De Smet Bulldogs: Championship Season

<p>Every basketball fan in South Dakota has heard of the De Smet Bulldogs. They have an amazing coach and De Smet is a phenomenal basketball factory. The storied program did it again this year, the Bulldogs took home the Championship in Class B! It was an epic season that made memories that will last a lifetime for those players, coaches, and the De Smet community. Congratulations on a wonderful season and another State Championship! </p> <p>Read below for stats, in-depth comments from coach <em>Jeff Gruenhagen</em>, and the updated score/schedule from the championship season. </p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Player Stats</strong></span></h4> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"] (2022) |6-3 G| </strong>- 19 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.6 spg</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812211" first="Rett" last="Osthus"] (2022) |6-1 G| </strong>- 10 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.6 spg</p> <p><strong>Kadyn Fast (2024) |6-1 G| </strong>- 4.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1 spg</p> <p><strong>George Jensen (2024) |6-4 F| </strong>- 4 ppg, 2.2 rpg</p> <p><strong>Blake Van Regenmorter (2022) |6-3 F|</strong> - 2.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"] (2022) |6-2 F| </strong>- 9.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.4 spg</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963766" first="Damon" last="Wilkinson"] (2023) |6-8</strong> <strong>C| </strong>- 14.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1 apg, 2.1 bpg</p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Team Stats</strong></span></h4> <p><strong>PPG:</strong> 66.1</p> <p><strong>RPG:</strong> 38</p> <p><strong>APG:</strong> 14.5</p> <p><strong>SPG:</strong> 14.5</p> <p><strong>BPG:</strong> 4</p> <p><strong>FG%:</strong> 46</p> <p><strong>3FG%:</strong> 31</p> <p><strong>3FG per game:</strong> 6.3</p> <p><strong>Scoring Margin:</strong> 26.7</p> <p><strong>Rebounding Margin:</strong> 11.8</p> <p><strong>TO per game:</strong> 9.4</p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Bulldog talk with Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</strong></span></h4> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <p><b>PHD: What were some of the highlights of the season?</b></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">: "<em>Our Season started out with some great games, game 2 was on the road at Clark Willow Lake where we escaped with a win as we led by 10 most of the game but lost the lead late and were down 3 with 15 seconds left and Kalen hit a step-back 3 to tie it up and Rett immediately stole the inbound pass and passed to Kalen who hit another 3 for the win at the buzzer. That was when we knew every night teams were coming to knock us off and we had to be ready.</em>" </span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>"<em>On to the Pentagon on Dec 17 vs. Dream City Christian from AZ in a HoopHall Classic Event. I did not know anything about this matchup until the guys were showing me how many D1 recruits were on that team and the size. 6’11, 6’10, 6’7, 6’6, 6'3 were the starters. Truly a Prep School with some talent. I think the players were concerned that they had no chance to win but I assured them that our team chemistry would shine and we would be just fine. The same players as they play against in their summer AAU schedules, I told them that “you guys always tell me you want to play some of these loaded AAU teams with our school team and we are getting that chance on a national stage". They did not disappoint. Everyone played solid and Kalen turned it on getting to the rim and distributing the ball all over. Rett played some great D and before you know it we are in control of that game with an 8-10 point lead in the second half. We lost in the end after some missed FT’s and some pull up 3’s by them and while we were disappointed with the loss we learned a lot about how we could compete with anyone and that you have to close out games by doing all the little things  if you want to win.</em>" </p> <p>"<em>Kalen and Rett became Internet Video stars on Bleacher Report from the game and Kalen received a ton of phone calls from colleges across the country immediately after. This led directly to Kalen committing to SDSU. I think that will be a great place for him.</em>" </p> <p>"<em>Then we headed to Dells St. Mary on the road and that is always a tough place to win and got a good W there in front of a packed crowd. 6 of our first 7 games were going to be on the road in the first 21 days of the season.</em>" </p> <p>"<em>Next up would be Sioux Valley at the Entringer Classic in Brookings in an LCC showdown. They were our only loss last season so we were motivated. We trailed by 10 in the first quarter when Kadyn Fast hit a couple of 3-pt shots to close the gap before halftime. The third qtr had Rett hit a couple of threes and a drive to get the lead. Damon and Kalen got going to pull away a little and seal the win. Damon played very well and our team was really taking shape.</em>"  </p> <p>"<em>On to January and The Hanson Classic to take on White River and a team we knew would be in Aberdeen at the tourney in March. Kalen again played a solid game scoring inside and out and also holding a very physical [player_tooltip player_id="968165" first="Dylan" last="Marshall"] to limited offense. Rett and Kadyn shared the job of guarding [player_tooltip player_id="963747" first="Joe" last="Sayler"] to try to limit his looks and wear him down. This game was really a breakout for [player_tooltip player_id="963766" first="Damon" last="Wilkinson"] who took over the second half on each end and finished with 27 pts and a bunch of boards and blocks and a couple of nice Dunks. Our inside-outside game had arrived and Damon proved he could carry the load for us when we ask him to.