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St. Thomas Basketball: Tommies journey from D-III to the Summit League

By Jason Burgess

Jun 11, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; An NCAA logo flag at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 11, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; An NCAA logo flag at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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St. Thomas Basketball (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

The Tommies have a rich history

Since 1973 when the team joined the MIAC, the Tommies have won 25 regular-season conference titles, with 19 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1990 including four appearances in the Final Four and two national championships. The majority of that damage was done by legendary coach Steve Fritz and current coach John Tauer, the duo has coached the team since 1980.

After 31 years on the bench, Fritz went out in style in 2011 by guiding the Tommies to their first national championship. After that year one of Fritz’s former players, Tauer took over the program leading the team to nine conference championships in ten seasons, two more Final Fours, and another national title in 2016.

St. Thomas has been one of the more dominant teams at the Division III level for more than 40 years, now they are ready for a new challenge. St. Thomas will join the Summit League this coming season, although they won’t be eligible for the postseason right away. In addition to their rich history, the Tommies make the jump to Division I with some strong momentum. In a shortened season they went 7-0 last year and 26-3 in 2019-20. St. Thomas returns a large portion of that roster for their first Division I season.