UND sophomore Quinton Hooker dribbles the ball last season at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Photo by Chester Beltowski/The Dakota Student. 

Last year, fans who packed into the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center were treated to some of the most entertaining basketball to be seen in a long time.

Between Troy Huff going off for 30 points or hitting game winning shots, to Jamal Webb and Aaron Anderson making plays in crunch time, UND basketball was consistently a program to be noticed.

“We are certainly going to miss those guys and what they did for this program, but I’m excited to see what this upcoming year has in store,” UND coach Brian Jones said. “That senior class played a lot of basketball for us and it was almost like having a pro team because our fans got used to watching that same group of guys for so long.”

With team leaders Huff, Anderson, Webb and top reserves Josh Schuler and Alonzo Traylor gone, the intrigue this year is who is going to step up and take over.

Making up for the production last year’s seniors displayed on the court will be a feat for a young team, but there is reason to hope.

Last year, Jaron Nash excited fans with his talent.

His rim-rocking dunks last year would spark not only the crowd, but also get the energy going on the team. Now that the other seniors are gone, Nash will be looked to as one of the team’s main point producers down on the low block.

One of the things that Nash will look to improve on this year is his consistency. The big man would have games of sheer brilliance, dominating the post and scoring at will, but then other games he would go 2-for-10 shooting.

“We look for him to continue to build upon what he did last year and be more comfortable,” Jones said. “Obviously, this year, we will rely on him in more of a scoring role. Last year, with Troy and Aaron here, he was mainly our third option, so we will lean on him more this season. I think he is definitely capable of doing that.”

While Nash will be relied on as one of the main scorers, the team will need someone to fill Aaron Anderson’s spot as the leader on the court.

That’s where Quinton Hooker comes in.

Last year, coach Jones brought Hooker in off the bench to let him gain the experience of playing at a Division I level. Hooker played in crunch time in multiple games and was able to contribute.

“We will definitely rely on him to be a leader this season both on the floor and in the locker room,” Jones said. “He is one of our captains. I think he has shown strides in that area.

“We will need him to command the floor, both offensively and defensively, to get us organized at both ends. He’ll be our quarterback and we will need him to make sure things are carried out the way they are supposed to be for us to have success. I think you will see more of a scoring punch from him as well this season.”

Another year under his belt should help the captain with some of the issues he experienced last year. There would be games where he would try to force a shot up where there was none, or commit poor turnovers, but as a true freshman, Hooker proved to the coaches and players that he is someone they can rely on.

So where does that leave the rest of this team?

There are a lot of pieces to North Dakota that have yet to be seen as put together.

Players like Cole Stefan and Lenny Antwi are streaky shooters, continuous scoring. But on the flipside, when the two cool off, they can struggle to get back into their rhythm.

Another player to watch for is Carson Shanks. He may not be able to play until next semester, but any time a team can get a seven-footer on their team, there is reason for excitement.

“He is an unbelievable passer for his size, so we are eager to get him going,” Jones said. “We think his future is bright for this program because of that skill level.”

The challenge this year is going to be who is going to be who can step up in the absence of last year’s seniors, but as of right now, coach Brian Jones looks forward to pushing his team to the next level.

Alex Stadnik is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].