how basketball has evolved in time

2210 W. Pentagon Place • Sioux Falls, SD 57107(605) 467-3010 • www.sdbbhof.com

2021 Spring Newsletter

How Basketball has Evolved in TimeBy Bob Swanhorst

Anyone who played orwatched high schoolbasketball in the 40s and

50s will probably tell you aboutsome of the old, so-called gyms ofthose times. In every corner of thestate these old gyms weregenerally referred to as comicaland some as THE most unusual.Let’s examine a gym that certainlymade the list as one of the mostunusual of all time, not only for itsquaintness but for who playedthere and what developed fromthat player’s offspring.

Located in Okaton, SouthDakota, is a garage that once wasa high school gym. The verticaldimensions of the gym make onerealize this gym is really, reallydifferent. The ceiling height is tenfeet six inches. The rim height iseight feet seven inches as are pipesrunning under the ceiling. Yes, highschool basketball in South Dakotawas played on a hoop that wasbelow the standard ten feet. Theplaying floor area, concrete, was20 X 30 with a stage for the fans atone end.

Constructed around 1924, thebuilding with its gym, today’sgarage, was below four classroomsand a smaller office for thesuperintendent. Today thatupstairs level is a comfortableliving area for Scott and MonicaOldenkamp. Scott, a 1979 graduateof Murdo (Jones County HighSchool), and Monica haveremodeled the building that oncewas an entire grade and highschool. It has become an attractiveand pleasant home.

If this seems unusual orinteresting, it is only the beginning.

Playing on that floor in the early50s was a young lad identified inthe school’s annual as Junior Daumand his brother Dick. Junior waspart of a family of ten siblings.Nicholas Daum, called Junior inhigh school, was not named after

his father. Junior was named afteran older brother, Nicky or Nicholas,who had drowned in a cloud burstwhile in the country. The rushingwater swept him away in a streamleading into the White River. Hisbody was never found. The mother,pregnant at the time, named thenew baby after his older brother,Nicholas.

Okaton High School was closedby 1951 and Nick transferred toMurdo High School for his finalhigh school years; 1951-52 and1952-53. While at Murdo, Nick

Continued on Page 2

OHS PhotoOkaton, about 10 miles west of Murdo in Jones County, had one of the country’s rarest gyms.With a rim height of only 8 feet 7 inches, the Bulldogs battled Wood in this 1950 game.

In this Issue:International Quest ........4

A Master Scorer...........6-7

Remembering Dean.....10

2021 Spring Newsletter •

How Basketball has Evolved in TimeContinued from Page 1played sports with two futureSouth Dakota High SchoolBasketball Hall of Famers, FrankBrost and Maury Haugland. Allindications show that he was anoutstanding football andbasketball player while at Murdo.

After a year at SDSU, his footballtalent led Nick to Huron Collegewhere he blossomed during theJim Long and Gil Petersoncoaching era. Huron College wonthe SDIC twice while Nick played.As a player he was twice first teamall-conference in the SDIC. Nickplayed both ways as a defensiveend and on offense as a tight end.You played both ways in thosedays. In the backfield was a trueSouth Dakota sports legend;Garney Henley, also a High SchoolBasketball Hall of Famer. Otherstellar players on offense wereLeRoy “Tuby” Gunderson, GaryWiren, Ken Heier, Bob LaPour, andPat Keating to name a few.

Nick graduated from HuronCollege in 1959 and was married toPat Kaiser in 1961. At that point Nickembarked on a teaching/ coachingcareer with stops at Quinn, Hill City,Belvidere and finally Murdo.Belvidere High School soon closed,but Nick has always rememberedtwo outstanding basketball playersfrom Belvidere by the names ofLeRoy Ghost and Bill Pier.

By the early 1970s Nick took upfarming at Dix, Nebraska. Nick andPat had two sons, Mark and Mitch,who had started their school daysin Murdo. They both wereoutstanding athletes in multiplesports. Mark played eight-manfootball at Dix High School and wasa celebrated walk-on at Nebraska.In 1979 Mark had an opportunity tostay with his Uncle John and playbasketball with his old schoolmatesat Murdo. That team included John

Thune and Scott Oldenkamp. Markreturned to Dix and matured into a6-3 and 235-pound linebacker. As awalk-on, he made the All-Big Eight2nd team as a linebacker for CoachTom Osborne and the NebraskaCornhuskers. The Huskers werewinning Orange Bowls and nationalchampionships in those days.

