South Dakota Hoops Update: Marv Goes For 49 Points

Prep Hoops Dakotas has been hitting the film room hard — as the South Dakota high school season tipped-off this week. There's a bunch of new roles for players and new prospects to gather information on and to scout. Some prospects have grown to a new height listing, and we will be updating those as we go.   The new season brings on new excitement and we're ready for it. Although, it's impossible to watch every game, Prep Hoops Dakotas is going to take things to another level to have an unmatched expertise of high school basketball in the Dakotas.   It's grinding season all year long and we plan on having regular updates and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Going beyond the box scores and thinking as if you are a college coach recruiting these athletes. It's much more than how many points you score or if you're an All-State player.   Let's start with week 1 — These games I have mentioned below, I have seen from start to finish, while skipping ahead through dead play and intermissions. There's a lot to take away from the first couple games of the season, especially with such a large slate of games on Friday. Consider this part one.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1384718' first='Marvin' last='Richard III']</h2>   Marv gets his own headline because he has opened up the season on an absolute tear. He began the season with a massive 49-point game, followed by 34-point and 35-point efforts. Richard has always had the skill and talent, but what stood out to me most is that he looks noticeably bigger and more next-level ready. He was never a small prospect, but he's now up to a solid 6'3” height and he seems stronger and more sudden on the court. I think his recruitment needs to pick up now with his frame and playmaking and ELITE scoring ability. He'll most likely average 30+ points per game, if he continues his aggressive, confident, and care-free play style. I saw the first game against Bismarck Century, and they were throwing out a legit defender with some length and high level athleticism at him in [player_tooltip player_id='1657448' first='Gibson' last='Kinnebrew'], and Marv was able to get to the foul line often. Marv is playing with skill, poise, aggression, confidence, and now size. So things are starting to get exciting with Marv and his potential. Stay tuned for Monday when the 2026 rankings drop. You can safely assume that he's a stock-riser.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sioux Falls Washington 55 Sioux Falls Lincoln 65</h2>   There was a lot to take away from in this massive AA matchup, with two top-tier teams with talented and deep rosters.   Sioux Falls Lincoln   I have been wondering for some time on who would be the fifth starter for Lincoln to go along with [player_tooltip player_id='1949563' first='Sam' last='DeGroot'], [player_tooltip player_id='1263152' first='Edison' last='Noll'], [player_tooltip player_id='1641205' first='Sam' last='Ericsson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1407012' first='Luke' last='Krempges']. We found out Friday, and it was 6'0” 2027 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2250311' first='Brody' last='Schafer'] who got the starting nod. He did more than started — he finished. Brody scored a game and team-high 19 points. He looks much more physically developed than he did a year ago. He was the point guard and main ball-handler when he was in the game. I did not expect Schafer to have such a go-to and main playmaker role this early — in only the very beginning of his Sophomore season. His three-point shooting and finishing off the drive in the 4th quarter was the difference in the game.   This Lincoln team does have the feel of a team that could have a wide range of leading scorers on any given night. [player_tooltip player_id='1641205' first='Sam' last='Ericsson'] didn't shoot the ball well, but there will be nights that he has big games and will be the unquestioned go-to scorer. DeGroot is obviously in the same boat, and will be a leading scorer some nights. A [player_tooltip player_id='2137320' first='Deondre' last='Painter'] or [player_tooltip player_id='1950332' first='Justin' last='Bilal'] blow-up game wouldn't surprise either. And Krempges can take advantage of weakness near the hoop. Lincoln has a ton of options to turn to.   [player_tooltip player_id='1949563' first='Sam' last='DeGroot']'s rebounding and ability to attack the ball in the air was obvious. He pulled down 10 rebounds and finished with 18 points. He has maintained his stock as a top 5 2026 prospect in the state. He shot the three well, and I have him down as making three threes in the 1st half.   6'2” 2027 guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2137320' first='Deondre' last='Painter'], was first off the bench for Lincoln. His first shot was a make three. He didn't have a big scoring night, but I thought he really competed and his passing and finding open shooters was notable.   