2024–25 Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball team

2024–25 Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball
2024–25 Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball
Big Sky regular season co-champions
NIT, First round
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	25–10 (15–3 Big Sky)
Head coach	Steve Smiley (5th season);
Assistant coaches	Dorian Green; Houston Reed; Brett Cloepfil; Colin Gause; Dondrale Campbell;
Home arena	Bank of Colorado Arena
	Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

2024–25 Big Sky men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Northern Colorado	15	–	3	.833	25	–	10	.714
Montana †	15	–	3	.833	25	–	10	.714
Portland State	11	–	7	.611	19	–	13	.594
Idaho State	10	–	8	.556	15	–	15	.500
Montana State	9	–	9	.500	15	–	18	.455
Idaho	8	–	10	.444	14	–	19	.424
Northern Arizona	8	–	10	.444	18	–	16	.529
Eastern Washington	6	–	12	.333	10	–	22	.313
Weber State	5	–	13	.278	12	–	22	.353
Sacramento State	3	–	15	.167	7	–	25	.219

† 2025 Big Sky tournament winner

The 2024–25 Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Colorado during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by fifth-year head coach Steve Smiley, played their home games at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado as members of the Big Sky Conference.

Previous season

The Bears finished the 2023–24 season 19–14, 12–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for second place.^[1] They were upset by #8 seed Idaho State in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament.^[2] They received an invitation to the CBI, receiving the #8 seed,^[3] where they would be defeated by Cleveland State in the first round.^[4]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Saint Thomas	0	F	6'7"	200	Junior	Omaha, Nebraska	Transferred to USC
Mekhi Cameron	1	G	6'4"	195	Junior	Atlanta, Georgia	Transferred to Tennessee Tech
Dejour Reaves	2	G	6'0"	170	Freshman	Syracuse, New York	Transferred to Iona
Connor Creech	12	G	6'6"	200	Junior	Hastings, Nebraska	Graduated
Juju Ramirez	15	F	6'9"	220	Sophomore	Lawrence, Kansas	Transferred to Saint Anselm
Riley Abercrombie	22	F	6'9"	220	Graduate Student	Wollongong, Australia	Graduated
Jalen Page	25	G	6'5"	215	Junior	Boulder, Colorado	Transferred to Regis
Theo Hughes	32	C	7'0"	260	Senior	Brentwood, England	Graduated

Reference: ^[5]

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Taeshaud Jackson	2	G	6'6"	215	Junior	Denver, Colorado	Virginia Military
Quinn Denker	5	G	6'3"	190	Senior	San Jose, California	Idaho
William Humer	21	F	6'10"	235	Junior	Sollentuna, Sweden	San Jose State
Isaiah Hawthorne	23	F	6'8"	---	Graduate Student	Tracy, California	San Francisco
Luca Colceag	32	F	6'9"	200	Junior	Bucharest, Romania	Eastern Florida State College

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Hunter Caldwell C	Parker, Colorado	Lutheran High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Mar 29, 2024
Hunter Caldwell C	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR)
Viktor Lukic-Gavric G	Stockholm, Sweden	Get Better Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	N/A	Apr 18, 2024
Viktor Lukic-Gavric G	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR)
Walker Asp F	Colorado Springs, Colorado	Palmer High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	May 5, 2024
Walker Asp F	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR)
Ariik Mawien G	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Link Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	May 17, 2024
Ariik Mawien G	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2024–25 Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Walker Asp	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	Palmer High School	Colorado Springs, Colorado
G	2	Taeshaud Jackson	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	VMI	Denver, Colorado
G	3	Ariik Mawien	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Fr	Link Year Prep	Sioux Falls, South Dakota
C	4	Hunter Caldwell	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Fr	Lutheran High School	Parker, Colorado
G	5	Quinn Denker	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sr	Idaho	San Jose, California
G	6	Langston Reynolds	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	Colorado Prep	Denver, Colorado
G	8	Viktor Lukic-Gavric	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	—	Fr	Get Better Academy	Stockholm, Sweden
G	9	Jaron Rillie	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	GS	Samford	Sydney, Australia
G	10	Radek Homer	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Mountain Vista High School	Highlands Ranch, Colorado
G	11	Zach Bloch	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Colorado Prep	Lawrence, Kansas
F	14	Brock Wisne	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jr	Colorado Prep	Thornton, Colorado
F	21	William Humer	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jr	San Jose State	Sollentuna, Sweden
F	23	Isaiah Hawthorne	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	GS	San Francisco	Tracy, California
F	32	Luca Colceag	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Eastern Florida State College	Bucharest, Romania
C	33	Egan Shields	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	Fr	Colorado Prep	Ashland, Oregon
G	42	Marcell McCreary	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	223 lb (101 kg)	Jr	Air Force	Fort Worth, Texas