Mitch played his high schoolfootball at Kimball High School inNebraska. His talent landed him atthe University of Wyoming. As fatewould have it Nebraska andWyoming squared off, Nebraska

won, and the bragging rights wentto Mark. Mitch excelled to such adegree that his ability wasrecognized by NFL scouts. Mitchhad brief stints with the SeattleSeahawks and Houston Oilers. Itwas 1986-87 and the NFL playersstrike and a hand injury curtailedand eventually dampened his NFLcareer.

Mitch’s football promise not onlymerited him NFL attention, but alsothe attention of an outstandingwomen’s basketball player by thename of Michele Hoppes. Micheleranks as one of the all-time bestbasketball players to ever play atWyoming. Upon graduation shewas Wyoming’s all-time scoring andrebounding leader. Mitch, at 6-5 and250 pounds, and Michele, at 6-2,married and continued their lives atDix, Nebraska. They started a familythat included Mike and Danika.

Mike and Danika wereexceptional high school athletes.Mike in football and basketball andDanika in basketball and volleyball.After attending Western NebraskaCommunity College, Danikatransferred to Henderson StateUniversity in Arkansas. AtHenderson she was a 5-11 setter onthe volleyball team.

Mike Daum, grandson of Pat andNick, showed exceptional footballand basketball promise at Kimball.His growth spurt put his frame wellabove the 6 foot plus level while inhigh school. He showed ability as aquarterback but basketballbecame something of anobsession. With the advantage oftop notch athletic experiences byboth his parents he learned anddeveloped an attitude necessary toexcel in basketball and mature as ateenager to an adult. He playedAAU basketball during the offseason, but his parents were

Continued on Page 3

SDBBHOF PhotoScott and Monica Oldenkamp renovated theold Okaton School into a modern home.Scott displays the rim in the former gym thatnow is the Oldenkamp’s garage.


Bob Swanhorst,President

LaMoine Torgerson,Vice President

Mike Begeman,Treasurer

Wayne Thue,Secretary

Lee StoddardColleen MoranJesse MendozaElton ByreJim ThorsonTyrone AlbersChad BerganRob Van LaeckenLynn Frederick

Frank BrostBill Marquardt

H H H

Director of MediaGreg Hansen

Executive AssistantMary Pennington

Board of Directors To Contact UsExecutive DirectorDave WagnerSDBBHOF2210 W. Pentagon PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57107(605) [email protected]

How Basketball has Evolved in TimeContinued from Page 2careful not to over extend his timeand above all avoid any signs ofburnout. Any indication ofarrogance was also corrected. Animportant aspect for our society.

With both parents being suchstandout athletes at Wyoming, andLaramie only 100 miles down theroad, it was a natural that Mikewould become a WyomingCowboy. A spleen injury during hisjunior year in high school forcedhim to miss half the season.Wyoming seemed to hesitate on acommitment to Mike. It was SDSUin Brookings that committed toMike. A nine-hour drive from Dix,Mike liked what he experienced ona campus visit in Brookings andbecame a Jackrabbit.

Mike was redshirted as afreshman and played varsity from2015-19. His statistics during thosefour years were staggering. Hescored 3,067 points in 137 gamesfor a 22.4 average. He holds theSummit League scoring record andended up with the seventh mostpoints scored in Division Ibasketball. His name is on the list inscoring with the best in collegebasketball history including PeteMaravich and Oscar Robertson toname just two household names.

As of today, in 2021, Mike is playingprofessionally in Spain.

When you recall that eight-footseven-inch rim at Okaton, and hisgrandfather Nick playing in thatgym as a high school player, 72years and three generations surecan put the world in a differentframe. The gyms, the players, therules and attitudes constantly are

in a state of change. Threegenerations of the Daums certainlyepitomize what dynamics are atplay in the world of basketball,football and sports in general.Professional level athletes werecoming from cracker box gyms,eight-man football and NAIAteams. Let’s salute Pat and NickDaum. Can it get any better?

