SHULLSBURG — When it came time for Shullsburg senior-to-be Joey Meyer to choose a college to continue his high school career, he wanted to go to a place where he felt wanted and where he fit.
That place turned out to by the University of Minnesota–Crookston, an NCAA Division II school located in the northwest corner of the state.
Meyer, a 6’9”, 240-lbs. forward from Shullsburg, recently announced his commitment to join the Crookston Golden Eagles men’s basketball team with the 2017–18 recruiting class.
“They have a good program with a really good coaching staff, and they have a really nice campus, too. It’s beautiful there,” said Meyer about choosing Crookston. “I feel, basketball style-wise, I’ll fit in really well there. That was the main thing for my decision I had a lot of interest from other schools, but Crookston stood out. They really wanted me and were really forthcoming in their recruitment. They told me they wanted me bad. That was nice to hear.”
Meyer averaged 15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game for the Miners last season, while leading the team to a 20–5 overall record and their second straight Six Rivers West title.
The Miners have posted a 61–15 in his three varsity seasons. Over the past two years, Meyer has led the team with 710 points while adding 356 rebounds, 102 assist, 61 blocks and 20 steals. He was a second-team All-Conference selection as a sophomore and was named to the first-team as a junior.
Meyer is also a two-year All-Conference selection on the football field for the Miners, having earned recognition as an offensive lineman, a defensive end and a punter.
“It feels great (to pick a school). It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Meyers commented as he prepares to begin his senior year at Shullsburg High School. “Not having to worry about where I’m going to college is a relief. I’ll only have to put in one application. That’s nice.”
Meyer is the son of Jeff and JoAnn Meyer of Shullsburg. His 7’2” dad played in four NCAA tournaments, including advancing to the Elite 8 one season, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his older brother, John, is a 6’10” junior forward at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan.
Meyer will have plenty of ties to Wisconsin on the Golden Eagles’ squad when he joins the team. Head coach Dan Weisse is a graduate of Oshkosh West and played under Bo Ryan and Bruce Pearl at the UW–Milwaukee, while four members of last year’s roster and three incoming freshmen recruits are graduates of Wisconsin high schools.
Coach Weisse will be entering his third year with the Golden Eagles this upcoming season, having posted a 10–44 overall record in his first two seasons. The team has been in a rebuilding mode since Weisse took over. The Golden Eagles have 11 players returning from last year’s 3–24 squad and 10 of those players were freshmen. They also have five players coming in with the 2016–17 recruiting class.
The Golden Eagles compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, which in considered one of the nation’s best NCAA Division II conferences. The NSIC produced the National Champion last season in Augustana University.
The University of Minnesota–Crookston is a public, baccalaureate, coeducational institution and one of five statewide campuses of the University of Minnesota system.
As a four-year, public university with an enrollment of more than 1,800 students (approximately 900 on campus and 900 online), UMC proudly carries on a tradition of a century of educational service to northwestern Minnesota.
Since its establishment as an institution of higher learning in 1966 and its transition to offering baccalaureate degree programs in 1993, UMC has been a small campus offering big University of Minnesota degrees.