6'4” 2026 Wing, [player_tooltip player_id='1950332' first='Justin' last='Bilal'], entered the game next at about the 4:15 mark in the 1st quarter. He made a three at the one-minute mark in the 1st quarter. Bilal was a key interior defender when Krempges was out of the game and Lincoln had a small lineup. He was getting more physical than I remember him being in the past. He held his own and had a huge block that got the momentum going. He's playing out of position some, as I like him out on the wing at the next level. He's looking good to start the season, showing athleticism and it looks like a more lean muscular frame.   6'3” Senior point guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2108059' first='Isaiah' last='Teer'], entered the game shortly after Bilal in the 1st quarter. I thought Teer's defensive intensity and effort on the ball was noticeable. He was moving well and challenging his matchup. He missed the three he took.   Sioux Falls Washington   Starting lineup as expected with [player_tooltip player_id='1503882' first='Tommy' last='Hoffman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1297810' first='Samuel' last='Baskin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1958459' first='Lucas' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1641566' first='Jhace' last='Woods'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2316168' first='Brennan' last='VerHey'].   I thought Baskin was the most impactful for Washington, scoring 13 points and had a masterful defensive effort locking down Ericsson — who I didn't see score — and he's one of the most feared scorers in the state. I only counted a couple clean looks at the hoop for Ericsson, otherwise Baskin was up in him or on his hip. Baskin did a lot of scoring being crafty in the middle of the lane extended. He can contort himself and his shot to score many ways.   [player_tooltip player_id='1503882' first='Tommy' last='Hoffman'] didn't shoot the three well and he had more success when he started to attack. He finished with a team-high 15 points. If his shot is falling, it may be a down-to-the-wire game.   6'4” 2027 Wing/Forward, [player_tooltip player_id='2250285' first='Ben' last='Sprecher'], was the first off the bench after Verhey committed two early fouls. Sprecher made his first three-point attempt and made another later in the game. He's as a solid and versatile defender as they come. Disciplined and focused on the task at hand. He can guard size at 6'4” and he has good feet and technique to stay in front and mirror the ball on the perimeter. Uses his long arms to help him on the perimeter. He's a tough prospect to rank, in my opinion, because he doesn't have elite size, athleticism, or skill. He's very solid in those areas, but I feel he needs to improve off the drive or be more of a self-creator offensively. He has youth on his side and is already experienced at the AA level. An impact player at the high school level, no doubt, but he just needs to grow taller and/or develop more offensive firepower to be sought after by college coaches.   Washington had a short rotation, but [player_tooltip player_id='1959422' first='Sam' last='Uhing'] was able to crack the normal rotation and 6'7” 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2058175' first='Raik' last='Chol'] was thrown in there at the end of the game.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brookings 45 Watertown 78</h2>   Watertown   We weren't sure what we'd be getting from Watertown this year, but I did know that [player_tooltip player_id='2338383' first='Jackson' last='McClemans'] was going to be a major player in his Junior season. He's 6'4” with ridiculously long arms and wingspan. It's a top percentile wingspan, and 6'4” height doesn't serve him any justice. He plays kind of high but that's due to his structure and frame. He was highly active on both ends coming up with loose balls and steals, then breaking up-court to be a threat. He is a true definition of a three-level scorer — and he's aggressive shooting the ball and going at the hoop. If he gets stopped, he will fade and shoot over defense with his length. He will pull catch-and-shoot threes even if there's defense there, because it's difficult to affect his high release. He had 20 points with around 6:30 to go in the 4th quarter, and came out of the game early due to the score.   6'1” Senior point guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2673234' first='Gabe' last='Norberg'], really surprised and impressed me. He's not an elite prospect, but his ranking will need to be adjusted drastically in the next update, as he was added on the back-end as a prospect I hadn't known enough about, yet. He was a major contributor to the game as a handler, pace-setter, facilitator, and scorer. He's most likely around the top 100-115 prospect mark, as he looked good and was poised at the point guard spot. He was the second biggest factor behind McClemans.   5'11 2026 shooting guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2343451' first='Kaden' last='Decker'], looked really good shooting the ball. I didn't find any stats, but he hit multiple shots from deep, and he's got some athletic ability and movement skills to him. He could handle the ball at speed and put pressure on the defense. He's a definite 2026 stock-riser on Monday.   6'5” 2027 Forward [player_tooltip player_id='2338804' first='Isaac' last='Rehorst'], came off the bench but he played a big role, giving Watertown some height and length. He had some nice finishes in the paint and worked his tail off to defend thicker players in the paint.   