A Legacy of Excellence: Exploring the History of Northern State University Basketball

Northern State University boasts a rich basketball history, marked by remarkable achievements, legendary coaches, and exceptional student-athletes. From dominant women's teams to record-breaking men's coaches, the program has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence.

The Dynasty of the 1993-94 Women's Basketball Team

The 1993-94 Northern State women’s basketball team stands as the pinnacle of the program’s success. This squad etched their names in the record books with an astounding 32-1 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in NSIC play. Their achievements that season remain benchmarks for future teams to aspire to.

Record-Breaking Season

Among the many records set in the season was most wins (32), best winning percentage (97.0%) and most consecutive wins (32). After losing their first game of the season to Wayne State College, the Wolves cruised through the remainder of the year and became the NAIA Division II National Champions. This was the third straight National Tournament appearance for the Wolves and the second time in three years that Northern State took home the crown.

Individual Brilliance

The team's success was fueled by exceptional individual performances. Junior forward Julie Jensen led the scoring charge, averaging 15.2 points per game and amassing 500 total points throughout the year. Jensen finished her career and remains the all-time leading scorer in NSU history with 2,058 points scored. Standing at 5 feet 11 inches, Jensen comes in at second on NSU’s career rebound chart, adding 251 boards (7.6 rpg) in 1993-94 to a career mark (1,007) that made her just one of two players in school history to notch more than 1,000 points and rebounds. Jensen was tied with the most assists on the team with 114 dimes on the season (4th all time at NSU), averaging 3.45 per game. She also averaged 1.2 blocks per game with 40 on the season. Jenny Seesz, a junior guard, was the second leading scorer for the Wolves with 13.0 points per game. Seesz had the most 3-pointers on the team with 57, shooting 40.7% on the year from long range. Nancy King was Northern’s third and final player to average double figures in scoring with 10.6 points per game. King was the leading rebounder on the team, pulling down 8.1 boards per game. She had a total of 266 boards on the season. King had a career high where she pulled down 18 boards in a single game. Paula Stolsmark and Jensen led the squad with 114 assists in the Championship season, with Barb Johnson adding 98 dimes.

Accolades and Recognition

The outstanding play of the 1993-94 team did not go unnoticed. Jensen and Seesz were named to the All-Region and All-Northern Sun Conference teams. Jensen was the Player of the Year in both the region and the NSIC and made the NAIA II All-America First Team for the second straight year. For her efforts at the National Tournament, Paula Stolsmark was named to the All-Tournament First Team and was declared Tournament Most Valuable Player.

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Team Statistics

The 1993-94 squad scored 2,758 points for an average of 83.6 points per game, which is second all-time. The Wolves held the best shooting percentage all-time at NSU, shooting 48.1% from the field. As a team, the Wolves reached the century mark with 100+ points four times on the season. The Wolves had 621 assists on the 93-94 year, averaging 18.8 assists per game, which is second all time in NSU history. The Northern State defense was also key to the success of the season. The Wolves pulled down 44.5 rebounds per game compared to their opponents low 30.2 game for a rebounding margin of +14.3. They recorded 166 blocks on the season which is also best in school history, averaging 5.03 per game.

Don Meyer: A Coaching Legend at Northern State

The Northern State men's basketball program has been significantly shaped by the leadership of Don Meyer, one of college basketball’s most successful coaches. Meyer's impact extends far beyond wins and losses, leaving an indelible mark on the program and the athletes he mentored.

A Storied Career

With 37 years of head coaching experience, Meyer leads all NCAA men's coaches with 910 career wins. Meyer has been with the Wolves for ten seasons and has a record of 208-90 at NSU. Earlier in the season, Meyer made NCAA men's basketball history when he took over sole possession of the top spot of the career victories chart, passing up Bobby Knight's mark of 902 wins in the process. Meyer claimed his 903rd career victory on Jan. Meyer's difficult journey to the top garnered national media attention throughout the season. In July, he was nominated for and awarded the Jimmy V. Meyer led the Wolves to the program’s second best record in school history in 2007-08, going 29-4 overall and taking second place in the NSIC with a 16-2 record. The only losses for the Wolves came at the hands of eventual National Champion, Winona State. The 2007-08 season also saw Coach Meyer climb the ranks of the NCAA all-time wins list. On January 19, 2008, an 87-78 win over the University of Mary gave Meyer his 879th victory and put him at second place among the best coaches in basketball history. His 800th career win came on Saturday, December 11, 2004 when the Wolves defeated Minnesota Duluth 69-50. 5,437 fans were in attendance at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen that evening to witness the milestone that has been reached by just a handful of collegiate coaches. In his third season at Northern, Meyer guided the Wolves to the 2002 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference co-championship and earned NSIC Coach of the Year honors. At Northern, Meyer has coached 20 all-conference performers, five all-region performers, three NSIC MVPs (Brad Hansen, Matt Hammer and Kevin Ratzsch), two NSIC Tournament MVPs (Steve Smiley & Matt Hammer) NSIC Defensive Player of the Year (Smiley) and one All-American Honorable Mention selection (Hansen).

