The Rotation: Rapid City Central
Rapid City Central at times used double figure seniors in games last year. Needless to say, there are many players for the Cobblers to replace. However, we think Central will have a top South Dakota frontcourt!
Must Be Replaced: Kailleb Walton-Blanden, Dylan Hay, Cameron Hall, Camden Talley, Tod Stephens, Jaxwon Schmaltz, Kyle Elder, Jaleel Snipes, Mason McBride
I know what you are thinking “that’s a lot of dudes”. It’s not just a lot of dudes, it was nearly all of the Cobblers backcourt contributions from a year ago. Dylan Hall and Kailleb Walton-Blanden were a dynamite combination for the school and they won a ton of games. Both earned a lot of respect from the state for what they accomplished taking the team to the final four in state with an 18-5 record. But Central doesn’t just need to replace those two, they also need to replace the third backcourt starter, and the back-ups, and a starting big, and the back-up bigs. That’s a lot of inexperience stepping on the floor.
Returning Starters: Elijah Williams
The Cobblers aren’t without a talented returning player to lean on. Six-foot-6 Elijah Williams put up eight points and seven rebounds last year and is about to have a break-out season. It could be an all-state level season. Williams handled his role on the glass, defensively, and finishing the six shots a game he received with high percentage results. Elijah will get many more chances to produce as a senior.
Ready for a Bigger Role: Dasean Marquese, Erik Koehane, Joe Woods, Gavyn Strand
Why did we say Central could have one of the top frontcourts in South Dakota? Because in addition to Williams returning, 6-foot-5 Erik Koehane steps into his junior season as well. Erik came off the bench in some games last year and showed the promise that has us thinking he and Elijah could do great things together. The one backcourt returning player for Central is Dasean Marquese. Dasean is 6-foot-1 and played both guard positions a year ago. He was a varsity guy off the bench and is likely a starter this year. Joe Woods and Gavyn Strand are the senior that Central will look at for production despite being JV guys a year ago. Woods is 5-foot-10 while Strand is 6-foot-1. Central only had four juniors last season so there will be young guys that need to step into roles at the guard position, right now though we don’t know who those young guys will be.
Future: Rob Weber, Trent Foli
Weber and Foli are both 6-foot-4 juniors that will back-up Williams and Koehane. They are another reason we feel strong about Central being good on the glass and getting deep paint scoring production.