University of St. Thomas Athletics
Monday, November 3
Moraga, Calif.
9:00 p.m. CT
at
Saint Mary's (CA)
St. Thomas opens 2025-26 season at mid-major power Saint Mary’s (CA)
10/31/2025 9:39:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tommies open 117th season of basketball with 9 p.m. CT tip-off in Moraga, Calif.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas begins a new era of men's basketball as it opens the 2025-26 season Monday, Nov. 3 with a 9 p.m. CT tip-off at perennial mid-major power Saint Mary's (CA) in Moraga, Calif.
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SERIES HISTORY | SAINT MARY'S (CA)
St. Thomas and Saint Mary's have never played. The Tommies have never played an opponent from the West Coast Conference and have played five teams from the state of California, including cross-town program Cal-Berkley to begin the 2023-24 season.
READY TO DANCE
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a fully postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play. St. Thomas made its first Summit League postseason appearance in 2022-23 and have gone 4-3 in those games, including a trip to its first title game last season against eventual champion Omaha.
A TEST OF METTLE TO BEGIN
St. Thomas opens the season with a road challenge on Monday, Nov. 3 at Saint Mary's (CA), one of the premier mid-major programs in the nation. The Gaels enter the year receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls after finishing No. 24 in the AP and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll last season. Under 25th-year Head Coach Randy Bennett (562-222, .717), Saint Mary's is projected to finish second in the West Coast Conference behind Gonzaga after winning consecutive outright regular-season titles. The Gaels have won at least 20 games in 17 straight seasons, reached the NCAA Tournament four straight years, and are one of just five programs nationally to earn a single-digit NCAA seed each of the last four seasons outside of a Power Four conference.
A NEW HOME, A HISTORIC OPENING
The season's first home game will be unlike any in St. Thomas history. On Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, the Tommies will open its home schedule the state-of-the-art Lee & Penny Anderson Arena against Army West Point presented by Wings Credit Union, launching a new era of Tommie Basketball.
The matchup carries deep meaning beyond the court. Arena benefactor Lee Anderson, a West Point graduate, has long supported both institutions through his philanthropy. Adding to the connection, Edward C. Christl, namesake of Army's Christl Arena, grew up in Minneapolis and attended St. Thomas before entering the U.S. Military Academy in 1941. Christl was killed in action in 1945 and is buried at West Point Cemetery - his story linking the two universities through service, sacrifice, and shared legacy.
After construction began in the Spring of 2024, the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena was completed on Oct. 1, 2025, on South Campus of the University. Its 253,000 square footage ranges over seven acres and is the home of St. Thomas basketball, hockey, softball, and soccer, including the competition home of basketball and hockey. Tommie Hockey, with a capacity of 4,000, opened the arena's first events on Oct. 23, 2025, against Providence while Tommie Basketball, with a capacity of 5,300, opens against Army.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Coming off its first trip to the Summit League Championship game, St. Thomas was voted to finish first in the 2025-26 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Tommies received a league-best 17 first-place votes and 501 total points, ahead of last season's league champion Omaha with 13 first-place votes and 495 points. South Dakota State was slotted third with five first-place votes and 450 points followed by North Dakota State with 358 points.
Sophomore Nolan Minessale was voted as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, the first sophomore to earn the honor since Mike Daum of South Dakota State in 2016-17 and the first true sophomore since at least the 2006-07 season. The guard from Brookfield, Wis., started all 34 games and quickly established himself as one of the Summit League's top two-way players. He led the league in blocks per game, ranked sixth in steals, and paced the Tommies with a .562 field goal percentage. Minessale averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring in double figures 16 times with four 20-point outings.
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke was picked to the All-Summit League First Team after emerging as one of the league's top perimeter shooters and a cornerstone of the Tommies' offense. The Plymouth, Minn., native has played in all 67 games of his career, leading St. Thomas in 3-pointers made in each of his first two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league in made 3-pointers, scoring in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep against NCAA Tournament qualifier Wofford.
POLL TOMS
St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history in January 2025, debuting at No. 25 before reaching as high as No. 19 on January 20. The Purple being the 2025-26 season receiving 78 votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, one of three Summit League teams to receive votes.