SDBBHOF PhotoThis historic building, constructed around 1924, served many years as the school in the townof Okaton. Today it has been remodeled and is home to Scott and Monica Oldenkamp.

It was the summer of 1972 whenfans in Europe got their firstclose-up look at the quality of

basketball developed in SouthDakota.

Seven players who hadconcluded outstanding highschool and college careers in thestate formed the core of a teamcalled the South Dakota All-Stars.They introduced South Dakotabasketball to an entirely newinternational audience.

John Thomas served asplayer/coach. At that time the1965 Alexandria graduate andformer South Dakota State starwas an assistant coach atAugustana. The squad wassponsored by trucking executiveRalph Macy of Rapid City. Thomasand Macy assembled the roster.

Along with Thomas in the frontline were Dick Authier(Woonsocket ‘67) of the Universityof South Dakota, John Janssen(Emery ‘68) of SDSU and GaryEvjen (Sioux Falls Washington ‘68)of Northern State.

Backcourt play was providedby Jim Schlekeway (Britton ‘64)of Northern, Dennis Womeldorf(Wessington Springs ‘66) of SDSUand Jim Martin (Chamberlain ‘68)of Dakota Wesleyan.

Each brought a strong winningbackground to the team. All hadbeen first team all-state withSchlekeway one of only a handfulof players in South Dakota historyto earn that distinction threeyears.

Three of the All-Stars had beenMost Valuable Player in the NorthCentral Conference – Thomas in1969, Womeldorf in 1970 andAuthier in 1972. All seven had wonchampionships as collegians.

Womeldorf was part of threeNCC title teams as a Jackrabbitwhile Thomas and Janssen both

played on two. Authier led theCoyotes to one NCC crown.Martin helped the Tigers to a pairof South Dakota IntercollegiateConference titles. Schlekeway wason two SDIC championship teamswith the Wolves and Evjen one.

Jim Sutherland, a guard fromWestmar College (Iowa), and bigman Gus Chatmon of WeberState (Utah) completed theroster.

During their tour in Europe theAll-Stars compiled a 13-3 record.Opponents included teams fromUnited States military bases.

The All-Stars also facedprofessional squads fromGermany and borderingcountries, as well as the team thatrepresented Germany in the 1972Summer Olympics in Munich.

A highlight for the All-Starswas winning the Rosenheim

Sommerfestival, a prestigioustournament in Rosenheim,Germany.

Thomas was the only memberof the group who had experiencein international rules, which varyfrom those which governAmerican basketball. Two monthsbefore the team flew out ofDenver to begin its tour, Thomasvisited Europe to finalize traveland scheduling plans.

Since the All-Stars blazed atrail, other South Dakota teamshave followed and played onforeign soil. Macy, a Vermillionnative, sponsored another squadfour years later that returned toEurope in 1976 for games inFrance, Italy, the Soviet Union andSweden.

But it was the All-Stars of 1972who got the ball rolling. They didso in impressive fashion.


Tour in ’72 took S.D. basketball to Europe

Submitted PhotoThe South Dakota All-Stars played 16 games during their tour in 1972. Team members were,from left, kneeling, Jim Martin, Jim Schlekeway, Dennis Womeldorf and Jim Sutherland.Standing, John Thomas, Dick Authier, Gus Chatmon, John Janssen and Gary Evjen.


A: Amy Allard-Carmody, Jefferson ’82: 2016

Carla Allard-Watson, Bennett County ’87: 2015

Rich Andrzejewski, Arlington ’69: 2014Robin Anderson-Thormodsgaard,

Clear Lake ’80: 2010Joe Ashley, Pierre ’79: 2017Dick Authier, Woonsocket ’67: 2014

B: Bruce Bad Moccasin, Pierre ’67: 2010Dick Baun, Mobridge ’44: 2018JoElle Byre-Benson,

