UND Signs Two-Time First Team All-NSIC Selection Luke Winkel

4/22/2026 2:56:00 PM | By: Corey Lichtman, FightingHawks.com

Winkel spent two seasons at St. Cloud State where he averaged 16.0 points and 4.0 assists game across 63 contests.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota men's basketball Head Coach Paul Sather announced the addition of guard Luke Winkel on Wednesday.

Winkel comes to Grand Forks after spending two seasons with St. Cloud State, where he was a two-time First Team All-NSIC selection. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

"Luke is exactly what we need," said Sather. "He is a proven winner, helping his team to a conference championship and a 20-2 conference record. Luke led his team in scoring, assists and steals, along with playing the most minutes. He's already scored his 1,000th point as a sophomore and he's excited about a new opportunity at the division 1 level. Luke is a playmaking point guard that competes on both sides of the floor. He's a "find a way and figure it out" type of player that plays a fearless style of basketball. He leaves it all on the floor!"

A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Winkel averaged 18.7 points, 4.0 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game on 41.1% from the field and 33.2% from deep across 32 games and 32 starts this season. He ranked sixth in the NSIC in both scoring and assists, leading the Huskies to a 20-2 conference record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018-19.

The 5-foot-11 guard compiled 29 games in double figures, 15 performances with 20 or more points and two outings with 30 points, most recently pouring in 30 points on Jan. 31 at Minnesota-Crookston. The guard displayed abilities to pass the ball at a high-level, recording a 27-point, 11-assist double-double on Dec. 13 against Wayne State. He had 10 games with five or more assists this past season.

Winkel showed durability and grit this past year, ranking ninth in the NSIC in minutes per game at 33.0. He played in at least 30 minutes in 27-of-32 games, grinding out a career-high 44 minutes in a win over Minnesota-Duluth on Jan. 27.

The transfer cemented himself into St. Cloud history, becoming just the 47th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, doing this on March 16, 2026 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Minnesota-Duluth.

Winkel led the Huskies to their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2017-18, totaling a team-high 22 points against Missouri Western on March 14 in the first round of the tournament. He brings a winning culture with him to Grand Forks, helping the Huskies win 46 total games (.708 winning percentage) over the past two seasons, a 24-win increase from the combined two seasons prior to him getting to St. Cloud State.

The Hawkeye state native connected on team-highs in field goals (191), three pointers (62) and free throws (155). He made eight or more field goals in 11 games, making 11 field goals twice, last done on Feb. 28 vs. Sioux Falls. The rising junior made three or more 3-pointers 12 different times, banging home a career-high six made threes against Minnesota Crookston on Jan. 31.

Winkel excelled at getting to the free throw line, ranking 25th in all of division ll with his 155 free throws made, knocking them down at 77.1% clip. He made five or more free throws in 18-of-32 games, opening the season with 12 made free throws against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 14.

The All-Central Region selection gets it done on the defensive side of the ball as well, as he was tied for ninth in the NSIC with 1.4 steals per game. His 44 steals led the Huskies this season, snatching at least one steal in 22 contests. He had a career best five steals on Dec. 18 against Sioux falls, a game in which he had his first career 30-point game along with seven rebounds.

Prior to this season, Winkel balled out as a freshman for St. Cloud State, averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds on 40.3% from the field, 38.1% from deep and 80.4% from the foul line across 31 games and 16 starts in 2024-25. He scored in double figures 20 times with five 20-plus point outings.

Before coming to St. Cloud State, Winkel was a standout at Ankeny Centennial High School, where he was a two-time First Team All-State Selection. He played AAU ball with Kingdom Hoops in Iowa. Below is a full list of his career accolades.

Luke Winkel Career Accolades