SD Class B State Tournament: Players to Watch
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We are a day away from the State Tournament kicking off. The Class B Tournament is played at the Barnett Center on the campus of Northern State in Aberdeen. It looks to have some great 1st day matchups and there…
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Continue ReadingWe are a day away from the State Tournament kicking off. The Class B Tournament is played at the Barnett Center on the campus of Northern State in Aberdeen. It looks to have some great 1st day matchups and there is no shortage of talent in this tournament. In this article, we are looking at the top players to watch in the Class B State Tournament.
CLASS B State Tournament Matchups
(12:00) #1 De Smet vs. #8 Waubay-Summit
(1:45) #4 Potter County vs. #5 Aberdeen Christian
(6:00) #2 Lower Brule vs. #7 Castlewood
(7:45) #3 White River vs. #6 Freeman Academy-Marion
Class B Players to Watch
Kalen Garry Kalen Garry 6'3" | SG De Smet | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-3 G| De Smet
- 20 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 apg
- SDSU hoops commit, star athlete that can do everything, having a monster year
Rett Osthus Rett Osthus 6'0" | PG DeSmet | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-1 PG| De Smet
- 10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 spg
- A top perimeter defender in all of SD, great eyes and passing, very quick slasher & finisher
Tory Holland Tory Holland 6'2" | SF De Smet | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-2 F| De Smet
- 9.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.4 spg
- A great scoring option that can score inside and out, effective in transition, mismatch problem
Damon Wilkinson Damon Wilkinson 6'10" | C De Smet | 2023 State SD (2023) |5-9 C| De Smet
- 14 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1 apg. 2 bpg
- A dominant low post, physical defender/finisher/rebounder, long arms, rim protector
Jonathan Johnston Jonathan Johnston 6'3" | SG Waubay/Summit | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-3 G| Waubay/Summit
- A big guard that can hit jumpers all over the court and also post up smaller defenders
- Smooth player that uses fakes and jab steps to set himself up, can also drain catch-n-shoot triples
Damon Opdahl Damon Opdahl 6'0" | PG Waubay/Summit | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-0 G| Waubay/Summit
- A quick, tough, and scrappy backcourt player
- Works hard on D, attacks downhill, and can finish around bigger defenders
JT Gulbraa (2022) |6-7 C| Waubay/Summit
- Built like a tree, tough around the rim on both ends, rugged rebounder
- Strong old school post, passes well from the block, robust defender, shot blocker
Grant Luikens Grant Luikens 6'3" | SG Potter County | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-3 G| Potter County
- A pure scorer with all the tools, great at getting to the line, superior athlete
- Buttery smooth pull-up J, aggressive & timely cutter, efficient finisher, blue-collar rebounder
Cooper Logan Cooper Logan 6'0" | SG Potter County | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-1 F| Potter County
- A strong, thick, and aggressive frontcourt player
- Excellent at drawing contact and finishing, patient finisher, a gifted passer
Seth Sharp (2022) |6-2 F| Potter County
- Has an effective mid-range jump shot, sprints the floor hard & scores in transition
- Looks good in the screen-n-roll game, works hard on the glass, and scores on O-board putbacks
Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-0 G| Aberdeen Christian
- This lefty can light the nets on fire, has one of the best jumpers in SD
- Has ridiculous ball skills, smooth and fluid passer, smart, creative finisher
Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-6 SF| Aberdeen Christian
- Excellent 3 & D player
- Impressive athlete with great length, a frightful matchup for any team
Jackson Isakson Jackson Isakson 6'3" | SG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-3 G| Aberdeen Christian
- Quick, explosive, strong athlete, has great body control when finishing at the rim
- Impressive cutter, a talented finisher with both hands, another tough matchup
Brian LaRoche Jr Brian LaRoche Jr 6'0" | PG Lower Brule | 2023 State SD . (2023) |6-1 G| Lower Brule
- Always seems to be in “attack mode”, scores in transition, and penetrates from the wing
- Left-handed smooth-shooting 3-point sniper and a clean finisher at the cup
Gavin Thigh Gavin Thigh 5'10" | PG Lower Brule | 2023 State SD (2023) |5-11 G| Lower Brule
- Can score points in a hurry, a hot-shot three-point shooter that should not be left open
- Very smooth and skilled with the basketball, ball-on-a-string handles, scary slasher
Keshaume Thigh Keshaume Thigh 6'3" | SG Lower Brule | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-2 G| Lower Brule
- Has a silky smooth jumper and is a dangerous scorer from all levels
- Multi-talented, high IQ, has a sweet fade away, and is an acrobatic finisher at the rim
Tristan Nielsen Tristan Nielsen 6'0" | SG Castlewood | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-0 G| Castlewood
- 14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 37 3FG%, 90 FT%, is a 5-tool player
- A fantastic three-point shooter, has a great feel & understanding of the game
Lane Tvedt Lane Tvedt 6'0" | PG Castlewood | 2024 State SD (2024) |6-0 G| Castlewood
- 11.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg
- A nice athlete with good skill, hard worker, tough defender for young age
Bryon Laue Bryon Laue 6'9" | PF Castlewood | 2025 State SD (2025) |6-7 PF| Castlewood
- 10.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg, 62 FG%
- Excellent rebounder for only a frosh, rim protector, athletic dunker
Joe Sayler Joe Sayler 6'4" | SG White River | 2023 State #295 Nation SD (2023) |6-3 G| White River
- SDSU commit, stunning & staggering dunker, freak athlete
- A top-tier shooter in SD, gamer, crazy impressive playmaker
Dylan Marshall Dylan Marshall 6'0" | PG White River | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-0 G| White River
- Great backcourt player, precision handles, and elite passer
- Bright and heady player, excellent perimeter defender, hard worker
Nic Marshall Nic Marshall 6'1" | PG White River | 2024 State SD (2024) |6-1 G| White River
- Scores off the bounce, sets up others, creates good looks, has improved his scoring
- Another smart kid, great leader for young age, advanced ball skills, and court vision
Quincy Blue Quincy Blue 6'0" | SG Freeman Academy | 2022 SD (2022) |6-0 G| Freeman Academy-Marion
- Lights out shooter with extended range, a big shot maker, and a quick kid
- Scores off the bounce at the rack, all-around scorer, and a steady rebounder
Thalen Schroeder Thalen Schroeder 6'3" | SG Freeman Academy | 2022 SD (2022) |6-5 F| Freeman Academy-Marion
- Went over 1,000 career pts this season, impressive dunks all year long
- Scores in the paint and can also knock down triples, a physical player in the lane
Connor Epp Connor Epp 6'0" | CG Freeman Academy-Marion | 2023 State SD (2023) |5-11 G| Freeman Academy-Marion
- A quick guard that excels at slashing and scoring off the bounce
- Shares the basketball and drops dimes, a nice athlete with a good basketball sense