GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines men's basketball has signed guards Mason Dopirak (Newton, Wisc.), Reagan Koch (Carver, Minn.), and Cade Mankle (West Lake Hills, Texas) to National Letters of Intent as the signing period opened on Nov. 11.

The backcourt trio will help form the core of the next generation of Orediggers when they arrive in Golden in fall 2021 after a frontcourt-heavy recruiting class entered this year. The Orediggers are coming off a 22-10 season that saw them advance to the RMAC Tournament final and qualify for their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament, all under head coach Pryor Orser.

"We are really excited about these three guards as they can all play together on the floor," Orser said. "They're all weapons and their games complement each other. I'm super thrilled for the future of Mines basketball with these three outstanding student-athletes."
 

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MASON DOPIRAK // G // 6'2" // 180 LBS. // NEWTON, WISC. // MANITOWOC LINCOLN HS

HIGH SCHOOL: High-scoring guard out of Manitowoc Lincoln HS (Wisc.) ... As a junior, scored 24.6 points per game shooting .524 and .858 at the line while adding 6.1 rebounds per game ... Fox River Classic Conference Player of the Year ... Honorable Mention All-Wisconsin ... First-Team All-Conference and All-Area ... First-Team Lakeshore Elite ... Three-year letterwinner heading into his senior season ... 4.0 honor roll student ... National Honor Society member. 

COACH ORSER ON DOPIRAK: "'Delighted' is the perfect word to describe the feeling of signing a terrific basketball player, outstanding student, and high-character person in Mason Dopirak. Mason is a four-year starting guard for Manitowoc Lincoln High School. He has improved that program since the first day he stepped foot on the court and they will more than likely challenge for the conference championship this year. He has been a dedicated and committed basketball player over many years and his skill set exemplifies his hard work. His range starts in the parking lot, and when a defender tries to lock his long ball up, he can turn them into a matador. He can flat-out score the ball, has great midrange and bounce on his jump shot, and can also finish."
 

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REAGAN KOCH // G // 6'3" // 175 LBS. // CARVER, MINN. // JORDAN HS

HIGH SCHOOL: High-production point guard at Jordan HS (Minn.) ... Averages 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game heading into his senior season ... Shootings .530 overall and is a .400 three-point shooter ... First-Team All-Minnesota River Conference ... Also a two-year letterwinner in baseball ... A Honor Roll student ... Interested in majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

COACH ORSER ON KOCH: "We are pleased to announce the signing of Reagan Koch to our program. Because of Mines being a specialized STEM institution, our recruiting is a two-way street. Reagan and our coaching staff zeroed in on each other last spring. He checked all the boxes as high-character person and an exceptional student focused on engineering, and is also a very good basketball player. He is a primary ball handler, but can also move to the shooting guard because of his outstanding shooting ability. Reagan is also a very good position defender with good size and length at his position. Even being a top-20 player in the state of Minnesota, he still has room to grow and become even better than he is right now. We are excited for the future and look forward to coaching Reagan."
 

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CADE MANKLE // G // 6'5" // 190 LBS. // WEST LAKE HILLS, TEXAS // WESTLAKE

HIGH SCHOOL: All-district combo guard at a power program in Westlake (Texas) ... Averages 10 points, five rebounds, and eight assists per game, and is an 83% free throw shooter heading into his senior season ... Earned UIL 6A All-District 25 honors ... Also plays with Houston Flight and ATX Lockdown ... National Honor Society member ... Interested in majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

COACH ORSER ON MANKLE: "We are thrilled that a person of such academic excellence, high character attributes, and also a good basketball player with a tremendous upside has signed with the Colorado School of Mines. Cade is the prototypical guard we covet and have had when we have won championships. He is tall, long, and sneaky athletic, as well as a skilled ball handler, shooter, and willing passer. He comes from one of the best high school programs in the country at Austin Westlake.  He has played against high major players every day of his career there and has won at alarmingly high rate. He can play multiple positions from 1-3 and can also defend those positions as well. Cade is also one of the higher-level students we have recruited to our program. Mines and Cade are a great fit for each other."