Dakotas Hoop Chat

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are chatting with two South Dakota coaches and one North Dakota coach in this season preview article. We shot a series of questions at the coaches and they gave us back some interesting information. Take some time to read below about the Cubs, Chargers, and Imperials. We have many players below that you will want to hear about and the coaches gave us some dynamite material.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>See below for PHD's conversations with&nbsp;<em>Grant Johnson</em>&nbsp;(Alcester-Hudson),&nbsp;<em>Brian White</em>&nbsp;(Sully Buttes), and&nbsp;<em>Logan Klitzke</em>&nbsp;(Napoleon-G-S).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1634111,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <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> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color"><strong>Q&amp;A with coach <em>Grant Johnson</em> from Alcester-Hudson</strong></mark></span></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>"<em>Last season ended disappointingly with a loss in the first game of postseason play. We ended up going 6-15 and have a lot to improve on going into this season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: How did the offseason go for your squad? </span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>During the offseason, the boys put in a lot of hours training in the gym and went to several camps in our area.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who are some of your young up-and-coming players?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2262268' first='Evan' last='Haak']</strong> is a talented Freshman who could play important minutes for us. <strong>Tommy Walth</strong> is also a talented underclassman but he unfortunately tore his ACL during football season. <strong>Jackson Meyer</strong>, <strong>Ethan Brown</strong>, <strong>Izaac Sommervold</strong>, and <strong>Logan Rodriquez</strong> are all freshmen who could play in the future.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>We will hopefully play more uptempo than we have in the past. We plan on playing more man-to-man defense and more aggressive. In order to do this successfully we will have to have some underclassmen step up for us.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: What are some of your team goals?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Some of our team goals are to go above .500 this season and compete for the Conference Title.</em>" </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who will be some of the top teams in your Region?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Some of the top teams in our region are Viborg-Hurley, Centerville, and Freeman.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Top Statistical Returners for the Cubs</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2262354' first='Jose' last='Topete-Lopez'] (2025) |5'11 G| </strong>- 9.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .4 apg, 1 spg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2262355' first='Ethan' last='Bovill'] (2025) |6'1 G|</strong> - 9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.9 spg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>William Hallaway (2024) |6'5 G|</strong> - 1.8 ppg, 2 rpg, .7 apg, .4 spg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mateo Kleinhans (2024) |6'1 G|</strong> - 5.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, .7 spg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Evan Brown (2025) |5'10 G|</strong> - 5.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .8 apg, 1.5 spg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323776' first='Dominic' last='Van Egdom'] (2024) |6'5 F|</strong> - 10.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"30px","fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"800"}}} --> <p style="font-size:30px;font-style:italic;font-weight:800">Best of luck to the Cubs this season!<a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/HowardTigers-Logo_Centered-crop-681x447-1698439314.jpg"></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline"><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">Q&amp;A with coach <em>Brian White</em> from Sully Buttes</mark></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>"<em>Last season was an uphill climb as we played a lot of really difficult competition. Our challenging schedule made us better as the season went on and we ended up being a pretty good basketball team by the end.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: How did the offseason go for your team?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>We had a great offseason and I am really excited about what this team has the ability to do this upcoming season. We are going to be very young and undersized, but this is a very gritty group of kids who I believe will be able to play tough defense against our opponents.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who are a few of your top returning players?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Our top three returning players are [player_tooltip player_id='2262487' first='Logan' last='Severson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2262482' first='Trevor' last='Marshall'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1959413' first='Wesley' last='Wittler']. These three will be the backbone of our team this season. Both Logan and Trevor can attack the rim and provide physicality, great defense, and rebounding. Wesley can score from anywhere on the floor - he has deep range but can also get to the rim. He is one of the top sophomores in South Dakota and we look forward to watching him improve this season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who are a few of your up-n-coming players to watch for in the future?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>We are excited about some other guys like <strong>Gavin Colson</strong> and <strong>Gavin Barber</strong>. Gavin C brings energy on both ends of the floor with his shooting, driving ability, and multi-positional defense. Gavin B brings the physicality and athleticism to guard anyone on the court after his success on the football field. Other contributors will be <strong>Eli Mercer</strong>, <strong>Preston Kinney</strong>, and <strong>Teghan Westphal</strong>. All these guys have roles to play and allow us to utilize multiple styles.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Do you have any final comments on your team?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Even though we are young and undersized, this is a gritty group of kids. We will aim to get after teams defensively and look to build on last season's improvement. It should be an exciting year!</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"800","fontSize":"30px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:30px;font-style:italic;font-weight:800"><strong>Best of luck to the Chargers this season!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline"><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">Q&amp;A with coach <em>Logan Klitzke</em>&nbsp;from Napoleon-G-S</mark></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>"<em>Last season we went 8-14. Overall, we were young and still gained a lot of experience. The season was a grind, and every game was a fight.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: How did the offseason go for your team?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>This offseason went well. We went to a team camp in Rapid City and had a lot of good competition. We had open gyms working on different skills and playing together as a team.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who are a few players to look out for this season?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>A couple of our top players are [player_tooltip player_id='1852679' first='Trevor' last='Moos'], senior. He has the speed that will outrun anyone on the court great for fastbreaks. As well as a great midrange shot.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em><strong>Carter Haas</strong>, senior. Defensively really good footwork as well as a good ball handler.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2262488' first='Tristan' last='Schaffner']</strong>, Junior. The point guard who runs the offense well. His aggressiveness gets him to the hoop and he finishes well.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who are some of your young up-n-coming players?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>A couple of upcomers coming in the near future are <strong>Bill Schmidtt</strong>, Sophomore. He has really good ball handling as well as a shooter.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em><strong>Jackson Piatz</strong> &amp; <strong>Brenden Zenker</strong>, Freshman</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: What style of basketball will you play?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>We are going to have to play very fundamental basketball this year and trust each other as a team. We have to capitalize on the little things that add up to the big plays.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: What are your goals for this season?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Team goals this year. Make it to Regionals and be above 500.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who do you see as the top teams in your Region?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Top in the Region - South Border (has a lot of returners that play very good basketball), Edgeley, Ellendale, LaMoure.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Imperial Schedule</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nov 17 - First Practice</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dec 8 - vs. Center-Stanton @ Linton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dec 9 - vs. GlenUllin/Hebron @ Linton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dec 15 - vs. Sargent County @ Napoleon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dec 18 - vs. Barnes County North @ Napoleon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dec 21 - vs. Enderlin @ Enderlin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dec 29 - vs. Garrison @ Bismarck State</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 2 - vs. New Rockford/Sheyenne @ New Rockford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 5 - vs. Solen-Cannonball @ Jamestown Civic Center</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 6 - vs. Drake-Anamoose @ Jamestown Civic Center</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 12 - vs. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan @ Medina</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 13 - vs. Oakes @ Gackle-Streeter</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 20 - vs. Ellendale @ Napoleon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 22 - vs. Kidder County @ Steele</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 26 - vs. Linton/HMB @ Napoleon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jan 30 - vs. LLM @ Napoleon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Feb 2 - vs. South Border @ Wishek</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Feb 5 - vs. Griggs-Midkota @ Glenfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Feb 8 - vs. EKM @ Napoleon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playoffs start on Feb 8 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"30px","fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"800"}}} --> <p style="font-size:30px;font-style:italic;font-weight:800"><strong>Best of luck to the Imperials this season!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1272514,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1272514"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->