The Rotation: RC Stevens
Last year’s third place team RC Stevens lost a lot of seniors, so what is next? PHD takes our first look at the 18-19 Rapid City Stevens squad.
Must Be Replace: Will Moore, Cooper Bowman, Connor King, Gib Elder, Alex Weaver, Trey Eberlien, Josh Schumacher
Leading scorer Cooper Bowman has graduated as have Will Moore and Connor King, two more key pieces to last year’s run. Elder and Weaver are both seniors who spent last winter injured but both were also key pieces. Bowman wasn’t just a scorer but also the top playmaker. When Bowman wasn’t created for other it was King making the right pass. Also important off the bench was Trey Eberlein who was a quality finisher and a solid rebounder off the bench. Stevens was a senior dominated club and a ton of talent has to be replaced.
Returning Starters: Dawson Paulsen
The lone returning starter for Stevens is Dawson Paulsen, a player that scored 11-12 points a game last winter. Paulsen will be one of the top players in all of Class AA this winter and a monster year is expected. Dawson isn’t just one of the top returning players in the state but also one of the top prospects in the class as well. Paulsen is a 6-foot-3 forward who played both the three and the four in 17-18.
Stepping into Bigger Roles: Daniel Vigoren, Tyson Elliott
Vigoren is a 5-foot-10 sophomore that was the only other non-senior that had some good varsity time. Daniel will team with Tyson Elliott (a senior now) to give Stevens a quality backcourt that doesn’t have big experience but has talent and some experience.
Future. Anthony Pruitt, Blake Weaver, Michael Norman, Bridger Nesbit
Anthony Pruitt is a 6-foot-5 senior big that should give Stevens somebody that can fight in the paint with size. Weaver, Norman, and Nesbit all played JV as a sophomore and should now step into important spots on the varsity squad.