In addition to the CollegeInside.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, St. Thomas was selected among a handful of media polls: No. 6 on Ryan Hammer's Mid-Major Top 20 Poll, No. 13 on Field of 68's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, No. 13 on T3Bracketology's Top 32 Poll. While the Tommies were the only Summit League team among those polls, they were also the highest ranked Summit League team in Sports Illustrated's Complete Division I Preseason Rankings, slotting in at No. 124.
PRIMETIME TOMMIES
St. Thomas will again be exclusively broadcast on the CBS Sports Network as its Feb. 1 matchup against Kansas City and Feb. 4 game at South Dakota State were announced as part of the league's seven-game lineup for men's basketball on the network. The Lee & Penny Anderson Arena will be the backdrop of the game against Kansas City, a team St. Thomas has won five straight games against, while the Tommies will look to win their first game in Brookings, S.D., over the Jackrabbits on CBS Sports Network. Last season, St. Thomas came away with a 79-62 win over North Dakota State on CBS Sports Network's Feb. 2 broadcast.
A BOLSTERED SQUAD
Six newcomers - five with at least three years of eligibility - join the Tommies, including three Power Four transfers and two ESPN four-star recruits. The group combines local roots, championship experience, and national-level pedigree.
•#0 Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (F, 6-7, 215, So., Miami/Iowa) – Four-star ESPN recruit, back-to-back state titles at Totino-Grace; No. 2 ranked player in Minnesota out of high school.
•#10 Tommy Humphries Jr. (G, 6-5, 205, R-So., Furman) – Totino-Grace graduate and two-time state champion; ranked No. 5 in Minnesota coming out of high school.
•#11 Austin Herro (G, 6-3, 180, R-So., South Carolina) – Brother of NBA All-Star Tyler Herro; played AAU with Milan Momcilovic.
•#13 Luka Momcilovic (F, 6-7, 220, Fr.) – Averaged 16.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG in high school; multiple-time all-conference pick with two state titles and one runner-up finish.
•#20 Jack Tauer (G, 6-2, 200, Gr.) – Played two seasons at St. Norbert College before serving as a student manager; a Cretin-Derham Hall graduate.
• #23 Nick Janowski (G, 6-4, 210, R-Fr., Nebraska) – Four-star ESPN recruit; former teammate of Luka and Milan Momcilovic.
BACK-TO-BACK 20 WINS/BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK 19 WINS
St. Thomas has recorded at least 20 wins in back-to-back seasons, joining only Grand Canyon as teams since 2000 to do so in years 3 and 4 of their transition to Division I. The Tommies join SDSU as the only Summit League teams with back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2021-22 and the Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19+ win seasons. UST is one of six teams in all of Division I to improve its win total (with a minimum of 19 wins) each season since 2022-23. Overall, St. Thomas is one of 12 teams in the country to improve its winning percentage over the past four seasons (min. 60 wins).
A HISTORIC COACHING LINE
St. Thomas men's basketball has been guided by just three head coaches over the past 71 seasons—Tom Feely (1954–80), Steve Fritz (1980–2011), and Johnny Tauer (2011–present)—a testament to the program's remarkable stability and continuity. All three are St. Thomas alumni and members of the St. Thomas Athletics Hall of Fame. Together, they've combined for more than 1,300 victories, 31 regular season conference championships, 13 conference playoff titles, and 25 national tournament appearances.
Feely laid the foundation for Tommie Basketball excellence with a 417-269 (.607) career record over 26 seasons. Fritz followed with a 592-248 (.705) mark and led the program to its first national championship in 2011. Tauer, who succeeded his former coach, has carried that tradition into the Division I era, compiling a 291-107 (.731) record and capturing a national title in 2016. Few programs in college basketball can match the Tommies' combination of long-term leadership, alumni pride, and sustained championship success.
A CULTURE OF CHAMPIONS
The Tommies' roster carries a winning pedigree: 16 high school state championships between nine athletes and seven runner-up finishes across seven athletes. Newcomer Nick Janowski was a three-time state champion at Pewaukee High School, while teammate and fellow newcomer Luka Momcilovic was part of two of those championships. Newcomers Tommy Humphries Jr., (2022, 2023) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (2023, 2024) both won back-to-back championships at Totino-Grace High School, Kyle Counts won two Oregon state titles at Wilsonville High School while Hayden Tibbits won two Minnesota State titles, including one with Carter Bjerke at Wayzata High School. Ryan Dufault hit the game-winning shot to clinch the 2021 Minnesota state title at Waseca High School while Nolan Minessale led Marquette University to a Wisconsin state title in 2024. That group along with Austin Herro and Adam and Jack Tauer also combined for eight runner-up finishes.
