His bio is epic.
He was named North Dakota’s Mr. Basketball and the North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior season in 2022-23 with Minot High. He averaged 27 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a senior Magician. He was the All-time leading scorer in Minot High history with 1,754 points when he graduated.
He led Minot High to the North Dakota Class A state title as a junior in the 2021-22 season, earning state tournament MVP and first-team all-state honors. He also averaged 15+ points per game for his high school career, added 8.1 rebounds and 56-percent shooting as a junior and is now a member of the North Dakota State University (NDSU) men’s basketball team.
Darik Dissett was also back in Minot with his new team for the NDSU exhibition workout and ‘meet and greet’ with the local Bison fans on Sunday, October 13.
“I was born and raised here in Minot,” said Dissett. “This is home and I loved going to school here, growing up here and learning about the game here.”
The former Magician in now a sophomore Bison and feels at home in Fargo as well.
“I have family in town [Fargo] so it has always felt like a second home to me,” said Dissett. “The coaches at NDSU actively recruited me and were interested in me as a player and a student. I had other schools I looked at but never found anything that felt so familiar or felt this right.”
While he feels at home now, as he still does when he is in Minot, Dissett had some surprises along the way.
“The size of the players at the next level was a surprise!” said Dissett. “The speed and athleticism- the skill level is just better at the next level across the roster and the opponents rosters.”
The Bison were 15-17 overall last season with an 8-8 conference record. Dissett played in 30 of the 32 games and started a couple of times for NDSU as a freshman. The Bison start play with an exhibition game on Wednesday, October 23, in Fargo and open regular season play on Monday, November 4, against the University of Jamestown in Fargo as well.
“Minot High really prepared me for this next level of play,” said Dissett. “Coach [Dean Winczewski] always pushed me to reach for and chase greatness in all the little things, the smallest of details on and off the court. That has helped me tremendously at the next level. That same approach is what goes on with intense focus.”
Dissett also credits the academics at Minot High for completely preparing him for the academics at NDSU as well. The only main difference is that athletes at the college level tend to blend into the academic setting more seamlessly as just students inside the classroom settings than he imagined it would be.
Dissett played nearly every position on the court in high school, but predominantly the small forward and occasionally the power forward. At the next level as a Bison he is playing the same positions. What is his message to his former teammates and those following behind him?
“Take it day by day,” said Dissett. “Keep working on the details and treat every workout as if it’s your last one.”
Leave a Reply