</em>"  </p> <p>"<em>Next up was STM at the Pentagon and I thought we could put points up and we could get the score up in the 50s but it turned into a defensive battle and a 36-30 win. 2 guys leaning on Damon all night and they chased Rett and Kalen with pressure. [player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"] had a nice night for us and really hit key baskets and touched so many balls creating great energy. Hard fought win to start 5 games in 7 days stretch that we always compare to State Tourney preparation. We have to learn how to play on little rest and focus on a short scout time. Hamlin, STM, Castlewood, Flandreau, Wolsey Wessington was a great string of wins in that stretch. Keeping really good offensive teams of Flandreau and STM under 40 pts each was a great effort.</em>" </p> <p>"<em>From there we rolled into the playoffs and the State Tournament confident that we could defend our title.</em>"</p> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <div><b>PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket?</b></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">: "<em>Our Go-To basket guy is [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"]. We draw up stuff for him and sometimes he makes his own offense. If the defense cuts him off he adjusts. [player_tooltip player_id="963766" first="Damon" last="Wilkinson"] also became that GO-To guy as the season ended and on some nights we were cold from the outside.</em>" </span></p> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <div><b>PHD: Can you talk about a time when you and the team overcame adversity?</b></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">: "<em>Our really adverse stretch came at the end of the season prior to Regions. Kalen and Rett both had significant injuries in practice making it a bit stressful in Region preparation, but they toughed it out and healed up well.</em>" </span></p> <p>"<em>Kalen and <strong>Kadyn Fast</strong> collided getting a rebound in the Region Semis on Friday night where Kalen got a deep thigh bruise in the second quarter. He finished the game but could not walk on Saturday when we headed for treatment with the Sodak 16 game looming on Tuesday. Thanks to Carr Chiropractic in Huron for treatment on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Kalen stepped up pushed through.</em>"</p> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <p><b>PHD: Who was your best practice player and why?</b></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <div> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">:</span> "<em>[player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"] is our best practice player, he always goes hard. Makes everyone else go Hard. He lets them know when they are not going hard enough. [player_tooltip player_id="812211" first="Rett" last="Osthus"] is right there with him. They lead by example.</em>" </p> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <p><b>PHD: Can you make a few comments about the seniors that you are losing?</b></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">: "</span><em><strong>Blake VanRegenmorter</strong> started half of our games this year and really played his role well. A good rebounder, a great shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"] was our energy guy his entire career and he really stepped up and hit clutch shots this year and made better shot selection this year. He had an amazing season for us in this Title Run. A great team player.</em>"  </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <p><b>Who are some of your top players that will be back next season?</b></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Jeff Gruenhagen</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">: "</span><em>Returners: (Juniors) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963766" first="Damon" last="Wilkinson"]</strong>, <strong>Gannon Gruenhagen</strong>, <strong>Kasen Janssen</strong></em>"</p> <p>"<em>(Sophomores) <strong>Kadyn Fast</strong>, <strong>George Jensen</strong>, <strong>Trace Van Regenmorter</strong>,<strong>Tom Aughenbaugh</strong></em>" </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="gmail_quote"> <div dir="auto"> <div> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y7"> <div id="m_1921625474362864544gmail-m_-5402807719072818748gmail-:1y3" role="textbox" aria-label="Message Body" aria-multiline="true"> <div> <p>"<em>This crew was 22-1 this year, 20-2 last year in JV. Undefeated Summer Jam league last summer. Big shoes to fill. We can do it. </em>" </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Bulldog Scores/Schedule (25-1)</strong></span></h4> <p><strong>Deubrook Area</strong> <em>W</em> 72-47</p> <p><strong>Clark-Willow Lake</strong> <em>W</em> 60-57</p> <p><strong>Estelline-Hendricks</strong> <em>W</em> 68-17</p> <p><strong>Dream City Christian (AZ)</strong> <em>L</em> 57-61</p> <p><strong>Dell Rapids St. Mary</strong> <em>W</em> 60-42</p> <p><strong>Sioux Valley</strong> <em>W</em> 55-47</p> <p><strong>Deuel</strong> <em>W</em> 74-37</p> <p><strong>Arlington</strong> <em>W</em> 82-53</p> <p><strong>Howard</strong> <em>W</em> 59-38</p> <p><strong>Lake Preston</strong> <em>W</em> 88-25</p> <p><strong>Hamlin</strong> <em>W</em> 75-57</p> <p><strong>White River</strong> <em>W</em> 63-49</p> <p><strong>Colman-Egan</strong> <em>W</em> 93-32</p> <p><strong>Canisota</strong> <em>W</em> 62-42</p> <p><strong>Elkton-Lake Benton</strong> <em>W</em> 65-45</p> <p><strong>St. Thomas More</strong> <em>W</em> 36-30</p> <p><strong>Castlewood</strong> <em>W</em> 77-34</p> <p><strong>Flandreau</strong> <em>W</em> 46-32</p> <p><strong>Wosley-Wessington</strong> <em>W</em> 56-32</p> <p><strong>Oldham-Ramona-Rutland</strong> <em>W</em> 71-51</p> <p><strong>Waverly-South Shore</strong> <em>W</em> 72-27 (Regions)</p> <p><strong>Estelline-Hendricks</strong> <em>W</em> 79-50 (Regions)</p> <p><strong>Chester Area</strong> <em>W</em> 66-24 (SODAK 16)</p> <p><strong>Waubay-Summit</strong> <em>W</em> 60-28 (STATE)</p> <p><strong>Potter County</strong> <em>W</em> 67-45 (STATE)</p> <p><strong>Lower Brule</strong> <em>W</em> 49-36 (STATE CHAMPIONSHIP)</p>