North Dakota Fighting Hawks

General information

NCAA Division: Division I

Conference: Summit

Past Conferences: Summit, Big Sky, GWC, Ind

City: Grand Forks, North Dakota

Stadium: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center

NCAA Tournaments: 1965*, 1966*, 1967*, 1974*, 1975*, 1976*, 1977*, 1979*, 1980*, 1981*, 1982*, 1990*, 1991*, 1992*, 1993*, 1994*, 1995*, 2000*, 2003* (Indicates Division II) | 2017 (Indicates Division I)

Championships:

National Championships: None

Conference Titles: 3

Team History

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks men’s basketball team dates back to the 1905 season when head coach George Sweetland was in charge. The school’s former name was the Fighting Sioux, but building the foundation of the program would take several years, and the school had an extended period at the Division II level. Many of the other programs that compete in the Summit League started as Division II programs, but have made the transition. Before participating in the NCAA Tournament in the mid-1960s, the school was offered three invitations to the NAIA Tournament. 

In the Div II ranks, the Fighting Hawks have built a solid reputation by making multiple appearances in the tournament. Their inaugural post-season NCAA Tournament appearance was highly successful, despite facing tough odds.

After cruising past the competition in the previous rounds, the school met their match in Southern Illinois in the Final Four; however, they ended the tournament on a high note by defeating Saint Michael’s in the National 3rd-place game.

The trend continued for North Dakota in the subsequent year as they fell to Southern Illinois once again in the Final Four. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to secure a victory and went on to lose the National Third Place game to Akron.

In the following years, the school consistently qualified for the tournament and established a reputation for itself with several Elite 8 appearances. The pinnacle of their success came during the 1990 season. The team would reach the Final Four before falling to Kentucky Wesleyan in a high-scoring affair. However, the team effectively handled their match against Morehouse in the National Third-Place Game.

During its tenure as a Division II program, the school has reached 19 appearances in the tournament; falling just short of a National Championship a few times. Despite the blemish, the school finished with a 29-22 record in the Div II Tournament. Their last appearance in the tournament came in 2003.

The Transition to Division I

The university began transitioning to NCAA’s Division I in 2008, but many expected the transition to be a difficult one because the level of competition is much more fierce. The school’s first year at the Division I level was tough, and they were labeled as a non-major school under head coach Brian Jones in the Great West Conference.

The team gradually improved as they became more familiar with the speed of the game, but they were still far from earning an NCAA Tournament appearance. Under Jones’ leadership, the school received five invitations over six years to participate in the CIT. However, the school has a combined record of 0-5 in the tournament.

Eventually, the program made its biggest leap in the 2017 season by showcasing a regular season record of 22-10, and a conference record of 14-4 as members of the Big Sky. Unfortunately, the team was no match for the Arizona Wildcats’ potent offensive and defensive schemes in the opening round.

On January 24th, 2017, reports indicated that North Dakota would depart from the Big Sky Conference and join the Summit League for all sports except football, which began in 2019. Since their move to the Summit League, North Dakota has faced more challenges despite their efforts to build a cohesive squad.

The South Dakota team stats couldn’t keep the ball rolling because they have yet to finish with a winning record since the 2017 season. The team is searching for their win in the Division I era, but that will have to wait. Head coach Paul Sather will be leading the program for the fourth consecutive season, but his team faces too many obstacles and long NCAAB odds to win the Summit League.

All Time Records

• Points Scored

  • Troy Huff 2,005
  • Quinton Hooker 1,787
  • Aaron Anderson 1,430

• Rebounds

  • Troy Huff 750
  • Filip Rebraca 654
  • Jamal Webb 580

• Assists

  • Jamal Webb 483
  • Quinton Hooker 417
  • Geno Crandall 379

• Steals 

  • Jamal Webb 241
  • Troy Huff 229
  • Quinton Hooker 195

FAQs

What is the highest win total in program history?

Despite the relatively short history of the program at the Division I level, its most successful season took place in 2017. With a regular season record of 22-10 and a conference play record of 14-4, the school made history by participating in its first Division I NCAA Tournament. However, it has been challenging to match that level of success since.

Who is the winningest coach in program history?

Brian Jones holds the record for the most wins in the program’s history, due to its limited time at the Division I level. Despite this, Jones had a 148-173 record over his nine-year tenure, resulting in a .461 win-loss percentage. Despite the team’s loss in the first round, Jones remains the only coach in the program’s history to lead the team to the Division I NCAA Tournament.

The other coaches in the program’s history do not have enough years of service to challenge Jones’ record. For the current head coach, Paul Sather, it will take multiple successful seasons to surpass Jones’ record.

Who is the greatest player in program history?

Only two players from the program have gone on to play in the NBA: Phil Jackson and Jerome Beasley. Phil Jackson was selected by the New York Knicks in the 1967 NBA draft. During his playing career, he won two championships, but he is better known for his successful coaching career in the NBA.

Phil Jackson is renowned for his coaching success, having won a total of 11 NBA championships. He is particularly famous for coaching two of the greatest players in NBA history, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Jackson led the Chicago Bulls to six championships from 1991 to 1998 and then guided the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships from 2000 to 2010, and is a member of the NBA Hall of Fame. His stint with the New York Knicks as the President of operators was his only major blemish regarding the position of power in the business aspect of the NBA.