From the NCC to the Summit: A conversation with Ben Brickson on UND basketball

This week on Splash City Basketball, we dive deep into the heart of Upper Midwest hoops history! Host Steve Hartman welcomes UND basketball alum Ben Brickson, a key player from the 1995 North Central Conference (NCC) Championship team, to explore the seismic shift from Division II to Division I.

Ben pulls back the curtain, sharing personal stories from the intense 1995 NCC Championship season and painting a vivid picture of what it took to come back and win that grueling league. But the story doesn't stop there: we explore the profound legacy of their shared mentor, coach Rich Glas. We reminisce about Glas's passion, and discuss his incredible coaching tree, which sprouted major D1 success stories like Creighton’s Greg McDermott and Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson.

We also tackle the challenge of the D1 transition itself—the financial burdens, the recruiting in the NIL era, and how the rising visibility of basketball and FCS football compares to the decades-long, national-power reputation of D1 hockey. This episode is packed with personal history, basketball nostalgia, and a fun look at basketball in the Upper Midwest.