In addition to the athletes' championships, the coaching staff has also combined for five state championships in various sports. Head Coach Johnny Tauer won high school state titles in basketball and baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall, assistant coach Cameron Rundles won a state title in basketball for DeLaSalle, and director of operations Josh Rodenbiker won two state titles in football at Fargo Shanley.
MAKING ST. THOMAS HOME
St. Thomas is just one of four programs among NCAA Division I with five or fewer undergrad transfers since the 2021-22 season. The Tommies have bid farewell to five athletes by way of the transfer portal, joining American, Bucknell and Navy as the only programs nationally with five or fewer.
IT'S A REGULAR THING
With the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season, St. Thomas' win over Kansas City marked the end of the best stretch by a Summit League team during the regular season over the past three years. The Tommies compiled 59 regular season wins since the start of the 2022-23 season, two more than South Dakota State. Schoenecker Arena has featured 38 of those 59 wins, also marking the most home wins by a Summit League team over that span.
BACK TO 24
The Tommies extended its DI single-season record with 24 wins following its Summit League Championship semifinal win over North Dakota. It's the sixth season of 14 under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with as many wins and the 11th with at least 19. The Tommies' 12 wins in Summit League play also extended a single season record after totaling nine in each of the past two seasons.
A TRANSITION LIKE NO OTHER
St. Thomas produced one of the most successful transitions to Division I. With the win over Denver in the Summit League Championship semifinal, St. Thomas has the second most wins by a transition team through its first four seasons (73), trailing only Grand Canyon with 81. The Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19-win seasons, became the second team with back-to-back 20-win seasons in years 3 and 4 (Grand Canyon) and the fourth transition team overall with 23 wins in a season since 2000. Among all transition teams since 2000, St. Thomas recorded the largest Ken Pom Ranking and NET Ranking improvements from the end of year one through year four, jumping 181 spots in the KP and 196 in the NET through four seasons.
CLIMBING THE NET RANKINGS
The Tommies finished the 2024-25 season 120th in the NET rankings, shy of a program-best 97. St. Thomas was the highest ranked Summit League team ahead of South Dakota State (130), North Dakota State (137) and Omaha (164). St. Thomas ranked ahead of eight Power Five programs in the NET Rankings: ACC - 6, Big East - 2, Big 12 - 0, Big Ten - 0, SEC - 0.
Saint Mary's finished last season ranked 23 in the NET Rankings.
St. Thomas was initially ranked 133 in the NET Rankings on Dec. 1, 2024, before jumping to 99, its first time ever among the top 100, following its win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 4 and ahead of its loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29. The Tommies' 99 ranking marks just the second transition team to top the 100 ranking since 2000, joining Grand Canyon from the 2015-16 season when it finished the season 88.
KEN POM RANKINGS
St. Thomas enters the 2025-26 season ranked 158th in the KenPom Rankings after finishing last season ranked 130th.The Tommies finished the 2024-25 season 70th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, which includes points scored per 100 possessions. The Purple ranked ahead of four Power Five schools in the Ken Pom Rankings: ACC - 3, Big East - 1, Big 12 - 0, Big Ten - 0, SEC - 0.
Saint Mary's enters the season 55th in the KenPom Rankings and was ranked 25th to finish last season.
HIGHEST RANKED TEAM DEFEATED
St. Thomas' win over North Dakota State on Jan. 2 marked the highest ranked team the Purple have beat in both the NET and Ken Pom Rankings. NDSU entered the Summit League opener ranked 90 in the NET and 112 in the Ken Pom, compared to St. Thomas ranked 109 in the NET and 123 in the Ken Pom entering the game.
DEPTH. BALANCE. UNSELFISHNESS.
St. Thomas was one of three teams (George Washington, Missouri) in the country to feature eight different leading scorers in a game last season. Eight of the Tommies' nine players who played in all 34 games led in scoring at least once. Nolan Minessale led five times followed by Ben Oosterbaan twice and Carter Bjerke once. The Tommies were the only Summit League team with four players averaging at least 11 points per game and with five players averaging at least 10 points per game.
