Q&A with 3 SD Coaches

PHD is here to talk South Dakota basketball! We caught up with two Class B coaches and one Class A coach and we asked them a series of questions. Take some time to read below about the Knights, Wolverines, and Comets. We have many players below that you will want to hear about and the coaches had interesting things to say about their respective squads.   See below for PHD's conversations with Aaron Moeller (Aberdeen Christian), Lenny Schroeder (Herreid-Sleby Area), and Kyle Courtney (Rapid City Christian).   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/IMG_6271.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/IMG_6271.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2254915" /></a></figure>   Q&A with coach Aaron Moeller from Aberdeen Christian   PHD: What can you tell us about last season?   "Last season was the conclusion of a great run by a talented group of Seniors. Last season's starting five were all seniors and that group made it to the State Tournament four straight years! Though three returning players received some varsity minutes last season, not one averaged more than six minutes per game. As a result, one could say this year's team will be a completely new group of contributors."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team?   "I feel like this new group had a great off-season. The team played a lot of great competition from both North Dakota and South Dakota, playing B, A, and AA school competition. Because this is a new starting group, I feel like the summer season practices and games gave us a good head start on the upcoming season. Despite a lot of youth and a completely new top seven, I think we will surprise some people. Though this is a new group, this is not a rebuild situation. I would certainly classify it as a reset, but I think we'll be a Regional contender."   PHD: Who are some players to watch for the Knights this season?   "This team has a few players that I think will surprise some people. This year's team starts with 6'4” post player, Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1945157' first='Joey' last='Johnson']. First and foremost, he is the unquestioned leader of the team. The coaching staff and the other players respect him. Though Johnson isn't as tall as some post players in the state, he's an extremely strong kid who plays with a lot of power. He will be a handful for any opponent in the post area. He also runs the court well and has a great perimeter shot so he is a threat to score from anywhere. After Johnson, we have a couple 6'5” guys that I like to call Swiss-army knife-type guys because they can do it all. Both Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1303091' first='Konnar' last='Furman'] and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1821026' first='Becker' last='Bosma'] work well in the post, and both can shoot the perimeter shot. Though both are untested as Varsity starters, I expect both to have a good season scoring the ball. 6'3” Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1783726' first='Ellis' last='Russell'] will also play a key role for us. As our team's floor general, he will have the ball in his hands a lot. For our team to be successful, we need Ellis to be successful."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-n-comers to look out for?   "A couple up-and-comers to be on the look out for are two freshmen. First, is 6'2” guard [player_tooltip player_id='2255041' first='Luke' last='Kaiser']. He is without question the team's best overall athlete. He's got length, he can really jump, and he's quick. Kaiser, who will play on [program_tooltip program_id='2228190' first='Team' last='Warwick']'s 15U ‘A' team next summer, will likely be named a starter this season and will be a key player for us on both ends of the court. The other Freshman is 6'3” post player, [player_tooltip player_id='2255042' first='Brooks' last='Jett']. Jett is a very talented player who is just beginning to scratch his potential. In my 20+ years of coaching, he is one of the smartest players I have coached. He has a natural feel for the game and hasn't yet begun to grow. I expect him to be at least 6'6” in another year. He will see the court this year as a freshman and will be a significant contributor in another year."   PHD: What style of basketball will you play?   "I have always had a vision of playing with a lot of defensive pressure and tempo. We are young and inexperienced, but I think we have the players to begin playing that style of basketball. I feel like we have several good athletes who have played a lot of basketball. Due to our youth, we will certainly be a work in progress. I expect that we will be a much better team in February than what we will show in December."   PHD: What are your goals for the season?   "I know it can sound a bit like coach speak, but my primary goal for the team is to improve daily. I am a process guy. If we are all in, each day of the season, we'll be in the right place by season's end. Like previous years, our program goal at Aberdeen Christian is to make the State Tournament. I think we'll need some things to go our way to get there but that's certainly our goal."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "In my opinion, two teams to contend with in our Region start with Warner and Leola/Frederick. Warner has a couple of very talented and experienced Seniors, and those two guys are surrounded by some young talent and size. Warner is our first game of the season. We'll have our hands full with that squad. Leola/Frederick will also be a tough out for any team in the area. They have a talented senior who can really shoot the ball and he has a very good supporting cast surrounding him. Leola/Frederick has a lot of up-and-coming, talented young players so they will be a significant test for the next few years. We will see Leola/Frederick in our second game of the season. Our first two games will tell us a lot about who we are right away to start the season."   Best of luck to the Knights this season!   