NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Nebraska of last decade
By Joey Loose
6. Sam Griesel – North Dakota State
It’s not true for everyone on today’s list, but there’s definitely a big representation from the Summit League. That continues with Griesel, who played four seasons at North Dakota State. A 6’6 guard from Lincoln, Griesel managed to play consistent and considerable minutes for the Bisons throughout his career.
As a freshman, he played in a pair of NCAA Tournament games, scoring 10 points in a First Four match against North Carolina Central. He did not return to the Big Dance again with the Bisons, but was an important piece as an upperclassman. By his senior season, he was averaging 14.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and put together a pair of impressive performances as North Dakota State lost the Summit League title game to rival South Dakota State in 2022.
Twice, Griesel and the Bisons won the Summit League Tournament and twice he was honored by the league, named All-Summit League Second Team as a junior and First Team as a senior. He was putting up efficient and impressive numbers, ranking highly on both sides of the ball in that final season. Griesel will return next season for his bonus year, having transferred to Nebraska. He’ll get a chance to not only play in the Big Ten at a higher level but be back in his hometown.