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/ Men's BasketballPhoto by: Wichita State Athletics
Coro: Hoops proved great for Dane
6/1/2020 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Midtgaard comes to GCU with size, more to learn
Denmark ranks first in the first world for male height but is not known for basketball, the sport that benefits most from being tall.
New Grand Canyon 7-foot center Asbjørn Midtgaard grew up in sports in Helsingør, Denmark, but he started with the most popular national sports, handball and soccer, through boyhood before dabbling in weightlifting and judo.
Midtgaard was 14 before he even gave basketball a first try, leaving room now for the Wichita State transfer to continue improving as part of the GCU program this year.
"When I first played basketball, I could use my height and do good things," Midtgaard said. "I was on the worst team so I was with all the worst players. Being tall, I was the best player. I kept playing and I just loved it. Soccer and handball are so different because you have to focus on either offense or defense. In basketball, you have to do it all."
Midtgaard maintained his amateur status at age 17 when he joined Basketligaen, the highest professional basketball league in Denmark. He won Young Player of the Year in the last of his three seasons for the Horsholm 79ers, where he learned about NCAA basketball from American teammates and started getting recruited by U.S. universities. He is one of only 24 Danish players in Division I basketball since 2001, according to realgm.com.
Midtgaard played three seasons at Wichita State for teams that went 70-31, drawing limited time as a freshman who was navigating a basketball and cultural transition. He became an important Shockers reserve for the past two seasons, "when it all started to make sense" and he exhibited his best play during a 2018 NIT Final Four run.
"He's very unique in that he's 7 feet and 260 pounds, but yet when he was at Wichita State, he won such awards as hardest worker and most improved," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "A lot of times, you'll see the hardest worker go to a guard. When you're 7 feet and 260 pounds and you win the hardest-working awards, that speaks volumes. That's also going to mean a lot of production when he continues that work ethic for us."
With a 7-4 wingspan and muscular frame, Midtgaard is an interior presence at each end of the floor. He has a career field goal percentage of 58.6%, including a sophomore clip of 63.2% that ranks second in Wichita State history.
Coming to GCU this month gives Midtgaard an opportunity to look a coach in the eye for the first time. After never having a coach taller that 6-2, Midtgaard will be mentored by 6-10 Lopes assistant coach Casey Shaw, who played in the NBA for a season and spent 11 pro seasons in Europe.
"Without tooting my own horn, I think there's a lot that I can improve on still," Midtgaard said. "I haven't even reached my potential yet. I feel like I get better every year and that's what is most important.
"I'm excited to work with someone who played center and knows the game a lot to see what he can teach me."
Midtgaard is moving farther from Denmark, where his mother, Anne-Marie, is a nurse and his father, Christian, is a mechanical engineer. His older sister, Kirstine, has the height too, making her an intimidating 6-4 rookie police officer in Helsingør, a town known for being home to the castle from Hamlet.
A return to Scandinavia can wait. Midtgaard has more to achieve in the U.S. with pursuit of a Sports Management degree and hopes of an NCAA tournament trip.
"I'm sure GCU is the place to help me get there too," Midtgaard said. "I thought it was the right fit for me. I'm excited to go there and play for sure.
"I feel like I've moved into uncharted territory before so I'm not really as nervous as when I moved from Denmark to the U.S. It's a new adventure. I'm excited to see something new, tall buildings and desert. I can't wait to experience Arizona."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
New Grand Canyon 7-foot center Asbjørn Midtgaard grew up in sports in Helsingør, Denmark, but he started with the most popular national sports, handball and soccer, through boyhood before dabbling in weightlifting and judo.
Midtgaard was 14 before he even gave basketball a first try, leaving room now for the Wichita State transfer to continue improving as part of the GCU program this year.
"When I first played basketball, I could use my height and do good things," Midtgaard said. "I was on the worst team so I was with all the worst players. Being tall, I was the best player. I kept playing and I just loved it. Soccer and handball are so different because you have to focus on either offense or defense. In basketball, you have to do it all."Midtgaard maintained his amateur status at age 17 when he joined Basketligaen, the highest professional basketball league in Denmark. He won Young Player of the Year in the last of his three seasons for the Horsholm 79ers, where he learned about NCAA basketball from American teammates and started getting recruited by U.S. universities. He is one of only 24 Danish players in Division I basketball since 2001, according to realgm.com.
Midtgaard played three seasons at Wichita State for teams that went 70-31, drawing limited time as a freshman who was navigating a basketball and cultural transition. He became an important Shockers reserve for the past two seasons, "when it all started to make sense" and he exhibited his best play during a 2018 NIT Final Four run.
"He's very unique in that he's 7 feet and 260 pounds, but yet when he was at Wichita State, he won such awards as hardest worker and most improved," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "A lot of times, you'll see the hardest worker go to a guard. When you're 7 feet and 260 pounds and you win the hardest-working awards, that speaks volumes. That's also going to mean a lot of production when he continues that work ethic for us."
With a 7-4 wingspan and muscular frame, Midtgaard is an interior presence at each end of the floor. He has a career field goal percentage of 58.6%, including a sophomore clip of 63.2% that ranks second in Wichita State history.
Coming to GCU this month gives Midtgaard an opportunity to look a coach in the eye for the first time. After never having a coach taller that 6-2, Midtgaard will be mentored by 6-10 Lopes assistant coach Casey Shaw, who played in the NBA for a season and spent 11 pro seasons in Europe.
"Without tooting my own horn, I think there's a lot that I can improve on still," Midtgaard said. "I haven't even reached my potential yet. I feel like I get better every year and that's what is most important.
"I'm excited to work with someone who played center and knows the game a lot to see what he can teach me."
Midtgaard is moving farther from Denmark, where his mother, Anne-Marie, is a nurse and his father, Christian, is a mechanical engineer. His older sister, Kirstine, has the height too, making her an intimidating 6-4 rookie police officer in Helsingør, a town known for being home to the castle from Hamlet.
A return to Scandinavia can wait. Midtgaard has more to achieve in the U.S. with pursuit of a Sports Management degree and hopes of an NCAA tournament trip.
"I'm sure GCU is the place to help me get there too," Midtgaard said. "I thought it was the right fit for me. I'm excited to go there and play for sure.
"I feel like I've moved into uncharted territory before so I'm not really as nervous as when I moved from Denmark to the U.S. It's a new adventure. I'm excited to see something new, tall buildings and desert. I can't wait to experience Arizona."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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