Why UND transfer Eli King was ready to commit on his Grand Forks visit
May 3—GRAND FORKS — As soon as Iowa State transfer Eli King entered the NCAA transfer portal, the UND men's basketball coaching staff made sure the former Caledonia (Minn.) High School star felt like a priority.
"They came to Caledonia and saw me, and they showed from the start they were really interested," King said. "I believe I entered the portal on a Wednesday and first thing Thursday morning they reached out to me."
King and the UND staff then set up a recruiting visit in Grand Forks. Before leaving town, on a Sunday morning at breakfast,
King committed to transfer to UND.
"I could have gone on other visits, but that was the place I wanted to be," King said. "I didn't need to waste any more coaches' time or my time. Once I found the right spot, I made the decision. I was all in on North Dakota. It was nice to do it in person and see that reaction and the excitement for me and my family. I'll remember that forever."
King also had solid references about the UND program. He played AAU basketball in high school on D1 Minnesota, a team that included UND promising rookies B.J. Omot and Treysen Eaglestaff.
After UND coach Paul Sather reached out to King, King contacted Omot and Eaglestaff.
"At the start, I reached out and said Sather talked to me and then they were very interested," King said. "I asked them questions. They said they really enjoyed it and the staff and Grand Forks. I reached out to them first but once I made the initial contact, they told me how much they liked it and wanted me to join them, so that was nice to see and hear."
The connection to Omot and Eaglestaff gave King some familiarity with UND. King also played against UND while at Iowa State last season, although it was only for one minute at the end of a 63-44 Iowa State win.
"With B.J. and Treysen (at UND), I would check updates on them and look at box scores and watch any games I could," King said. "I've definitely always been interested in following from afar. I knew of coach Sather when he was at Northern (State) but not him personally. I've only heard good things about him."
During King's visit to Grand Forks, he wanted to see how he fit in with the team.
"The connection I had, not just with Trey and B.J., but the rest of the teammates I met on the visit ... it felt like the place for me," King said.
UND's youth was appealing to King.
"They have three or four freshmen that I'll join as sophomores so it's nice knowing the things we can do in the future," King said. "I also know the style they want to play. They want to play fast and push the tempo. I feel like that fits my game well."
King, a 6-foot-3 guard and four-star recruit out of high school, played in nine games for Iowa State last season, averaging 3.4 minutes per game. Iowa State lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
King said his strengths are in creating for himself and others.
"The biggest thing is athleticism and getting downhill, so I can create," said King, who was also heavily recruited in football out of high school.
King was named the Player of the Year by the Minnesota Boys Basketball Coaches Association as a high school senior when he averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.2 steals per game. He led Caledonia to a third-place state finish and was a top-five finalist for the state's Mr. Basketball award.
King was highly recruited before settling on Iowa State in April of 2021. King also received offers from Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Marquette and Stanford.
King's commitment was a key piece to UND's encouraging offseason. In addition to Omot and Eaglestaff electing to return, UND will bring back fifth-year senior Brady Danielson and post Tsotne Tsartsidze. This spring, the Hawks also received commitments from two junior college transfers and from James Madison transfer Tyree Ihenacho, who was a 2021 Summit League Freshman of the Year at UND.
King said he plans to be in Grand Forks in the first week of June.