A PERFECT SCHOENECKER SEND-OFF
St. Thomas closed its regular season with a 65-59 win over Kansas City, marking the final men's basketball game played in Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies finished its final season at home 14-0, extending DI's longest active home winning streak to 18 games, which is tied with St. John's (NY). The streak is the second longest for the program under Johnny Tauer, previously winning 32 games between Feb. 2012 and Feb. 2014. The Tommies have now won 38 of 42 home games over the past three seasons, the 15th highest winning percentage nationally over that span. Since 2021-22, St. Thomas has defeated its DI opponents at home by an average of 14.8 points per win. The Tommies are one of eight teams nationally that are undefeated at home this season. The 2023-24 season featured 12 undefeated home teams nationally, 10 in 2022-23, and 15 in 2021-22.
A TRUE (FRESHMAN) GAME OF THE ERA
Nolan Minessale powered a near comeback during an 81-79 overtime loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29, 2024. The Brookfield, Wis., native scored 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, tying for the most points in a game by a Tommie true freshman during the DI era. Andrew Rohde previously scored 27 points Feb. 25, 2023, at North Dakota. It is the eighth highest scoring game by a Tommie overall in the DI era and the most since Raheem Anthony scored 32 against UND on Jan. 27, 2024, two days after Parker Bjorklund also scored 32 points at home against NDSU.
TYING A DIVISION I BEST SIX STRAIGHT
St. Thomas extended its winning streak to a DI program best six games with a set of dominant victories heading into the 2024-25 Christmas break. The Tommies came away with a dominant 93-68 victory over Bowling Green, fueled by a stellar first-half defensive performance and balanced scoring from four players in double figures. The Tommies closed out their 2024 home schedule with two victories following a gritty 77-71 win over Western Michigan, led by Ben Nau's career-high 22 points and a pivotal 16-0 second-half run. They capped off the calendar-ending weekend with a commanding 100-61 triumph over Crown College, where freshman Ryan Lafferty shined with a record-setting double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Toms poured on points all season, including at least 86 points in 15 of 22 wins, and was second in the Summit League with 83.1 points per game. St. Thomas' scoring average was 14th nationally and was the most for the program since Head Coach Johnny Tauer took over in 2011.
The league's most efficient field goal shooting team powered the offense, shooting 49.2 percent overall to lead the league while the team's 38.7 percent shooting from long range trails only North Dakota State.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION
St. Thomas ranked among the best in the country in several stats, landing among the top 20 programs in 10 categories and top 10 in four. St. Thomas and Duke were the only teams in the country to rank among the top 20 in 2-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, while the Tommies were the only team to rank among the top 20 in those three plus turnover margin.
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SERIES HISTORY | SAINT MARY'S (CA)
St. Thomas and Saint Mary's have never played. The Tommies have never played an opponent from the West Coast Conference and have played five teams from the state of California, including cross-town program Cal-Berkley to begin the 2023-24 season.
READY TO DANCE
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a fully postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play. St. Thomas made its first Summit League postseason appearance in 2022-23 and have gone 4-3 in those games, including a trip to its first title game last season against eventual champion Omaha.
A TEST OF METTLE TO BEGIN
St. Thomas opens the season with a road challenge on Monday, Nov. 3 at Saint Mary's (CA), one of the premier mid-major programs in the nation. The Gaels enter the year receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls after finishing No. 24 in the AP and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll last season. Under 25th-year Head Coach Randy Bennett (562-222, .717), Saint Mary's is projected to finish second in the West Coast Conference behind Gonzaga after winning consecutive outright regular-season titles. The Gaels have won at least 20 games in 17 straight seasons, reached the NCAA Tournament four straight years, and are one of just five programs nationally to earn a single-digit NCAA seed each of the last four seasons outside of a Power Four conference.
A NEW HOME, A HISTORIC OPENING
The season's first home game will be unlike any in St. Thomas history. On Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, the Tommies will open its home schedule the state-of-the-art Lee & Penny Anderson Arena against Army West Point presented by Wings Credit Union, launching a new era of Tommie Basketball.
