Minnesota state champion commits to UND men's basketball
May 7—GRAND FORKS — Greyson Uelmen and Andy Stefonowicz wanted to play college basketball near each other.
Stefonowicz signed a National Letter of Intent to play at North Dakota State in November. Uelmen's recruiting picked up later than his best friend's, but the Minnetonka guard wanted to find a way to play in the Summit League, too.
This winter, UND men's basketball started pursuing Uelmen, who won a Minnesota Class 4A state championship this season.
After the state tournament, Uelmen visited Grand Forks and committed as a preferred walk-on while on campus.
Uelmen and Stefonowicz will go from teammates to in-state rivals.
"We're excited for those matchups for years to come," Uelmen said.
Uelmen was Minnetonka's leading scorer this season, averaging 20 points per game on 56.9% shooting. He shot 50% from three this year.
It was an improvement from his junior season, when he saw limited playing time and averaged just 7.1 points per game. His jump was evident in a February game when Uelmen dropped 31 points in a win over eventual Class 3A champion Totino-Grace.
Uelmen knew he'd have a bigger role his senior year, and he embraced it, helping Minnetonka to its first state title since 2008.
The packed stands at Williams Arena, Minnesota's home court, gave Uelmen a taste of what college basketball could be like.
"Throughout the whole state tournament, all the games were packed," he said. "And the championship game, I think there were like 7,000 or 8,000 people there. There were a ton of people there. Williams Arena was all filled up to the top, top row. It was officiated like a college game as well, so it really, really showed us what it would be like."
The 6-foot-2 guard, who could play at the one or two in college, described his play as unselfish.
"I'm just a good shooter," Uelmen said. "I love to play both ends of the floor. I like to play defense as well. I'm versatile. I like to get downhill."
He'll bring that play to the Summit League, the level Uelmen wanted to play at since his recruiting started. He loved the environment — he got a taste of a packed Betty Engelstad Sioux Center during UND's comeback win over NDSU in February — and appreciated the proximity to his hometown so his family could easily attend games.
"I think it's a good level to play at," Uelmen said. "I'm really excited for that. I'm just really excited to play for coach Sather. Everyone I talked to loves him. This could be a good couple of years playing for him."
