Winner Warriors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today was practice #1 for South Dakota high school boys basketball. It sure is an exciting time of year! We are back for another team preview. PHD is heading to southern South Dakota, Class A Region 7 for this article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors are coming off a State Tournamnet run a year ago. They are also fresh off an 11-1 football season and a State Championship Runner-up finish. The Warriors are traditionally one of the toughest defensive teams in South Dakota and I expect that to be the same this season. Winner is a well-coached team that is led by <em>Brett Gardner</em> who is a defensive guru. Region 7 is loaded with talented teams, so the Warriors will certainly not have a cakewalk to the State Tournament. However, if I was a betting man, I would guess that Winner is back at State in March!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='963824' first='Blake' last='Volmer'] is the bell cow for Winner. Make sure you take the time to watch Volmer and the Warriors this winter, I guarantee that you will be impressed!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>See below for more info on the Warriors...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1634111,"width":347,"height":217,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1634111" width="347" height="217"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Returning Warriors</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='963824' first='Blake' last='Volmer'] (2023) |6'3 G|</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's stats: 16.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG. Blake was 1st&nbsp;Team All-State last season. Volmer was recently named All-State in football as well.&nbsp;Blake is a leader and he will do anything to help the team succeed.&nbsp;He rebounds very well out of the guard position and he is an opportunistic scorer. Volmer is a quality athlete that can finish with athleticism above the rim. Volmer is receiving a large amount of interest as a college recruit. Blake is a must-watch player!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1227967' first='Ethan' last='Bartels'] (2023) |6'3 F| </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's stats: 8.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG. Ethan is a hard worker that rebounds well. He can score from inside or out and is a very good defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1263163' first='Shawn' last='Hammerbeck'] (2025) |6'7 F|</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's stats: 6.2 PPG, and 3.9 RPG. Shawn is a player who has worked hard on his footwork and overall skill.&nbsp;His scoring will be much improved this year. Hammerbeck is a special athlete that dunks with ease, finishes through contact, and can score from every level. He is also very good on the block. Shawn has a very bright future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aiden Barfuss (2024) |6'0 G|</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's stats: 4.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.8 APG. Aiden is a physical player that defends very well. Barfuss plays at a different pace than anyone else on the floor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1675908' first='Ryder' last='Halligan'] (2025) |5'10 G| </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He will be asked to step up for the Warriors this season to help with the depth at the guard position. Ryder is an intriguing young player. He will play PG on JV and on the wing in varsity. Halligan will be learning from Volmer, one of the best in SD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chaz Blotsky (2023) |5'11 G| </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a tenacious defender, he is especially great on-ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pierce Nelson (2023) |5'10 G|</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He will need to work on his shot. Nelson has potential and he will provide depth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Q &amp; A with coach <em>Brett Gardner</em></span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: What can you tell us about last season</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>:</strong> "<em>We were fortunate to have a very successful season last year.&nbsp;We had complete buy-in from our entire program and did the little things to help us win some games.&nbsp;We defended very well and took care of the basketball.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: What did the Warriors do this offseason to get better</span>? </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>: </strong>"<em>All of our guys participated in our Summer Acceleration program.&nbsp;During accel, we lift weights, work on footwork, and develop our quickness.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Who are your top guys to look out for and why</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>: </strong>"<em>We are excited for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='963824' first='Blake' last='Volmer']</strong> to continue to develop into one of the top players in the state.&nbsp;We are also looking forward to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1227967' first='Ethan' last='Bartels']</strong>, <strong>Aiden Barfuss</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1263163' first='Shawn' last='Hammerbeck']</strong> taking the next step.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Do you have any up-and-comers to look out for</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>:</strong> "<em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1675908' first='Ryder' last='Halligan']</strong> will be our 6^th&nbsp;man this year as a sophomore. We are excited to see him develop and get his feet wet with the varsity rotation.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: What type of basketball do the Warriors play</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>: </strong>"<em>We pride ourselves on the defensive end.&nbsp;We held teams to 42 ppg last year.&nbsp;We want to be fundamentally sound and value every possession on both ends of the floor. We have good guys in our program that care for one another.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Who are your biggest rivals</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>:</strong> "<em>Gregory, Chamberlain, and Platte are our 3 biggest rivals.&nbsp;We have great, clean games against them every year.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Who will be the top few teams in your Region</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Gardner</span>:</strong> "<em>Red Cloud returns all 15 players from last year's SoDak 16 team.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Lakota Tech is loaded again.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Todd County will be very good.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Little Wound has a lot of size.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Pine Ridge will be ready to go for the postseason.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"800","fontSize":"75px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:75px;font-style:italic;font-weight:800">Good Luck Warriors!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1399487,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/SD-1.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/SD-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1399487"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->