West Central Trojans: Hoops Intro

Most of the football teams in South Dakota have packed away their pads into storage. However, that is not the case with the Trojans. West Central is 10-1 on the season, ranked #2, and they have a date with destiny on Friday at the DakotaDome. The Trojans play Dell Rapids in the 11A State Championship Game at 2:00. Best of luck to the Trojans!     With all that said, it is time to talk some basketball. PHD believes that the West Central Trojans are going to be one of the top teams in Class A this winter. They will have one of the longest lineups in South Dakota, some veteran players, young talent, and a quality coach. This all leads me to believe that the Trojans will be one of the best. One player to keep eyes on is [player_tooltip player_id='1415234' first='Jake' last='Kuhl'] who transferred to West Central this offseason. He is a 7-footer with a ton of potential and he committed to Northern State during the summer. I know one thing, coach Sittig's squad will be high on my watchlist early in the season!   See below much more info on the Trojans from West Central.   Team: West Central   Mascot: Trojan   Head Coach: Jacob Sittig (9th season 96-101)   Assistant Coaches: Adam Herther and Zane Jira   2022-23 Season: 11-11 (Lost in Region Semifinals)   Class: A   Region: 3   Program History   State Champions in 2000 & 2001, State Runner-Up in 1994 & 1999, Last State Tournament Appearance - 2001   Trojans have had a .500 record or above four of the last five seasons after many consecutive sub .500 seasons.   <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>   Player Comments from Jacob Sittig   Returners   [player_tooltip player_id='1688743' first='Brodie' last='Herr'] (2024) |6'4 G| - 6.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, .7 spg. Played in all 22 varsity games, started in 20.   "Brodie brings the most experience back to the team from last season as noted above. He is a streaky shooter from 3 but can also attack the basket and score in the midrange. Brodie will be asked to play a big role in the scoring department, especially shooting from the outside. As you will see below, this team will be very “post play” orientated and finding scoring threats from the guard position will be key. Brodie will be one of the game players looked to fill that role."   [player_tooltip player_id='1688734' first='Crew' last='Heier'] (2024) |6'4 G/F| - 7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .7 apg, 1.1 sps, .6 bpg. Played in 21 of 22 varsity games.   "Crew was awarded the 6th Man of the Year on last year's varsity team. He is a very strong player who led the team in scoring multiple games off the bench. He is capable of scoring from all three levels. Against smaller opponents, he can be brutal inside and against bigger opponents, he can take them outside and score from there. He also is a great defensive presence due to his size. Crew will play a big role in the success of the team next season."   [player_tooltip player_id='2268874' first='Trevin' last='Price'] (2024) |6'1 G| - 3.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, .8 spg. Played in 21 of 22 varsity games, started in 4.   "Trevin was the back up PG last season for the varsity team. He will be fighting for that starting position this season. He is a savvy player who knows the game well. He is good at attacking the basket and is a streaky shooter. He will be expected to guard the opponent's best offensive guard as well."   [player_tooltip player_id='1535881' first='Carter' last='Tetzlaff'] (2025) |6'0 G| - Varsity stats, 3.3 ppg, .9 rpg, .3 apg, .2 spg. JV stats, 11.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .9 apg, 1 spg. Played in 21 of 22 varsity games.   "Carter played an important role off the bench for the varsity team last season before seeing his minutes reduce as the season progressed into March. He has always been known for his shooting from 3 but he is a very capable scorer from all three levels of the floor. This showed as he led the JV team in scoring. He will be looked to for a big role increase in the scoring department on the varsity team this season."   Newcomers   [player_tooltip player_id='1415234' first='Jake' last='Kuhl'] (2024) |7'0 C| - 12 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2 apg, 4.5 bpg   "Jake is new to the program this season. He is coming to West Central from Irene-Wakonka where he helped lead the Eagles to the Class ‘B' Sodak 16. Obviously, Jake will bring a lot of length on both sides of the floor. He will be expected to be one of the best rim protectors in the state. The team will also look for him to be a presence scoring around the rim on offense but also having the ability to step out and shoot the 3."   [player_tooltip player_id='1919285' first='William' last='Kuhl IV'] (2026) |6'8 PF| - 9.8 ppg (in freshmen games)   "Will is the younger brother of [player_tooltip player_id='1415234' first='Jake' last='Kuhl'] who was in the West Central program last year as a freshmen. Will showed great potential last season on the freshmen and JV teams and will be looked to for an impact on the varsity team this season. He can score in a variety of ways on offense, is a great passer, and will also look to be a rim protector on defense."   