Katona brothers bring elite defense to UMD

DULUTH — Growing up at their childhood home in Shakopee, the Katona brothers, Charlie and Nick, took their sibling rivalry to another level, competing one-on-one on their backyard court.

Competition was known to be fierce at times between the two, recalled younger brother Nick.

“That court has seen a lot of blood and tears shed,” he shared with a smile.

The heated battles provided a glimpse of what was to come for the two brothers who have since become synonymous with clamp-down, dogged defense over their time with the Minnesota Duluth program.

“That all started in the backyard,” said Charlie.”That was where you know it’s 18-18, up to 21, and he's got the ball or I got the ball and you gotta get that stop.”

The defensive skills developed in those games have stuck with them throughout high school and continued at UMD, where the two have been a matchup nightmare for opposing players in the NSIC.

“That’s kind of where our competitive and defensive nature comes from,” said Charlie. “If you can defend, you have a spot in the rotation.”

The mentality has proven abundantly true for Charlie over his five-year career with the Bulldogs. Dating back to his freshman season in 2021, Charlie has started every game thanks in large part to his lock-down ability on the defensive end of the floor, earning him NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Honors last season.

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In addition to his defensive prowess, Charlie has taken on a bigger role offensively this season as the team’s leading scorer at 13.7 points per game. His ability to attack downhill and from the perimeter makes him a dynamic threat, according to head coach Justin Wieck.

“When you have a guy who can score in so many different ways he’s just become a really big weapon for us on that end,” he said.

After redshirting as a freshman, Nick has come into his own in the two years since, providing valuable minutes off the bench this season with long-range shooting and rebounding ability.

“It starts with his motor, like he plays extremely hard all the time,” said Wieck. “He’s physical, he’s not afraid to mix it up with big guys in there. He’s just like his brother from that standpoint, but he can also shoot the ball from the 3-point line.”

Of course, defense remains his calling card.

“Offense comes and goes,” said Nick. “I mean you have hot nights and you have cold nights, but you can always control how you put in that effort on the defensive end. We’ve always been taught that defense wins championships and I truly believe that.”

Contributed / UMD Athletics

The Katona brothers are hoping the old adage proves true as they cherish their final season together at UMD after battling it out in the backyard as kids.

“Back then it was butting heads, but now I couldn’t ask for a better teammate and a brother,” said Nick.

Contributed / UMD Athletics

A second-half scoring surge fueled by timely contributions off the bench pushed Minnesota Duluth to an 83-66 win over Wayne State on Saturday evening inside Romano Gym.

The bench unit of Jayden Johnson, Noah Paulson, Nick Katona and Kole Hanson provided a major spark in key stretches of the game, according to Wieck.

“Those guys were the group that really took that game to the next level so it was great for them to see some confidence and keep building on it, because we need those guys to give us a spark off the bench and they definitely did tonight,” said Wieck.

Joshua Brown finished as the Bulldogs' leading scorer with 18 points, 10 of which came in a fast-paced, back-and-forth first half featuring six lead changes and only three free throw attempts combined between the two teams.

UMD shot an efficient 16-of-33 from the field and dominated the boards with a 22-12 advantage in points in the paint, leading to a 37-32 advantage at the break. Charlie Katona and Brown each pulled down four rebounds to lead the ‘Dogs.

Matt Knoll led the Wildcats with 10 points in the first half. The visitors shot 13-of-30 from the field overall and 5-of-14 from deep.

The Bulldogs built their first double-digit lead just past midway point of the second half after a fourth 3-pointer by Brown to make it 54-43. UMD kept rolling behind a major scoring boost off the bench by Johnson, with a pair of 3-pointers.

A fastbreak floater by Hanson pushed the lead to 19 with five minutes left, providing an insurmountable deficit.

UMD (7-3) hosts Winona State for its next game on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m.