St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball enters the 2026-27 season as a program that can no longer sneak up on people.
Predicted to finish second by coaches in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Poll, they return 11 players from last year’s 26-7 overall squad that won the program’s first NSIC title in over 20 years.
That includes senior captains Wyatt Hawks and Anish Ramlall.
Hawks was named NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year after earning First Team All-NSIC and NSIC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2026. Ramlall has started 67 of his 91 career games with the Huskies, and he has been a team captain since his sophomore season.
But only three years ago, they were just two high schoolers committing to a complete rebuild. SCSU was coming off of four consecutive losing seasons, the first time that had happened in the program’s 100-year history. Quincy Henderson had just completed his first season as the Huskies head coach with a 10-18 record.
The need for a successful recruiting class was clear. Henderson wanted to invest in players with a strong work ethic and character that could build a winning program.
“When I came to visit, I fell in love with the overall feeling of the campus and city, and I felt like it was going to be a great fit,” Ramlall said. “The opportunity was exciting for us to make an impact right away.”
“We were a part of the first class where they brought in eight freshman, and the following year they brought in another eight,” Hawks added. “You could tell they were intentional about trying to build a great foundation.”
That large freshman class, paired with strong senior leadership, helped the 18-year-olds prepare to play in the physical NSIC in 2023-24.
Ramlall started all 27 games he appeared in as a freshman, while Hawks worked his way into a starting role for the final nine games of the season and led the team in rebounding.
By the following season, they were expected to be veteran leaders. Nobody on the 2024-25 team was older than a sophomore, making them one of the youngest teams in all of college basketball.
“We had to grow up through here as leaders,” Hawks said. “It’s about learning how to improve each class that’s come in, and we’ve had to do that three times. It’s awesome to see how much better we’ve gotten at improving our guys.”
Improvement has been clear on the court, with win totals jumping to 20 as sophomores before winning 26 games as juniors, including a perfect 13-0 record at home.
From the eight players who were a part of Henderson’s original recruiting class, four remain. Hawks and Ramlall are joined by Nate Dahl, who was a 2025 Second Team All-NSIC selection, and Izaac Neal, who has appeared in 44 games over the past two seasons.
“Us four are a really close-knit group; we are all really good friends outside of basketball, and that just translates to the court,” Ramlall said. “Now we’re able to pass on the knowledge we’ve gained to the younger guys.”
Academic Goals Fulfilled
Besides the draw of only being about 90 minutes away from their hometowns of Rosemount and White Bear Lake, Ramlall and Hawks both felt their academic interests were well met at SCSU.
SCSU’s AACSB accredited Herberger Business School played a big role in Ramlall’s commitment. Despite only entering college with three prior credits, Ramlall graduated in May with an undergraduate degree in business management in only three years.
He’s now pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in management and leadership.
“The ability to finish two degrees in just four years is something I’m really proud of,” Ramlall said. “I’m able to play the game I love while setting myself up for a future beyond college athletics.”
Ramlall has spent the last three years interning at United Health Group with various teams, assisting in data analytics, business consulting and program management.
Last summer, he was able to lead data engineers and build directives for them as they created rankings for providers, including building repositories and AI agents to help improve efficiency.
“The ability to work together on a team and build a directive correlates with basketball, and I think that’s why a lot of student-athletes work in the corporate sector,” Ramlall said. “I’ve carried my role as a captain at SCSU into the corporate world. I’m able to lead, even if I don’t have the experience or age as some people do. It comes natural to me.”
While their chemistry is clear on the court, Ramlall and Hawks have vastly different career plans. Hawks has a passion for marine biology, and he was impressed by head coach Quincy Henderson and assistant coach Connor O’Brien setting up a personal tour of the biology department during his recruiting trip.
Hawks will complete his undergraduate degree in biology in May, and he said exceptional teachers like department chair Matt Julius and professor Matt Davis have played a big role in his education and ability to land a valuable internship.
Hawks spent the summer interning at the Wildlife Science Center in Stacy, Minnesota. He worked with predatory mammals like wolves and bears, and he also trained and handled birds.
“I’ve always been marine focused, but that’s obviously hard to find in Minnesota,” Hawks said. “I applied for that internship to get experience with animals, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I absolutely loved the people, and the experience is opening new doors for me.”
Final Season
As their senior season tips off this week with an exhibition against St. John’s University, Ramlall and Hawks both are both able to appreciate where their journeys as Huskies have taken them.
Henderson and his staff have fostered an environment that they have been able to thrive in on and off the court.
“The coaches want you to be the best basketball player you can, but they also want to set you up for your future to be the best person you can,” Ramlall said.
“The coaches strive for a real community here; we build relationships with donors and fans and make a real connection,” Hawks added. “They also recruit guys who are really committed to the program.”
As Henderson enters year five leading SCSU’s program, he has major praise for the players who helped lay a foundation for the future of SCSU Basketball.
“They are incredibly accomplished, having navigated the expectations and time commitments required of our student-athletes,” Henderson said. “They have gone above and beyond with community service and internships; to pack all of that success into three years is impressive. They exemplify what is to be a Husky, and they have really flourished.”
“Our four seniors have all fostered an environment for the younger guys to follow their lead,” he added. “They’ve got a great work ethic and want to be great together … everybody wins when that happens.”
