Men’s basketball: Two of St. Thomas’ three leading scorers already in transfer portal
The revolving door of top players keeps spinning for St. Thomas men’s basketball, as is the case for many mid-major programs this time of year.
Day 1 of the open period saw Tommies guard Nick Janowski reportedly enter the transfer portal. Janowski, a first-team All-Summit League performer and the conference’s Freshman of the Year, was the Tommies’ No. 2 scorer last season at 16.1 points per game to go with 5.1 rebounds.
He’ll have three years of remaining eligibility. His sister, Giselle, is a high school senior currently committed to Wisconsin. The Pewaukee, Wis. native came to St. Thomas prior to last season after redshirting at Nebraska.
He’s the second member of the 2025-26 Tommies to reportedly enter the portal, joining sophomore forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu. The Maple Grove product, who came to St. Paul after a year receiving minimal playing time at Miami, averaged 10.5 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes per game for St. Thomas.
Had all of St. Thomas’ eligible returnees remained in St. Paul, the Tommies — who finished with 24 wins, placed second in the Summit, reached the conference tournament semifinals and received an NIT bid — could have been one of the premier mid-major programs in the country next season.
But this is the new reality of sorts for St. Thomas, especially since the Tommies roster completed its transition to becoming fully Division I caliber in the name-image-likeness era. Mid-major programs have effectively become farm teams for power-conference schools.
Andrew Rohde led St. Thomas in scoring in the 2022-23 season before departing for Virginia. Following the 2023-24 campaign, each of the Tommies’ two leading scorers — Miles Barnstable and Kendall Blue — transferred to Tulsa and Nebraska, respectively. The former averaged 14.6 points while shooting 41% for a 30-win Tulsa team.
Will history repeat itself this offseason? Nolan Minessale’s decision will determine that.
The sophomore guard was the Tommies’ leading scorer (19.8 ppg.) over the winter. Should Minessale — who would instantly become a target for many high-major programs — go looking for another program, Tommies coach Johnny Tauer would be tasked with a major roster reconstruction this offseason.
But if Minessale stays in St. Paul — something that will undoubtedly require a hefty financial commitment from the Tommies — he will have St. Thomas right back in the Summit League championship conversation next season, and the news would signal that the Tommies can compete in a meaningful way at the Division I level not only on the floor, but off it, as well.
