Dickinson Trinity: Season Intro

The Dickinson Trinity Titans head into the new season with the type of confidence and drive you expect from a perennial Class A contender. Under the steady leadership of longtime head coach Gregg Grinsteinner, Trinity continues to uphold a program identity built on grit, commitment, team-first play, and rock-solid fundamentals. Season after season, the Titans show up organized, composed, and polished, and there's every reason to believe this year's group will follow that same winning blueprint.   This roster is stacked with athletic, hard-working playmakers who know how to compete. The Titans return multiple All-Region standouts, bringing both production and leadership back to a group that already understands what it takes to win. Expect a balanced lineup that can defend, rebound, shoot the lights out, and score at every level. Their energy and cohesion give them the ability to dictate tempo and wear opponents down.   Prep Hoops Dakotas believes the Titans have all the pieces to be one of the premier teams in Class A. With their returning firepower, depth, and a coaching staff that consistently gets the most out of its roster, Trinity is poised to make a serious run!   *All-Region last season - [player_tooltip player_id='2625159' first='Emerson' last='Simnioniw'] & [player_tooltip player_id='2694566' first='Landon' last='Knote']   The Titans open up the season at St. Mary's tomorrow night (12/12).   The Titans received votes in this week's NDAPSSA Preseason Class A poll.   School: Dickinson Trinity   Mascot: Titans   Head Coach: Gregg Grinsteinner (32nd year with a 600-176 record)   Assistant Coaches: Aaron Grinsteinner & Alex Klug   Class: A   Region: 4   2024-25 Record: 15-9   Returning Lettermen: 10   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/trinityTITANS.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/trinityTITANS.jpg?w=862" alt="" class="wp-image-3214372" style="aspect-ratio:1.20563237346188;width:222px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/TeamIntroduction_3d1fb8.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/TeamIntroduction_3d1fb8.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-3102288" style="aspect-ratio:1.6020880294222328;width:203px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   With Coach Grinsteinner   "Last year's team was a roller coaster ride. We started off the season with 5 new starters and with 4 of them being seniors. It took us a while to develop chemistry. We found our identity toward the middle of February and put a run together that ended with a last-second loss to Killdeer in the 3rd place Regional game. It allowed us to play lots of kids, especially underclassmen, who will be vital to this season."   3 Sets of Non-Negotiables   Offense   1. Take care of the ball 2. Great player Movement 3. Great ball movement 4. Take great shots   Defense   1. Talk 2. Make multiple efforts 3. Contest every shot 4. Finish with a box out & rebound   Person   1. Faith 2. Family 3. Academics 4. Basketball (in that order)   Defense   "Our defense is based on man-to-man. We expect our kids to be able to guard 84 feet. We spend a lot of time that 5 work as one (doesn't always show!) Defense is about effort and attitude. Talking is a must. You can't control the ball going in every night, but you can have your defense keep you in every game."   "We really don't signal out anyone defensively. We expect all to be able to contribute on the defensive end. Anytime you have long athletes, they should be able to step into that role. We feel we have that this year."   Style of Play   "This year's version of Trinity basketball should be a little more dynamic. We have more kids who can shoot the ball and score at all 3 levels. We are at our best when we play inside-out. This should keep us more balanced, forcing teams to have to guard all 5 spots. We may have to win some games this year by outscoring people."   Offseason   "Our off-season went pretty well. We attended a couple of challenging team camps in Spearfish and Minot. We also had 7:00 AM skill workouts with our girls' program twice a week. Because most of our kids are multiple-sport athletes (which we love) most of our basketball work was done in June as we share kids with multiple programs."   Personnel   "[player_tooltip player_id='2625159' first='Emerson' last='Simnioniw'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2694566' first='Landon' last='Knote'] are 2 juniors that led us in scoring last year. They will be asked to shoulder much of that load again. They have expanded their games quite a bit. [player_tooltip player_id='3028575' first='Colton' last='Christenson'], [player_tooltip player_id='3216165' first='Brady' last='Holman'], and [player_tooltip player_id='3216169' first='Jace' last='Peters'] need to contributors in the post area for us to be successful. We need to have the ability to score at all 3 levels and not just rely on jump shots. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3216177' first='Jordan' last='Ham'], [player_tooltip player_id='3216180' first='Alonzo' last='Kudrna'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2377525' first='Brody' last='Kuntz'] are all multi-faceted players who should be able to help take pressure off of Emerson and Landon."   Final Thoughts   "We are hoping that our chemistry and leadership come together sooner this year. The 4 seniors we had became instrumental last year. We need to trust what we are doing sooner. I love this group's energy, enthusiasm, and drive. They love to compete. They love a challenge. They love to push each other. It's easy to do it against each other, but we will find out when we go against a different colored jersey. Our biggest goal this year is to put ourselves in position to go to the state tournament. We were close last year but couldn't finish. That has been a rallying cry for this year; finish! Our region is full of good coaches and talented athletes again. We need to focus on what we can control. Just being better than our opponent on a nightly basis. One thing that I'm really proud of this year is the fact that every coach in our program this year, was a former player at Trinity and played for me. They all had their own successes and failures. Their experiences show the kids what it takes to get to the state tournament. These coaches are Aaron Grinsteinner – 2010, Alex Klug – 2011, Chad Glasser – 2004, and Trever Jassek – 2022. I feel pretty lucky that these guys wanted to still be part of the Trinity BBB program!"   BEST OF LUCK TO THE TITANS!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/trinityTITANS.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/trinityTITANS.jpg?w=862" alt="" class="wp-image-3214372" style="width:423px;height:auto" /></a></figure>

The Dickinson Trinity Titans head into the new season with the type of confidence and drive you expect from a perennial Class A contender. Under the steady leadership of longtime head coach Gregg Grinsteinner, Trinity continues to uphold a program identity built on grit, commitment, team-first play, and rock-solid fundamentals. Season after season, the Titans show up organized, composed, and polished, and there's every reason to believe this year's group will follow that same winning blueprint.