First Week Updates and Player Expectations – Class AA
It’s finally here! Basketball season in South Dakota started this past week and teams are in full swing. With games already around the corner for most teams, coaches and players are quickly preparing for their first matchup of the season. We got a hold of some of the top preps in Class AA to see how their first week of practice went and what they expect out of their team this year.
Lincoln SF – Jared Jaros
“The first week of practice has been good, a lot of getting up and down to get ready for Friday.”
“We’re doing really well playing together and getting prepared for the season. We’re getting our defense more solid which will be big in the season.”
“Our expectations are to close out games and play hard until the end.”
O’Gorman – Luke Ronsiek
“Right from the start all of the guys brought the energy to be where we want to be. Everyone is talking and feeding off each other’s energy.”
“We just need to clean up some turnovers and keep working on our offense.”
“I have a lot of expectations from myself and my guys this year and I think if we play together we can make a run at the state tournament.”
Watertown – Solomon Bach
“Our first week was a grind. Almost 5 hours a day. Before and after school. We worked on defense, rebounding and conditioning most.”
“We are working great as a team since we have the original 8 seniors that have played together since 4th or 5th grade so our chemistry is already there on offense. We need to get in better shape since we are a run and gun team.”
“This season we are expecting a lot. This is the year we have been waiting for. We will be good and other teams won’t look forward to having us on their schedule.”
Rapid City Stevens – Dylan Pourier
“Our first week has been full of energy and a lot of excitement. We are ready to get out and show the state that even though we lost some seniors, we still can compete!”
“We’ve been putting in our sets and getting ready for our Dec. 7th game against Brandon Valley. There’s always places where we can get better but right now we are just fine tuning everything so that when the first game comes around, we can hit the ground running!”
“My expectations for the season are very high because I see the talent we have and the work ethic we all have! Overall I’m excited for the season and I’m ready to show SD that we shouldn’t be overlooked!”
Yankton – Matthew Mors
“The first week is pretty tough but it feels great to be out there with my teammates again. We try to develop our chemistry and get a sense of how we flow on the court together.”
“We have been playing multiple sports with the same group of guys so we know what each player can do and love to spend time with each other. I think we have to fine tune some of our actions on defense and continue to work on our communication on that side of the ball.”
“We will definitely have a target on our backs and we are ready to embrace that role and anything that it brings. Our main goal is to get back to the state tournament because anything can happen from there.”
Roosevelt SF – Tyler Feldkamp
“The first week of practice was tough. We conditioned a lot to see who had the dawg mindset and who is willing to do whatever for the team.”
“We do a really impressive job of sharing the ball and finding the open guy every time down the court. Coach “Begs” is doing a great job of making defensive communication a focus and to be at the right spot every time.”
“My expectation for the team is that we are dialed in every game. For myself it is to keep being a vocal leader and be positive when things aren’t going our way.”
Harrisburg – Nick Hoyt
“We just finished our 7th practice in 5 days and we’re getting acclimated to our offensive/defensive philosophies along with just trying to compete and win every drill or scrimmage we do.”
“Right now we need to keep improving on being more consistent with everything we do and getting conditioned enough to play a whole game.”
“We’re just focused on Western Christian and trying to get a win at home to start the year, but our expectation and goal for the season is to make it back to the state tournament and not only be playing on the final night of the season but win too. It should be a fun year.”
Washington SF – Carter Shields
“First week of practice was really intense for us, a lot of competing and pushing ourselves. There is a lot of positivity though, that’s something I think we need.”
“Our chemistry is good with this squad, since we’ve been playing with each other for a very long time.“
“My expectations for this season is nothing less then to win. A lot of people have doubted WHS for this year but I know what we are capable of and I can’t wait to prove those people wrong.”