December marks the 30^th anniversary of the crowning of one of our all-time greatest state champions. That team, the 1985 Brookings Bobcats, is featured in the 2015 Fall Newsletter published by the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

      Coach Jim Holwerda (right) and his Bobcats brought national attention to the state. USA TODAY  ranked Brookings as the No. 3 girls team in the country. Three of the team’s stars – Amy Mickelson, Renae Sallquist and Paula Kenefick – went on to major collegiate programs.

      Read about the undefeated Bobcats in our newsletter that was sent Nov. 23 to the nearly 1,000 people on our mailing list. The newsletter is free and is published in the spring and fall.

      There are many other items of interest in the newsletter. Such as a story about 1953’s five state champions. A look at the special bond that existed between a town and a college 30 miles away. Remembering a small school that cherished basketball before its doors closed forever. And a profile of a retired U.S. Air Force Major General who used his South Dakota upbringing as an essential resource in a journey through big-time collegiate basketball and a distinguished military career. We hope you find many things to enjoy in the newsletter.

        Phase I of an ambitious project by the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame has been completed. The 40 x 70-inch panel shown above honors state championship teams during the one class era from 1912 through 1935. The panel is on permanent display in a second floor corridor of the Sanford Pentagon.

        Phase II is underway and will focus on the Class B champions from 1936 through 1960. When that panel is completed and exhibited, Phase III will target the Class A champions from that same period.

        There will be seven panels in all. When the entire project is completed all boys and girls championship teams prior to the start of the three class system in 1985 will be included. Also featured will be the Catholic state tournament champions from 1937 through 1964. Plans are being made to also recognize all three class champions.

        The panels will contain 8 x 10-inch pictures of each championship team, rosters, the final score of the championship game, and a list of the other schools that also participated in the tournament.  

       The South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame has teamed with the Jostens Co. to create an elegant ring which commemorates membership in our elite Hall of Fame family.

      Features on each ring include the person’s last name and the year they were inducted, along with an insignia of the Sanford Pentagon, which serves as the home of the Hall of Fame. A replica of the Hall of Fame logo is crafted on the side of the ring while the top stone includes a basketball symbol surrounded by the words ‘South Dakota Hall of Fame’. The person’s full name will be engraved on the inside band of the ring.

      Any member of the Hall of Fame will be proud to own and wear such a meaningful reminder of the day they were inducted. Each ring is meticulously constructed of beautiful, enduring white metal and costs $274.54 including tax.

      Hall of Fame members and their families and friends can order a ring by simply mailing the name to be inscribed, the year inducted, choice of stone color, and the desired ring size to SDBBHOF, 2210 W. Pentagon Place, Sioux Falls, SD 57107. The purchaser should  include his or her name, mailing address, email address if applicable, and telephone number. Payment can be made via check or by using the PayPal option located on the right side of this website.

      Enshrinement in the Hall of Fame is a great honor. This ring will be a reminder and will become a cherished keepsake.

        San Antonio won the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League by defeating the Phoenix Suns 93-90 in the championship game on July 20. The Spurs were coached by Becky Hammon, who is a charter member of the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

        Hammon was a Rapid City Stevens star who played collegiately at Colorado State University. She was a standout in the WNBA with the New York Liberty and the San Antonio Stars. Hammon, 38, became the first woman to be a full-time assistant coach in the NBA when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich added her to his staff prior to the 2014-15 season.

        The Summer League is an important proving ground for young NBA players and prospects. Jonathon Simmons, a 6-foot-6 guard hoping to make the San Antonio regular-season roster for the upcoming season, led the Spurs with 23 points against Phoenix.

         Simmons was named Most Valuable Player of the title game and later used Twitter to praise Hammon’s coaching ability. “She did a great job with us,” wrote the former University of Houston player. “She was solid the whole way.”

      Parker High School’s basketball program was a model of consistency under the direction of Gayle Hoover (right) for more than three decades. The Pheasants won 577 games and averaged 17 victories per season. Hoover was a rarity in that he spent his entire South Dakota coaching career at the same school. He guided the Pheasants for 34 years.

      The 2015 Spring Newsletter of the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame examines Hoover’s career and legacy through the eyes of five of his former players.

       Friends of the Hall of Fame receive the newsletter at their home. It was mailed June 3. The newsletter is free and published twice yearly. If you do not receive a copy and want to be added to our mailing list, email your name and home address (not your email address) to dlwagner@tnics.com. Or phone executive director Dave Wagner at (605) 467-3010.

      The newsletter also features several other noteworthy stories. Among them are a look at Yankton’s dominance of the one-class era; a 1925 team that did not win a title but may have been the state’s best; Wakonda’s 101-game winning streak; and a man who learned about basketball in South Dakota and then became one of California’s greatest coaches.

      We think the newsletter delves into topics that are of interest to all who love the game. We hope that you agree.

       
        Membership in the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame expanded to 98 with the induction of 16 former greats in the Class of 2015. The sixth annual banquet was held March 28 at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls.

        The Hall of Fame is proud to welcome, from left, in back, Jim Dyer (Willow Lake ’60), John Sivesind (Sioux Falls Roosevelt ’96), Chuck Iverson (Vermillion ’69), Jim Mitchell (South Dakota School for the Deaf ’54), Jim Tays (Gettysburg ’50), Marv Rasmussen (Claremont ’55) and Lorre Colburn representing the late Lee Colburn (Brookings ’69).

