While carrying himself with the same quiet confidence and unassuming nature that Noah Schutte entered college with in the fall of 2020, the Laurel-Concord Coleridge High School product took his perch at the top of the list of most prolific scorers in Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball history. Fittingly, Schutte rose to No. 1 with a highly contested bucket in the paint as part of the Jan. 8 victory at Doane. Representative of his career as a whole, Schutte made 10-of-14 shots from the floor and posted 24 points and 10 rebounds in another beastly outing.
Seemingly embarrassed by the attention, Noah couldn’t avoid it afterwards. The man he passed for the title of all-time scoring king, Jon Ziegler, embraced Noah with a hug and then a few minutes of conversion. The meeting between two legends occurred during a postgame on-court gathering that saw Noah wade through congratulatory teammates and family members and pose for photos with a sign that commemorated the achievement.
Moments before Noah emerged from a victorious visiting locker room, the reaction from his teammates got to him. Noah doesn’t typically show a lot of emotion, but this was something a little bit different. Said Noah, “I was more focused on getting the win. Doane’s a gritty team. There was a lot of game left when I reached that milestone. After the game, my teammates and coaches embraced me and congratulated me in the locker room. I got a little emotional celebrating with them.”
Ziegler showed nothing but graciousness. He had no obligation to be there, but it was important to him. Wrote Ziegler in a Facebook post, “Congrats to Noah! Was great to catch up with him and his wonderful family after the game last night. He’s an amazing player on the basketball floor and an even better person off it. Taking (my son) Mauer with to watch him break the record last night was something I will forever cherish. ‘Dad, Noah is an absolute beast out there!’”
Mauer knows ball. The strong performance by Noah at Doane was simply another addition to the lengthy list of memorable moments the small-town farm boy has produced throughout his time as a Bulldog. In honor of his record-breaking achievement, here are some of the best and brightest of those moments, as reflected upon by Noah Schutte himself.
1. An all-timer in Orange City
When: Feb. 22, 2023
Where: Bultman Center (Orange City, Iowa)
Result: Concordia def. Northwestern, 90-77, in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals.
Noah Stats: 38 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and a school record nine 3-point field goals.
You know the weather is rough when it prevents Noah’s family from making the trip. Such was the case in late February of 2023 when the Bulldogs ventured up to Orange City, Iowa, as a major winter snowstorm wreaked havoc on the area. Concordia entered the GPAC quarterfinal contest squarely on the bubble as it related to its national tournament hopes. As Tristan Smith continued to be sidelined by an injury suffered in late December, Noah delivered one of the greatest singular games ever by a Bulldog hooper. He rained in a school record nine 3-point field goals and racked up a career-high 38 points (12-for-21 from the floor) to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists. Most importantly from a team perspective, Concordia emerged with a 90-77 win that made the difference in it earning an at-large bid to the national tournament. This was the stuff of legend.
Said Noah, “I remember it being a blizzard out. I think we ended up staying up there for a few days before we went to Jamestown (for the GPAC semifinals). That game will always be stuck in the back of my head. We had a couple guys out. Tristan was out for the majority of the year. I just caught fire from three. Me and Brad (Bennett) chuckle a lot about that game with the 3-pointers made. Going on the road for the quarterfinals, that was a huge win for us … That was the one game (my family couldn’t make it to). I FaceTimed them after the game because they couldn’t make the drive.”
2. Bursting onto the national scene
When: March 11, 2022 / March 18, 2022
Where: Sokol Arena (Omaha, Nebraska) / Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Mo.)
Results: Concordia def. No. 12 Marian, 90-67, and No. 22 IU Kokomo, 75-65.
Noah Stats: 20 points (6/11 FGs) and seven rebounds vs. Marian; 24 points (7/12 FGs) and 12 rebounds vs. IU Kokomo.
This moment encompasses a series of national tournament wins captured by the Bulldogs during their magical 2021-22 season that included the unforgettable Carter Kent-to-Tristan Smith alley-oop game-winner that beat Briar Cliff at the buzzer in a pivotal late regular season contest. It was during the national tournament run of ’22 that Noah’s name blew up across the NAIA landscape. In his first taste of the national tournament, all Noah did was put up 21 points and nine rebounds in a 96-78 win over IU Northwest, 20 and seven in a 90-67 thrashing of No. 12 Marian and 24 and 12 in a 75-65 win over No. 22 IU Kokomo. As a result, Noah became the first Bulldog to be named to the NAIA National Championship All-Tournament team since 2005. Noah was a major reason why Concordia advanced all the way to the national quarterfinals.
