MARSHALL — Southwest Minnesota State University head men’s basketball coach Brad Bigler announced on Thursday two transfers and two high school standouts have recently signed letters of intent to continue their academic and basketball careers at SMSU.

Joining the program for the 2023-24 season include high school seniors Buay Koak from Austin and Calvin Buss from West Bend, Wis. The Mustangs also welcome transfers Kyle Luedtke from Omaha, Neb., and Caleb Schlaak from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“This past spring was an adjustment to the new normal of college basketball,” Bigler said. “We were done recruiting in the fall but some roster spots opened up this spring due to early graduation and some guys moving on. This created a great opportunity to add new Mustangs.”

The four players join three high school players, guard Nathan Fenske from Lakeview High School in Cottonwood, Ethan Koltz from Sioux Falls Jefferson High School and Plainview resident Aeron Stevens from Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School. Stevens signed with SMSU during the early signing period last November.

Buss, a 6-foot-6 forward at West Bend East High School, was a four-year letter winner and two-time all-conference second team honoree for the Suns. He finished this past season averaging 15 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while closing his career with 115 blocked shots.

“Calvin’s recruiting process was shorter than our other high school recruits. With that said he felt like a Mustang right away when he got on campus,” Bigler said. “Calvin’s athleticism and strength is unique. He is a guard version of Joey Bartlett with the athletic ability to catch alley-oops like Lavione West.”

Koak, a 6-foot-4 guard at Austin Pacelli High School, averaged 21.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots per game this past season. The school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,300 points, Koak was twice named conference player of the year. He was named all-state this past season and was selected to play in the MBCA All-Star series. Koak was named team MVP four times and closed his career with 863 rebounds, 211 assists, 145 steals and 277 blocked shots.

“Buay has been a guy we have watched for a few years. When a roster spot opened up late, we were fortunate to get in the mix,” Bigler said. “We are so excited to work with him in a redshirt situation. His versatile game reminds me of SMSU alum Will Giddings.”

Luedtke, a 6-foot-5 guard, is a transfer from the University of Nebraska Omaha and has one season of eligibility remaining. He spent five seasons with the Mavericks, having appeared in 81 games with six starts. He closed his tenure at Omaha scoring 287 points with 53 3-pointers and 55 assists. During the 2021-22 season, Luedtke averaged 5.8 ppg with 31 3-pointers, while also averaging 3.4 rpg. This past season, he played in 18 games with four starts and averaged 3.3 ppg with 13 3-pointers.

Luedtke is a 2018 graduate of Creighton Prep, where he was a second team all-state honoree as a senior after averaging 14 ppg and 3.5 rpg. He was a key member of the 2018 state championship team and was named captain of the 2018 Nebraska High School Boys’ Basketball State Tournament team. Luedtke was also named all-metro and all-state honorable mention following his junior season.

“Kyle’s ability to shoot will be felt right away. He is a guy who has earned everything in his career,” Bigler said. “He will add good leadership to the locker room. He reminds me of SMSU alumni shooters Jared Miller, Nic Hogan and Jared Keaveny.”

Schlaak, a 6-foot-7 forward, is a transfer from Truman State University and has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Following a redshirt season in 2021-22, he played in five games this past season.

“Caleb was a guy we recruited out of high school. He is a versatile forward who has the ability to score in a variety of ways,” Bigler said. “He has a great opportunity to make an impact right away. His game reminds me of SMSU alums Jimmy Decker with Casey Sussenguth’s length.”

Schlaak is a 2021 graduate of Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. He was a four-year letter winner and twice was named All-Metro Player of the Year. He shot 54 percent from the field as a senior averaging 18 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots per game. He closed his high school career scoring 1,066 points, while grabbing 478 rebounds.

“This recruiting process was different from the past,” Bigler said. “What was very noticeable at camps this summer is that our team next year will look a lot stronger than the past few years. This past cycle has reminded me that in order for SMSUU basketball to compete for championships we need to love the weight room and work outside of practice.”

The Mustangs finished the 2022-23 season with a 16-12 overall record, including a fourth-place finish in the NSIC South Division at 12-10.