        In front, John Eidsness (Canton ’66), Amy Burnett (Huron ’91), Carla Allard-Watson (Bennett County ’87), Katie Dailey (Jefferson ’81), Julie (Jensen) Rozell (Langford ’91), Vince Whipple (Rapid City ’56) and Mike Freier (Tripp ’67).

        Completing the Class of 2015 are the late Ray Hamann (Yankton ’31) and the late Jimmy Lovley (Elkton ’20). To read bios of  this year’s honorees, as well as of all other Hall of Fame members, please click on Inductees on this website.

      Each year at the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame induction banquet, an outstanding team from the past is recognized by the Hall of Fame as a Team of Excellence. Honored for 2015 during the sixth annual banquet on March 28 at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls was 1990 Wakonda.

      The Warriorettes defeated Langford 85-60 in the championship game of the Class B state girls tournament to clinch their third consecutive title. Wakonda finished the season with an undefeated record of 26-0. The Warriorettes extended their winning streak to 76 consecutive games.

      Team members were, from left, Jessica (Johnson) Bosse, Mandy (Richey) Wilson, Casey (Mount) Pollman, Carmen (Girard) Giles, Keeley Pollman, Nicky (Johnsen) Gilbertson, Becky (Flynn) Jensen, Trina (Hansen) Merideth, Kathy (Denzin) Fitzgerald, Beth (Mullinix) Kopecky, Becky (Lyso) Gregoire and Sandy (Lyso) Wolfswickel. In front, from left, Assistant Coach Tim Pflanz; student managers Lana Humpal, Megan Beatty and Miranda Moser; and Coach Ron Flynn.

      Sixteen of the state’s all-time greatest players will be honored during the sixth annual South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame induction banquet at 2 p.m. on March 28 at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls.

      Included is the late Leonard “Jimmy” Lovley, the state’s only representative in the prestigious Helms Foundation Basketball Hall of Fame.

      Lovley was a 1920 graduate of Elkton. He led the Elks to two state championships during South Dakota’s one-class era. Lovley became the first All-American in Creighton University history, earning that distinction in both 1923 and 1924. He was inducted into the Helms Foundation Basketball Hall of Fame in 1957.

      The Class of 2015 also features Amy Burnett (Huron ‘91) of Austin, Texas; the late Lee Colburn (Brookings ‘69); Katie Dailey (Jefferson ‘81) of Canistota; Jim Dyer (Willow Lake ‘60) of Scottsdale, Ariz.; John Eidsness (Canton ‘66) of Pelican Rapids, Minn.; Mike Freier (Tripp ‘67) of Bloomington, Minn.; the late Ray Hamann (Yankton ‘31); Chuck Iverson (Vermillion ‘69) of Yankton; Jim Mitchell (South Dakota School for the Deaf ‘54) of Sioux Falls; Marv Rasmussen (Claremont ‘55) of Langford; Julie Jensen Rozell (Langford ‘91) of Redfield; John Sivesind (Sioux Falls Roosevelt ‘96) of Sioux Falls; Jim Tays (Gettysburg ‘50) of Hot Springs; Carla Allard-Watson (Bennett County ‘87) of Rapid City; and pictured at left Vince Whipple (Rapid City ‘56) of Porcupine.

      Recognized as a Team of Excellence will be the 1990 Wakonda girls. The Warriorettes were 26-0.

The Fall 2014 newsletter provides readers a look at the Sanford Pentagon, home of the Hall of Fame. (Sanford Photo)

         Friends of the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame have received the 2014 Fall Newsletter.

        The newsletter is free and was sent Dec. 1 to those on the Hall of Fame mailing list. If you do not receive a copy and would like one, email your name and home address to dlwagner@tnics.com. Or phone executive director Dave Wagner at (605) 467-3010. You will then be sent a copy and will be placed on our mailing list to receive future newsletters.

        There are 12 pages in the newsletter, which features a comprehensive story about Cheyenne Indian Agency’s memorable championship quest in the late 1950s. Unforgettable players who performed admirably for the Braves during their 1959 state-title season included Freddie Knife, Mel Bagola, Bob Mandan and Chet Condon.

        Another among several noteworthy stories examines the importance of Catholic high school basketball in South Dakota and the excitement associated with the Catholic state tournament that was held from 1937 through 1964.

        The newsletter explores topics that are of interest to all basketball fans. We hope you enjoy it.

     The year was 1927. Calvin Coolidge was president. “Wings” became the only silent film ever named best picture at the Academy Awards. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig powered the New York Yankees to the World Series championship. And the cost of admission to a session of the South Dakota state high school basketball tournament was 25 cents.

     It was a quarter well spent for the many fans who packed the Corn Palace in Mitchell to watch Huron defeat Watertown, Madison and Aberdeen. The Coffeymen, as the Huron team was called at that time, boasted two of the state’s all-time greatest players in Sam Perrin and Conrad “Cornie” Collin. Both went on to become collegiate stars. Huron team members were, from left, front, Harold Marquis, Harold Crawford, Collin, Lawrence Sheridan and Kenneth Hoppell. Back, Percy Washabaugh, Perrin, Arthur Campbell and Coach Frank Coffey.

     Huron’s state championship earned it an invitation to the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament in Chicago. Read the complete story of the 1927 Huron team’s drive to glory in the upcoming South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame newsletter. Published biannually, in the fall and spring, the newsletter examines topics from the past while providing information about the Hall of Fame and its activities. Included are items of interest for all basketball fans.

   The newsletter is free. To add your name to the Hall of Fame mailing list simply e-mail your home address (not email address) to: dlwagner@tnics.com. Or phone in your address by calling (605) 467-3010.