Washington ’82: 2011Ron Bertsch, St. Lawrence ’61: 2017John Bertolero, Lead ’56: 2018SuAnne Big Crow, Pine Ridge ’92: 2017Howie Bich, Yale ’58: 2018Scott Bosanko, Aberdeen ’77: 2013Frank Brost, Murdo ’55: 2018Steve Brown, Hamlin ’74: 2010G.E. Buenning, Parkston ’66: 2014Jerry Buri, Hazel ’60: 2017Amy Burnett, Huron ’91: 2015Elton Byre, Reliance ’56: 2016Scott Beckstrand, Lincoln ’89: 2019Mike Begeman, Parker ’75: 2019

C: Harry Carleton, Washington ’43: 2011Lee Colburn, Brookings ’69: 2015Conrad Collin, Huron ’30: 2016Cathy Coyle-Grubb,

Belle Fourche ’79: 2011D: Katie Dailey, Jefferson ’81: 2015

John Diefendorf, Irene ’46: 2018Chris Divich, Doland ’52: 2013Terry DuPris, Cheyenne-EB ’76: 2011Jim Dyer, Willow Lake ’60: 2015

E: Kriss Edwards, Watertown ’77: 2017John Eidsness, Canton ’66: 2015Gary Evjen, Washington ’68: 2017Lefty Engebritson, Webster ’46: 2019

F: Roger Faber, Canistota ’58: 2016Randy Fletcher, Reliance ’65: 2012Becky Flynn-Jensen,

Wakonda ’92: 2010Gordon Fosness, Presho ’53: 2011Bart Friedrick, Mitchell ’85: 2014Mike Freier, Tripp ’67: 2015Carol Freeman-Galbraith,

Canova ’79: 2013Dave Fischer, Wall ’61: 2019Rollie Furois, Deadwood ’40: 2019

G: Barry Glanzer, Armour ’78: 2012Max Gonzenbach, Milbank ’54: 2010DuWayne Groos, Sisseton ’62: 2014Chad Greenway, Mt. Vernon ’01: 2018

H: Clyde Hagen, Webster ’66: 2013Dale Hall, Ravinia ’54: 2016Ray Hamann, Yankton ’31: 2015Steve Hammer, Pierpont ’69: 2014Becky Hammon, Stevens ’95: 2010Greg Hansen, Hurley ’70: 2012Maury Haugland, Murdo ’54: 2016

H: Julie Harmacek-Bridge, Avon ’83: 2014Fred Hecker, Washington ’57: 2016Garney Henley, Hayti ’55: 2013Kent Hyde, Onida ’54: 2013Diane Hiemstra-Gabriel,

Yankton ’80: 2011Luther Hippe, Washington ’83: 2014Kris Holwerda-Woerner,

Brookings ’81: 2014Cary Hornaman, Roncalli ’75: 2018

I: Jim Iverson, Platte ’48: 2010Chuck Iverson, Vermillion ’69: 2015

J: Don Jacobsen, Lake Norden ’57: 2010Steve Jansa, O’Gorman ’64: 2016Randy Jencks, De Smet ’71: 2012Julie Jensen-Rozell, Langford ’91: 2015Matt Jones, Alpena ’01: 2016Terry Jordre, Corona ’57: 2017

K: Eric Kline, Aberdeen ’91: 2012Mandy Koupal, Wagner ’99: 2014Lisa Kurtenbach-Glanzer,

Brookings ’85: 2018Mandy Kappel, Roosevelt ’00: 2018Freddie Knife, Cheyenne ’59: 2019

L: John Lillibridge, Burke ’58: 2017Jimmy Lovley, Elkton ’20: 2015Lance Luitjens, Custer ’92: 2010Jerry Lund, Belle Fourche ’57: 2013

M: Guy Mackner, Sisseton ’65: 2017Tom Malchow, Aberdeen ’61: 2011Bob Marske, Andover ’44: 2016Lien Marso, Harrold ’51: 2014Tom McGrann, Watertown ’59: 2010Jesse Mendoza, Cheyenne-EB ’71: 2012Rod Merriam, Huron ’80: 2010Phil Miedema, Hitchcock ’58: 2014Amy Mickelson, Brookings ’86: 2013Alan Miller, Stickney ’81: 2011Chris Miller, Stickney ’71: 2016Mike Miller, Mitchell ’98: 2013Jim Mitchell, S.D. Deaf ’54: 2015Myron Moen, Sisseton ’63: 2012Colleen Moran, Stickney ’79: 2014Scott Morgan, Mitchell ’89: 2016Josh Mueller, West Central ’01: 2016Donna Muir, Cheyenne-EB ’78: 2017Megan Mahoney, Sturgis ’01: 2019