Q&A with coach Lenny Schroeder from Herreid-Selby Area   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "Last year's team finished 9 and 7. They played hard and made great improvements throughout the year."   How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "Our offseason went by fast as our players are involved in many summer activities. Open gyms were well attended."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for and why?   "Sr. Trevor Gill – 6'3” Forward – 3 year starter"   "Sr. Mason Vetter – 5'9” Guard – 2 year starter"   "Sr. Wayde Grage – 6'3” Forward – 1 year starter"   "Sr. Cole Zabel – 5'9” Guard – 1 year starter"   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   "So. Xavier Ritter – 6'3” Center"   "So. Keegan Russell – 6'2” Forward"   "Fr. Adonis Mills – 5'9” Guard"   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "Ball control motion offense. We want to be smart with the basketball."   "Aggressive 2-3 Zone and M2M. We want to deny the basket and force teams to make that 3rd and 4th pass."   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "Growth – We graduated two key players from our program last year. We need to replace their leadership and production."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "Lower Brule – Tournament team from a year ago, Faulkton – They return a talented ball club poised for a great year, Potter County – They return a talented ball club as well."   Best of luck to the Wolverines this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RC-Comets-Logo-Gold-.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RC-Comets-Logo-Gold-.jpg?w=643" alt="" class="wp-image-2255170" /></a></figure>   Q&A with coach Kyle Courtney from Rapid City Christian   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "We finished with a 20-2 record last season. The 20 wins tied the program record for wins in a season. We also were the Champions of the Lakota Nation Invitational Tournament in December, which was an honor. However, we did have a disappointing finish to our season when we were knocked off by Hot Springs in a Region Final game. While we lost 2 senior starters and a couple of key bench players to graduation, we do return a good chunk of our rotation from last year."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "We had a good offseason. We had a good nucleus of players that played in our summer program and put in the work. We played in some good team camps this summer and also had good participation in our summer lifting program. We feel our defense and rebounding are areas of improvement for us still."   Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   "We return our top 2 scorers from last year in juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1503881' first='Benson' last='Kieffer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1761812' first='Julius' last='Frog']. Both of them are special players and are very passionate about the game. They both also had good off-seasons and AAU seasons. Benson is our point guard and really is the motor that drives us. He is an intense competitor who was our leading scorer as a sophomore. Julius is a 6'5" post player with a feathery touch on his jump shot and cool and calm demeanor on the floor. He is primed for a big year. We look for them to lead us along with 2 other key junior returners who played big roles on last year's team - [player_tooltip player_id='2075359' first='Simon' last='Kieffer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2255238' first='Wes' last='Schlabach']. Simon is a returning starter and Wes was our 6th man last season. Those 4 will form a strong junior nucleus for us this year."   [player_tooltip player_id='1503881' first='Benson' last='Kieffer'] - 15.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.7 apg   [player_tooltip player_id='1761812' first='Julius' last='Frog'] - 13.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1 apg   [player_tooltip player_id='2075359' first='Simon' last='Kieffer'] - 5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.1 apg   [player_tooltip player_id='2255238' first='Wes' last='Schlabach'] - 4.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2 apg   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   "Other players in the mix for our rotation this year include senior players, Jack Bybbe, [player_tooltip player_id='1394430' first='Wilson' last='Kieffer'], and Cayden Von Eye. Junior Aiden Roberts and Sophomore Julius Duran also look to factor into the mix of our rotation this year. Julius Duran is a player to keep an eye out for the next 3 years, as we feel he has the potential to be an impact player for us."   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "We like to get up and down the floor and play with pace. We feel it is to our advantage with the speed and quickness we have. But our goal is to be a team that just finds ways to win on any given night, no matter what the other team throws at us."   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "Our goals each year are to make the State Tournament and compete well there and also to win the Black Hills Conference title and the LNI title."   PHD: In your opinion, who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "In our Region I expect there to be some solid competition this year. I anticipate Hot Springs to be very good again as they return the majority of their State Tournament team last year and have some very good athletes and are well coached. St Thomas More will again be very solid as they have a tremendous program there under Coach Hollenback. Both Custer and Hill City also return almost their entire teams and Belle Fourche is always a tough and scrappy team."   Best of luck to the Comets 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 South Dakota basketball! We caught up with two Class B coaches and one Class A coach and we asked them a series of questions. Take some time to read below about the Knights, Wolverines, and Comets. We have many players below that you will want to hear about and the coaches had interesting things to say about their respective squads.