Head coach

Steve Smiley (Northern State)

Assistant coach(es)

Dorian Green (Colorado State)
Houston Reed (Northern State)
Brett Cloepfil (CSU Pueblo)
Colin Gause (Northern Colorado)
Dondrale Campbell (Greenville)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 15, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+		Colorado College	W 75–55	1–0	21 – Reynolds	10 – Rillie	5 – Rillie	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,120) Greeley, CO
November 8, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Colorado	L 88–90 ^2OT	1–1	19 – Hawthorne	8 – Rillie	7 – Rillie	CU Events Center (6,152) Boulder, CO
November 12, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Colorado Christian	W 113–56	2–1	24 – Hawthorne	7 – McCreary	6 – Reynolds	Bank of Colorado Arena (995) Greeley, CO
November 14, 2024* 8:00 pm, SLN		vs. South Dakota State	W 78–69	3–1	21 – Hawthorne	8 – Rillie	5 – Rillie	Summit Arena (4,887) Rapid City, SD
November 18, 2024* 7:30 pm, ESPN+		at Washington State	L 69–83	3–2	16 – Reynolds	10 – Hawthorne	4 – Rillie	Beasley Coliseum (3,066) Pullman, WA
November 20, 2024* 7:30 pm, ESPN+		at California Baptist	W 79–68	4–2	18 – Reynolds	12 – Hawthorne	8 – Rillie	Fowler Events Center (2,737) Riverside, CA
November 23, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Prairie View A&M	W 114–98	5–2	31 – Reynolds	7 – Rillie	7 – Tied	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,102) Greeley, CO
November 26, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Northern New Mexico	W 92–50	6–2	27 – Hawthorne	5 – Wisne	5 – Reynolds	Bank of Colorado Arena (901) Greeley, CO
November 29, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Texas Tech	L 64–89	6–3	16 – Denker	4 – Tied	4 – Reynolds	United Supermarkets Arena (13,274) Lubbock, TX
December 4, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		St. Thomas Big Sky-Summit Challenge	L 75–87	6–4	20 – Hawthorne	8 – Reynolds	4 – Rillie	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,020) Greeley, CO
December 7, 2024* 6:00 pm		at North Dakota State Big Sky-Summit Challenge	L 70–82	6–5	19 – Hawthorne	10 – Hawthorne	3 – Denker	Scheels Center (1,242) Fargo, ND
December 16, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Air Force	W 81–76	7–5	23 – Reynolds	11 – Reynolds	7 – Rillie	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,183) Greeley, CO
December 21, 2024* 1:00 pm, Altitude/MidcoS		at Denver	W 82–75	8–5	22 – Wisne	5 – Tied	5 – Tied	Hamilton Gymnasium (1,148) Denver, CO
Big Sky regular season
January 2, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Weber State	W 89–72	9–5 (1–0)	17 – Hawthorne	7 – Reynolds	5 – Tied	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,006) Greeley, CO
January 4, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Idaho State	W 93–92 ^OT	10–5 (2–0)	27 – Reynolds	7 – Rillie	8 – Tied	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,055) Greeley, CO
January 9, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Montana State	W 83–82	11–5 (3–0)	21 – McCreary	9 – Hawthorne	7 – Rillie	Worthington Arena (2,367) Bozeman, MT
January 11, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Montana	W 81–57	12–5 (4–0)	19 – Wisne	15 – Reynolds	7 – Rillie	Dahlberg Arena (3,184) Missoula, MT
January 16, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Portland State	W 72–69	13–5 (5–0)	23 – Hawthorne	7 – Hawthorne	4 – Tied	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,208) Greeley, CO
January 18, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Sacramento State	W 68–64	14–5 (6–0)	17 – Hawthorne	7 – Reynolds	3 – Tied	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,521) Greeley, CO
January 23, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Idaho	L 76–77	14–6 (6–1)	22 – Reynolds	7 – Wisne	3 – Tied	ICCU Arena (1,716) Moscow, ID
January 25, 2025 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at Eastern Washington	W 67–62	15–6 (7–1)	32 – Hawthorne	7 – Hawthorne	4 – Reynolds	Reese Court (1,600) Cheney, WA
February 1, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Northern Arizona	W 87–69	16–6 (8–1)	23 – Reynolds	9 – Reynolds	6 – Rillie	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,653) Greeley, CO
