UND secures verbal commitment from Luke Winkel, St. Cloud State's two-time First Team All-NSIC guard
· Yahoo Sports
Apr. 2—GRAND FORKS — The first few weeks of UND's offseason were defined by transfer portal departures.
Now, the Fighting Hawks are starting the rebuilding process.
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The Hawks picked up a verbal commitment from St. Cloud State's Luke Winkel on Wednesday evening.
Winkel, a 5-foot-11 guard, is a two-time First Team All-NSIC player. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Winkel averaged 18.7 points per game and 4.0 assists per game as a sophomore this season. He shot 41.1% from the field and 33.2% from 3-point range.
Winkel led the Huskies with 44 steals. That could make for a strong match with UND's turnover-oriented defense, which led the Summit League with 8.49 steals per game this year.
Winkel had a great freshman season for St. Cloud State as well. He started in the final 16 games of the year and averaged 13.3 points, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Winkel is an important addition for the Hawks, considering their attrition at guard this offseason.
Greyson Uelmen entered the portal after a
breakout redshirt freshman season
. Freshman guard Anthony Smith III, a strong contributor off the bench, also entered the portal.
Guards Eli King, Reggie Thomas and Garrett Anderson all wrapped up their senior seasons this year.
Freshman forward Marley Curtis, redshirt sophomore forward Matthew Bothun and junior forward George Natsvlishvili have all entered the portal as well.
Sophomore Wylee Delorme is the latest entry to the portal. The Devils Lake native started his career at U-Mary in the NSIC before transferring to UND.
Delorme wasn't an especially important contributor coming off the bench this year, playing in 20 games and averaging 1.9 points per game. However, the 6-foot-5 sophomore showed flashes of promise.
Delorme scored a season-high 12 points against South Dakota State on Jan. 3. Some of his best moments were on the boards, using his lengthy frame to crash the glass and collect rebounds.
Redshirt sophomore guard Zach Kraft and junior center Josh Jones are the only regular starters who haven't graduated or entered the portal.
Winkel is the first of what will likely be a busy offseason of additions for UND.
There is precedent for NSIC players finding success in the Summit League.
Sophomore guard Carson Johnson, the Summit League Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, was a freshman at Minnesota State-Moorhead before transferring to Denver. He averaged 20.1 points per game this season.
Forward Logan Kinsey was also at MSUM before transferring to Denver. He spent three seasons with the Dragons. In his senior year, Kinsey played and started in all 32 games for the Pioneers. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and a 1.0 assists per game.