Beresford Watchdogs: Season Preview

<p><strong>Beresford, SD - </strong>The Watchdogs are going to be an experienced team with many veteran players. They also have some young talent. The Watchdogs are in Region 4A and they play in the Big East and DAK 12 Conferences. Beresford has a good young coach that will have this team ready to play. Keep your eyes on the Watchdogs, they will be a team that you want to see play. </p> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Coach <em>Benjamin Short</em> on the Watchdog strengths</strong></span><strong>:</strong></h5> <p>"<em>We have 11 seniors out this year. I am hoping that their in-game experience and leadership will help us ride the ups and downs of a long season that most high school basketball teams have to face. This will give us more depth as well. On the flip side to that, we had a lot of underclassmen put hours of work in this offseason. Whether getting shots up or lifting weights getting bigger faster stronger in our offseason workout program. I’m excited to see how that translates to our games this season.</em>"</p> <h5><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach <em>Short</em> comments on the expectations heading into the season</span>:</strong></h5> <p>"<em>I have high expectations for this upcoming season. We have a large Senior class. As well as talented underclassmen with some varsity level experience. If we can stay healthy I think we can compete competitively with the teams on our schedule.</em>"</p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>TOP PLAYERS</strong></span></h3> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812215" first="Ashton" last="Tjaden"] (2022) |6-4 F| 240 lbs</strong></p> <p> He plays with a high motor and Ashton is a relentless rebounder that gives his all every time he is on the court. Last year Tjaden was a walking double-double every night. Expect Ashton to be more of an offensive threat this year which will add nicely to his tenacious rebounding. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="968203" first="Isaiah" last="Richards"] (2022) |5-11 G| 160 lbs</strong></p> <p>He is a shifty point guard who can be counted on to handle pressure and to get the Watchdogs into their offense. Richards will be the best returning three-point shooter from last season. Isaiah will look to be more aggressive at getting to the rim during his senior year. Beresford will have many reliable shooters that will draw attention so there should be plenty of lanes for Richards to slash and make plays.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1265477" first="Tate" last="VanOtterloo"] (2023) |6-3 F| 185 lbs</strong></p> <p>This kid is a stud. Tate is an all-around offensive threat. VanOtterloo is skilled like a guard and he has the length to play in the frontcourt. Tate has the ball-handling and shooting ability to play on the wing. He will also post up depending on matchups. Tate has long arms and an excellent vertical. VanOtterloo will be called upon to be a leader on the defensive end. He will match up with athletic wings and posts from the Big East/Dak 12 conferences. Look for Tate to have a breakout season for the Watchdogs.</p> <h5><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach <em>Short</em> talks about what he is excited for in the season</span>:</strong></h5> <p>"<em>To see how much, we can improve from day one to the end of the season. We have a lot of good athletes on our team. Seeing them develop into confident basketball players and doing it as a team gets me really excited. I feel that this group of boys has tons of untapped potential. So that unknown, which can sometimes be a little scary, is extremely exciting for myself and my coaching staff.</em>"</p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>WATCHDOG SCHEDULE</strong></span></h3> <p>December 10 (home) vs <strong>Baltic</strong></p> <p>December 14 (home) vs <strong>Dakota Valley</strong></p> <p>December 16 @ <strong>Flandreau</strong></p> <p>December 21 @ <strong>Sioux Valley</strong></p> <p>December 31 (home) vs <strong>Parker</strong></p> <p>January 6 <strong>Big East Conference Tournament </strong>vs TBD</p> <p>January 7 <strong>Big East Conference Tournament </strong>vs TBD</p> <p>January 8 <strong>Big East Conference Tournament </strong>vs TBD</p> <p>January 11 @ <strong>McCook Central/Montrose</strong></p> <p>January 14 (home) vs <strong>Tri-Valley</strong></p> <p>January 21 @ <strong>Canton</strong></p> <p>January 22 @ <strong>Chester Area</strong></p> <p>February 1 @ <strong>Vermillion</strong></p> <p>February 3 (home) vs <strong>Madison</strong></p> <p>February 5 (home) vs <strong>Alcester-Hudson</strong></p> <p>February 8 @ <strong>Garretson</strong></p> <p>February 11 (home) vs <strong>Elk Point-Jefferson</strong></p> <p>February 15 @ <strong>Lennox</strong></p> <p>February 21 (home) vs <strong>Wagner</strong></p> <p>February 25 @ <strong>Tea Area</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/watchdog-crop-1125x739-1637780794.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1333921" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/watchdog-crop-1125x739-1637780794-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p>