Elk Point-Jefferson: Summer Update

The Huskies from Elk Point Jefferson are a Class A team that plays in Region 4. They are also in the Dak-12 Conference. EPJ is a tough and physical team that will come into the season underrated. I expect them to surprise teams early in the year. In this article, we are taking a deep dive into the EPJ program. See below for a season review, summer update, player information, and Q & A with coach Otkin. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/06/huskie-crop-1125x739-1656614120.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1498733" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/06/huskie-crop-1125x739-1656614120-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <h4>2021-2022 Season Overview</h4> Last year the Huskies were 10-11 and they lost to Vermillion in the first round of the Region Tournament. EPJ won 4 more games than they did the previous year. The Huskies let a few games slip away from them this past season. They lost 5 games by a combined 19 points. However, they improved in every facet of the game while seeing their scoring increase. The Huskies impressively held opponents to under 55 points per game! They hit a lull in the middle of the season where they struggled to get shots to fall but that is the game of basketball. EPJ did a great job of picking themselves up and competing in every contest. I am expecting a big 2022-2023 season from the Huskies! <h4>Summer Update</h4> EPJ played in USF Team camp and went 3-1. They lost to an RTR team that returns almost everyone from a 6th place State finish in Minnesota. The Huskies played them extremely tough and were missing one of their guys. For the first action of the summer, it was an excellent showing. After the loss to RTR, they rebounded well and beat Dell Rapids St. Mary, Arlington, and Dell Rapids public to finish out the camp. Picking up 3 straight wins was a great way to cap off the USF camp! The Huskies have started the Pentagon league and they are 3-1. They lost a tough one by 3 to a Waubay-Summitt team that was a State Tournament team last year in class B. EPJ was up most of the game but had a letdown in the middle of the second half that ended up costing them the win. The Huskies beat Deuel, Vermillion, and Madison in other action in the league so far. EPJ will continue playing in the Pentagon league on Tuesday nights. They also have the SW Minnesota Shootout camp July 21-22 at Augustana to finish out the summer. <h4>Player Breakdown</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="1376582" first="Easton" last="Kempf"] (2023) 6’5" Averaged 12.8 pts, 6.8 reb, and 2.6 assists per game last year. Easton was 3rd Team All-Conference last season. He has the ability to play the 1-5 positions and control the game in many ways. Kempf can shoot it from deep but also post up and finish at the rim. He has great footwork and multiple inside-out moves. Evan needs to improve his finishing around the rim when there’s contact. He has had a great start to the summer and will be a big part of what EPJ will do next season. Chace Fornia (2023) 6’4" Averaged 9.8 pts, 5.4 reb, and 2.4 assists per game last year. Chace is a force in the middle and almost unmovable. His greatest asset is his strength, but he has a nice touch for a big man. Chace can run the floor and finish on the break but also step out and hit jump shots. He needs to continue to get better with both hands and handling the ball. Fornia is an extremely underrated defender that can defend all positions. He is a great leader for the Huskies on and off the floor. Devon Schmitz (2023) 6’0" Averaged 8.6 pts, 3.2 reb, and 1.8 assists per game last year. Devon is a very good shooter and he runs the floor very well. He can finish at the rim and post up smaller guards. Schmitz has improved his defense greatly and he typically guards one of the other team’s best players. The Huskies need him to handle the ball better this coming year but are expecting big things out of Devon. Jakob Scarmon (2023) 6’1" Averaged 3.8 pts, 2.8 reb, and 1.8 assists per game. Jake can go off on any game and is probably one of, if not the most athletic player on this squad. He has impressive leaping ability and is a great defender. Scarmon is an underrated shooter and he can finish in multiple ways at the rim. Jakob will need to be better with the ball in his hands and in his decision-making. EPJ will look for him to be a big part of their success next season. Alex Scarmon (2023) 6’2" Averaged 2.8 pts, 2.5 reb, and 1.5 assists per game. Alex might be one of the more underrated players in the Dak-12. He plays with so much grit and heart! Alex is always there on those 50/50 plays vying for the ball. He has really improved his outside and midrange shot. The incoming senior has added the ability to post up to his game. He is a gritty defender that can guard multiple positions. Scarmon needs to improve his lateral quickness but has had a great summer up to this point. EPJ will look for Alex to do big things for next year and surprise some teams. [player_tooltip player_id="1336177" first="Evan" last="Fornia"] (2024) 6’6" Averaged 6.8 points, 3.2 reb, and 1.2 assists per game. Evan continues to improve his game in all areas. He is a big that can finish in multiple ways but has improved his jumper from mid-range and 3. EPJ will need him to be more consistent with his jumper but overall, his upside is huge. Fornia can run the floor well and finish in transition. He will also distribute in transition, his overall vision for finding open guys is a huge asset. Evan’s ability to play multiple positions will be a big plus for the Huskies. Fornia is a big rim protector and he will need to guard multiple positions this next year. EPJ will be looking for him to step up on the defensive end. The Huskies are very excited to see how Evan contributes to his team next year. Fornia has had a great summer playing for Sam Willards Sacred Hoops squad. [player_tooltip player_id="1489781" first="Garrett" last="Merkley"] (2024) 5’10" Averaged 3.