Hoop Talk with 3 SD Coaches

PHD is here to talk SD high school basketball! We caught up with two Class A coaches and one Class B coach and we asked them a series of questions and we received some interesting responses. Take some time to read below about the Braves, Tigers, and Crusaders. We have many players below that you will want to hear about and the coaches gave us some intriguing information.   See below for PHD's conversations with Galen Eberhard (Cheyenne-Eagle Butte), Nick Koepsell (Howard), and Christian McGhee (Red Cloud).   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1634111" /></a></figure>   Q&A with coach Galen Eberhard from Cheyenne-Eagle Butte   PHD: How would you sum up last season?   "Last season we gained a lot of valuable experience, took our hits on the chin, and continued to grow as a unit."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "A lot of the kids played AAU ball and were in the weight room during the summer."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   "Todd Laplante – Sr. 5'11 G. Todd is a tenacious defender and a corner 3 specialist. 3.5 ppg 2 rpg"   "Braxton Kennedy – Sr. 6'8 C. Big Brax came on late in the year and had some very big JV games. He put in a lot of work this off-season. 2 ppg 1 rpg"   "Danah Diver – Jr. 5'10 F. Danah got moved up late in the season. Plays hard and has a nice touch around the basket."   "[player_tooltip player_id='1855047' first='Easton' last='Lawrence'] – Jr. 6'5 C/PF. Easton is that old-school back-to-the-basket post player with great feet and a soft touch. 6 ppg 4.5 rpg"   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1855256' first='Nehemiah' last='Veaux'] – So. 6'1 G/F. Neo has a very high basketball IQ and can play multiple positions on the floor. 2.7 ppg 2 rpg"   "[player_tooltip player_id='1855028' first='Damien' last='Clown'] – So. 5'10 G. Damien is a great shooter who can get hot and put a lot of points up quickly. 5.8 ppg"   "Dayson Kennedy – So. 5'10 G. Dayson has a super high motor and can score from all over the floor. 2 ppg 1 rpg"   "[player_tooltip player_id='1855029' first='Levi' last='Elk Nation'] – So. 5'9 G. Another high motor tenacious defender. Loves the dirty work. Levi led the State in charges taken last season (according to Max Preps). 4.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 20 charges taken"   "Austin Johnson – So. 5'11 G. Austin has a very mature game on both sides of the floor. He will be looked at as a young leader this season. Has been on varsity since 8th grade. 5 ppg 3.5 rpg"   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "Fast-paced and hard-nosed."   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "To continue building & growing as a team."   PHD: In your opinion, who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "The Region should be really competitive this season. Crow Creek, Mclaughlin, Miller, and Stanley County all return a lot of talent and experience."   Best of luck to the Braves this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/HowardTigers-Logo_Centered-crop-681x447-1698439314.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/HowardTigers-Logo_Centered-crop-681x447-1698439314.jpg?w=680" alt="" class="wp-image-2257263" /></a></figure>   Q&A with coach Nick Koepsell from Howard   PHD: What can you tell us about last season?   "We finished last season with a 16-7 record. Finished 2nd seed in our Region and beat Bridgewater/Emery in the Region Championship to advance to the SoDak 16. Lost to White River in the SoDak 16."   PHD: How did the offseason go for the team?   "We had a good offseason. We went to a couple of team camps that had tough competition. Our only loss this summer was to Groton in the Cornbelt Camp in Mitchell. We beat Mount Vernon/Plankinton, Wolsey/Wessington, James Valley Christian, & Hanson at that camp. We also went to the Webster team camp and beat a very good Faith team there along with wins over Ipswich & Waverly/South Shore. We had really good attendance at our weekly open gyms led by our upperclassmen."   PHD: Who are the top players to watch for the Tigers?   "6'4 Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1503843' first='Luke' last='Koepsell'] is our top returning player. He was a First-Team All-Conference selection last season. Luke was our leading scorer last season as a sophomore averaging 13.7 ppg. He is a great all-around player as he also averages 6.3 rpg & 3.5 apg. Luke doesn't get the publicity or notoriety that the other top players in the state get due to the fact he doesn't play on a high-profile summer program. He is an all-around athlete, so he spends his summers playing baseball and attends football camps along with his basketball responsibilities, so he isn't able to play in the high-end summer circuits. Luke has All-State talent, and we are expecting a huge season from him."   "[player_tooltip player_id='1318807' first='Kolt' last='Koepsell'] is a 6'8 senior who averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg. Kolt is a great post player with exceptional footwork and has the capabilities of stepping out and knocking down the mid-range jumper as well. Kolt consistently sees double teams and still puts up big numbers. The majority of our offense will run through Kolt again this season."   "6'2 senior [player_tooltip player_id='2257316' first='Taiden' last='Hoyer'] is a returning starter that averaged 7.6 ppg and 3.0 rpg. Taiden is the best athlete on our team and is capable of big nights. We will look for him to be a consistent scorer this season and help stretch the floor so our bigs can work down low."   "5'11 senior Colby Claussen is another returning starter who will be looked upon to handle the ball a lot more this season and will be asked to guard the opposing team's best perimeter player. Colby averaged 6.6 ppg last season and is a very good outside shooter."   PHD: Do you have any new names we should know about?   "Senior guards Will Maier and Logan Mentele have been major contributors the last couple of seasons and will be pushing for starting spots this year. They are both very good shooters and are ready for bigger roles. Junior forwards Carson Hinker and Austin Severson will also be asked to be factors this season. They both had great summers and will provide quality depth for our front court."   PHD: What style of basketball will you play?   "We will once again play through our post players. Both [player_tooltip player_id='1503843' first='Luke' last='Koepsell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1318807' first='Kolt' last='Koepsell'] are capable of huge scoring nights around the rim. They are both willing passers when the double and triple teams come. We have the athleticism to run more this season so we hope to push the pace a little more than we have in the past."   PHD: What are some of your team goals this season?   "Our goals will be to try and finish top 2 in our Region, make the State Tournament, and ultimately have a chance to play for a State Championship."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams in Region 3?   "Dell Rapids St Mary, Canistota, Bridgewater/Emery, Ethan, and Howard will all be in the mix for top seeds in our Region. We have had one of the toughest regions in the state for years and this season will be no different. We have a number of All-State caliber players in our region."   Best of luck to the Tigers this season!   Q&A with coach Christian McGhee from Red Cloud   PHD: What can you tell us about last season?   "Last season was very up and down for us as we had to deal with injuries. It was a very weird season and a down year for us, but we are definitely looking to bounce back in a positive way this year."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team?   "Our off-season went great! We had tons of kids in the summer doing speed and strength workouts as well as skill-specific fundamentals for our players. We played in a league at Rapid City Stevens where we took 2nd and lost to Stevens in the Championship. We feel we have developed everyone who came throughout the Summer."   PHD: Who will be your top players to watch?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1842328' first='Monty' last='Montileaux'] (12.7 pp, 7.3 rpg, 2 apg, 2.1 spg) will be one of our top players- he can score at all 3 levels and rebound. He passes the ball very well. Long arms so he is very good defensively."   "Nick Zuniga (4.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .7 apg, .6 spg) is another returner for us who is our best perimeter defender and brings toughness to our young group- he shoots the ball extremely well."   "Nate LeBeaux transferred back to us from Lakota Tech and is our 3rd senior who will bring experience and toughness to our group as well."   PHD: Who are some of your newcomers to look out for?   "Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1842419' first='Braylon' last='Little'] who would have played last year if it weren't for some injuries he sustained. He took a huge step and will be looked upon to be another leader for our team."   "Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1842420' first='Josh' last='Anderson'] will be another player asked to step up for our group. Josh has been on the varsity team since his freshman year. He got some experience toward the end of his sophomore season."   PHD: What style of basketball will you play?   "We feel like we will be a fast group so we want to play up-tempo style."   PHD: What are some team goals for the season?   "A few goals would be to win LNI, win the Black Hills Conference, and make a run to the State Tournament."    PHD: Who will be some of the top teams in your Region?   "Aside from us, I think Pine Ridge and Winner will be very solid this year. Pine Ridge has some transfers who came in to make their team deep and Winner has a few returners who will be good. Lakota Tech has the athleticism to be very dangerous."   Best of luck to the Crusaders this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/SD-1.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/SD-1.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1399487" /></a></figure>

PHD is here to talk SD high school basketball! We caught up with two Class A coaches and one Class B coach and we asked them a series of questions and we received some interesting responses. Take some time to read below about the Braves, Tigers, and Crusaders. We have many players below that you will want to hear about and the coaches gave us some intriguing information.