Previews: Hanson, Huron, Watertown
In this article:
Happy Thanksgiving!! If you need a break from the commotion of the holiday, talking with friends & family, or decide to take a timeout from the feast, we have some Team Previews for you! We are only days away from…
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Continue ReadingHappy Thanksgiving!!
If you need a break from the commotion of the holiday, talking with friends & family, or decide to take a timeout from the feast, we have some Team Previews for you! We are only days away from the hoops season starting! The first practices get rolling on Monday the 27th.
In this piece, we have info on the Beavers, Tigers, and Arrows.
Team Information
Team: Hanson Beavers Class: A Region: 5 Head Coach: Josh Oltmanns
Team: Huron Tigers Class: AA Head Coach: Tim Buddenhagen
Team: Watertown Arrows Class: AA Head Coach: Pat McClemans
Hanson Beavers
Top Returning Players for the Beavers
SR
Jayce Slaba
Jayce
Slaba
6'0" | CG
Hanson | 2024
State
SD
– 2-year starter, 13 ppg
SR
Isayah Price
Isayah
Price
6'6" | PF
Hanson | 2024
State
SD
– Coming off a missed season due to an Injury
SR Hayden Schoreder – Coming off a missed season due to an injury
SR Talen Weber
JR
Sutton Dewald
Sutton
Dewald
5'10" | CG
Hanson | 2025
SD
– 2-year stater 5.5 ppg
JR Ben Wilber – 4 ppg
JR
AJ Wilber
AJ
Wilber
6'4" | SF
Hanson | 2025
State
SD
– 4 ppg
JR Tye Hernandez
Jr Carter Popp
JR Jeren Zens
JR Keaton Weber
Season Expectations from coach Josh Oltmanns
“We have a couple of players that missed last season due to injuries. The good news from that is others got to play and now have experience. We have a multitude of players that can play, so finding the right group for the right situation will be fun. The competition level at practice
should be intense and bring out the best in all the players.“
Top Teams on the Beaver Schedule from coach Oltmanns
“Ethan, Howard, MCM, Canistota, Bridgewater/Emery, Canton, MVP“
“Looking forward to kicking the season off. We have a lot of kids that played last year back, so we hope to be competitive in each game we play.” -Josh Oltmanns
Beaver Schedule
12/8 – at Ethan
12/12 – home vs. McCook Central/Montrose
12/15 – at Menno
12/18 – at Corn Palace vs. Kimball/White Lake
12/21 – at Lyman
12/29 – home vs. Irene-Wakonda
1/2 – at Parkston
1/4 – at Viborg-Hurley
1/11 – at Parker
1/16 – at Howard
1/18 – home vs. Canistota
1/20 – at Corn Palace (Hanson Classic) vs. TBD
1/23 – home vs. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket
1/26 – home vs. Bridgewater-Emery
1/30 – home vs. Wagner
2/1 – home vs. Mount Vernon/Plankinton
2/6 – at Freeman
2/13 – home vs. Chamberlain
2/16 – home vs. Canton
2/23 – at Mitchell Christian
Best of luck to the Beavers this season!
Huron Tigers
Q&A with coach Tim Buddenhagen
PHD: Can you tell us a bit about last season?
“We finished 7-14 last year. We were 7-2 when we scored 60 or more points but only 1-13 when scoring less than 60 points. We were one-dimensional relying a lot on Reilyn Zavesky as he averaged 27 points per game. Our pace of the game was slowed down in the second half of the season and we were not getting a lot of offensive possessions. Blake Ellwein Blake Ellwein 6'8" | SF Huron | 2026 State SD was injured and sat out about 8 games which hurt our offensive output.“
PHD: How did the off-season go for your team?
“This off-season our guys were involved in individual workouts, open gyms throughout the week, and various team camps. We made a lot of progress this summer. We are excited to continue to improve.“
PHD: Who are some of your top players to watch?