Said Noah, “We were very fortunate to be able to play the first and second rounds in Omaha. I know a lot of people from Seward, alumni, family and friends were able to make those games. It kind of felt like a home environment for us. We kind of rolled the first two rounds and carried it into the first game in Kansas City. That was one of the most fun times I’ve had since I’ve been here – making a deep run in the national tournament.”
3. Willing the Dawgs to a title
When: February 24, 2024
Where: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Nebraska)
Result: Concordia def. Midland, 90-84, in overtime.
Noah Stats: 34 points (8/15 FGs, 15/18 FTs), 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Noah and the Dawgs had no choice but to get down and get gritty during the final week of 2023-24 regular season. Three days after sneaking past Hastings in a home overtime pulse-pounder, Concordia made it another nail-biter while up against upset-minded Midland on Feb. 24. Noah responded by going off for 34 points and 10 rebounds while netting 15-of-18 attempts from the foul line. Noah was determined not to let the Bulldogs slip up with a share of the GPAC regular season title on the line that day. In the matchup with Hastings earlier in the week, Schutte posted 19 points and hauled in 18 rebounds. As the pressure mounted, Noah thrived. He had help in the win over Midland by Tristan Smith (16 points and 11 rebounds) and Hayden Frank (12 points off the bench).
Said Noah, “We knew what was on the line there. It was the game after Hastings where we came back and won in overtime. It was the end of the season and Midland was trying to make the GPAC tournament. Both teams had a lot to play for. We were going to get their best. We did everything we could to try to get that win and share the GPAC regular season.”
4. The breakout
When: November 23, 2021
Where: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Nebraska)
Result: Concordia def. No. 10 Jamestown, 92-76.
Noah Stats: 27 points (9/19 FGs) and four rebounds.
Noah burned Jamestown more than once during the 2021-22 season, but the game back on Nov. 23 stands out as his first major breakthrough at the collegiate level. He was making just his third career start when 10th-ranked Jamestown, the GPAC favorite, traveled to Seward for the first meeting of the regular season between the two sides. Schutte delivered 27 points (9-for-19 from the floor) and snared four rebounds in a victory that showed that Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad meant business. With Schutte emerging alongside established stars such as Carter Kent, Gage Smith and Justin Wiersema, the Bulldogs were about to have a whole lot of fun. The lasting image that came out of the 92-76 win over the Jimmies was Schutte with tissue stuffed in his nostril to prevent a bloody nose from draining on the court. Later in the season, Noah also dropped 22 points on Jamestown in the GPAC tournament championship game victory inside Friedrich Arena. But before Noah became Noah, there was the November Jamestown game that opened eyes across the league.
Said Noah, “I think that was the game I had a bloody nose. I went over to Randy (Baack) and he gave me a whole wad of Kleenex to put in my nose, so I was running around with that hanging out. That was definitely a memorable game. That same year we played them in the GPAC championship game. Those were two really fun games for sure.”
5. Setting a new standard on the national stage
When: March 15, 2024
Where: Mabee Arena (Salina, Kansas)
Result: Concordia def. IU Northwest, 83-81, in the first round of the NAIA national tournament.
Noah Stats: 31 points (11/18 FGs), eight rebounds and four assists.
With 31 points in 2024 NAIA first round action, Schutte put forth the highest single game scoring total ever for a Bulldog on the national stage, eclipsing the 29 points Darin Engelbart scored in a win over St. Ambrose University (Iowa) in 1995. In the most recent win at the national tournament, Concordia built a 20-point first-half lead over IU Northwest before holding on in a white-knuckler down the stretch. Noah made 11-of-18 shots from the field and 7-of-9 attempts from the foul line in 32 minutes of action. The performance was another example of how Noah’s even-keeled demeanor was built for the win-or-go-home moments.
Said Noah, “The people that made it were definitely loud. I remember we got off to a really good start and they made a push late. We were able to finish out the game … There have definitely been a lot of memorable games.”
Noah’s career by the numbers (as of Jan. 9, 2025):
· 131 games
· 2,105 points (No. 1 in program history)
· 843 rebounds (No. 4 in program history)
· 238 assists
· 89 steals
· 55.4 field goal percentage (742 / 1,338)
· 40.1 3-point field goal percentage (125 / 312)
· 78.6 free throw percentage (496 / 633)
· TEAM: 99-41 overall record; Two GPAC regular season titles; one GPAC tournament title; three national tournament appearances