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Garrett has the ability to be a knock-down shooter or attack the rim. His athletic ability and lateral quickness are a huge advantage for him. EPJ will look for him to invest more defensively next year and shut down the other team’s point guards while attacking them on the offensive end. He has underrated vision and leaping ability that make him a tough guard for the opposing team. The Huskies are looking forward to him building on his successful summer and seeing where his junior year takes him. <h4>Q & A with Elk Point-Jefferson head coach Jake Otkin</h4> PHD: How has the summer been going so far for the Huskie basketball program? Coach Otkin: "So far, this summer has been successful between our camps, league, and open gyms/workouts. We have also had over 90% attendance in the weight room as a part of our successful strength program helping us improve our overall strength and speed." PHD: Do you guys get together as a group/team during the week for open gyms or skill work? Coach Otkin: "During the week we do 2 different open gyms/installs and one morning and one evening skills work. The skills work ranges from individual to small group and one of our open gyms is strictly for getting up and down and the other is used to install new things or review things we’ll do during the year." PHD: I know it is only June, but who have been a couple of players that have been improving this spring/summer? Coach Otkin: "[player_tooltip player_id="1336177" first="Evan" last="Fornia"], [player_tooltip player_id="1489781" first="Garrett" last="Merkley"], Reed Sayler, Alex Scarmon, and Kayden Moore have all made great progress this summer in improving different areas of their game that will help contribute to our success this upcoming season." PHD: In the summer, do you care more about winning, development, or is it a combination of both? Could you expand on that? Coach Otkin: "I think the balance can sometimes be hard to draw a line in the sand. As a coach, I care more about developing and improving our overall game and figuring out how we want to play in the upcoming season. We preach effort and energy constantly; we don’t care if we win or lose but we should never be outworked in any facet of the game. However, we have extremely competitive kids that hate to lose so we strive to win in the summer as well. Competitiveness runs in our program from the top to the bottom so even though we’re looking at development and always competing and outworking the other team, it is hard to turn a blind eye to losing just because that is not how our kids or program are wired." PHD: Who will be a couple of your seniors to look out for next season? Coach Otkin: "All of our seniors have a chance to be big contributors and go off in any game. That is the beauty of our team is if you don’t game plan for one or two guys, they’ll be the guys that can hurt you the most. They would include [player_tooltip player_id="1376582" first="Easton" last="Kempf"], Chace Fornia, Devon Schmitz, Jake Scarmon, Alex Scarmon, and Levi Miller." PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future? Coach Otkin: "We have numerous incoming Juniors that are vying for time and have a competitive edge. The beauty of this group is they each have a special niche’ that will make them a contributor in some way to our varsity program. [player_tooltip player_id="1489781" first="Garrett" last="Merkley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1336177" first="Evan" last="Fornia"] are returning 4 quarter guys that we’ll see increased roles this year. Reed Sayler, Kayden Moore, and Carson Timmins have all improved their game in numerous ways and will see quality minutes in the upcoming season that will contribute to our success. They all have their own unique game and they will contribute to our team in a positive way. We are very excited to have such a deep bench and the ability to have numerous guys compete but more importantly want to compete and want to win for each other! This is a very tight-knit group of guys, and they are extremely unselfish. They don’t care who gets the glory, they just want to compete and win. It also is a bonus they are extremely great guys to be around, and I am fortunate enough to be able to be called their coach. They make it easy and fun to want to be around them and in the gym with them!" <h5>Good luck to the Huskies with the rest of your summer and happy early 4th of July!</h5> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/06/huskie-crop-1125x739-1656614120.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1498733" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/06/huskie-crop-1125x739-1656614120-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>