Northeastern State

Kenan Demirović - SF

Team: Northeastern State RiverHawks [ID #512]

Location: Tahlequah, OK (Plains)

Conference: VI.6 [Division 3]

President: None

Rating: 54.37 - Overall Position: #609

Fan Mood: 98.90

Alumni Mood: 130.80

Prestige: 42

Team Notes:

• Jan 04 2042: Removed Desert_Nomad93 as president.
• Nov 09 2041: 3-star prospect Cliff Napoli committed.
• Aug 29 2041: Carson Vines was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Aug 29 2041: Assistant coach Todd Powers leaves to pursue head coaching opportunities.
• Jan 21 2040: 2-star prospect Víctor Olvera committed.
• Dec 31 2039: 2-star prospect Salvador Guzman committed.
• Dec 15 2039: 3-star prospect Ed Harris committed.
• Sep 01 2039: Rodrigo Ramirez was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Sep 01 2039: Assistant coach Keith Green leaves to pursue head coaching opportunities.
• Feb 10 2039: 3-star prospect Blake Moeller committed.

Record:

Wins: 20 Losses: 11 Pct: .645 Conf Wins: 15 Conf Losses: 6 Conf Pct: .714 Conf Rank: 4 Last10: 7-3 Streak: W1

Pts Ave: 73.9 - 70.0 Pts Diff: +3.9 Team Power Index: 140.5

Press Releases:

Feb 10 2039: Patterson's First Recruiting Class Hits the Mark - by Desert_Nomad93 on June 10th, 2024

First year Northeastern State University Head Coach, Donald Patterson was given the job in no small part because school leadership felt he could recruit. With his first recruiting class in the books, Patterson hit the nail on the head and is proving the right choice was made. In total, five players have committed to play for the Riverhawks in 2040. This class is eclectic with two commits from Oklahoma, one from right here in Tahlequah, one from Kansas, one from New York and one from the Virgin Islands. With no scholarship players taller than 6’3” set to return next season, height and weight were critical. Four of these commits are 6’7” or taller and can play the center or forward positions. All have shown strong skill sets on the defensive side of the ball as well. Some of these commits will have to play next year as Freshman, so let’s jump in and learn more about your 2039 Riverhawk commits.

Lou Yancey – Point Guard

Many from the community will already recognize this name. Yancey has been a three year starter at guard for local Tahlequah high school. He is a tenacious defender at 6’0” 180lbs and a 6’5” wingspan. As a senior he has held his opponents to 33% shooting, while adding 13 ppg on 44% shooting on the offensive side. He is a smart player with a good handle. A likely redshift candidate, he was a late target for the team. But once the conversation started the two sides saw eye to eye very quickly and Yancey committed quickly after the scholarship was offered. Yancey is a tone setter who can be the point of the defensive spear and has shown the ability to assist and make shots when required. The coaching staff and fans will hope to see a marked improvement in the assist category, but his IQ and skill set should see him challenging for minutes quickly.

Blake Moeller – Power Forward

Moeller is a 6’7”, 210lb forward with quick feet and a 6’11” wingspan. He is a three year starter for Nazareth Regional High School in New York, New York. As a senior he is shooting 51% from the field and averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds. A theme of this class, he is a smart defensive minded player. Blake was a long play but a late addition to the class. His recruiting process started last season, but he was the last one of the five to commit. Word is that he wanted to play more in the paint but the coaching staff sees him as more of a large wing. Whatever position he plays, Moeller is a formidable player and the only 3-star in the class. He’s capable of playing multiple positions, is a lockdown defender and can be a supplementary scorer.

Lonnie Hill – Center

Hailing from Christiansted, Virgin Islands, Lonnie Hill is an international behemoth at 6'9" and 240 lbs with a 7'2" wingspan. A three-year starter, Hill has been a powerhouse at center for Christiansted High School. This season he’s averaging 13.5 points and 9 rebounds per game while shooting a staggering 65%. Hill is projected as the starting Center next season for the Riverhawks where he will have to acclimate quickly. Like most of this class, he is more of a defensive player than offensive player at this stage but he has shown the skill set to be a more prolific shooter. Northeastern’s play style relies on a strong post presence on both ends of the court. The coaching staff went almost 4000 miles to get Hill specifically for this role.

Berry Workman – Center

From Wilson High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Berry Workman stands tall at 6'10" and 190 lbs with a 6'10" wingspan. A two-year starter, Workman has been a double-double machine, averaging 12.5 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 58.5% and stifling opponents to 37% shooting. In college Workman is more likely a Power Forward/Small Forward hybrid player. If he can put on some pounds in college he could develop into a solid stretch four, but his weight may push him more towards the three spot. He has shown the ability to facilitate and shoot the rock in high school. Workman will likely spend 2040 as a redshirt before being asked to come off the bench as a wing player. His physical tools are exciting, and if he can make the transition from center he is projected to be a solid player for this young Riverhawks squad.

