After losing senior NJAC player of the year, Steven Breeman, the Montclair State University men’s basketball team has gotten off to a 4-2 start to the season. With returning faces such as Mike Jackson and Kieran Flanagan raising their level of play in Breeman’s absence, a few new faces have stepped up to fill the void – one of those faces is Kunga Tsering.
Tsering is a 6’7 sophomore forward from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. Tsering, a 1000-point scorer in high school, played at Hasbrouck Heights and Roselle Catholic High school before committing to Adelphi University in 2022.
The following year, Tsering transferred from Adelphi, a Division II athletic program in Long Island, New York which is a division above the NJAC conference (Division III) to Montclair State after his freshman season.
Tsering highlighted how he embraced his time at Adelphi, and how he brings that experience to the Red Hawks.
“Overall, the experience was a real eye opener,” Tsering said. “I didn’t play much, but when I did, you could just see the levels in the game when it comes to the frames of players. Guards in NE10 (Northeast Conference) were maybe 6 ‘3 to 6′ 5, as opposed to where they’re a lot shorter here (NJAC). In terms of effort and overall competition, I believe the divisions are almost exactly the same, and I am playing here as hard as I was over there.”
Tsering finished with 22 points including the game winner in his second game with the program. Markell Robinson | The Montclarion
Despite Adelphi being a Division II school that went to the NCAA tournament during his tenure, Tsering felt that he needed to transfer because the school did not fit his style of play.
“I decided to hit the transfer portal because as a big man, I only set screens and that’s not my style,” Tsering said. “I like to shoot, I like to drive and sometimes post up if I have mismatches.”
At Tsering’s size, this unique skill set intrigued associate head coach Sean Rossi.
“On the court he’s very versatile, he’s obviously big at 6 ‘7, but you can do a lot of things with him,” Rossi said. “You can put him on the perimeter and take advantage of bigger slower defenders, or put him on the post and take advantage of smaller guards.”
In addition to the fit schematically, Tsering did not have the best relationship with the coaches at Adelphi.
“I didn’t have good relationships with the coaches at Adelphi. I get along with the coaches here (Montclair State) a lot more,” Tsering said. “They listen to everything I have to say when I need help, I also can come to them without having any second thoughts or doubts, which is highly different from when I was at Adelphi.”
Along with the relationship with the coaches, Tsering articulated how he has been able to mesh seamlessly with his Red Hawk teammates.
“I get along with everybody, but I really get along with this team because everyone is funny which makes it easy to get along,” Tsering said.
In a short period of time, Tsering has shown the impact that he could bring to the team.
Tsering has started in every game so far for the Red Hawks. He is averaging 8.8 points per game and shooting 48% from the field. His best outing to date came against Penn College in Pennsylvania, where he scored 22 points and a game winner at the buzzer.
“That whole game I was kind of hot. Their big man could not guard me, and I knew that.” Tsering said. “We have a play called, “you me.” “Me” means the ball is going back to the inbounder, and “you” means the ball is going to me on the post. After I saw a shorter man on me, I screamed “you” and Flanagan somehow squeezed the ball into me and I made the layup.”
Tsering appeared in 11 games for Adelphi University during his freshman season. Markell Robinson
Off the court, Tsering is a proud Tibetan and a huge anime guy. He credits watching anime for helping him build character and learn valuable lessons.
“I learned a lot of lessons and values through the actions and sayings of strong hearted characters,” Tsering said.
Rossi alluded to Tsering’s versatility off the court, and how it coincides with Tsering’s ability on the court.
“Outside of basketball, he is into a lot of different things and has a lot of stuff going for him,” Rossi said. “He’s studying accounting and also has an interest in finance and real estate, so he’s pretty versatile in that area as well which goes hand in hand with the way he is on the court and what he offers off the court as well.”
In terms of his career goals, Tsering simply said, “I want to win the NCAA title and go pro in basketball.”
If Tsering continues his level of play, the sky’s the limit not only for himself, but for the Red Hawks as a team.
