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Mar. 26—GRAND FORKS — Dennis Hutter didn't start the week expecting to be a Division I head women's basketball coach but by mid-day Monday that was the reality.
After a surprising Monday resignation from head coach Mallory Bernhard
, Hutter, a former Mayville State head coaching veteran and first-year UND assistant, was quickly named UND's head coach.
The quick swap came on the heels of eight UND players entering the transfer portal, headlined by leading scorer Kiera Pemberton,
Grand Forks native and Summit League Freshman of the Year Jocelyn Schiller
and Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Fatima Ibrahim.
Hutter's first order of business, he told the Herald Wednesday afternoon, was to take care of the seven returning players.
"No. 1 was the kids that are here," Hutter said. "We wanted to make sure they're emotionally and physically well. We wanted to make sure they're okay. We wanted them to know we'd be here for them. In-house was No. 1. We're just about to the end of (team and individual meetings) by the end of the week. We're letting them know how we'll move forward and stabilize the ship."
Hutter built a reputation on getting the most out of homegrown talent at Mayville State of the NAIA. His Comets beat UND in December of 2023.
He said some of his playing style was on display for the UND team of 2024-25 but not all. The Fighting Hawks went 12-19, won a Summit League quarterfinal for the first time since 2019 and bowed out in the semifinals to league power South Dakota State.
"I'd like to see us play faster and more up-tempo," Hutter said. "I'd like to see us push it and be ultra-aggressive at the rim. We were able to do some of that but not all of that. The biggest thing is the tempo side of it. The game is more open and up-and-down now."
Hutter's recruiting emphasis, like his Mayville State rosters, is local — an emphasis that fluctuated at UND across Bernhard's tenure.
"No. 1 we want to be regional," Hutter said. "The No. 1 reason to transfer is to be closer to home. If you're already closer to home, you take one variable off the table. There are a lot of good players in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. You just have to kick over the rocks to find them.
"We want kids who want to be here. You have to look at it as a place you want yourself for four or five years. We want people who want to be where their feet are. We don't want people one foot in, one foot out. I don't think they'd like a coach to have one foot out."
With eight players entering the portal, how does Hutter fix the roster?
"It's a non-stop battle," Hutter said. "You grind; I don't know what else to do. The big thing is the message. We're sending the message of what we want in regard to family. They come to UND, and they'll be part of something bigger than themselves. As far as recruiting, we're going to be working our rear ends off to get the best players here to bring this program to a level everyone can be proud of."
Hutter said he doesn't pigeon-hole the type of transfer he wants to bring in, whether it's from a high major program or a lower level.
"We have to do our due-diligence," he said. "If it's a transfer that checks the boxes you're looking for ... I believe it's about the culture that is created within a program. It starts with the head coach and works down."
Of the seven returning players, UND's most experienced players are Walker Demers and Mikayla Aumer, while a pair of freshman had limited roles in Mataeya Mathern and Skyler Volmer.
UND will also bring in three preps signed for the fall in Hopkins' Lauren Hillesheim, Byron (Minn.) guard Kendra Harvey and Grand Forks Central's Lauren Reardon.
Continue reading...
After a surprising Monday resignation from head coach Mallory Bernhard
, Hutter, a former Mayville State head coaching veteran and first-year UND assistant, was quickly named UND's head coach.
The quick swap came on the heels of eight UND players entering the transfer portal, headlined by leading scorer Kiera Pemberton,
Grand Forks native and Summit League Freshman of the Year Jocelyn Schiller
and Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Fatima Ibrahim.
Hutter's first order of business, he told the Herald Wednesday afternoon, was to take care of the seven returning players.
"No. 1 was the kids that are here," Hutter said. "We wanted to make sure they're emotionally and physically well. We wanted to make sure they're okay. We wanted them to know we'd be here for them. In-house was No. 1. We're just about to the end of (team and individual meetings) by the end of the week. We're letting them know how we'll move forward and stabilize the ship."
Hutter built a reputation on getting the most out of homegrown talent at Mayville State of the NAIA. His Comets beat UND in December of 2023.
He said some of his playing style was on display for the UND team of 2024-25 but not all. The Fighting Hawks went 12-19, won a Summit League quarterfinal for the first time since 2019 and bowed out in the semifinals to league power South Dakota State.
"I'd like to see us play faster and more up-tempo," Hutter said. "I'd like to see us push it and be ultra-aggressive at the rim. We were able to do some of that but not all of that. The biggest thing is the tempo side of it. The game is more open and up-and-down now."
Hutter's recruiting emphasis, like his Mayville State rosters, is local — an emphasis that fluctuated at UND across Bernhard's tenure.
"No. 1 we want to be regional," Hutter said. "The No. 1 reason to transfer is to be closer to home. If you're already closer to home, you take one variable off the table. There are a lot of good players in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. You just have to kick over the rocks to find them.
"We want kids who want to be here. You have to look at it as a place you want yourself for four or five years. We want people who want to be where their feet are. We don't want people one foot in, one foot out. I don't think they'd like a coach to have one foot out."
With eight players entering the portal, how does Hutter fix the roster?
"It's a non-stop battle," Hutter said. "You grind; I don't know what else to do. The big thing is the message. We're sending the message of what we want in regard to family. They come to UND, and they'll be part of something bigger than themselves. As far as recruiting, we're going to be working our rear ends off to get the best players here to bring this program to a level everyone can be proud of."
Hutter said he doesn't pigeon-hole the type of transfer he wants to bring in, whether it's from a high major program or a lower level.
"We have to do our due-diligence," he said. "If it's a transfer that checks the boxes you're looking for ... I believe it's about the culture that is created within a program. It starts with the head coach and works down."
Of the seven returning players, UND's most experienced players are Walker Demers and Mikayla Aumer, while a pair of freshman had limited roles in Mataeya Mathern and Skyler Volmer.
UND will also bring in three preps signed for the fall in Hopkins' Lauren Hillesheim, Byron (Minn.) guard Kendra Harvey and Grand Forks Central's Lauren Reardon.
Continue reading...
