‘I’m grateful for everything’: Asbjorn Midtgaard credits WSU for breakout season
Life is good for Asbjorn Midtgaard these days.
After an amicable departure from the Wichita State men’s basketball team last spring, the 7-foot fan favorite from Denmark has thrived in his new home at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
The fresh start was exactly what Midtgaard needed, as he tapped into his potential this season for a truly remarkable season for a player who left WSU with career averages of 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds.
Not only did Midtgaard lead NCAA Division I in field goal percentage (70.6%) this season, but he led Grand Canyon with 14.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks to earn all-conference, all-defensive team and newcomer of the year honors in the Western Athletic Conference.
And the best part? Midtgaard was an integral part in leading Grand Canyon to its first WAC regular-season championship, first conference tournament championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance. The 15th-seeded Antelopes (17-6) play No. 2 seed Iowa (21-8) at 5:25 p.m. Saturday in a March Madness game broadcast on TBS.
“Hopefully there’s still better things to come,” Midtgaard said in a phone interview. “But it’s been a great year and a lot of fun. There’s great camaraderie down here too and it’s just been a very awesome season.”
After spending three years at WSU in a limited role, Midtgaard had the desire to find a team where he could showcase his talents in a more prominent position. Midtgaard stressed there was no animosity between him and the WSU coaching staff and he hopes there “are no hard feelings” from WSU fans. He hopes fans understood he just wanted to find a place where he could play more in his senior season.
“I’m very grateful for my time in Wichita because it taught me a lot of things about working hard,” Midtgaard said. “The motto there was practice so hard the games are easy. I’ve tried to take some of that to Grand Canyon with me and hopefully have it rub off a little bit.”
In fact, the Denmark native still thinks of his time in Wichita often.
It was his introduction to America and Division I basketball. It’s the place where he’s forged lasting friendships with his former teammates like Brycen Bush and Jacob Herrs, who he lived with, and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler and Morris Udeze, who he practiced with every day. It’s also where he met his fiancee, former WSU volleyball player Madison Freund.
He’s followed the Shockers’ success this season from afar and has been delighted to see WSU join Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tournament.
“There were some things that changed my life in Wichita and I’m very grateful for everything,” Midtgaard said. “Those guys are my brothers. We still try to stay in touch and send a text here and there. To see those guys be so successful this season makes me happy. And I’m so grateful for their support for me and showing me love too.”
While Midtgaard’s breakout season may seem improbable based on his averages at WSU, those within WSU program had raved about Midtgaard’s ability in practices. In the right system, he could be a force — and that’s what has been playing out at Grand Canyon under coach Bryce Drew, who recruited Midtgaard after seeing him play for the Shockers during their NIT semifinal run in 2019 as an ESPN commentator.
Midtgaard hasn’t reinvented himself as a player at Grand Canyon. He’s just playing in an offense that accentuates his abilities. He’s still sealing defenders with his 7-foot, 270-pound frame, catching lobs and pulling down rims on dunks, which explains how he has been able to make 74.8% of his shots near the rim this season. He broke a 42-year-old WAC record with his field goal percentage this season.
“It probably sounds stupid, but it’s very simple for me,” Midtgaard said. “I just shoot shots that I think I can make. If I don’t think I can make it, I don’t shoot.”
“We’re really proud of his progress,” Drew said in a release. “He made such huge strides, welcoming all the attention he was getting on the offensive end with teams doubling him and guarding him different ways. He’s adapted his game to play within the team concept. I think I’ve admired that more than anything. He doesn’t take bad shots and he plays within the system.”
While Midtgaard’s success this season has come at a lower level of competition than what he was playing in the American Athletic Conference, it would be a mistake to think his success is solely due to playing lower-level competition.
Midtgaard proved himself against some of Grand Canyon’s top non-conference competition. He had 16 points and nine rebounds against Colorado, a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well as 14 points and nine rebounds against Arizona State and 18 points and 10 rebounds against San Francisco. He is one of 18 players in the nation with at least 11 double-doubles.
“I think when I was here during the summer the staff kind of saw that I could do a little more on offense than probably what they expected,” Midtgaard said. “So they started putting in some systems that would benefit me and that’s really paid off. We’ve been pretty successful with it.”
Midtgaard isn’t the only player who transferred from WSU last spring who has found success in their new location. An update on the four other players who transferred to Division I programs:
Grant Sherfield (18.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals) blossomed into a star for Nevada and was a first team all-Mountain West Conference player this season. Jamarius Burton (4.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists) is currently injured but had a spot in the rotation for a Texas Tech team that is a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Noah Fernandes (11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals) enjoyed an expanded role at Massachusetts as the team’s starting point guard. Erik Stevenson (9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists) was a starter for Washington.
But Midtgaard was the only one who played a central role in leading his team to the NCAA Tournament, where he actually has prior experience. He was a little-used freshman on WSU’s 2017-18 team that was a No. 4 seed that was upset in the first round by Marshall.
“My (GCU) coaches asked me to tell the other guys what it’s like and how amazing it is,” Midtgaard said. “To be honest, I probably took it a little for granted back then. I didn’t play much and I was more just along for the ride back then. This year it’s totally different. I feel like I helped my team get here and that’s definitely way better.”
And now Midtgaard is hearing national prognosticators say his name as an intriguing defensive matchup against Iowa’s All-American center Luka Garza. Midtgaard hopes he can use his bulk and 7-4 wingspan to slow down Garza, who averages 23.7 points and 8.8 rebounds.
A year ago, riding the bench for WSU, Midtgaard could have never dreamed of such a scenario playing out on college basketball’s biggest stage. Now he’s living his best life and finally has a chance to showcase the skills he always knew he had.
“It’s all been kind of like a dream,” Midtgaard said. “Now we’re a 15 seed from the WAC and we’re taking on a powerhouse in Iowa that has one of the best offenses in the country. Of course my match-up is against a Player of the Year candidate. That’s an exciting match-up for me and I think it will show how good I am.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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