Off-Season Improvement

This is take #2 on ballers who improved this summer/Off-Season.   We are well aware that school starts soon and football has started. However, basketball fans want to know who improved since the season ended in March.   Who Improved/upgraded/elevated their game this summer?   PHD has those answers below with ND & SD players included....   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/UpgradedImproved.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/UpgradedImproved.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2525433" /></a></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1407001' first='Aidyn' last='Janis'] (2025) |6'4 PF| Hot Springs   Janis will be a Senior this year and will be the only returning starter from last year's team. Aidyn has spent a lot of time in the weight room and in the gym working on his game this summer. The Bison look for him to carry the bulk of the load scoring this year. This baller is a physical beast! Janis worked his tail off this off-season and everyone is excited to see his growth and development. Aidyn is a scary, talented, and productive player.   Ashton Kesteloot (2025) |6'1 F| Freeman Academy-Marion   He has put in the time to put on muscle this summer and improve his game both offensively and defensively. Ashton has become a threat with his interior defense and has taken on the role of being an extremely physical defensive player wreaking havoc for the opposing team's big guys. Offensively he has become a threat shooting the ball and can knock down shots efficiently.    [player_tooltip player_id='2237846' first='Baron' last='Burns'] (2027) |5'9 G| Larimore   Burns went to a couple of different camps this summer and improved his game. He got invited to Minot State prospect camp and spent a couple of days playing with some of the best prospects from out west. Being able to play with those top players improved his decision-making and vision out on the court. He's also been working on his jumper to try and become more of a scoring threat for the Polar Bears.    [player_tooltip player_id='2344085' first='Bennett' last='Kortan'] (2026) |6'1 G| Spearfish   Bennett is a player who put in a good and productive summer for the Spartans. The biggest improvement in his game is his change of pace. Kortan has always been a very good athlete with a quick burst but sometimes struggled to use that burst effectively. Changing speed and changing direction is a massive part of basketball that he is really starting to figure out.   [player_tooltip player_id='2525339' first='Christian' last='Deadmond'] (2026) |6'3 F| Minot North   Christian was consistent in the weight room while also working on his basketball game over the summer. He improved his overall toughness, rebounding, and playing the game with a more physically aggressive attitude. Deadmond works hard and makes many hustle plays all over the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='2237767' first='Colby' last='Thielges'] (2027) |6'0 G| LaMoure-Litchville-Marion   Colby had a great off-season. Ge got taller, quicker & had faster! Thielges trained hard on speed/acceleration this spring/summer. He improved his scoring ability off the dribble. Thielges got into the gym for purposeful work on his own in addition to team camps/open gym. Colby is a multi-sport athlete and one of the best 9-man football players in North Dakota.   [player_tooltip player_id='1332142' first='Colton' last='Reinke'] (2026) |6'5 SF| Fargo Davies   Reinke played at a high level in club basketball with [program_tooltip program_id='2075741' first='ND' last='Phenom'] and was busy with the Eagles in summer hoops. Colton has improved a lot throughout the summer. He has gotten stronger. Colton has improved his shooting and ability to get to the hole. Look for Reinke to be a cornerpiece of the Davies success this coming season.   [player_tooltip player_id='2612675' first='Cooper' last='Gibbs'] (2026) |6'4 C| Spearfish   Gibbs is another player who put in a great summer, saw success, and improved his game. The game is starting to slow down for him because of the much better decisions he's making on the court. Cooper is a long athlete with a great touch around the rim. The Spearfish staff has been very impressed with how much harder he competes. Basketball is important to him and his hard work is starting to pay off.   Daschle Lowery (2026) |6'0 G| Tea   He is a junior guard who earned the highest award over the summer for the Titans. Lowery was the hardest worker in the program. He is shooting up our depth chart with his cerebral game and willingness to play any role. Keep eyes on Daschle and the Titans in AA this winter.    