February 3, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Idaho State	W 86–72	17–6 (9–1)	19 – Tied	12 – Reynolds	8 – Rillie	Reed Gym (1,481) Pocatello, ID
February 6, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Montana	L 78–86	17–7 (9–2)	21 – Denker	7 – Hawthorne	6 – Reynolds	Bank of Colorado Arena (2,001) Greeley, CO
February 8, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Montana State	W 73–66	18–7 (10–2)	17 – Denker	11 – Wisne	8 – Rillie	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,672) Greeley, CO
February 13, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Sacramento State	W 77–61	19–7 (11–2)	24 – Hawthorne	8 – Hawthorne	4 – Reynolds	Hornets Nest (532) Sacramento, CA
February 15, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Portland State	L 71–82	19–8 (11–3)	19 – Tied	8 – Hawthorne	4 – Rillie	Viking Pavilion (777) Portland, OR
February 20, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Eastern Washington	W 95–76	20–8 (12–3)	23 – Rillie	10 – Rillie	5 – Rillie	Bank of Colorado Arena (1,356) Greeley, CO
February 22, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Idaho	W 92–74	21–8 (13–3)	25 – Hawthorne	6 – Wisne	5 – Reynolds	Bank of Colorado Arena (2,004) Greeley, CO
March 1, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Northern Arizona	W 83–73	22–8 (14–3)	20 – Tied	7 – Rillie	4 – McCreary	Findlay Toyota Court (1,389) Flagstaff, AZ
March 3, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Weber State	W 68–63	23–8 (15–3)	24 – Rillie	8 – Rillie	3 – Tied	Dee Events Center (2,633) Ogden, UT
Big Sky tournament
March 9, 2025 5:30 pm, ESPN+	(1)	vs. (9) Weber State Quarterfinals	W 76–52	24–8	29 – Hawthorne	9 – Rillie	6 – Rillie	Idaho Central Arena Boise, ID
March 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU	(1)	vs. (5) Montana State Semifinals	W 72–45	25–8	13 – Rillie	9 – McCreary	4 – Denker	Idaho Central Arena Boise, ID
March 12, 2025 9:30 pm, ESPN2	(1)	vs. (2) Montana Championship	L 83–91	25–9	24 – Rillie	4 – Rillie	6 – Rillie	Idaho Central Arena Boise, ID
NIT
March 19, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at (1) UC Irvine First round – Irvine Region	L 72–82	25–10	16 – Wisne	12 – Hawthorne	5 – Reynolds	Bren Events Center (1,241) Irvine, CA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain.

Sources:^[6]^[7]

References

^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Standings". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ "Idaho State still dancing after upsetting No. 2 Northern Colorado at Big Sky Tournament". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ "Teams". College Basketball Invitational. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ "Enaruna hits jumper at the buzzer to lead Cleveland State over Northern Colorado, 51–49, in CBI". The News-Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ "2024–25 Men's Basketball Roster". uncbears.com. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Northern Colorado Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ "Northern Colorado Bears 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[1] "2023–24 Men's Basketball Standings". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[2] "Idaho State still dancing after upsetting No. 2 Northern Colorado at Big Sky Tournament". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[3] "Teams". College Basketball Invitational. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[4] "Enaruna hits jumper at the buzzer to lead Cleveland State over Northern Colorado, 51–49, in CBI". The News-Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[roster-5] "2024–25 Men's Basketball Roster". uncbears.com. Retrieved November 20, 2024.

[6] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Northern Colorado Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

[7] "Northern Colorado Bears 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 15, 2024.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball
Venues	Bank of Colorado Arena (1975–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25