Blake Ellwein Blake Ellwein 6'8" | SF Huron | 2026 State SD 6″8″ Sophomore: “He can handle the ball, he has good court vision, he shoots it well from the outside. We are hoping he is tough to match up with.“
Gavin Moeding Gavin Moeding 5'11" | CG Huron | 2024 State SD 5″10″ Senior: “Hardnosed defender, handles the ball well and can get us into our offense, quick off the bounce, gets us a lot of second shots because of his ability to get to the offensive glass, tremendous leader.“
CJ Gainey 6″1″ Senior: “He has good range on his jumper, quick off the bounce, he has grit on defense. He and Gavin should be one of the better sets of guards because of their toughness and leadership skills.“
Anderson Porisch Anderson Porisch 6'4" | SF Huron | 2027 State SD 6″4″ Freshmen: “He has good range, he is athletic, and will be able to score in a variety of different ways for us.“
“We should be competitive this year. We have a lot of guys returning that gained experience last year. We have good depth which should make our practices competitive. Guys will have to step up and compete for playing time.“
PHD: What style of basketball will you play?
“We want to be a race and space team. Get the ball out and attack the defense before they can match up. We want to take advantage of mismatches and create scoring opportunities off of our offensive actions. We will want to be able to spread and shoot it and attack poor closeouts.“
“Defensively we would like to put pressure on teams and force them into tough shots. We can extend our defense and use our quickness and athleticism.“
PHD: Do you have any team goals?
“We would like to improve each week and be able to get to the State Tournament.“
PHD: Who do you see as the top teams in AA?
“1. Harrisburg 2. Jefferson 3. Washington 4. Stevens 5. Lincoln“
Best of luck to the Tigers this season!
Watertown Arrows
Top Statistical Returners
Kohen Kranz Kohen Kranz 6'0" | CG Watertown | 2024 State SD (sr) – 21 gp, 8.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 39.5 FG%
Caden Beauchamp Caden Beauchamp 6'4" | PF Watertown | 2024 State SD (sr) – 21 gp, 7.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 47.1 FG%
Jake Olson Jake Olson 6'2" | SF Watertown | 2024 State SD (sr) – 21 gp, 10.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2 apg, 38.2 FG%
Marcus Rabine Marcus Rabine 6'1" | SF Watertown | 2024 State SD (sr) – 20 gp, 2.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 42.3 FG%
Dylon Rawdon Dylon Rawdon 6'0" | PG Watertown | 2024 State SD (sr) – 20 gp, 9.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 34.8 FG%
Will Engstrom (sr) – 19 gp, 3.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .6 apg, 43.5 FG%
Brody Torgerson (sr) – 15 gp, 1.5 ppg, .8 rpg, .3 apg, 61.5 FG%
Mitch Olson (jr) – 10 gp, .6 ppg, .4 rpg, .4 apg, 37.5 FG%
Peyton Buisker (sr) – 7 gp, 1.6 ppg, 1 rpg, .7 apg, 40 FG%
Q&A with coach Pat McClemans
PHD: How did last season go for the Arrows?
“Last season ended up 7-14 with a SoDak 16 loss to Mitchell.“
PHD: What players do you return?
“ Dylon Rawdon Dylon Rawdon 6'0" | PG Watertown | 2024 State SD PG, Kohen Kranz Kohen Kranz 6'0" | CG Watertown | 2024 State SD G, Jake Olson Jake Olson 6'2" | SF Watertown | 2024 State SD G/F, Caden Beauchamp Caden Beauchamp 6'4" | PF Watertown | 2024 State SD F, Marcus Rabine Marcus Rabine 6'1" | SF Watertown | 2024 State SD F, Brody Torgerson G, Will Engstrom G, Peyton Buisker G, Mitch Olson F.“
“We return 9 letter winners and 5 players who started throughout the course of the season.“
PHD: How did the offseason go for your squad?
“Offseason we felt was productive. However even with returning the number of players, just because you are a year older doesn’t mean you are a year better.“
PHD: General thoughts on the season?
“A lack of size is a concern both offensively and defensively. Hope to be able to improve and be competitive as the season progresses.“
PHD: Who do you see as the top teams in AA?
“Harrisburg, Brandon Valley, all of the SIoux Falls schools“
Best of luck to the Arrows this season!