Additional Comments on the Kuhl Brothers: "We hope Jake and Will will prove to be one of the top front courts not only in Class A, but in the entire state. Together, on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, they should be a force to be reckoned with."   [player_tooltip player_id='2338429' first='Paden' last='Schulte'] (2024) |6'0 G| - JV stats, 5.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.2 spg. Played in 12 varsity games.   "Paden is a quick PG who is very good at getting downhill on his defender and attacking the basket. He is a good finisher around the rim and he also will be asked to guard the opponent's most athletic guards. He will be fighting for a starting spot at the PG position."   [player_tooltip player_id='2076018' first='Connor' last='Mebius'] (2027) |5'8 G|   "Connor is a very special young talent. Even though he has yet to play an official high school basketball game, the coaching staff feels Connor will be ready to play right from the start. He is a great talent on both ends of the floor. On offense, Connor can shoot the three with great accuracy and in multiple ways, has a great midrange game, and can get all the way to the rim. You would think that his lack of size would make him a liability on defense, but he makes up for it with his uncanny anticipation for what his opponent(s) are going to do. Prediction: Connor has the potential to be the best basketball player to come out of West Central since Josh Mueller."   Other Trojans to Keep Eyes   Bennett Ingalls (2025) |6'0 G|, Anthony Lanham (2025) |6'0 G|, [player_tooltip player_id='1944188' first='Liam' last='Schmeichel'] (2025) |6'0 G|   [player_tooltip player_id='1959424' first='Kolte' last='Garry'] (2026) |6'3 F|   [player_tooltip player_id='2044899' first='Elliot' last='Dejong'] (2027) |6'3 F|   Season Comments from coach Sittig   "Expectations for the 2023-24 season are going to be high for the Trojans, mainly due to the amount of size that can be put on the floor. Hypothetically, there could be a line up of 6'1, 6'4, 6'4, 6'8, and 7'0 on the floor, automatically being one of the biggest teams in the state. The goal will be to dominate the boards on both sides of the floor and use the size to play inside to out."   "However, all of that size doesn't come without issues. We will still need to find playmakers on the perimeter who can make something happen. In particular, a big question will be how well will we shoot it from the perimeter. If we are a poor shooting team, opponents will be able to sink in on our size or play zone to negate the advantage." "The style of play of the program the past four years has been to play fast. We will still look to play fast on the offensive end of the floor to create and gain big advantages. This team however should be more equipped to play in the half court as well."   "On defense, protecting the rim should not be an issue. Guarding on the perimeter and protecting the 3 point line will be main points of emphasis."   "If the questions surrounding perimeter play can get answered, this team has a chance to be something special and compete for a Dakota XII Conference Title and beyond. If the perimeter questions remain unanswered and become issues, middle of the pack in the conference could be staring us in the face."   Predictions from Jacob Sittig   Not including West Central   Dakota XII Conference   SFC, Lennox, Dakota Valley, Vermillion, Tea Area, Dell Rapids, EPJ, Madison, Canton, Tri-Valley   Region 3A   SFC, Madison, Dell Rapids, Baltic, Tri-Valley, MCM, Garretson   Top Teams in Class A   SFC, Lennox, Hamlin, Dakota Valley, Tea Area   Top Players in Class A   Listed in no specific order   [player_tooltip player_id='1266222' first='Porter' last='Ihnen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1266223' first='Alec' last='Squires'], [player_tooltip player_id='1263162' first='Ben' last='Brooks'], [player_tooltip player_id='1263163' first='Shawn' last='Hammerbeck'], [player_tooltip player_id='1278718' first='Sam' last='Almas'], [player_tooltip player_id='1390319' first='Britton' last='Mulder'], [player_tooltip player_id='1503883' first='Griffen' last='Goodbary'], [player_tooltip player_id='1625191' first='Easton' last='Neuendorf'], [player_tooltip player_id='1331228' first='Tyson' last='Stevenson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1270366' first='Jaxson' last='Wingert'], [player_tooltip player_id='1625208' first='Luke' last='Bruns'], [player_tooltip player_id='1270361' first='Lane' last='Tietz'].   Best of luck to the Trojans this winter!   <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>

Most of the football teams in South Dakota have packed away their pads into storage. However, that is not the case with the Trojans. West Central is 10-1 on the season, ranked #2, and they have a date with destiny on Friday at the DakotaDome. The Trojans play Dell Rapids in the 11A State Championship Game at 2:00. Best of luck to the Trojans!