Feb. 20—GRAND FORKS — If UND head coach Paul Sather is, in his words, "above the ground" 20 years from now, Eli King is going to be a player he still thinks about.
Of the three players honored before the Fighting Hawks' 85-70 Senior Night win over Kansas City, King has been with the program the longest.
King transferred in from Iowa State as a sophomore in the 2023-24 season.
"He's such a great example for our team," Sather said. "I think all those guys are, those seniors, but Eli has just been such a rock for us. ... He's going to be one of those guys you look back and just really get a great smile thinking about — man, I really enjoyed coaching that guy. I could say that about a lot of guys, but there's certain guys that stick out just because of the toughness and their team mindset, their team attitude. It's special. It's been fun coaching him, but hopefully we've got quite a few more games left to coach."
King was named to the Summit League All-Defensive team in his first two years with the Hawks.
As a senior, he's continued to provide UND with elite defense as well as an
increased offensive output
. King's 11.6 points per game this season are second only to
redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen
.
When King and fellow seniors Garrett Anderson and Reggie Thomas checked out of the game with 50 seconds left, the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center crowd offered a standing ovation.
"I'd say either that moment, or then obviously right before the game, is when you probably feel the most," King said. "I think it's just all the memories, and you're so happy to actually get the win and be able to end it on a win in this building. So I think it just means a lot, and it kind of hits you when you're leaving the floor."
King wasn't one of the Hawks' top scoring threats in the win, but his fingerprints were all over the game.
He finished with five points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
"He's a two-sided floor player," Sather said. "He rebounds, he patches problems out there. When guys make mistakes, a lot of times he's the one that can fix it and patch a problem out there on a rotation or helping when another guy is supposed to.
"He's got a little John Wayne in him. He's got a little Clint Eastwood to him. He's got a little bit of that mentality of not the loudest, most outspoken guy, but boy he's tough. And I think if you can ever give a guy a compliment, being tough, being a great teammate and just being an everyday guy that you can count on and know exactly what you're going to get."
Thomas transferred to UND last season, and Anderson was an addition this offseason.
Though they haven't been with the program for as long as King, both have played a part in the Hawks' resurgence this season.
Anderson has made 22 starts and averages 11.4 points per game. He's reached double-digit point totals in eight of his last nine games.
Thomas has taken a major step and provides a major boost off the bench for UND. He's also made five starts.
"All three of those guys, every single day — the bodies, the physicality of it, all of what they do — they just don't take days off of practice," Sather said. "There's not guys that look for reasons to miss or to sit out or complain about stuff. They're just everyday guys. They are such great examples of being great teammates, you just want everybody to rally around them. Let's go out swinging, no matter what that looks like. Let's go out playing our best, playing our hardest and really competing and being the best team we can be."
Thomas shot 3-for-5 and scored 10 points. It's his third 10-point game since Feb. 5.
"Reggie's energy was awesome," Sather said. "I thought he was the hardest playing player in that first half, I really did. I thought he continued into the second half."
Anderson, who was still sporting a brace on his right leg after suffering an injury against St. Thomas on Jan. 29, scored nine points against the Roos.
UND has two more games left on the regular season schedule, and both are on the road. The Summit League tournament will begin on March 4.
"(We're) really close, I'd say," King said. "With basketball only having the 15 guys, I feel like you get to know everyone really well, especially being here for most of the summer. Obviously Reggie having the two years, but then Garrett coming in this year, he's one of the guys I'm around the most. We room together on the road, so we're around each other a ton. Super close with both of them, and (it's been) awesome. I've enjoyed playing with them."