Langhaugen Videregående Skole; Academy of Arts)
Joins the Huskies after one season at the Academy of Arts; earned First Team All-PacWest honors and was voted Second Team All-West Region in 2018-19; averaged 18 points and nine rebounds in 2018-19; goes by Dre.

12 – Brandon Adelman (Fr.; Guard; New London, Minn. / New London-Spicer)
First year from New London, Minnesota; four-year letter winner and three-year starter for New London High School; shot 42.2 from the floor and 36.0 from beyond the arc; chose St. Cloud State because of the opportunity to play close to home.

14 – Jake Mussman (Sr.; Forward; St. Cloud, Minn. / Tech)
Senior forward from St. Cloud, Minnesota; 2x Academic All-Conference honoree; appeared in 19 games as a junior, tallying 111 minutes, 25 points, 13 rebounds and four assists during the season; added one block and one steal.

20 – Caleb Donaldson (Fr.; Guard; Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington)
One of two freshman from Illinios; earned All-Conference and All-State honors as a senior in 2018-19; participated in the state of Illinois High School All-Star Game; averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds his senior season.

22 – Anthony Roberts (Fr.; Guard; Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park)
One of two freshman from Illinois; named Third Team All-State as a senior and earned Second Team All-Area and All-Conference honors that same season; averaged 15.4 points and shot 55.0 from the floor as a senior in 2018-19.

30 – Ilya Tyrtyshnik (Jr.; Guard; Kyiv, Ukraine / Kyiv Specialized School #49 / Ole Miss)
Prior to joining St. Cloud State, spent one season at Ole Miss and another at North Platte Community College; named to the SEC Academic All-First Year team while at Ole Miss; led Ukraine to a second place finish at the 2016 FIBA U18 European Championships; dad is an Olympian.

32 – Ethan Schumer (So.; Forward; Lombard, Ill. / Willowbrook)
Appeared in 26 games as a freshman in 2018-19; racked up 185 minutes, 48 points, 35 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three steals in his first season with the Huskies.

40 – Tyler Marsh (Fr.; Guard; Nelson, New Zeeland / Waimea)
Regarded as one of the top prospects out of New Zeeland; participated in the 17U National Championship and is the youngest player to ever play in the New Zeeland National Basketball League.

42 – Diamond Onwuka (Sr.; Guard; Barcelona, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy / Howard College)
As a junior, appeared in and started all 31 games for St. Cloud State; scored 205 points with 62 rebounds, 17 blocks and 18 steals; scored the go-ahead shot in a thrilling 65-62 upset of #18 Northern State.

44 – Jailen Moore (Jr.; Guard; Redondo Beach, Calif. / Redondo Union / Fullerton Community College)
Enters his first season with the Huskies; previously played college basketball at Fullerton Community College; averaged 11.4 points per game while shooting 43.0 from beyond the arc in 2018-19.

52 – Nick Grantham (Fr.; Forward; Melbourne, Australia / Frankston Basketball Association)
Travels to Minnesota from Down Under as a preferred walk on; played in the Frankston Basketball Association during his high school career; adds size and height to the Huskies roster.

Head coach: Matt Reimer
Enters his sixth season at the Huskies head basketball coach in 2019-20. Led St. Cloud State to back-to-back NSIC Quarterfinal and NCAA Regional tournaments the last two seasons. Coached three Huskies to All-NSIC honors in 2018-19, including NSIC Player of the Year Gage Davis.

Players Mentioned

Brandon Adelman

Andrija Blatancic

Gage Davis

Caleb Donaldson

Daniel Geistler

Nick Grantham

Tyler Marsh

Trevon Marshall

Jailen Moore

Jake Mussman

Diamond Onwuka

Anthony Roberts

Sean Smith

Brindley Theisen

Ilya Tyrtyshnik

Saint Cloud State University Athletics