North Dakota State men’s basketball coach David Richman was already going to have his work cut out for him going into next season with three starters graduating. Now, he will have to replace four starters as four Bison entered the transfer portal shortly after the Bison’s loss to South Dakota State in the Summit League Championship Game.

The four Bison who entered the portal are Sam Griesel, Jarius Cook, Maleeck Harden-Hayes and Grayson Haman.

Less than a week after entering the portal as a graduate transfer, Griesel decided to return home for his final college season, committing to play for Nebraska. He was a highly sought-after player but ultimately, the chance to return home and play for the team that he grew up rooting for was too good to pass up on.

“I’ve spent 18 years of my life in Lincoln, Nebraska, and I know kind of the narrative and culture around Nebraska basketball,” Griesel told HuskerOnline.com. “I want to be able to come in and change that as far as off-the-court stuff and being a good leader by example for the team and the young guys because I think I have a pretty unique perspective.”

Cook started all 32 games for the Bison this season, averaging 8.5 points per game and shooting just under 40% from three. He will have two years of eligibility left.

Harden-Hayes played in 30 games this season for NDSU while starting one game. However, his playing time was down from the previous season, as he averaged just 16.6 minutes per game, down from 25.4 in the 2020-21 season. Like Cook, he will also have two years of eligibility remaining. Haman appeared in 11 games this season for the Herd but played just 29 total minutes.