Wilber announces first men’s basketball recruits for 2014-15

MITCHELL, S.D. – Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball coach Matt Wilber announced the first three names on his 2014-15 signees list this week, and all three are standouts from around the region.

Jon Harmening, Gunnar Johnson and Nathan Stadem all join the Tiger men's basketball program as freshmen next season. Harmening comes to DWU from Jackson, Minn., Johnson from Castlewood, S.D. and Stadem joins the Tiger basketball program from Baltic, S.D.

Harmening, a 6-foot-5 power forward, highlights Wilber's first group of recruits. He is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Jackson County Central High School with more than 1,200 points and 850 rebounds so far in his prep career. He is averaging 21 points and 16 rebounds per game as a senior, and also averaged a double-double in his sophomore (14.5, 10.1) and junior (18.1, 12.3) seasons. He also averaged 8.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a freshman.

Harmening earned all-conference accolades as a junior and was also named to the all-area second team.

"Jon will be a great addition to our program," said Wilber, who is in his first season as the Tigers' head coach. "He brings a blue-collar work ethic and is a team-first, highly coachable young man. I am excited for him to be joining us here at DWU, as he fits all the traits we are looking for in a teammate and player."

Johnson averaged 14.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a junior in 2012-13 as well as 2.1 assists while shooting 41 percent from the field. The 6-3 guard helped Castlewood High School to district and region titles in 2012 and has earned three varsity letters for the Warriors. He also lettered three times in football and was on the Honor Roll of Merit.

"Gunnar will be a great fit here at DWU," Wilber said. "He is a long wing that works very hard and will continue to improve after high school. I am excited to have him in the program."

Stadem is a 5-10 guard from Baltic High School. He averaged 12 points per game through eight games played in his senior season with the Bulldogs. He is a three-time letter winner at Baltic and also lettered three times in both football and track. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the honor roll, an academic all-state selection and earned the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence.

"We are excited to be adding Nate to next year's class of recruits," Wilber said. "He comes from a great family and is an excellent student. Both mom and dad are coaches, and Nate knows how to play the game and is a very good shooter. He will represent DWU and our basketball program in high fashion."

The 2013-14 DWU men's basketball team is currently 13-10 overall and 6-7 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference after Wednesday's game against Morningside College. The Tigers are back in action Saturday, Feb. 1, when they travel to Crete, Neb., to take on Doane College at 4 p.m.