Class B (SD): The Gameplan Busters
What Class B players in South Dakota make a living destroying game plans? There are several, here are the best per section.
Region 1. Jacob Prouty of Clark/Willow Lake (12). Prouty is a special athlete with a sense that many simply don’t have. You saw it on the football field this fall and everyone in the state saw it when Jacob battled his way to 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists a game as a junior. Range on the jumper and a love for the physical attack. Prouty is smarter and tougher than nearly every guard that will be put in front of him giving Jacob a mental edge that often messes with the gameplan put in a player’s head.
Region 2. Jharett Bloomenrader of Highmore-Harrold. For starters Jharett is 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. That alone at the Class B level is tough to deal with as you can count on one hand the teams at the level that have a player that size plus well built. Oh, but there’s more. Bloomenrader has the agility to not only throw down from many angles, but grab boards way out of area and move as well as most guards (he’s headed to SDSU to play football).
Region 3. Trevin Holland of De Smet (12). Holland has two special qualities that set him apart from other bigs: 1) this is a future college track athlete in addition to basketball at Mount Marty so Trevin runs well pushing ahead of the pack, and 2) at 6-foot-5 Holland is a very active rebounder collecting out of his area in double figure numbers. Coaches can try and limit Trevin in halfcourt situations but the second things break down there is nothing that can be done with that size and activity.
Region 4. Connor Libis of Dell Rapids-St. Mary (10). “Fear the Flock” is the slogan on the Cardinal poster this year and considering that Libis put up 23 points a game as a freshman teams should be very afraid. It’s not just the points, it’s that Libis has range on his jumper and this constant push of conditioning that other players can’t match during long stretches of the game. Libis led his team to their best year in 10 seasons and that was starting three frosh! Coaches can try and be physical with Connor all they want but eventually their players tank will approach E where as Connor runs on some type of fuel from space he found that he still isn’t sharing with anyone!
Region 5. Sawyer Schultz of Bridgewater-Emery (12). Mr. Schultz has a flare to him that is simply tough to contain. It’s been seen on the football field and during March basketball runs when Sawyer used his combo guard abilities to produce in big numbers. Schultz is physically gifted at 6-foot-3 which is tough to keep in front for guards who are most of the time smaller and commonly not as agile or athletic. Big year is expected.
Region 6. Justin Becker of Kimball/White Lake (12). Justin Becker took huge strides from his sophomore to junior year and then working/competing with Sacred Hoops more steps were taken. Becker is 6-foot-8 but is trusted to play on the edge in football and on the court that improving size is tough to deal with when his team has the ball moving.
Region 7. Jadice Morrison of White River (12). When we saw Morrison play as a sophomore he was a guy that would hit jumpers from distance and once that was seen three or four more could come in a hurry. What makes him even tougher now is that Morrison loves the role of combo guard meaning he can score on you, but the creation results in double digit results for teammates all over the line-up.
Region 8. Tucker Kraft of Timber Lake (12). Why is Tucker Kraft a nightmare of other coaches? He is so driven to succeed that there is only so much one can do. People have tried to doubt he and his teammates before but Timber Lake kept winning basketball and football games. This is an all state hooper and football player (headed to SDSU) who has been seen fighting for the last board of the half, defending to the whistle and then some, and even hitting that halfcourt shot when guys were walking to the bench. Good luck coaches!