Viken has given the Golden Eagles even more presence in the state of Minnesota as UMC has now signed six in-state players. The class has been labeled by Northstar Hoops Report as one of the strongest in-state classes. Viken is also the second local athlete to sign with Weisse joining Crookston-product Aaron Hollcraft (G, 5-11 175, Crookston, Minn./Crookston H.S.).
"Darin is a very tough, smart basketball player," Weisse said. "He had a very successful high school season and was very well coached. He has the values and mindset that we are looking for in a student-athlete. Darin will bring a blue collar mentality to practice. We know Darin will show up every day and give his all. When guys do that they keep improving and keep raising the bar for the team. I’m excited Darin decided to stay close to home and be a Golden Eagle."
Viken joins high school signees Hollcraft, Chase Knickerbocker (F, 6-6 175, Annandale, Minn./Annandale H.S.), Kobe Critchley (G, 6-0 190, Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area H.S.), Connor Gamble (G, 6-0 155, Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area H.S.), Nate Lorenz (F, 6-7 210, Breckenridge, Minn./Breckenridge H.S.).
UMC has also added junior college additions C.J. Polk (G, 6-1 176, Milwaukee, Wis./North Platte C.C.) and Riley Rice (F, 6-6 230, Mullen, Neb./North Platte C.C.).
All signees are contingent upon admission to UMC and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center. Everyone released today has signed their National Letter of Intent prior to release ofinformation.
Darin Viken (G, 6-2 190, Fosston, Minn./Fosston H.S.)
Viken was named the Pine to Prairie Conference Player of the Year for the 2015 season. In addition, he was a three-time All-Conference pick during three seasons with Fosston H.S. Viken set the school record with 42 points in a game. He finished his career with 1,717 points. Viken helped lead his team to the Class A tournament during the 2011-12 season. He was a four-year letter winner in football and basketball. He was named Pine to Prairie Defensive Player of the Year for football in 2014 and was an All-Conference pick for three years. Viken was also a two-time All-Section pick for football. He was an Academic All-State pick for both sports. Viken averaged 20.1 points per game as a senior for the Greyhounds. He was a 76.7 percent field goal shooter on the season, a 56.7 percent three-point shooter and a 77.9 free-throw shooter. Viken averaged a near double-double with 9.4 rebounds per game.
He is the son of Les and Patti Viken and was born April 1, 1997. Viken plans to major in biology at UMC. His father Les Viken played football at Minnesota State University Moorhead, as did his brother Drew Viken. His cousin Tyler Gripentrog is a baseball player at Northern State University.
The eight newcomers will join six returnees, which includes senior
Derrick Redd, Jr. (G, Menifee, Calif./Sports and Rec
Management), who led the team with an 11.4 points per game average as a junior.
Redd will join Jim Warmack (So., F/C, East Grand Forks,
Minn./Management) and Micah Hollowell (So., G, Owensboro, Ky.) as
returnees, along with redshirts A.J. Walton (R-Fr., G, Oak Hills,
Calif.), Gable Smith (R-Fr., F, Lodi, Wis.) and Ibrahim Cisse
(R-So., F, Plymouth, Minn.).
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.
The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
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