The matchup carries deep meaning beyond the court. Arena benefactor Lee Anderson, a West Point graduate, has long supported both institutions through his philanthropy. Adding to the connection, Edward C. Christl, namesake of Army's Christl Arena, grew up in Minneapolis and attended St. Thomas before entering the U.S. Military Academy in 1941. Christl was killed in action in 1945 and is buried at West Point Cemetery - his story linking the two universities through service, sacrifice, and shared legacy.
After construction began in the Spring of 2024, the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena was completed on Oct. 1, 2025, on South Campus of the University. Its 253,000 square footage ranges over seven acres and is the home of St. Thomas basketball, hockey, softball, and soccer, including the competition home of basketball and hockey. Tommie Hockey, with a capacity of 4,000, opened the arena's first events on Oct. 23, 2025, against Providence while Tommie Basketball, with a capacity of 5,300, opens against Army.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Coming off its first trip to the Summit League Championship game, St. Thomas was voted to finish first in the 2025-26 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Tommies received a league-best 17 first-place votes and 501 total points, ahead of last season's league champion Omaha with 13 first-place votes and 495 points. South Dakota State was slotted third with five first-place votes and 450 points followed by North Dakota State with 358 points.
Sophomore Nolan Minessale was voted as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, the first sophomore to earn the honor since Mike Daum of South Dakota State in 2016-17 and the first true sophomore since at least the 2006-07 season. The guard from Brookfield, Wis., started all 34 games and quickly established himself as one of the Summit League's top two-way players. He led the league in blocks per game, ranked sixth in steals, and paced the Tommies with a .562 field goal percentage. Minessale averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring in double figures 16 times with four 20-point outings.
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke was picked to the All-Summit League First Team after emerging as one of the league's top perimeter shooters and a cornerstone of the Tommies' offense. The Plymouth, Minn., native has played in all 67 games of his career, leading St. Thomas in 3-pointers made in each of his first two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league in made 3-pointers, scoring in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep against NCAA Tournament qualifier Wofford.
POLL TOMS
St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history in January 2025, debuting at No. 25 before reaching as high as No. 19 on January 20. The Purple being the 2025-26 season receiving 78 votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, one of three Summit League teams to receive votes.
In addition to the CollegeInside.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, St. Thomas was selected among a handful of media polls: No. 6 on Ryan Hammer's Mid-Major Top 20 Poll, No. 13 on Field of 68's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, No. 13 on T3Bracketology's Top 32 Poll. While the Tommies were the only Summit League team among those polls, they were also the highest ranked Summit League team in Sports Illustrated's Complete Division I Preseason Rankings, slotting in at No. 124.
PRIMETIME TOMMIES
St. Thomas will again be exclusively broadcast on the CBS Sports Network as its Feb. 1 matchup against Kansas City and Feb. 4 game at South Dakota State were announced as part of the league's seven-game lineup for men's basketball on the network. The Lee & Penny Anderson Arena will be the backdrop of the game against Kansas City, a team St. Thomas has won five straight games against, while the Tommies will look to win their first game in Brookings, S.D., over the Jackrabbits on CBS Sports Network. Last season, St. Thomas came away with a 79-62 win over North Dakota State on CBS Sports Network's Feb. 2 broadcast.
A BOLSTERED SQUAD
Six newcomers - five with at least three years of eligibility - join the Tommies, including three Power Four transfers and two ESPN four-star recruits. The group combines local roots, championship experience, and national-level pedigree.
•#0 Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (F, 6-7, 215, So., Miami/Iowa) – Four-star ESPN recruit, back-to-back state titles at Totino-Grace; No. 2 ranked player in Minnesota out of high school.
•#10 Tommy Humphries Jr. (G, 6-5, 205, R-So., Furman) – Totino-Grace graduate and two-time state champion; ranked No. 5 in Minnesota coming out of high school.
•#11 Austin Herro (G, 6-3, 180, R-So., South Carolina) – Brother of NBA All-Star Tyler Herro; played AAU with Milan Momcilovic.
•#13 Luka Momcilovic (F, 6-7, 220, Fr.) – Averaged 16.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG in high school; multiple-time all-conference pick with two state titles and one runner-up finish.
•#20 Jack Tauer (G, 6-2, 200, Gr.) – Played two seasons at St. Norbert College before serving as a student manager; a Cretin-Derham Hall graduate.
• #23 Nick Janowski (G, 6-4, 210, R-Fr., Nebraska) – Four-star ESPN recruit; former teammate of Luka and Milan Momcilovic.
