Dakota Niners 17U Johnson: Team Profile
In this article:
In this team profile, we are looking at the Niners from South Dakota. This squad mostly has players from Northeastern South Dakota, but they do have 2 players from Minnesota. The Niners are led by coach Johnson who is still…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn this team profile, we are looking at the Niners from South Dakota. This squad mostly has players from Northeastern South Dakota, but they do have 2 players from Minnesota. The Niners are led by coach Johnson who is still young but he already has a boatload of coaching experience for his age. I like the energy and passion that Johnson has for the game and he truly cares about his players improving. This Niners team has some nice talent and I expect all of these guys to be impact players next high school season.
The exciting part is, the Dakota Niners are coming to 3 Prep Hoops Events and are members of the PH Circuit! I am thrilled to see this squad play live and in person later this summer.
Dakota Niners , best of luck with the remainder of the season!
See below for the schedule, roster, player comments, and Q&A with coach Johnson.
Tournament Schedule
DATES | LOCATION |
April 28-30 | Prep Hoops-Minneapolis (MN) |
May 6-7 | Dakota Niners -Watertown (SD) |
June 2-4 | Prep Hoops-Minneapolis (MN) |
June 10-11 | Watertown (SD) |
June 24-25 | Omaha (NE) |
July 15-16 | Watertown (SD) |
July 28-30 | Prep Hoops-Minneapolis |
Player Comments from coach Johnson
Quincy Thu Quincy Thu 6'1" | SG Castlewood | 2024 State SD (2024) |6’0” G| Castlewood
-“Versatile, strong, defends 1-5, energizer, leader“
Jackson Schofield (2024) |6’2″ SF| Castlewood
-“Tough, finisher, mobile“
Jamison Keszler Jamison Keszler 6'1" | CG Castlewood | 2025 State SD (2025) |6’0″ G| Castlewood
-“Very crafty, skilled, shooter“
Britt Carlson Britt Carlson 6'4" | SF De Smet | 2024 State SD (2024) |6’3″ F/G| De Smet
-“Shooter, State B Champ rotational contributor“
Trace Van Regenmorter Trace Van Regenmorter 6'4" | SF De Smet | 2024 State SD (2023) 6’3″ G/F De Smet
“-Big, versatile, confident, State B Champ“
Jackson Wohlleber (2024) |5’10” G| Waubay/Summit
-“Great facilitator, shifty, high IQ, 3-level scorer“
Kolton Duis (2024) |6’1″ G/F| Canby (MN)
-“All-around player, skilled scorer, athletic“
Zach Ourada (2024) |6’0 G| Canby (MN)
-“2nd best shooter on team, can heat up in a hurry“
Yohana Ajwanga Yohana Ajwanga 6'5" | PF Milbank | 2024 State SD (2024) |6’5″ F| Milbank
-“Tough, does the dirty work, athlete“
Caden Selby Caden Selby 6'7" | SF Faith | 2024 State SD (2024) |6’7″ F/G| Faith
-“Natural scorer, shooter for 6’7″, had a big State B Tourney“
Q & A with coach Johnson
PHD: How is the season going so far?
Coach Johnson: “So far the spring season has been off to a shaky start. We have a couple of new faces on the team. During these first two tourneys, we have had to work around prom, track meets, and sibling graduations. We are excited to finally have our full squad at the Prep Hoops NHR event. We went 2-2 in our last tourney.”
PHD: Who has been your best shooter so far?
Coach Johnson: “ Caden Selby Caden Selby 6'7" | SF Faith | 2024 State SD has been able to light it up from deep. Het gets many of his points from behind the arc or with a mid-range shot. He has a very nice mid-range game. Another quality shooter is Zach Ourada. He does not take as many shots but he hits them when he takes the shot.“
PHD: Who is your best defender?
Coach Johnson: “Kolton Duis or Britt Carlson Britt Carlson 6'4" | SF De Smet | 2024 State SD . Duis because of his athleticism and versatility. Carlson because of his strength and physicality.”
PHD: What are you hoping to improve upon?
Coach Carlson: “We have multiple guys that are able to score going one-on-one but that does not win games. We are hoping to improve our ball movement. This will make the defense work and make it hard for them to guard us.“
PHD: Why are you excited about this team?
Coach Johnson: “Excited for the all-around versatility of this team, multiple shooters, 6 State Tourney players (7 with Wohlleber last year). We should have chemistry with a lot of players that come from the same (winning) programs/teams. We have a great group of fun and respectful dudes.“
PHD: How often do you practice/workout?
Coach Johnson: “We have a skills practice with Warwick every Wednesday, team practices every Sunday, and every other Saturday.“
PHD: What are some of your team strengths?
Coach Johnson: “Some strengths of this team will be the offensive end, a lot of dudes who can get their own shot, as well players who distribute to others. This team will be fun to work with defensively, a lot of different coverages we can use with all the versatility. Man to Man.”
PHD: What style will you play on the offensive end?
Coach Johnson: “Offensively we’ll look to get a shot as soon as possible. We will have a couple of go-to sets but will be more focused on scoring off the actions we put in. Read and react style of basketball.“
PHD: What will you do on defense?
Coach Johnson: “Defensively we have a couple of different coverages that we will install and use that will go hand in hand with our versatility at that end. Man to man always.“
PHD: What events are you looking forward to?
Coach Johnson: “We look forward to the Prep Hoops events because of the opportunity it gives our guys who are trying to play at the next level.“