2026 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2338603' first='Carter' last='Buisker'] was listed at 5'8” a year ago and now he's at 6'2”, so there was a major growth spurt there. It looks quite noticeable on film from a year ago as well. He's longer with a lean frame. He can shoot the three and get out in transition, but would like him to be more physical, overall. Skilled player with some positional length. What if he keeps getting taller?   Brookings   Brookings could be considered a young team, with only one Senior that was a factor. They have a big Junior class that contributes for them.   6'2” Junior shooting guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2350759' first='Brodie' last='McCarty'], took the bull by the horns and was doing everything in his power to keep Brookings fighting. He was physical attacking the rim and was aggressive shooting the ball. He was hot early, but Watertown had too much shooting to keep up with.   2026 Forward/Big, [player_tooltip player_id='2338063' first='Bergan' last='Tetzlaff'], is up to 6'5” and he was trying to out-muscle Watertown in the paint. He was attracting extra defensive attention when he got the ball near the paint. Played with a lot of toughness, energy, and motor.   6'2” Junior guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2694408' first='Jase' last='Bauer'], is a new name to the database and upcoming rankings, and he is a built athlete that can really move with speed, power, and defend at a high level.   6'0” Junior guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2623198' first='Gavin' last='Smith'], participated at the Prep Hoops Dakotas — The Expo: South Dakota, so it was nice seeing him out there and competing. He's a relentless competitor that does whatever it takes for his team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Vermillion 81 Sioux Falls Lutheran 29</h2>   I tuned into this game to catch some [player_tooltip player_id='1929459' first='Trey' last='Hansen'] before the 2026 rankings update. I came away with more than that and with the Vermillion squad.   Sioux Falls Lutheran   First off, Vermillion wasn't really challenged by Sioux Falls Lutheran, because they're such a young and developing team. They were competing with a few Freshmen as their main pieces. They had two Freshman that I see some potential in, and that's 6'1” 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2694509' first='Rowen' last='Becker'] and another 6'1” 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2694461' first='Kade' last='Matthies']. Both prospects are added to the database and will be ranked in the 2028 class.   Vermillion   [player_tooltip player_id='1929459' first='Trey' last='Hansen'] wasn't fully unleashed in this matchup and he didn't have to assert himself and take over the game for Vermillion to get the win. He did get going early and was easily attacking and getting to the rim through and over underclassmen for Sioux Falls Lutheran. He handled the point guard and ball-handling duties for Vermillion, but I think he translates to an off-ball guard that can ISO and attack. He plays a little too high as a ball-handler and his dribble is high. That's the only nit-picking I can think of because he delivers numbers and produces in all categories. He finished with 12 points.   Senior guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1503880' first='Carter' last='Hansen'], was able to pile up some numbers and stats in a hurry. He scored 19 points and Vermillion took out their starters very early, as the game got out of hand quickly. He got to his spots to score, hit threes, and was coming up with boards and steals. An all around impactful game.   2027 Forward [player_tooltip player_id='2132824' first='Luke' last='Jensen'] hit a growth spurt and is up to a solid 6'5”, with a strong build and frame. Coach Drake mentioned in the postgame that Luke has been hitting the weight room. He was in the starting lineup for Vermillion and he finished with 16 points and showed he can step out and shoot the three comfortably. His stock will be up considerably in the 2027 rankings update.   2027 5'9” point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2449686' first='Spencer' last='Blanchette'], is a kid I've had my eyes on and has been on the watchlist since seeing him in non-varsity action the last couple years. He is now a varsity player off the bench and I love what he brings as a quick and shifty point guard that can create off the dribble, set up teammates, and he can shoot the rock. A well-rounded and athletic prospect that has big-time skill with the ball. Great movement in all directions on the defensive side. He had 12 points in the game. Spencer will be ranked in the next update, and I think he has top 30 potential in the 2027 class as it stands. Much more room for upside if he grows taller.

Prep Hoops Dakotas has been hitting the film room hard — as the South Dakota high school season tipped-off this week. There's a bunch of new roles for players and new prospects to gather information on and to scout. Some prospects have grown to a new height listing, and we will be updating those as we go.