Dominic Sperling (2025) |5'11 F| Freeman Academy-Marion   Sperling has improved his role on the defensive end by becoming an all-around defensive threat both on the perimeter and the interior with more physicality. Dominic has also improved his offense by becoming more aggressive with his opportunities to score. Watch out for FAM!   [player_tooltip player_id='2381010' first='Dyllan' last='Rethemeier'] (2026) |6'3 SF| Larimore   Dyllan spent the summer working on speed and agility 2 days a week. He also spent time at the Love of the Game camp in Northwood and got good reviews from some of the coaches. Dyllan has been working on his jump shot to become more of a dual-threat slasher and jump shooter. He's also grown a couple inches, so we are expecting big things from him as he is slated to jump into the starting lineup.    [player_tooltip player_id='2434689' first='Jack' last='Mousel'] (20205) |6'3 G| Jase Mouse (2025) |6'3 G| Colman-Egan   Both Jase and [player_tooltip player_id='2434689' first='Jack' last='Mousel'] are 6'3 seniors who played for South Dakota Identity this summer. They also spent hours in the gym working on different skills for their game. Both really improved their footwork post moves and scoring over the last few months. [player_tooltip player_id='1844528' first='Jase' last='Mousel'] is coming off of an under-the-radar season where he averaged 22.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG while shooting 43% from the field. [player_tooltip player_id='2434689' first='Jack' last='Mousel'] is coming off of his junior season where he averaged 10.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG on 53% shooting. Both of their numbers should improve this upcoming season based on the work they put in this summer. Being in one of the toughest regions in the state I feel these ballers fall under the radar but they will for sure make some noise this upcoming winter as the Hawks look to make a big run!   Jackson DeVries (2025) |6'2 F| Wahpeton   The Huskies might come into the season as an underrated squad in Class A but they will surprise some people. Devries and the Huskies have potential. Jackson really improved his explosiveness going to the rim in the off-season. He is one of Wahp's fastest/quickest players and they like how he attacked the rim this summer at team camps.     [player_tooltip player_id='1725485' first='Jackson' last='Zwart'] (2025) |6'4 PF| Colman-Egan   He played summer ball with Northwest Iowa Stars. Zwart also spent many hours in the gym perfecting his jump shot as well as his post-footwork and scoring ability. He is coming off of a junior season where he averaged 14.3 PPG and 6.3 RPG on 43.6% shooting, as well as 3.2 Assists per game and 1.5 steals per game. Zwart is an underated baller and a player to keep track of in B SD basketlball.   Jesse Hernandez (2026) |5'10 G| Aberdeen Roncalli   Jesse was a role player as a sophomore for the Cavaliers last year on a team that featured prominent scorers. As a serviceable ball handler and catch-and-shoot player, he would see minutes throughout the season. This season, Roncalli is expecting to see Jesse step into one of those scoring roles. Hernandez has improved not only his ability to catch and shoot but also his finishing game and ability to create his shots on the perimeter. His IQ and play-making ability have also shown great improvements, whether that is coming off of ball screens, dribble handoffs, or understanding where the help is coming from and finding the open man. Hernandez is a player to watch in Class A.   Jaxson Merrigan (2025) |6'2 F| Tea   He was a key JV guy for the past couple of years and worked very hard over the summer to strengthen his role on the team. Jaxson is a versatile player who will majorly impact the Titan's success this upcoming season. Tea moves up from A to AA this year and will play a daunting schedule.   Jaydon Koffler (2026) |5'10 G| Hot Springs   Look for Koffler to fill out the starting point guard role for the Bison. Jaydon is a great ball handler and has become a knockdown shooter from 3-point range. Jaydon worked hard this offseason and his future looks bright. Hot Springs had a ton of success last season and PHD expects them to be tough once again in 2024-25.   [player_tooltip player_id='2525330' first='Kade' last='Hentz'] (2027) |5'8 G| Hankinson   Kade really improved his overall strength and defense this summer. No one will outwork him and he has a knack for the offensive glass despite being undersized. Hentz has also been working on a jump shot that will allow him to be a more complete guard. Kade will be a vital piece off of the bench for the Pirates this year. Hankinson should be a top B team this season and Hentz will be a key role player.   [player_tooltip player_id='2255561' first='Kade' last='Nitschke'] (2026) |5'10 G| EKM   Kade had a good summer, Nitschke has always had a very nice-looking shot and has shot well but has also gotten stronger and better defensively which will make him a much more complete player for EKM this season. Kade is a high-IQ player who also understands the game well and plays with more confidence in the summer at camps.   [player_tooltip player_id='2249810' first='Lucas' last='Peskey'] (2027) |5'11 G| & [player_tooltip player_id='2470162' first='Rexton' last='Blue'] (2026) |5'9 G| Iroquois-Lake Preston   They both went to Niners camp in Watertown and were consistently wanting to get into the gym to improve. They also went to the combine that Sioux Falls put on to showcase their skills. Lucas and Rexton both have been in the weight room all summer long and PHD looks for both of them to be huge pieces for us in the Sharks in the upcoming season.   [player_tooltip player_id='2417346' first='Luke' last='Nitschke'] (2027) |6'1SF| EKM   Luke played a ton of basketball this summer with camps, open gyms, and AAU Basketball. He did a good job in the weight room and is growing into his body. Luke played out of position most of the summer so he's definitely gotten tougher which is something he needed to improve and has. Again he's also gotten more comfortable as he's gotten more experienced through playing so much and being the younger brother of Adam and Jacob doesn't hurt him either. This young Nitschke has talent and a ton of potential.   Max Kulesa (2025) |6'3 G| Ipswich   Kulesa has not played since his sophomore year due to an injury during football. He had a fantastic summer! Max has come back much bigger and stronger. He is much more physical and has now developed a very good inside game. Kulesa has stepped into a leadership role and has done very well with that. Look out for the Tigers and Mr. Kulesa.   [player_tooltip player_id='1547231' first='Myles' last='Froehlich'](2026) |5'9 G| Northern Cass   He had a great summer for the Jags and is the front-runner to start at PG for us this upcoming season. He made 20,000 shots on our Dr. Dish this summer and spent countless hours in the gym, by the end of the summer you could see his confidence grow. Northern Cass is excited for his hard work to pay off this winter, and Myles plays the game the right way.   [player_tooltip player_id='2276695' first='Sam' last='Nelson'] (2025) |6'2 F| Northern Cass   Nelson was second on makes this summer with over 5,000 shot makes. Sam is great in the pick-and-roll game and brings a different dimension to the 5-spot. Whether he starts or comes off the bench he's a kid that will always keep and play the game at 110%. He is an energy giver when he is on the court. The Jags and Nelson could make some noise this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1790129' first='Shane' last='Henderson'] (2025) |6'6 PF| Mobridge-Pollock   Henderson had big improvements over the summer. He played with MOPO in 3 team camps and with a Pentagon team. He attended a bunch of basketball camps and a few football camps. Shane improved his outside game, especially the pull-up three-pointer. He improved his 3-pt catch and shoot by approximately 20% on the Dr. dish. Henderson is more aggressive on the drive and has a lower/quicker spin move than before. The MOPO staff is impressed with his court vision, ball handling, and comfort with handling the ball. In the past, the Tigers used Shane to beat the press, but looking forward to this year, I see him scoring many buckets in transition. Henderson is getting attention from college coaches and certainly has the ability to play at the next level. Shane is a top-notch teammate and an elite difference-maker.     [player_tooltip player_id='1184569' first='Treyton' last='Mauch'] (2025) |5'11 G| Wahpeton   Mauch is a special athlete who is sure to make noise this fall on the gridiron. Treyton will be one of the top guards in Region 1 A. He really improved his three-point shooting this summer. Combined with his speed, quickness, and athleticism he will be difficult to guard this winter.   [player_tooltip player_id='2475022' first='Tucker' last='Kadlec'] (2025) |6'1 G| Ipswich   An incoming senior who lost part of his junior year due to injury. Tucker has developed a very nice inside-out game. He is a big strong physical kid who can now step out and shoot the ball on the perimeter. He has worked really hard to become an all-around player. Kadlec also improved his defensive skills this summer. Tucker had a good summer of camps and will be tough on opposing teams this summer. Expect a quality season from Mr. Kadlec.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/UpgradedImproved.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/UpgradedImproved.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2525433" /></a></figure>

This is take #2 on ballers who improved this summer/Off-Season.