SD Identity 16U - Team Preview

Today we are looking at South Dakota's newest AAU program, [program_tooltip program_id='2145852' first='SD' last='Identity']! Our focus will be on their 16U squad.   The exciting part is, [program_tooltip program_id='2145852' first='SD' last='Identity'] is an official member of the Prep Hoops Circuit in the Hard Work Region!   Greg Kahler is the creator/founder/director and head coach of South Dakota Identity. Kahler is partnered with Identity Made and former G League pro, Rodney Pryor. Coach Kahler is a basketball junky and a student of the game. His players will improve over the course of the AAU season and his teams will play high-quality basketball. I am excited to see them play at Battle at the Lakes!   See below for the [program_tooltip program_id='2145852' first='SD' last='Identity'] schedule, roster comments, and a Q&A session with coach Greg Kahler.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SD_Identity/status/1652723026071281665 </div></figure>   SCHEDULE   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>DATE</td><td>EVENT</td><td>LOCATION</td></tr><tr><td>May 12-14</td><td>Prep Hoops-Battle At The Lakes</td><td>Minneapolis, MN</td></tr><tr><td>June 3-4</td><td>Hardwood Classic</td><td>Sioux Falls, SD</td></tr><tr><td>June 28-29</td><td>Great Plains Alliance</td><td>St. Cloud, MN</td></tr><tr><td>July 7-9</td><td>Summer Slam</td><td>Sioux Falls, SD</td></tr><tr><td>July 14-16</td><td>Prep Hoops-Hard Work Region Finals</td><td>Minneapolis, MN</td></tr><tr><td>July 21-23</td><td>Summer Classic</td><td>Sioux Falls, SD</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SDidentity.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SDidentity.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1943192" /></a></figure>   Player Comments from coach Kahler   [player_tooltip player_id='1625208' first='Luke' last='Bruns'] - 6'1 Guard - Dakota Valley - c/o 2025 "Luke is an elite-level shooter who has a great ability to find great shots. He moves well without the ball, always getting into the open windows for passers. Proven winner playing for Dakota Valley, and the ultimate competitor growing up with two high-level basketball players in Paul and Issac. Luke is a special player who will no doubt take a jump in his growth this summer. We will use him in a large playmaking role this summer. Looking to get him a lot of shots and a lot of ball screens. Sneaky tough defender and rebounder."   [player_tooltip player_id='1625181' first='Boston' last='Katzer'] - 6'3 Guard - McCook - c/o 2025 "Boston is someone who is just scratching the surface of his potential. I really feel like he's going to have a breakout summer. He's a do-it-all wing player. Very strong and athletic. Able to break defenders down while getting to the rim to make plays. Can step out and hit shots. With his versatility we we will utilize him both as a screener and also coming off a lot of screens and DHOs."   [player_tooltip player_id='1421531' first='Hayden' last='Sprik'] - 5'11 Guard - Platte/Geddes - c/o 2025 "Hayden had a breakout season for Platte. Was one of their leading scorers this season. He's a quick-triggered shooter and can hit shots from beyond the three-point line. Super quick and explosive first step. Really effective in attacking closeouts, getting downhill where he looks to facilitate to open teammates. Very pesky and annoying defender. His lateral quickness makes him hard to get by."   [player_tooltip player_id='1421530' first='Layke' last='Wold'] - 5'11 Guard - Chester - c/o 2025 "Layke is a smooth, efficient, knockdown shooter. If he gets hot, he's tough to slow down. Broke the single-season record for threes made this season at Chester. When you have an elite shooter like Layke, it tends to open up gaps and driving lanes. If defenders want to over-help on drives, someone like Layke is going to exploit those situations by making a lot of shots. He's a very disciplined offensive player."   [player_tooltip player_id='1303091' first='Konnar' last='Furman'] - 6'5 Forward - Aberdeen Christian - c/o 2025   "Konnar is a big physical wing presence. He's really strong and athletic, so getting to the rim isn't an issue. He's got good skill when he gets downhill. He's really efficient in catch-and-shoot situations. Tough and physical defender who looks to send shots away. Hard on the glass. He's a multi-position player. He can guard every position as well guarding guards on the perimeter, or fighting down low on the block. We will use him at multiple positions with our sets and actions. I think a lot of people will be surprised by his upside."   [player_tooltip player_id='1380720' first='Paul' last='Parsley'] - 6'2 Guard - Flandreau - c/o 2025   "Paul is overall just a tough and disciplined player. He's very strong and physical when attacking the rim. Looking to bump his defenders off of him and finish strong at the rim. Which ties into his backside-cutting ability. He's really smart in waiting for his defender to stunt in or help over, cutting behind them for efficient offense. He's very smooth with how he plays. High IQ."   [player_tooltip player_id='1626414' first='Jaxon' last='Koch'] - 6'3 Forward - Bridgewater/Emery - c/o 2025   "Jaxon is built strong with a solid frame, and has a physicality to his game that makes him tough to handle on both ends of the floor. He's very explosive and athletic, which helps him in getting to the rim and finishing with toughness. He can step out and knock down open threes. But his tenacious rebounding ability and tough defense is what really sets him apart."   [player_tooltip player_id='1377249' first='Jackson' last='Eisemann'] - 5'11 Guard - Mobridge/Pollack - c/o 2025   "Jackson is a tough and gritty lefty who can do a lot with the ball in his hands. He's a very crafty playmaker. Skilled with his ball-handling capabilities. Very effective at taking defenders off the cross, or using his hesitation to get downhill. Very good facilitator. Always finds the open man. Really good in catch-and-shoot situations. A disciplined defender who has a knack for getting steals."   [player_tooltip player_id='1783726' first='Ellis' last='Russell'] - 6'3 Forward - Aberdeen Christian - c/o 2025   "Ellis is a smart and smooth prospect. Great length to his frame. Makes the smart plays, and doesn't force anything. Good around the rim both attacking downhill and in post-up situations. Gritty defender and rebounder. He's a pass-first kind of wing. Likes to use his size and length to make plays for others. Very tough player.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SD-Identity-blue-crop-2165x1422-1683045501.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SD-Identity-blue-crop-2165x1422-1683045501.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1943316" /></a></figure>   Q&A with Greg Kahler   PHD: Why are you excited about this team/roster?   Coach Kahler: "What we lack in height, we will make up with speed and versatility. We are aiming to break team's downs by getting out and running and beating them with quick and effective ball movement. But the main characteristics I see with this group is their overall basketball IQ, competitiveness, and willingness to defend at a high level. We have smart players, who make the right plays, and make the right reads, and who play at a high level on both ends at all times. We will run into teams more talented than us, no doubt. But, we will hang our hat on the fact that no one will outwork us. We are going to play at a high level that closely emulates what you see within a college program."   PHD: How often will your team practice/work out?   Coach Kahler: "We will practice quite often throughout the summer. We have guys who have to travel a long way, so we cater our practice times and dates to better suit their travel time. Because they travel far, we will usually have 2 practices on the day they come. One dedicated to our team development. Working on what we need to work on. And the other will be more focused on the individual player. Working diligently on their skill development and IQ enhancement. We have a great group of coaches who are all dedicated to making these kids all-around better basketball players. There will be a few times this summer where we plan to bring in an NBA Skills Trainer, as well as some pros from NBA and G-League to give these kids some high-level teaching."   PHD: What will a couple of your strengths be as a team?   Coach Kahler: "We want to play with pace, we want to play with space, and we want to play with the pass. We will be an up-tempo team by pushing the ball in transition and moving in the half-court with purpose and efficiency. Our speed and athleticism will be one of our greatest strengths as a team. All 9 guys can handle the ball well, so we will operate with the mentality to rebound and run. I think our biggest strength offensively will be our guys with high basketball IQ. When you have that, it opens up a lot more opportunities to run and execute different sets and actions. We want to run things that better prepare our guys for the college game. We also have guys that love to defend, so that will be an area that really benefits us all summer long."   PHD: What style of basketball will you play on the offensive end?   Coach Kahler: "We will have a few options on offense, one being a motion-style offense with active cutters and screeners. I believe it is better to teach our players how to make plays (how to pass, cut, screen, and read the defense) and give them the freedom to make plays and reads. We will emphasize attacking the rim with dribble penetration, looking for shots at the rim, kick-out threes, and backside cutters. We don't have any traditional big men. Our height can step out and shoot, as well as use their skill to get to the rim. So we want to spread things out and exploit matchups with all of our playmakers. So we will run some ball screen continuity as well. Getting continuous ball screens on the wings, and step-up screens in the slots. We're going to put pressure on defenses by letting our players be aggressive playmakers."   PHD: What brand of defense do you foresee your team playing?   Coach Kahler: "Defensively I want to be a tough, talkative, high-level communication team. We will be tied together defensively to be disruptive, and to force teams out of their comfort zone. We will stress the importance of defensive rebounding which will lead into our up-tempo offensive style of play. We can take teams out of actions by switching a lot of screens and pushing the ball handlers away from open space. We're going to press and trap and go for steals. It's all about applied pressure. Which will be our primary aim and focus."   PHD: Is there an event/tournament you are most looking forward to and why?   Coach Kahler: "We're looking forward to our first tournament up in Minneapolis. The Battle at the Lakes event. This is always a great event to attend with the high-level competition present as well as the tools in place to better benefit the exposure of our players. It's also nice for our kids to get out of South Dakota to compete against competition they've never seen before. Regardless if we win or lose, it's always great to play against great competition."   PHD: Why did you join the Prep Hoops Circuit?   Coach Kahler: "This will be the first summer for our [program_tooltip program_id='2145852' first='SD' last='Identity'] program. We wanted to ensure our players were getting high-level competition and quality exposure. There's no better circuit to be on than the Prep Hoops circuit. Our parents and supporters really like that if they can't make it to watch, they can stream the games via BallerTV. There's just no better tournament environment than what Prep Hoops gives."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/PHCircuitLaunch-crop-475x312-1681138030.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/PHCircuitLaunch-crop-475x312-1681138030.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1902939" /></a></figure>

Today we are looking at South Dakota's newest AAU program, SD Identity! Our focus will be on their 16U squad.