Brian Sullivan – Center

Sullivan is a solid center from Wichita Heights High School in Wichita, Kansas. He stands at 6'8" and 225 lbs with a 6'9" wingspan. As a two-year starter, Sullivan has been a reliable presence in the paint, averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds per game on 51% shooting while holding opponents to a meager 36%. He has good feet for a big kid and smothers players once they get in the paint. With Hill on the roster, Sullivan will be asked to come off the bench as the backup center. He is a sneaky facilitator that will surprise at this level of play. A solid, unselfish player, Sullivan is set to become a fan favorite in the coming seasons.

Head Coach's Comments

Head Coach Donald Patterson was brimming with enthusiasm when asked about this recruiting class: "We are overjoyed to welcome Lou, Blake, Lonnie, Berry, and Brian to Northeastern State. Each of these young men brings exceptional talent and immense potential to our program. They all fit the mold we are looking for. Smart, defensive minded players with positional versatility. We needed to add a lot of height as well in this class for the coming seasons. I can’t wait to see their growth and the excitement they’ll bring to our fans!"

Looking Ahead

With these five strong recruits, Northeastern State's basketball program and Donald Patterson will see this as a successful first recruiting class! The infusion of significant height, size and defensive tenacity is exactly what was promised when Patterson was promoted to the head coaching role. The lack of a lock down shooter will be worrisome to some fans and supporters. If they can string together strong recruiting classes to build around this class, we will look back and see this as the first real building blocks of a turnaround the fans of Northeastern State have been craving since falling to the sixth tier.

Oct 14 2038: The Turning of A Page - by Desert_Nomad93 on May 7th, 2024

Tahlequah, Okla. - The 888 people in attendance for the first game at NSU Event Center this season got a show as the hometown RiverHawks showed out 90-49 in an exhibition game against the Fort Hays State Tigers. Freshman Ross Pearson got his first double double of his college career with 17 points and 11 rebounds. After struggling in the first exhibition game of the season, the team bounced back nicely today. Although most of the minutes are going to underclassmen this time of year, we are getting to see Donald Patterson in the head coaching role for the first time and how he sees this young group of up and coming players. We have one more exhibition before we jump into the non-conference schedule and you can bet today’s showing got the fans excited.

We are most excited that after a long off-season we finally got to sit down with program president, desert_nomad93, and hear his thoughts on the current state of the team. It was no surprise that many of the questions focused on the coaching change and the replacement of one of the program's best players.

When asked about the coaching change, Nomad was direct and clear. “To compete in Hardwood and fight for promotion you have to be able to recruit at a high level. After two recruiting classes it was clear to us that we needed to make a shift. We want a head coach who is excited for the grind of recruiting and can connect with young men who are a good fit for our program. We believe that Donald Patterson is that kind of coach.”

“We also didn’t stop at the head coach. We also brought in two new assistants in Keith Green and Todd Powers who are both established recruiters with strong track records. We want to build a lasting winning tradition here and we are dedicated to bringing the right people and the right resources together to make that happen”

Asked what changed over the last year, the president was clear. “We came in committed to righting the ship and believed Connor Duvall was the right person for the job. He made the most out of last year's senior class and helped us fight for promotion. We are thankful for the work he has done, and it was clear based on the recruiting feedback we were getting that we needed to change directions.”

“Changing coaches is not an easy or quick decision and we feel very strongly about the move we made to promote Donald to the head coaching role.”

Speaking of last year's senior class, one person asked how Northeastern State would replace 2038 Conference Player of the year, Ryan Sumner, and his 24pts a game. “Replacing Ryan is no easy task. He is one of the greatest players this program has ever seen, maybe the best three-point shooter. Asking one player to step in and fill those shoes is unrealistic. But, we have a strong group of seniors who we expect will collectively fill the gap of his on field production.

“We were really lucky to have Ryan in our program for four years. His presence on and off the court will be missed. It has to be a next man up mentality in college basketball, and we believe in the team we have assembled.”

The press conference ended on a light hearted note thanks to today’s performance. “The boys really showed up today. That is the kind of feeling we want in this building more often. For the fans, for the players, for everyone. Seeing the younger guys like Pearson, Holland, Olszewski and Demirovic get so many minutes today and make the most of those minutes is very exciting. Nomatter who is playing a 90 point game and a 50 point win is always fun to be a part of. Ross getting his first double double is big. We are expecting to use his redshirt this season, so it is great to see him making the most of these minutes. Hopefully today was a sign of a good season for all of us.”

This season still has a plethora of questions. There is a big production hole to fill from last season, a brand new head coach, and the looming of a large senior class about to move on. This feels like a pivotal season for both the new president and the team as a whole.

A strong recruiting class, and a string of good showings to start the season will help smooth things out. But it won’t take a big hiccup for the fan base to get restless.

Apr 05 2038: A Surprise Coaching Change - by Desert_Nomad93 on May 3rd, 2024

Tahlequah, Okla. - Just over a year ago the new president, Desert_Nomad93, took the reins of Northeastern State University. In his opening press conference he expressed faith and support to then head coach Connor Duvall, “...the plan is to keep Conner here as our head coach for the foreseeable future”. Apparently the end of the foreseeable future was today, after an up and down 21-21 season that saw Northeastern State finish 7th in VI.6. Adding to the weirdness of this coaching change is the replacement, as assistant coach Donald Patterson was promoted to the job without ever having been a head coach before.

