Class A: Next Up
South Dakota’s Class A level of basketball has 54 teams getting ready this summer for next winter’s run. We talked Next Up in the Dak-12 last week, who is Next Up in the rest of the Class? PHD breaks it down now.
Logan Barndt of Hot Springs. A name to watch statewide is 6-foot-5 Logan Brandt of Hot Spring. Logan is a senior-to-be that led his team to 13 wins a year ago and has face-up skills with range that can extend to the perimeter. If Brandt can become more consistent and more versatile as a score building on a good junior year we could see a very strong senior season.
Ramsey Heinecke of Sisseton. Between Ramsey, a 6-foot-7 2020 center, 2020 guard Ty Peterson, and guard Nate Nielsen, the Redmen have a three experienced guys to build around. Sisseston had a strong senior class which led to the 15-6 season (that was cut short by Tea Area). Petrson and Nielsen are the backcourt players that will control the pace but at 6-foot-7 in the paint Heinecke can be a difference maker that other teams don’t have.
Karst Hunter of Miller. The 6-foot-4 quarterback prospect is well known for what he can do on the gridiron. The pressure is there to be what the expectations have built to. Basketball expectations won’t be quite the same for him in terms of being elite in the state but Hunter has a big challenge ahead of him for sure. Miller went 18-4 a year ago but most of the rotation was seniors around Hunter. Karst handled, was a top rebounder, top defender, and scored his double figures. Now he will do similar things this winter, with inexperience around him.
Connor LeBrun of Flandreau. Dylan LeBrun did some explosively historic things in his time at Flandreau, but one of his favorite accomplishments was winning games along with his brother Connor. Dylan is off to Augustana and Connor is now a senior ready to show what he is capable of. Connor scored a dozen a game last year with while dishing out four assists. LeBrun shot 38 percent from the arc last year and should pair well with Nathan Kneebone this winter.
Brady Morgan of Aberdeen Roncalli. The 5-foot-11 guard has a chance to put together a special senior year. Morgan had some really big games as a junior and now with more responsibility looming as a senior he has the mentality of tackling that responsibility successfully. When it comes to the players on this list today Brady is one of the most talented and one of the most accomplished.
Ryan Schuster of Sioux Valley. It’s unfair to ask the returning players at Sioux Valley to match what their team did a year ago considering the senior class was so talented. But the Cossacks are a well coached group that learns to play the right way so don’t expect much of a fall off either. Schuster will be a junior at 6-foot-4 on the wing that will step into a bigger role. Ryan will be joined by 2019 Noah Puetz and 2021 Kelton Vincent in leading this program forward.
Joey Slama of Bon Homme. The 6-foot-3 guard/wing spent his junior year doing what his team needed. The senior class was talented and rarely lost games. Joey sometimes scored in double figures, sometimes spent the game making the right passes building shots (and assists himself) for his talented senior teammates, and some games Slama did some of everything. This winter he will have to do more of everything and Slama seems ready for the challenge.