2025-26 Record: 19-12 overall, 11-9 GPAC (T-4th).
Head Coach: Ben Limback (at CUNE: 251-153, 13 seasons; career: 366-311, 22 seasons; five national tournaments; four combined GPAC titles).
Returning Starters: G Brooks Kissinger; G Dane Jacobsen; G Jaxon Stueve.
Other Key Returners: G Jacob Duitsman; G Hayden Frank; G Garret Johnson; F Tate Odvody.
Key Newcomers: F Cody Hesser; G Cal Kissinger; F Colby Rautenberg; F Leo Schoenberger; F Derek Tonjes.
Key Losses: G Zac Kulus; F Logan Wilson.
2025-26 GPAC All-Conference: Brooks Kissinger (First Team); Dane Jacobsen (Second Team); Zac Kulus (Honorable Mention); Jaxon Stueve (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
It’s not often that a program goes from (narrowly) missing out on the national tournament one season to being tabbed the conference preseason favorite the next. That’s the situation Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball finds itself in entering the 2026-27 campaign. The Bulldogs boast an experienced backcourt headlined by GPAC Player of the Year candidate Brooks Kissinger and a freshman class that will help fortify the frontcourt.
Undoubtedly, the potential is there for Head Coach Ben Limback’s 14th season to reach great heights. As of mid-October, Limback, Associate Head Coach Ryan Tegtmeier and the staff are learning which combinations of players fit best together. Thanks to its depth of talent, Concordia could realistically go more than 10 players deep.
“Right now, it’s very competitive,” Limback said. “I think most teams in the country believe they’re deep to start the year, but then you get into a more competitive environment and start to see what guys are truly made of. We’re seeing battles at every position. Certainly, there are returners who have been multiple-year starters or contributors, and those guys are already ahead of some others in terms of consistency. But I really like the group we have. It’s a hungry freshman class and a hungry returning class of guys who maybe didn’t see a lot of varsity time last year.”
Both GPAC coaches and NAIA Hoops Report pegged the Bulldogs as the conference’s team to beat. The projections match the expectations inside the locker room for Concordia, which is motivated by its exclusion from the 2026 national tournament field. The 2025-26 team had its moments, defeating star-studded Northwestern twice and upsetting No. 21 Morningside in the GPAC semifinals. It just wasn’t consistent enough to earn a nod from the selection committee.
Kissinger and company don’t want to leave their fate in the hands of the committee this coming March. If there’s anything the Bulldogs are certain about at this moment, it’s that they will be able to score out of the backcourt. Kissinger and Ashland-Greenwood High School teammate Dane Jacobsen have hooped together since fourth grade and are exceptionally comfortable playing off one another. Kissinger soared like a rocket as a junior last season, filling the stat sheet with averages of 22.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Said Limback of Kissinger, “I’m really proud of that guy. You can’t say enough about Brooks. Everybody knows the accolades he’s already received and the attention he’s drawing, but he’s a very humble man. He’s very mature. He provides steadiness within our team and is constantly working on something to improve his game. Those leadership characteristics, many of them demonstrated by example, really help drive everybody on the team.”
In his first season as the starting point guard, Jacobsen averaged 13.3 points and 3.6 assists per outing while shooting a scintillating 46.4 percent from 3-point range. He’ll trigger a loaded backcourt that includes experienced veterans Hayden Frank and Jaxon Stueve, up-and-comers in sophomores Jacob Duitsman and Garret Johnson and rookies such as Brooks’ younger brother Cal Kissinger.
A senior from Bellevue, Neb., Stueve has totaled 777 career points while starting 81 games over his first three seasons. He often draws the assignment of chasing around the opponent’s top perimeter scorer. Frank also brings starting experience (22 starts / 83 games) and veteran savvy to the rotation. Meanwhile, the coaches have been impressed by the improvement made by Johnson, and there’s star potential in Duitsman, Lincoln Lutheran’s all-time leading scorer. Guard Garrett Grandgenett adds to an influential senior class.
