Sioux Falls Jefferson

First of all, congratulations to the Cavalier football team on the State Championship!   Back to hoops....Last season was the first year that the Cavaliers competed at the varsity level. It didn't matter, they still went to State. This year's team should be full of confidence. Many of the basketball guys also played football, so they know what it takes to win it all. The Cavs have a large amount of talent on their roster and PHD believes that they are a Top 5 team in Class AA.   The Cavs have a week of practice under their belt and the first game of the season for JHS will be on Saturday, December 10th, at Sioux Falls Roosevelt. What a way to start the season! The Cavs take on the defending State Champs right out of the gates.   See below for info on some of the top players and a Q&A session with head coach Tim Reck.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/12/jeffersoncavs.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/12/jeffersoncavs-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1681090" width="261" height="261"/></a></figure>   Top Players   [player_tooltip player_id='963741' first='Taylen' last='Ashley'] (2023) |6'0 PG|   13.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.7 apg, .9 spg, 35.5 3FG%. Committed to USF. All-State last season. The most athletic PG in SD. A complete playmaker on both ends. Scores from all 3 levels. A WINNER!   [player_tooltip player_id='963748' first='Kaden' last='Year'] (2023) |6'6 F|   15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, .8 spg, 36.7 3FG%. Receiving heavy interest from many colleges. All-State last season. A "stretch forward" that does damage from deep and all the way to the rim. He has great versatility.   [player_tooltip player_id='1185523' first='Ethan' last='Koltz'] (2023) |6'11 C|   He looks to be a serious recruit in football and basketball. Koltz is hard to miss with his extreme length. He is an intimidating rim protector and a high-volume rebounder. His post presence on both ends will be valuable for the Cavs.   [player_tooltip player_id='1430664' first='Griffin' last='Wilde'] (2023) |6'2 SG|   12.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg. He is committed to SDSU for football. Wilde is a strong and athletic player on the hardwood. He is an effective slasher and cutter. Wilde is excellent and efficient in transition. I like his aggressiveness on both sides of the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1671258' first='Beau' last='Giblin'] (2023) |6'1 G|   5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg. As a football recruit, it looks like Beau is receiving a ton of interest. He works very hard on the defensive end. His quick hands and reaction time make Giblin a playmaker. He can score with jumpers and put up points at the rim.   Mason Riley (2023) |6'5 F|   5.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg, .9 spg. He has good length and he gives great effort. Riley is not afraid to make the hustle play. I would classify Mason as an opportunistic scorer.   [player_tooltip player_id='1489686' first='Dawson' last='Sechser'] (2024) |6'0 G|   3.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, .7 apg, .7 spg. A very important piece of the puzzle as a role player. Sechser leaves it all on the court and will outwork his opponent. He is the type of player that will do whatever is asked of him.   Q&A with coach Tim Reck   PHD: How would you sum up last season?   Tim Reck: “As a coach I could not have asked for a better group of young men to start a program with. It took some time for us to realize how hard you have to play at the varsity level each night but once we did, we played very good basketball at the end of the season.”   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   Tim Reck: “We had a very productive off-season. Our strength coach David Hopper is the best around. The guys lifted all summer, we went to team camps and had very competitive open gyms.”   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   Tim Reck: “For us we only graduated 2 seniors. We have all of our starters back, plus our bench players are now a year older. We have that year of varsity experience now and that is going to be very beneficial to us.”   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   Tim Reck: “Braylon Bear is a junior for us that can really fill it up from 3.”   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   Tim Reck: “We are a team that likes to get up and down the floor. The faster we can get teams to play the better it is for us.”    PHD: Who are you biggest rival schools and why?   Tim Reck: “Any city (Sioux Falls) school is a big rival for us. Those games are very intense.”   PHD: In your opinion, who are some of the top team's AA?   Tim Reck: “O'Gorman- they just reload every year and have the tradition”   “Harrisburg- their juniors last year gained valuable experience”   “Lincoln- [player_tooltip player_id='1265221' first='JT' last='Rock'] - not much more to say there, and [player_tooltip player_id='1625193' first='Elliot' last='Whitney'] good shooter”   “Washington- lots of seniors like us”   “Pierre- [player_tooltip player_id='963751' first='Lincoln' last='Kienholz'] Could be best player”   Good Luck Cavs!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/06/kadenyear-crop-3024x1986-1654831051.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/06/kadenyear-crop-3024x1986-1654831051.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1480571"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">ALL-STATE TALENT!</figcaption></figure>

First of all, congratulations to the Cavalier football team on the State Championship!