The Concordia men’s basketball team has unbelievable talent from across the United States. Among the twenty-three man roster, one man stands out above the rest. John Reiten, a graduate of Our Redeemers Christian High School in Minot, N.D., is a senior at Concordia with a major in Political Science and Communications. Reiten, who has been playing basketball for eighteen years, excels on and off the court.
The six foot 7 inch center is often the biggest man on the court. John, a two-year starter, averages 8.1 points per game (ppg) and just shy of three rebounds per game (rpg). The center has an impeccable free throw percentage at 80.5% and field goal percentage at 45.1%. Despite these stats, the team is not doing as well as expected this year. With a record of just two wins and eighteen losses, Reiten states, “We have a young team this year.” However, John does not look at this as a downfall. He uses his platform as a senior to teach the younger kids. “The exposure that the freshman and sophomores get in big games is beneficial for the future,” Reiten says.
The team is a “brotherhood.” Reiten loves to teach younger players by being a leader on the floor in big games. He sees the young talent and is very excited for the future of Men’s Basketball and Concordia.
Beyond school, Reiten plans to take a gap year and move to the east coast. He aspires to go to Georgetown for a Master’s program and eventually move back to the F-M area. Whether Reiten is on the court, in Anderson Commons with the team, or in the campus community, he is a natural born leader and a role model for the younger generation of basketball players at Concordia.