N: Chad Nelson, Yankton ’74: 2013Roger Nelson, Brookings ’54: 2011

N: Dana Nielsen-Honner, Armour ’88: 2012Rick Nissen, Miller ’72: 2011Alan Nissen, Miller ’68: 2019

O: Tom Orton, Madison ’65: 2012Melissa Olson-Guebert, Lincoln ’83: 2016

P: Ann Pancoast, Washington ’81: 2017Harley Petersen, Hayti ’54: 2011Henry Park, Chester ’45: 2019Doug Peterson, Watertown ’60: 2019Jodi Pipes-Altenburg, Armour ’88: 2019

R: Marv Rasmussen, Claremont ’55: 2015Wayne Rasmussen, Howard ’60: 2016Dona Ray-Reed, Yankton ’78: 2018Jared Reiner, Tripp-Delmont ’00: 2018Renee Ruesink, Castlewood ’84: 2013

S: Renae Sallquist, Brookings ’86: 2011Jim Schlekeway, Britton ’64: 2013Jim Schmidt,

Dell Rapids St. Mary ’41: 2017Harvey Schaefer, Hayti ’54: 2018Mike Sisk, Miller ’57: 2017John Sivesind, Roosevelt ’96: 2015Holly Sivesind-Borchers,

Roosevelt ’93: 2016Terry Slattery, Salem St. Mary’s ’56: 2011Gene Smith, Watertown ’47: 2010Rudy Soderquist, Rapid City ’37: 2016Taran Stapp, Newell ’96: 2012Courtney Stapp-Pool, Newell ’94: 2012Lolly Steele, Pine Ridge ’84: 2016Karla Stevenson, Hamlin ’83: 2012Bob Stewart, Aberdeen ’49: 2012Wayne Stone, Mitchell ’41: 2013Jason Sutherland, Watertown ’93: 2012Jim Sutton, Onida ’53: 2011Bob Swanhorst, Cresbard ’57: 2010Wendy Swanhorst, Cresbard ’78: 2013Rex Swett, Huron ’58: 2010Shannon Schlagel-Huber, Clark ’01: 2019Cregg Skarin, Hitchcock ’70: 2019

T: Jim Tays, Gettysburg ’50: 2015Kim Templeton, Miller ’72: 2011Denver TenBroek, McIntosh ’99: 2014Mark Tetzlaff, Hamlin ’81: 2014Jack Theeler, Sisseton ’63: 2012John Thomas, Alexandria ’65: 2010Harold Thune, Murdo ’37: 2010LaMoine Torgerson, Forestburg ’59: 2012Louis Tyon, Pine Ridge ’63: 2018Lindsay Thomas, Roosevelt ’02: 2019

V: Lisa Van Goor, Yankton ’80: 2010W: Marty Waukazoo, Rapid City ’67: 2013

Chuck Welke, Warner ’94: 2013Vince Whipple, Rapid City ’56: 2015Willie White, Pine Ridge ’87: 2014Jerry Wingen, Canova ’56: 2011Lori Wohlleber-O’Farrell,

Summit ’86: 2014Sox Walseth, Pierre ’44: 2019

Z: Harley Zephier, Dupree ’55: 2016

To read bios go to www.sdbbhof.com

Hall of FameMembers


The Journey of a record shattering ScorerBy Greg Hansen

Since the mid-1990s, scoreboards flash at adazzling pace when Grinnell College is on thecourt. Deploying a tireless attack, the Pioneers

place maximum importance on short possessions thatusually end with 3-point shots.

Sports Illustrated and ESPN are among media whichhave taken notice of how a small school in Iowa hasignored the offensive norms that exist in collegebasketball. Tales of the prolific Pioneers have beenrecounted across the country in newspapers,magazines and television broadcasts.