Coaching Philosophy and Impact

Prior to Northern, Meyer spent 24 years coaching NAIA I David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. There, he reached the 700-win plateau faster than any other coach in the history of college basketball. Meyer’s Lipscomb teams spent a decade winning more games than any other team in the country, averaging more than 32 wins per season for 10 years before his move to Northern. His 1989-90 team set a college basketball record with 41 wins. Meyer’s Bison teams made 13 national tournament appearances, winning the NAIA National Championship in 1986. Meyer was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1990, and was selected to the NAIA Hall of Fame at the age of 47. He also assisted coach Mike Krzyzewski with the Olympic Sports Festival South Team in 1983. Using a motion offense similar to Northern’s, Meyer’s teams led the nation in scoring in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995, averaging more than 100 points per game in each of those seasons. Meyer also coached college basketball’s first and second all-time leading scorers, former Lipscomb Bisons John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson. Meyer’s son, Jerry, broke college basketball’s career assist record while playing for his father at Lipscomb. Bison Marcus Bodie holds the single-season and career record for steals in college basketball. Bison Andy McQueen holds the career 3-point field goals made record. Meyer’s system has produced three National Players of the Year and 22 All-Americans. Two of his Lipscomb players have received the GTE Academic Excellence Award for basketball.

Influence Beyond the Court

Meyer’s name is respected nationally in the coaching ranks. In nine years, well over 10,000 coaches from all over the nation have attended the Don Meyer Coaches Academy. Meyer's featured speakers read as a who's who in the coaching ranks. In 2001, he brought the Academy to Aberdeen with Tennessee's Pat Summitt as keynote speaker. In 2002, John Wooden and Dick Bennet were featured in the academy. Tubby Smith and Jerry Krause will speak at the 2006 Academy. Meyer also produces instructional books and a 30-tape series “Building a Championship Program” that has helped coaches at every level from high school to the NBA. Programs using the tapes include perennial Division I powerhouses Duke, Kansas, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and NBA franchises like the Utah Jazz and Seattle Supersonics. He also built the summer Bison Basketball Camps into the most successful players’ camp in the country, drawing 4,500 campers annually. During the past year, Meyer’s coaches’ and players’ camps have been huge successes in Aberdeen. Meyer has also given motivational speeches throughout the country and published numerous articles for many coaching publications.

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A Nebraska Native

A native of Wayne, Neb., Meyer had aspirations as a youngster of one day being a major league baseball player. Not only was he an outstanding baseball player, but he also excelled in the game that would become his life - basketball. Meyer attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated in 1967. While at UNC, Meyer played baseball and basketball. On the baseball field, he posted a career pitching record of 22-2 and caught the attention of pro scouts. On the basketball court, Meyer led UNC to the 1966 NCAA college division playoffs and was named NCAA All-American. Meyer began his coaching career at Western State (Colo.) where he was an assistant from 1968-70. From there he went to the University of Utah where he served as an assistant basketball coach from 1970-72 and earned a Ph.D. Meyer received his first head coaching position in 1972 when he was hired by Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. He spent three seasons there where he had a record of 37-41. Meyer took a program at Hamline that had a 30-177 record the six previous seasons. After a 5-20 record in his first season, Meyer turned things around, recording 16-10 and 16-11 records the next two seasons. Hamline reached the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in Meyer’s last year with the institution. In the early years at Lipscomb, Meyer used the rules of the game to get the most talent out of his players. Often playing opponents who were bigger, stronger and faster than the Lipscomb athletes, Meyer’s slow-down fundamental-style won many games. As the game and rules changed over the years, Meyer changed with the times to develop in his Lipscomb teams the most explosive offense in the nation. In 1982 the Bison made it to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City for the first time. Soon after, the Bison became a permanent fixture at the national tournament. Birth date: Dec. Hometown: Wayne, Neb.

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