UND senior Dustin Monsebroten said Sioux basketball coaches preach that players will be rewarded for hard work.
On Tuesday, the reward came in the form of a scholarship for Monsebroten.
"It was great news," said Monsebroten, who was a walk-on at UND last year after two seasons at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls. "My time here has paid off. Now I can focus on next year."
Monsebroten is the third walk-on in UND coach Brian Jones' three-year tenure to be rewarded with a scholarship.
Former players Wes Porter and Ben Lehnertz also went from walk-on players to scholarship players.
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"We are excited for Dustin and appreciate all the things he does on a daily basis to represent our university and program," Jones said. "He has earned this scholarship on many different levels. First, he is a great teammate and person. Academically, he is an outstanding student that has his priorities in order.
"Finally, Dustin brings his energy everyday to practice and to the locker room. He does whatever is needed of him to put the Sioux in a position to be successful. These are the type of guys we want associated with our program and we look forward to his senior leadership this season."
After redshirting his first season at UND, Monsebroten played in 26 games a year ago and averaged 2.5 points per game. Monsebroten had a career-high 17 points at Green Bay on Dec. 20 when he connected on 4-of-5 three-pointers.
Monsebroten said his role next season will be as a tutor to the many new faces with the Sioux.
"I love the group of guys we have right now," Monsebroten said. "It'll be a real fun year. I guess my role is, with so many freshmen, to prepare them. That's my first job. As a senior, I can lead in that way."
Miller reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 121; or send e-mail to tmiller@gfherald.com .
