Wildcats' Smith heading to NDSU

By Jeff Kolpack

July 20, 2005 at 11:00 PM

With five redshirt freshmen, three true freshmen and one sophomore, the North Dakota State men's basketball team is expecting Andre Smith to do more than score and rebound.

"I expect him to show the younger players what it takes to compete at the Division I level," NDSU head coach Tim Miles said.

The Bison signed Smith, a transfer from the North Dakota State College of Science, to an institutional letter of intent Wednesday. The 6-foot-7 forward previously committed to St. Bonaventure University (N.Y.), but changed his mind.

"He called me about two weeks after that and said, 'Coach, I made a mistake,' " Miles said. "He said, 'I'm a Bison and I've always wanted to be a Bison.' "

It was a nice gift for NDSU, which will be inexperienced at virtually every position. The two inside spots will be a battle between Smith, redshirt freshmen Lucas Moorman and Tom Lunde, sophomore Andrew Brown and true freshman Lorenzo Riley.

Five players will handle the perimeter: redshirt freshmen Ben Woodside, Mike Nelson and Brett Winkelman, sophomore Dotun Obadina and senior Phil Hahn.

Hahn, Brown and Obadina are the only returning players from a year ago. Guard Brandon Smith transferred to Cameron College (Okla.) and guard Matt Gerber decided to concentrate on school.

Incoming freshmen Austin Pennick, Sam Sussenguth and Josh Vaughan will redshirt.

Asked if 10 players are enough, Miles said: "We'll find out. It's the long-term plan we put together two years ago and we figure it's necessary to get to where we need to be."

E Andrew Aakre became the third Bison track and field athlete to be selected as a NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient. He follows Jared Essler and Terrance Wolbaum, who were selected after the indoor season.

- Kevin Omell, the agent for former center Rob Hunt, says contract negotiations with the Indianapolis Colts are in progress. Hunt was drafted in the fifth round.

- The NDSU marketing department won awards for best radio commercial, best ticket sales piece, best schedule poster and best season ticket sales campaign by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546

By Jeff Kolpack

Jeff would like to dispel the notion he was around when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, but he is on his third decade of reporting with Forum Communications. The son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, Jeff has worked at the Jamestown Sun, Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 The Forum, where he's covered North Dakota State athletics since 1995.
Jeff has covered all nine of NDSU's Division I FCS national football titles and has written three books: "Horns Up," "North Dakota Tough" and "Covid Kids." He is the radio host of "The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack" April through August.