UNIVERSITY OF CROOKSTON MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM SIGNS SIX PLAYERS TO LETTERS OF INTENT

BY Chris Vito - Assistant Sports Information Director

University of Minnesota, Crookston Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Oseth announced today the signing of six student-athletes to Letters of Intent for the 2009-2010 season. Junior college transfers Mike Larsen of Salt Lake City, Utah and Darin Weeks of Green River, Wyo., along with incoming freshmen Kyle Kreklow of Delano, Minn., Kyle Risinger of Minnetonka, Minn., Broderick Schmidt of Marion, S.D. all have signed national letters of intent while Andrew Scott of LeSueur, Minn. has signed an institutional letter of intent to round out the 2009 recruiting class for the Golden Eagles.

Mike Larsen, a 6’9 sophomore power forward from Salt Lake City, Utah, averaged ten points, five rebounds and shot 44% from the field at Western Wyoming Community College. He helped lead his team into the second round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region IX Tournament. Larsen also garnered first team all state averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior at Riverton High School. Larsen will major in business at the University of Minnesota, Crookston.

“Mike Larsen is an outstanding shooter,” says head coach Jeff Oseth. “He has established himself as one of the premier face-up big men in the area. He is an extremely versatile player with all the tools to make him a special player at UMC. Mike is a very smart basketball player that has good size and length to contribute immediately. We are extremely excited to have Mike join the Golden Eagle family.”

Darin Weeks, a 6’2 sophomore guard/forward from Green River, Wyo., joins the Golden Eagles after a very successful season at Western Wyoming Community College. Darin’s 14.4 points and four assists per game were good enough to earn him second team All- Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference, as well as NJCAA Region IX All-Tournament Team. He shot 46% from the floor, 44% from three-point range and 72% from the free-throw line last season. Weeks will major in biology at the University of Minnesota, Crookston.

“Darin is as tough as they come,” says Coach Oseth. “He is a great shooter with the capability of exploding to the basket at will. He has proven himself at the highest levels making important contributions to his team. He is an incredible person with great character and we are very much looking forward to working with Darin.”

Kyle Kreklow, a 6’7 guard/forward from Delano, Minn., is a three-year varsity starter and four-year letter winner at both Blaine and Delano High Schools. He was named to the Wright County All-Conference team and was team MVP for Delano H.S. Kyle averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game.

“Kyle’s upside is huge,” says Coach Oseth. “He played the point guard for his high school team, so he has good ball skills. However, he has the ability to play a multitude of positions. He has great size and length for both the guard and forward positions and he sees the floor extremely well. Kyle comes from a great basketball family as both his older brothers play college basketball, so he has a great understanding of the game. We’re extremely excited that Kyle has chosen to join our basketball family here at UMC.”

Kyle Risinger, a 6’1 point guard from Minnetonka, Minn., was a large contributor to Minnetonka High School’s 2008 Class AAAA State Championship team as a junior. He was named All-Conference in the Classic Lake Conference his senior year and was All-Conference Honorable Mention as a junior. A three-time team Defensive Player of the year, Risinger also excelled on the football field where he was name St. Paul Pioneer Press First Team All-State and First Team All-Conference. This past season as a senior, he averaged 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds per game.

“Kyle is as tough a competitor as there is,” says Coach Oseth. “He is physically ready to compete at the collegiate level. Kyle competed and succeeded in one of the toughest conferences in the largest class of basketball in the state. He has been very well-coached at Minnetonka High School by Head Coach John Hedstrom. He has a great ability to create for others and is an excellent defender. We think Kyle can contribute right away on the court, as well as be a team leader off the court.”

Broderick Schmidt, a 6’10 forward from Marion, S.D., is a three-time team MVP. He averaged 18 points, ten rebounds and five blocks per game during his senior season. Broderick is a three-time all-conference selection. He comes to UMC with a 3.9 GPA and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the National Honor Society.

“Broderick’s length and athleticism allow him the opportunity to do a wide variety of things on the court,” says Coach Oseth. “He’s an extremely hard worker and a total team player. He has the potential to be an excellent player in the NSIC. He comes from a great family and we’re looking forward to working with Broderick over the course of his collegiate career. We’re thrilled to have him join the Golden Eagle family.”

Broderick is the son of the late Dr. Bradley Keith Schmidt and Pamela Rose Schmidt.

Andrew Scott, a 6’9 center from LeSueur, Minn., has agreed to an institutional letter of intent. Scott lead his LeSueur-Henderson High School team in blocks and rebounds his sophomore and junior seasons. An anterior cruciate ligament tear during the football season of his senior year prevented him from playing basketball this past season.

“Andrew has great size for an incoming freshman,” says Coach Oseth. “At 6’9, 240 pounds and still growing, he has the potential to be able to play inside in the NSIC. We think that, when healthy, Andrew could be a top post player in our league. We’re very pleased that Andrew has decided to play his collegiate basketball at UMC.”

The six signees join third team All-Metro selection Damarius Cruz of Plymouth, Minn., Wisconsin State All-Star Mike Boebel of Marshall, Wis. and Andrew Albers of Kimberly, Wis. in the Golden Eagles 2009 recruiting class. Cruz, Boebel and Albers signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period last November.