BACK-TO-BACK 20 WINS/BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK 19 WINS
St. Thomas has recorded at least 20 wins in back-to-back seasons, joining only Grand Canyon as teams since 2000 to do so in years 3 and 4 of their transition to Division I. The Tommies join SDSU as the only Summit League teams with back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2021-22 and the Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19+ win seasons. UST is one of six teams in all of Division I to improve its win total (with a minimum of 19 wins) each season since 2022-23. Overall, St. Thomas is one of 12 teams in the country to improve its winning percentage over the past four seasons (min. 60 wins).
A HISTORIC COACHING LINE
St. Thomas men's basketball has been guided by just three head coaches over the past 71 seasons—Tom Feely (1954–80), Steve Fritz (1980–2011), and Johnny Tauer (2011–present)—a testament to the program's remarkable stability and continuity. All three are St. Thomas alumni and members of the St. Thomas Athletics Hall of Fame. Together, they've combined for more than 1,300 victories, 31 regular season conference championships, 13 conference playoff titles, and 25 national tournament appearances.
Feely laid the foundation for Tommie Basketball excellence with a 417-269 (.607) career record over 26 seasons. Fritz followed with a 592-248 (.705) mark and led the program to its first national championship in 2011. Tauer, who succeeded his former coach, has carried that tradition into the Division I era, compiling a 291-107 (.731) record and capturing a national title in 2016. Few programs in college basketball can match the Tommies' combination of long-term leadership, alumni pride, and sustained championship success.
A CULTURE OF CHAMPIONS
The Tommies' roster carries a winning pedigree: 16 high school state championships between nine athletes and seven runner-up finishes across seven athletes. Newcomer Nick Janowski was a three-time state champion at Pewaukee High School, while teammate and fellow newcomer Luka Momcilovic was part of two of those championships. Newcomers Tommy Humphries Jr., (2022, 2023) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (2023, 2024) both won back-to-back championships at Totino-Grace High School, Kyle Counts won two Oregon state titles at Wilsonville High School while Hayden Tibbits won two Minnesota State titles, including one with Carter Bjerke at Wayzata High School. Ryan Dufault hit the game-winning shot to clinch the 2021 Minnesota state title at Waseca High School while Nolan Minessale led Marquette University to a Wisconsin state title in 2024. That group along with Austin Herro and Adam and Jack Tauer also combined for eight runner-up finishes.
In addition to the athletes' championships, the coaching staff has also combined for five state championships in various sports. Head Coach Johnny Tauer won high school state titles in basketball and baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall, assistant coach Cameron Rundles won a state title in basketball for DeLaSalle, and director of operations Josh Rodenbiker won two state titles in football at Fargo Shanley.
MAKING ST. THOMAS HOME
St. Thomas is just one of four programs among NCAA Division I with five or fewer undergrad transfers since the 2021-22 season. The Tommies have bid farewell to five athletes by way of the transfer portal, joining American, Bucknell and Navy as the only programs nationally with five or fewer.
IT'S A REGULAR THING
With the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season, St. Thomas' win over Kansas City marked the end of the best stretch by a Summit League team during the regular season over the past three years. The Tommies compiled 59 regular season wins since the start of the 2022-23 season, two more than South Dakota State. Schoenecker Arena has featured 38 of those 59 wins, also marking the most home wins by a Summit League team over that span.
BACK TO 24
The Tommies extended its DI single-season record with 24 wins following its Summit League Championship semifinal win over North Dakota. It's the sixth season of 14 under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with as many wins and the 11th with at least 19. The Tommies' 12 wins in Summit League play also extended a single season record after totaling nine in each of the past two seasons.
A TRANSITION LIKE NO OTHER
St. Thomas produced one of the most successful transitions to Division I. With the win over Denver in the Summit League Championship semifinal, St. Thomas has the second most wins by a transition team through its first four seasons (73), trailing only Grand Canyon with 81. The Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19-win seasons, became the second team with back-to-back 20-win seasons in years 3 and 4 (Grand Canyon) and the fourth transition team overall with 23 wins in a season since 2000. Among all transition teams since 2000, St. Thomas recorded the largest Ken Pom Ranking and NET Ranking improvements from the end of year one through year four, jumping 181 spots in the KP and 196 in the NET through four seasons.
