GRAND FORKS, N.D. ? University of North Dakota head men's basketball coach Brian Jones announced today the signings of Brandon Brekke, Chris Clausen and Josh Schuler to National Letters of Intent to play for the Fighting Sioux beginning in 2009-10.
“We are excited about the addition of Brandon, Chris and Josh to our baskeball family,” said Jones. “Our staff has done an outstanding job finding young men who fit our system, our University and our community. All three make our team better as we move forward in our transition to Division I.”
Brekke is a 6-foot-6 forward/center for East Grand Forks (Minn.) High School, where he has lettered four times and has earned All-Northwest Conference honors in each of the last two seasons. Last year as a junior, Brekke was named the conference's most valuable offensive player after averaging 17.8 points, 10 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game.
Brekke's father, Steve Brekke, is a member of UND's Athletic Hall of Fame and was twice named to the All-North Central Conference Men's Basketball team. His uncle, Chad Brekke, also played for the Sioux men's basketball team from 1993-96.
“Brandon is a relentless worker,” said Jones. “He has shown huge strides these last few years and his best basketball is ahead of him. His athleticism and length will allow us to play him at multiple positions, which will make us better offensively and defensively.”
Clausen, a 6-foot-6 forward originally from Adelaide, Australia, is a sophomore at North Iowa Area Community College, where last season he played under current UND assistant coach Bryan Martin. Clausen is a 2005 graduate of Trinity High School, where he won a state championship and league MVP as a senior after averaging 24 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Like Brekke, Clausen also has family ties to the UND men's basketball program; his father, Dan Clausen, lettered for the Sioux from 1980-82 and is a member of the UND Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Chris is another young man who is a tireless worker and just finds ways to get things done by his effort,” said Jones. “He can really make shots but by the same token he is going to do whatever you need him to do to win a ballgame. With Chris and Brandon following in their fathers' footsteps, they both have a vested interest in the future of Fighting Sioux basketball and now they get the opportunity to write their own chapter.”
Schuler, a native of Urbana, Ohio, is a 6-foot-2 guard at Graham High School where, as a junior last season, he was named Champaign County Player of the Year, District 9 Player of the Year, Central Buckeye Conference Player of the Year and Springfield News Sun Player of the Year. A second team All-Ohio selection, Schuler led Graham to the school's first-ever 20-0 regular season record, a 26-1 overall record and a berth in the state semifinal. He averaged 19.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals as a junior and entered his senior season with more than 1,100 career points.
“Josh is a shooting guard with a great feel for the game,” said Jones. “He has the ability to score in different ways, which is crucial in our offensive scheme. He is another young man who comes from a very good high school program and knows how to win. This has been a focus for our staff since arriving in Grand Forks.”
UND, in its first season as a Division I program, is 1-1 this season and will host Bemidji State on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center at 2p.m.