Let’s start with the first question, who is Donald Patterson? He joined Northeastern State in 2037 as an assistant coach and head of recruiting. In 2038 he was part of a team with a .500 record for the first time since 2030. In the beginning of his career Donald was a rising name as he took over the recruiting for Lakeland who was also on the rise from 2025-2030. In that time they won 173 games in six seasons, won a conference title, had two tournament appearances and were promoted twice, climbing all the way up to the 4th division.

But 2031 saw the wheels fall off the bus for Lakeland, and Patterson’s career. Since then he hasn’t been on the same staff for three consecutive seasons, he hasn’t seen a single winning season, conference title or tournament game. Since 2031 his teams have won 106 games over eight seasons, the best of that stretch coming the last two seasons here in Oklahoma.

So how did he get this job? We will likely never know the whole truth, and will get more information at the next press conference. But let’s explore the worst case scenario and the optimistic scenario.

The worst case scenario is ugly. This is a team that has fallen on hard times and seems to be stuck in the bottom leagues. They have a senior heavy roster, will likely need to replace four starters and eight of their top ten players at season's end, have a new president who seems to have limited patience, and have no underclassmen on this roster who look capable of leading this team. There is a scenario in which zero good candidates want this job, the president impatiently moved off Duvall and the only decent candidate was Patterson. This would be bad news for the program, and the fear of this already has the fanbase feeling antsy.

The more optimistic view has Patterson relighting his career. He is known around the league as a talented recruiter. It's the reason he got brought to this school in the first place. Some around the country still believe in the spark that he showed back in Lakeland. If he was looking for his first head coaching role, and the administration felt that he had earned it, this could be a step in a new positive direction for a coach and an organization looking to right the ship. With a roster about to roll over, having an established and talented recruiter at the head of the ship could be exactly what this program needs to start fighting for promotion again. The good news is this scenario would prove itself out in just a few seasons as eight scholarship players need to be replaced over the next two seasons.

Overall, this is an intriguing move by the new president. The roster is in a challenging place, the program seems to be stuck in the mud, and they chose an untested candidate after only two seasons with the previous coach. It may not just be Patterson’s job on the line if this goes poorly.

Mar 28 2037: A New President Arrives in Tahlequah - by Desert_Nomad93 on March 5th, 2024

Tahlequah, Okla. - Northeastern State saw a big change at the top of the University today with the hiring of a brand new president. Although he has been tasked with overseeing the entire University, here in the world of Hardwood we know that presidents are intricately tied into the day-to-day of the basketball operations. It didn’t take long for the press to start digging in on how this new president felt about this struggling program.

Unsurprisingly, the President was not satisfied with the current state of the program. After a historic stretch from 2025-2032 that saw the Riverhawks as a regular level three conference squad, they will now be in a level six conference for back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2016-17. “The recent success, or lack thereof, for this program has been disappointing. No disrespect to anyone involved, but my main goal is to build a foundation of stability. I want to give the fans a reason to fill the seats, and I want to give people more reasons to be a proud part of this program”.

After a 17-25 record this season, many questions circled around the future of head coach Conner Duvall. The overwhelming response from the president today was one of support. “I spoke with Conner multiple times through the process for me to join Northeastern State. He is a proven winner who helped Stony Brook climb from the 6th level to the 4th level. I believe in him and am focused on giving him all the resources he needs to be successful here”.

When asked if 2038 was an audition for Conner, the president again gave support. “Every single person in the organization will be evaluated based on their performance. But this is not an audition, the plan is to keep Conner here as our head coach for the foreseeable future”.

Speaking about the players, the president was positive, but less supportive. “There are good players here, and we went 17-25 last season. Clearly that is not good enough. It’s our responsibility to get the right players in the building and develop them in the right ways”.

“I don’t want to sound all doom and gloom. We are returning four starters from last year. We are bringing back a lot of experience, and Ryan Sumner is a nice building block. A player like that, a smart player like that who can pass and shoot. Sumner is the type of player we can build around and we believe he can lead us out of the 6th level.”

“But it takes more than one player, and we only have one more year with Ryan. So we have to look at the big picture and build a pipeline of players who will help us lift this program back out of the basement.”

The press conference ended on a heartfelt note when the question was asked why the president chose Northeastern State.

“I have deep family roots in the Northeastern Oklahoma area. It is a place of fond memories for my grandparents. I recently moved back to the area and when I saw this position open it felt like a great opportunity to get back to those roots and to support a great organization that has fallen on bad times”.

Overall, the feelings around the university and the team are trending up. This feels like a new breath, a fresh energy. But those things do not win basketball games. Today’s 64-73 loss to Vassar is proof of that. This team is still struggling, and Coach Duvall had a rough first season. With the new season right around the corner, time will tell quickly if those good vibes will continue.

Dec 24 2033: Building Era - by JAY-AUSTON on August 22nd, 2023

I don't know I said before that I didn't know what to expect and that it probably wasn't gona be much but I take that back,the teams done well as of late improved to 5-9 now on a 4 game win streak and,honestly I'm quite impressed and I hope that they can keep it up.