Again, depth is a theme. Said Kissinger, “Something I noticed was that we had three teams at practice, and each team won multiple drills (on Oct. 12). The competitiveness at practice is super high this year, and that raises everybody's level. I think that's the biggest thing. It shows the depth and the coaches' ability to recruit really good players, but also really good people off the court. The competitiveness and intensity of practice are only going to make us better.”
When it proceeded on its run to the GPAC Championship Game, Concordia essentially started five guards, including 2025-26 senior Zac Kulus. The Bulldogs believe the pieces are in place to go small or big, depending on what the situation calls for. At 6-foot-4, Tate Odvody provides versatility in the frontcourt. The hope is to keep him healthy after he averaged 8.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19 games (13 starts) last season.
Among returning ‘bigs,’ Peyton Brown (6-6) and Jerry Ingison (6-7) gained experience in 2025-26. Without question, freshmen will play a role in the frontcourt. Keep an eye on the likes of Cody Hesser, Colby Rautenberg, Leo Schoenberger and Derek Tonjes. The brother-in-law of Brooks Kissinger, Tonjes is another Ashland-Greenwood product who arrived after a decorated prep career. The Milford High School alum Rautenberg supplies the Bulldogs a rare 7-footer.
“We’ve been trying different combinations and looking at our options,” Limback said. “We definitely have some size in the frontcourt, which is where a lot of the question marks might be right now. But there’s a great learning process with our incoming players at those positions. We have to be able to rebound and defend at the rim. I think the most consistent guys will earn those minutes. We have some depth and tools to work with, but that’s also where we have the most room for growth right now.”
No matter which Bulldogs earn the most minutes, Limback hopes to continue to foster a team-first culture. That dynamic will factor into the team’s success, just as much as its progression defensively and on the boards. Before the season has even tipped off, Limback has been impressed with Concordia’s maturity, as evidenced by the theme the players chose for 2026-27.
“The tagline or theme is ‘All for Him, None for Me,’ coming out of John 3,” Limback said. “This team wants to play unselfishly. ‘All for Him’ means God, but it also means the guy next to you. We want to take joy in that every day and understand that when we have success, it ultimately comes from God. We’re also recognizing the sacrifice Jesus went through and that we have to sacrifice some of our own selfish desires. That’s going to be a big key with this team.”
Added Kissinger, “It's about having the mindset that I don't care how many points I score or how much attention I get, as long as we get a team win. That's really all that matters. I think that mindset will be beneficial this year because we're really deep, and a lot of guys can score on any given night. As long as we get the win, that's all that matters.”
Limback is confident that this group has the makings of a conference championship team. He knows what one looks like having led the 2021-22 and 2023-24 squads to shares of GPAC regular season championships. Additionally, Concordia has appeared in the GPAC Championship Game in four of the past seven seasons (with titles coming in 2020 and 2022).
Considering the continuity within the program, the Bulldogs have a leg up on forming an identity for this season. Expect them to score. Concordia has averaged 84.0 points per game or more in each of the previous three seasons. Defensively, the Bulldogs want to cut back on the 79.3 points and 48.1 percent shooting they surrendered last season.
Says Limback, “I think the expectation is to win the league. We’ll talk more about specific goals in the next week or two, but the expectations are high. Preseason rankings and those kinds of things are based on potential, and I think there’s potential in our locker room. But there are a lot of teams in the GPAC with potential, and I’m sure they have the same goals in mind. Potential doesn’t achieve anything. Performance and process are what achieve a championship … This team wanted high expectations, and I think the guys will be ready for them.”
Stated Kissinger, “It's performance over potential. We have all the potential on paper, but if we don't go out there and prove it and play like we deserve it, then it means nothing. We have to attack each night to the best of our ability, know the scouting report and stay locked in on the defensive end. As the season goes on, I think we'll figure out how to play together really well. Come postseason, I think we can make a run.”
Concordia will travel to Kansas to officially open the season at Kansas Wesleyan University on Oct. 29. The Bulldogs will also play at Bethel College on Oct. 30. The complete schedule can be found HERE.
For additional reading, check out the NAIA Hoops Report season preview HERE.