Previews: Milbank and Wagner

Prep Hoops Dakotas is heading to South Dakota for two Team Previews. PHD is looking at and highlighting the Bulldogs from Milbank and the Red Raiders from Wagner. Both squads will be legit, win many games, and I will not be surprised if they make it to the SoDak 16 in March.   See below for Team Previews, Q&A Style....   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><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" style="width:265px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/QA.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/QA.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2508303" style="width:265px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Team: Milbank   Mascot: Bulldog   Head Coach: Logan Diede   Athletic Director: Ryan Scoular   Class: A   Region: 1   24-25 Record: 12-12   Milbank Bulldogs Q&A with Logan Diede   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/milbankbulldog.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/milbankbulldog.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-3044269" style="width:111px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   PHD: How would you sum up last season?   "We had another solid season last year. We came into the season with very limited Varsity production from the previous season, as we graduated mostly all of our production from the 2023-2024 team that went 17-6. It took a little time to get settled into the season with our young group, but as the season went on, we put together a nice run, finishing with another winning season and our 4th SoDak16 appearance in 5 seasons. We improved a great deal from the start of the season to the end, which we do every season, and had many memorable moments along the way!"   PHD: Does your program/team have any non-negotiables, if so, what are they?   "Being a good teammate, bringing juice/energy, and giving maximum effort every day are some of our core expectations. We are always developing our players with a mindset to WANT to be coached, not just saying "be coachable". All great players have to WANT to be coached, and if you are in that realm as a player, you're going to continuously improve and work toward your potential, which in turn helps the program overall."   PHD: What will your defense "hang its hat on"?   "Compete. We always compete on the defensive end. One of our goals is to always make it muddy. We don't want the other team to have things come easy to them. Whatever they get, they need to earn. Whether we are playing man, switching to zone, bringing full court pressure or not - that is our goal. And a talking defense is a winning defense, our players are taught and expected to communicate - especially on the defensive end."   PHD: Who will be one of your lead guards?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1551740' first='Sam' last='Rick'], a junior guard, was an All-Conference (2nd team) performer for us last year as a Sophomore. We will lean on him a lot this season. He's a very good athlete who has improved his ability to score a great deal. He's really been a high-level receiver on the football field the last two falls, and we look forward to him taking another leap forward this season for us on the basketball floor. His biggest asset is his athleticism and getting to the rim, if he continues to improve his outside shooting, which he has, he will have the opportunity to fill it up in the scoring category."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "We had another strong offseason. We really dedicate ourselves in the offseason to be in the gym, do things the right way, get reps, and improve our players. We aren't nestled next to Sioux Falls like many schools are, so there aren't the same opportunities in our area. That said, the offseason player development program has been a huge part of our program over the years, and it's a big part of our culture."   PHD: Who are a few of your top defensive players?   "We have a group of kids who compete on the defensive end and give us everything they have. [player_tooltip player_id='1551740' first='Sam' last='Rick'] (junior guard) & [player_tooltip player_id='1959434' first='Jack' last='Howard'] (senior forward) definitely lead the group on the defensive end and set the tone for our group."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2675902' first='Jeter' last='Scoular'] (junior G), [player_tooltip player_id='2549830' first='Lincoln' last='Holscher'] (sophomore G/F), [player_tooltip player_id='2675873' first='Emmett' last='Snaza'] (junior C), [player_tooltip player_id='2857397' first='Cade' last='Grabow'] (freshman G/F)."   PHD: Who do you think will be your best rebounders?   "We graduated the leading rebounder in the conference last season with Emmett Hanson, so we will look to many guys to fill that void this season. In many ways we will need to rebound by committee this season, and have everyone bought in to boxing out, finding the ball, and going after it. Rebounding is mostly an effort stat, so we need to have maximum effort on the boards to keep teams to one and done as much as possible!"   PHD: What are your team goals this year?   "Our overall and primary team goal does not change from year to year. We want to get the most out of our players and get as close as we can to reaching our potential, with the primary goal being that we improve in a big way from start to finish. We have accomplished that goal every season and look to do it again. If we can do that, then we can have a chance at the other goals we have, which include a winning season, reaching the SoDak16, and having a shot at getting a ticket punched to the State Tournament. But we don't focus on that day-to-day, we focus on winning each day and getting better in some capacity each and every day to give ourselves a chance at the end of the season."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams & players in your Region?   "Groton is one of the top teams in the State and in the Region and they are loaded with some of the top players in the Region and State including [player_tooltip player_id='2475034' first='Karson' last='Zak'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1548634' first='Ryder' last='Johnson'] to name a couple. [player_tooltip player_id='1551740' first='Sam' last='Rick'] is also one of the top players in our Region.  We believe we are one of the top teams in the Region as well."   PHD: Any last comments about the upcoming season?   "We are excited to get to work, make some noise, and have some fun this winter as a group! Our guys are a great group of young men who want to be coached and are hungry to compete!"   BEST OF LUCK TO THE BULLDOGS THIS WINTER!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/image_0164e5.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/image_0164e5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3044370" style="width:277px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Team: Wagner   Mascot: Red Raider   Head Coach: Josh Davies   Athletic Director: Josh Davies   Class: A   Region: 5   24-25 Record: 11-11   Wagner Red Raiders Q&A with Josh Davies   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/image_9e0b6a.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/image_9e0b6a.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3044374" style="width:125px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "Last season, we relied heavily on our size; we started two true post players who were both skilled, and our offense revolved around them. We played a lot of man defense and focused on our half-court offense."   PHD: Does your program/team have any non-negotiables?   "Be a good teammate, student, and respect the people around you. Don't get beat back on defense, don't get beat off the dribble to the middle."   PHD: What will your defense "hang its hat on"?   "Challenging every shot and ball pressure."   PHD: Who will be a couple of your lead guards?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2132820' first='Jesse' last='Zephier'] is a great all-around player, he is quick, can shoot, and get to the rim. [player_tooltip player_id='3044405' first='Carlos' last='Galindo'] is a great defender and skilled athlete who can score from many different areas of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='2976821' first='Ky' last='Arpan'] is an excellent scoring threat."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "Our off-season was good; we had a lot of our players complete our summer weight lifting program and many of our basketball players participated in fall and spring sports."   PHD: Who are a few of your top defensive players?   "[player_tooltip player_id='3044405' first='Carlos' last='Galindo'] is our best defender; he works hard and does a great job taking the other team's best player out of the game."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2957681' first='Colton' last='Zephier'] is a freshman who has great ball-handling skills and works hard on his game. [player_tooltip player_id='3044406' first='Payne' last='Petry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2706232' first='Cruise' last='Koupal'] will step up in the post for us this year and are both skilled players."   PHD: Who do you think will be your best rebounders?   "[player_tooltip player_id='3044406' first='Payne' last='Petry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2706232' first='Cruise' last='Koupal'] will both be good rebounders; they work hard at it and are tough kids."   PHD: What are your team goals this year?   "Our goals this season are to go undefeated at home, be the hardest working team on the floor each night, and get better every day at practice."   PHD: Who are the top teams & players in your Region?   "Our Region will have a lot of parity. Bon Homme was very young last year and got much better, MCM is always has good athletes, MVP will work hard and play hard. It will be very interesting to see how everything shakes out when the games start."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE RED RAIDERS THIS WINTER!!<a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/milbankbulldog.jpg"></a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/ClassABasketball.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/ClassABasketball.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2713048" /></a></figure>

Prep Hoops Dakotas is heading to South Dakota for two Team Previews. PHD is looking at and highlighting the Bulldogs from Milbank and the Red Raiders from Wagner. Both squads will be legit, win many games, and I will not be surprised if they make it to the SoDak 16 in March.