CLIMBING THE NET RANKINGS
The Tommies finished the 2024-25 season 120th in the NET rankings, shy of a program-best 97. St. Thomas was the highest ranked Summit League team ahead of South Dakota State (130), North Dakota State (137) and Omaha (164). St. Thomas ranked ahead of eight Power Five programs in the NET Rankings: ACC - 6, Big East - 2, Big 12 - 0, Big Ten - 0, SEC - 0.
Saint Mary's finished last season ranked 23 in the NET Rankings.
St. Thomas was initially ranked 133 in the NET Rankings on Dec. 1, 2024, before jumping to 99, its first time ever among the top 100, following its win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 4 and ahead of its loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29. The Tommies' 99 ranking marks just the second transition team to top the 100 ranking since 2000, joining Grand Canyon from the 2015-16 season when it finished the season 88.
KEN POM RANKINGS
St. Thomas enters the 2025-26 season ranked 158th in the KenPom Rankings after finishing last season ranked 130th.The Tommies finished the 2024-25 season 70th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, which includes points scored per 100 possessions. The Purple ranked ahead of four Power Five schools in the Ken Pom Rankings: ACC - 3, Big East - 1, Big 12 - 0, Big Ten - 0, SEC - 0.
Saint Mary's enters the season 55th in the KenPom Rankings and was ranked 25th to finish last season.
HIGHEST RANKED TEAM DEFEATED
St. Thomas' win over North Dakota State on Jan. 2 marked the highest ranked team the Purple have beat in both the NET and Ken Pom Rankings. NDSU entered the Summit League opener ranked 90 in the NET and 112 in the Ken Pom, compared to St. Thomas ranked 109 in the NET and 123 in the Ken Pom entering the game.
DEPTH. BALANCE. UNSELFISHNESS.
St. Thomas was one of three teams (George Washington, Missouri) in the country to feature eight different leading scorers in a game last season. Eight of the Tommies' nine players who played in all 34 games led in scoring at least once. Nolan Minessale led five times followed by Ben Oosterbaan twice and Carter Bjerke once. The Tommies were the only Summit League team with four players averaging at least 11 points per game and with five players averaging at least 10 points per game.
A PERFECT SCHOENECKER SEND-OFF
St. Thomas closed its regular season with a 65-59 win over Kansas City, marking the final men's basketball game played in Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies finished its final season at home 14-0, extending DI's longest active home winning streak to 18 games, which is tied with St. John's (NY). The streak is the second longest for the program under Johnny Tauer, previously winning 32 games between Feb. 2012 and Feb. 2014. The Tommies have now won 38 of 42 home games over the past three seasons, the 15th highest winning percentage nationally over that span. Since 2021-22, St. Thomas has defeated its DI opponents at home by an average of 14.8 points per win. The Tommies are one of eight teams nationally that are undefeated at home this season. The 2023-24 season featured 12 undefeated home teams nationally, 10 in 2022-23, and 15 in 2021-22.
A TRUE (FRESHMAN) GAME OF THE ERA
Nolan Minessale powered a near comeback during an 81-79 overtime loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29, 2024. The Brookfield, Wis., native scored 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, tying for the most points in a game by a Tommie true freshman during the DI era. Andrew Rohde previously scored 27 points Feb. 25, 2023, at North Dakota. It is the eighth highest scoring game by a Tommie overall in the DI era and the most since Raheem Anthony scored 32 against UND on Jan. 27, 2024, two days after Parker Bjorklund also scored 32 points at home against NDSU.
TYING A DIVISION I BEST SIX STRAIGHT
St. Thomas extended its winning streak to a DI program best six games with a set of dominant victories heading into the 2024-25 Christmas break. The Tommies came away with a dominant 93-68 victory over Bowling Green, fueled by a stellar first-half defensive performance and balanced scoring from four players in double figures. The Tommies closed out their 2024 home schedule with two victories following a gritty 77-71 win over Western Michigan, led by Ben Nau's career-high 22 points and a pivotal 16-0 second-half run. They capped off the calendar-ending weekend with a commanding 100-61 triumph over Crown College, where freshman Ryan Lafferty shined with a record-setting double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Toms poured on points all season, including at least 86 points in 15 of 22 wins, and was second in the Summit League with 83.1 points per game. St. Thomas' scoring average was 14th nationally and was the most for the program since Head Coach Johnny Tauer took over in 2011.
