Hoop Chat with SD Coaches

PHD is here to talk hoops! We caught up with three Class B coaches and we shot some questions their way. Take some time to read below about the Cardinals, Flyers, and Sharks. We have some players below that you will want to hear about. The coaches told us about many players from seniors all the way down to eighth graders! I believe high school basketball practices start in 40-some-odd days, hoops will be here soon!   See below for PHD's conversations with Sean Sweet (Bison), Lance Friesen (Freeman), and Brock Dufek (Iroquois-Lake Preston).   <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>   Q&A with coach Sean Sweet from Bison   PHD: What can you tell us about last year?   "This will be my first year leading the program. We were a very young team last year but there was a ton of growth that took place, which is something that we will build off coming into this year."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team?   "This offseason we have spent a lot of time in the weight room working on getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Along with the weight room we have been working on our basketball fundamentals, and learning how to compete."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for and why?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2249831' first='Rylee' last='Veal'] (2025) |6'0 G| - Big strong player, that can create his own shot. He is a returning All-Conference player for us."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2250040' first='Kyle' last='Stadler'] (2026) |5'7 G| - He is a hardworking kid who shows great leader on and off that court. We are looking for him to take on a larger role this year at the point guard position."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   "Mason Pier - He will be a post presence for us this year. Hard-working kid with a great basketball IQ."   "Colt Kopren - Plays with great energy and is a phenomenal teammate."   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "We will be a tough hardnose team that competes. We want to set the tone defensively and play good fundamental basketball."   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "Be good teammates"   "Compete at a high level"   "Daily improvement and set the foundation for our program"   PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "Lemmon, Faith, and Harding County. They all have strong great coaches and players. They compete well and play hard."   Best of luck to the Cardinals this season!   Q&A with coach Lance Friesen from Freeman   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "We lost five 1-score games last year, so we were close to being a 500 team. We played a lot of young players and are hoping the experience from last year will pay off in close games this year."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "We had great commitment from our players this summer. We played quite a few games and everyone showed up to workouts, along with getting shots up on their own. This crew is hungry and improving each week."   Who are a few of your top players to look out for and why?   [player_tooltip player_id='2249991' first='Rocky' last='Ammann'] (2024) |6'2 G/F|   "Explosive scorer who needs to keep working on being able to be physical in big games. When he takes that next step on defense, that is when the team will take that next step."   [player_tooltip player_id='2247647' first='Tate' last='Sorensen'] (2026) |6'2 SF|   "Good scorer inside and out. When he is relentless on the boards and defensively, that is when our team will take the next step, and he will too personally."   [player_tooltip player_id='2249972' first='Luke' last='Peters'] (2026) |5'10 G|   "Best perimeter defender, but I'd like others to try and take that role. Good catch-and-shoot player who has really improved his mid-range and finishing."   David Walter (2028) |6'2 G|   "Played quite a bit for us last year as a 7th grader. He will be asked to be our PG for now. He is a dynamic scorer like [player_tooltip player_id='2249991' first='Rocky' last='Ammann']. David can shoot it, rack it, or hit the pull-up. He gives great effort on defense but he needs to grow mentally so the game slows down for him."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   [player_tooltip player_id='2249967' first='Sawyer' last='Wipf'] (2025) |5'11 G|   "Played a lot of minutes last year. Physical player who helps set our culture of effort and attitude."   [player_tooltip player_id='2249968' first='Chris' last='Aasen'] (2025) |5'11 G|   "Very good shooter who grew a lot defensively last year. We hope to speed his game up so he can be aggressive defensively."   Luke Miller (2028) |6'0 SF|   "Played some last year already. Inside-out player who can score in a variety of ways."   Tayden Kerrigan (2028) |5'11 G|   "Also played some last year as a 7th grader. Can handle the ball and be our PG along with being a good shooter and scorer. Has a toughness about him defensively."   Dillon Podzimek (2024) |6'3 F|   "Post player who has worked really hard on his game."   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "Last year we started the year just trying to not turn the ball over, and then getting quality shots. This year we want to have an attacking mentality that gets up and down but plays with togetherness and unselfishness. Defensively, we want to dictate more than last year. (apply pressure, jump passes, and anticipate)"   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "1st - We want to get better every day and fight to be 1-0 in each game."   "2nd - We want to be above 500."   "3rd - We want to get out of our region."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "Viborg-Hurley: Lots of size and returning players from last year's State Tournament team."   "Freeman Academy-Marion: Won a lot of games the past few years and return quite a bit of experience."   "Centerville: Good group of young players that won a lot of games last year."   Best of luck to the Flyers this season!   Q&A with coach Brock Dufek from Iroquois-Lake Preston<a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/21-22-shield-bearcats-maroon-fill-black-background.png"></a>   PHD: What can you tell us about last season?   "Last season we relied heavily on our seniors to be leaders. We had 9 senior spots that will need to be filled for this season. Last year we finished 9-12 in our first year as a co-op. Iroquois before the co-op went 3-18 and Lake Preston went 2-18. Co-oping was very beneficial for both schools."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team?   "This offseason the team went to some camps as well as joined a league in Watertown. Most of the players have not played with each other before this summer so finding chemistry was a must."   PHD: Who are a couple of your top players to watch?   [player_tooltip player_id='2249809' first='Josh' last='McMasters'] (2024) |6'1 G|   "Josh is the only returning starter from our 9-12 season last year. He ran point guard for us and we are going to look for him to take a strong leadership role running point again as well as moving to shooting guard. He is a very quick player and has a high motor. He has a good vertical which will help us this year as we will be a smaller team. Josh is a 6ft 1 senior."   [player_tooltip player_id='2249810' first='Lucas' last='Peskey'] (2027) |5'10 G|   "Lucas is only a freshman but will join the starting lineup in varsity. He will also play some point and shooting guard. He is a player that has a high IQ in basketball, and we will look for him to be a big scorer for this season. Lucas is 5 ft 10 Freshman."   PHD: What style of basketball does your team play?   "The style of basketball we will play will be a run-and-gun type offense. We plan on pressing most of the game. We will be smaller so getting out in transition is a must for us. We will look to trap to cause turnovers as well, anything to keep the ball out of the paint."   PHD: What goals do you have for this season?   "Our goal for this year is to improve our overall basketball. We will be super young with only 2 seniors on the roster. Learning how to play together and as a team will also need to improve throughout the season."   PHD: Who are the top teams in your region?   "DeSmet - Winning culture, and having a big down low always helps."   "Castlewood - State team last year and I don't believe they lost much. Also, have a big guy that can do it all."   Best of luck to the Sharks this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1272514" /></a></figure>

PHD is here to talk hoops! We caught up with three Class B coaches and we shot some questions their way. Take some time to read below about the Cardinals, Flyers, and Sharks. We have some players below that you will want to hear about. The coaches told us about many players from seniors all the way down to eighth graders! I believe high school basketball practices start in 40-some-odd days, hoops will be here soon!