NDSCS Men Kickoff 2019-20 Season in Mon-Dak Conference Tournament Against Bismarck St.

North Dakota State College of Science men’s basketball team will open their 2019-20 season today at the Mon-Dak Conference Tournament hosted by Four Bears Casino in New Town, North Dakota.

The 8-team event gives each member of the conference not only a chance to claim the conference title, but also three games in three days on a neutral floor.

NDSCS enters as the 2-seed and will start play Friday evening against Bismarck State.

Stu Engen’s team finished as the tournament’s runner-up a year ago, losing to Williston State in the championship.

Williston State also won the regular season and Region 13 Tournament championships.

The Wildcats enter this season as one of the most experienced teams in the conference, returning three full-time starters in sophomores Duoth Gach, Noble Cooper and Mohamed “Momo” Kone.

Gach, a 6-foot-5 wing, was an NJCAA All-American last year, averaging 15.1 points and 4.3 rebounds, while also knocking down 99 3-pointers.

Cooper, a 6-foot-6 wing and Idaho State commit, was the team’s scoring leader last year (15.3 PPG), shooting 52 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3 and 84 percent from the free throw line.

Kone was one of the program’s most productive players, averaging 10.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He also led the team with 1.4 steals and shot an impressive 63 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3.

Sophomore Uhana Ochan, a 6-foot-7 forward, returns after starting 18 games as a freshman. Ochan averaged 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds last year.

The Wildcats will receive a boost from redshirt sophomore Marquis Holloman. The 6-foot-5 wing started 29 games as a freshman, averaging 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from 3. He sat out nearly the entire 2018-19 season due to injury.

Redshirt freshmen Diang Gatlauk and Moses Suleiman will also look to compete for starting roles and rotational minutes.

Transfer sophomore Rayquan Moore comes to NDSCS from Grand View University and will contend for minutes at the guard spots.

Coach Engen is also excited about a talented crop of true freshmen, led by Brooklyn Center, Minn. native Khari Broadway and Cottage Grove, Minn. product Jeremiah Smith.

Sophomores Damien Gordon and Rydell Floyd, as well as freshmen Segev Gazit, Malik Spearman, Marko Malesevic and Lyric Radford complete the roster.

Engen is entering his eighth season at NDSCS, racking up 192 wins and five Region 13 titles. He currently has 498 career coaching victories.

The Wildcats will return to Wahpeton after this weekend, playing their home opener on Nov. 15 against Leech Lake.