The league's most efficient field goal shooting team powered the offense, shooting 49.2 percent overall to lead the league while the team's 38.7 percent shooting from long range trails only North Dakota State.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION
St. Thomas ranked among the best in the country in several stats, landing among the top 20 programs in 10 categories and top 10 in four. St. Thomas and Duke were the only teams in the country to rank among the top 20 in 2-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, while the Tommies were the only team to rank among the top 20 in those three plus turnover margin.
| Category | Total | Rank |
| Effective FG Pct. | .582 | 3rd |
| 2-Pt. FG Pct. | .581 | 7th |
| FG Pct. | .492 | t-8th |
| 3FG Pct. | .387 | t-8th |
| Assist/Turnover Ratio | 1.61 | 11th |
| Scoring Offense | 83.1 | 12th |
| Turnovers/Game | 9.5 | t-13th |
| Turnover Margin | 3.8 | t-16th |
| 3FG/Game | 10.4 | 18th |
| FT Pct. | .780 | t-19th |
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.4 points, including a margin of 14.8 points against DI opponents. Eleven of the program's 30 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while just nine were decided by fewer than 10 points.
TAKE CARE OF THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball, and the first four seasons of DI play were no different. The Tommies finished tied for 13th nationally in turnovers per game (9.5) last season, ninth in 2023-24 (9.2), and ranked tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) in 2022-23 and led the category in 2021-22 (243). St. Thomas is one of three teams nationally to record fewer than 10.0 turnovers per game in each of the past four seasons, joining Iowa and Wisconsin. The Purple recorded five or fewer turnovers in six games last season after totaling 10 such games over the previous three seasons.
A WINNING TRADITION
Winning has been the tradition at St. Thomas with the trend continuing under Head Coach Johnny Tauer. Since 2011, the Tommies have finished with nine 20-win seasons, 11 19-win seasons and 12 nine-win conference seasons. The only seasons to not win 19 games or nine conference games included the COVID season and the 2021-22 inaugural DI season.
Tauer has averaged 20.8 wins per season at St. Thomas and became the fastest coach in program history to reach 250 career wins, doing so in 337 career games. He is one of 17 active head coaches among all of NCAA with at least 250 wins and a .730 winning percentage at any program, and one of seven active among all of NCAA with both at one program.
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Head Coach Johnny Tauer's excellence within the Tommie Men's Basketball program dates back to his days as an Academic All-American that led to his induction to the St. Thomas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. As a student-athlete from 1991-95, Tauer was an All-MIAC player, first team All-West Region, and as a senior led the 1994-95 Toms to a school-record 27-0 start, including an MIAC Championship with an unprecedented 20-0 record. He helped the Toms to NCAA DIII Tournament berths in 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95, including a run to the Final Four in 1993-94. Tauer ranks 27th in career scoring (1,219 points) and 24th in career rebounding (482) at St. Thomas and was the school 3-point leader until 1999-2000.
After earning master's and PhD degrees at Wisconsin, Tauer joined the Tommie Men's Basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach and ran the St. Thomas defense for two seasons (2001-03) and also directed the Tommies' offensive sets that had consistently ranked among the best in NCAA basketball in overall offensive efficiency, field-goal percentage, 3-point proficiency, fewest turnovers, and assist-to-turnover ratio. With Tauer serving as an assistant, the Toms won the 2010-11 DIII National Championship title, made a run to the 2008-09 Final Four, and totaled seven DIII National Tournament runs.
With the retirement of longtime head coach Steve Fritz in 2011, Tauer took over the program as just the third head coach for the program since 1954 and continued its storied tradition with another national title in 2015-16, a Final Four run in 2012-13, and eight DIII National Tournament appearances.
As a student-athlete, assistant coach, and head coach at St. Thomas, Tauer has helped the Tommies to 623 wins overall in 29 seasons, averaging out to over 20 wins per season. He has been involved in 820 games combined with 706 coming as a coach along with 19 conference titles, 15 national tournament appearances, three Final Fours, and two national championships with the Purple and Gray.
FOLLOW ALONG
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-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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/ Men's BasketballTommie Men's Basketball: Summit League Tournament Cinematic Recap 2025
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