I linked to an article this morning about how North Dakota was likely to sign two players this spring, and that is exactly what happened. As I have mentioned (as how everyone following UND knows), they were in dire need of big men, and that's what makes the signings so encouraging.
They got committments from two JUCO big men, Alonzo Traylor of Iowa Western CC, and Ryan Salmonson out of Cosumnes River College in California. They couldn't ask for too much better for a spring signing period, as they needed big men who are able to play right away, and it seems that is exactly what they got.
Traylor was a good player at Minneapolis South High School , where he averaged somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 and 12 his senior year (I think, not easy to find good stats). At Iowa Western, he averaged 14 PPG and 6.7 RPG last season, shooting 65% from the field. He is a 6'7'' forward, and figures to have a great chance to immediately step into the starting lineup. He is an athletic big like UND has not really had for a while (Emmanual Little wasn't necessarily a big man, though I think he was similar in height).
Salmonson is a 6'10'' forward went to high school at Colfax High in California. He averaged 9.5 PPG and 5.3 RPG last year, shooting 55% from the field. He reportedly at one point had visits lined up to schools just as Montana State, Eastern Washington, and North Dakota State. He looks to have a great chance to get big minutes in the frontcourt, and will be a big asset for them. UND Fan on the Sioux Sports message board had a pretty interesting statistical tidbit on him.
This creates an interesting dynamic for UND... 11 of their 13 scholarships are in players that are either juniors or seniors. Two years ago they were one of the youngest teams in the country, now they are loaded with experience. One thing is for sure... they shored up the weakest part of the team with these two signings.
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