Leading the way at the beginning of Grinnell’shigh-octane era was a sharpshooting 6-foot-4forward from Yankton. Steve Diekmann scored 34.4points per game for the Pioneers as a junior in 1994.The next season he boosted that average to an NCAADivision III national record 37.3 as part of a team thataveraged 115.

Diekmann had single-game outbursts of 69, 60 and59 points while setting a host of school, MidwestConference and Division III records. Grinnell was 13-8when he was a junior and 14-7 during his senior season.Those were the first winning records for the Pioneersin nearly 30 years.

“Grinnell has stringent academic requirements andthat made recruiting difficult. So our teams werealways under-sized. To compensate we pressed andtried to create chaos,” remembers Diekmann.

Pioneers coach David Arseneault did not believe inwasting time. He made sure his players understoodthat premise.

“At practice, during scrimmages, when the ball wentthrough the net Coach Arseneault would startcounting,” says Diekmann. “If he got to 12, and therewas no shot at the other end yet, he’d stop practiceand make us run.”

Diekmann is now 48 and lives in Danville, Calif. Hisjourney started in Yankton. “I was about 11 or 12 whenI fell in love with basketball,” he says.

By the time Diekmann moved into the Bucks lineupas a junior, he was an all-state talent and averaged 20points per game.

A senior in 1991, he led Yankton to sixth place in theState Class AA Tournament. The Bucks of Coach DaveHofer had a rotation of Diekmann, Mark Ryken, ChadSchramm, Jason Saul, Lance Wipf and Roger Nolan.

Diekmann put up 23 points per game that seasonand was named all-state a second time. He set sixschool records in a Yankton program with a richbasketball history.

Among those recordswas most points in a season,531, which stood until brokenby 2021 graduate andUniversity of Wisconsin recruitMatthew Mors. Diekmannreached double figures in 42of 43 career games. He alsoexcelled in the classroom,graduating with a perfect 4.0grade-point average.

While looking for acollege, Diekmann foundmuch to like at Grinnell, aschool his close friend andformer Bucks teammate SteveGilmore was alreadyattending.

“I wanted a college thathad strong academics andwhere I felt I could play early,”says Diekmann. “I liked thefact that Grinnell was a littlebit different place. A newenvironment. Away fromhome but not too far fromhome.”

The school is located inthe city of Grinnell, which hasa population of about 9,000.It is just over 300 milessoutheast of Yankton, halfway

between Des Moines and Iowa City.“After playing in the ESD (Conference) in high

school, it was evident to me pretty quickly after I gotto Grinnell that I could compete with those guys,” saysDiekmann.

So well in fact that he was named to the all-conference team after each of his four seasons as aPioneer. During that time he was part of a uniquebasketball experience.

National media took to calling the way Arseneault’steams played “The System.” One publication describedit thusly: “The System emphasizes a torrid pace of playwhere offensive possessions last about five secondsand typically end with a 3-pointer.”

The mention of ‘five seconds’ was obviously anexaggeration. But not by much. And fans couldn’t getenough of the run-and-gun Pioneers.

“Our gym would be so full that you couldn’t Continued on Page 7

Grinnell PhotoSteve Diekmann had 1,468points in only 41 games as ajunior and senior at Grinnell.


Continued from Page 6squeeze another person in,” saysDiekmann. “The crowd noise got soloud that us players would have touse hand signals to communicate.”

Grinnell’s breakneck paceprovided opportunities for itsopponents, too. When thePioneers’ press was broken,layups were there to be had.Sometimes a lot of layups. Likeduring Diekmann’s senior seasonwhen Simpson College (Iowa)outlasted Grinnell by the unrealscore of 167-148.

Diekmann was chosen to theAll-America team in Division III asboth a junior and senior. He set aschool single-season record for 3-point accuracy at 52 percent andwas a career 82 percent shooter onfree throws.

After graduating with a majorin economics Diekmann went onto earn a master’s degree fromthe University of Chicago. He hashad a career in finance and alsohas coached youth basketball.

Diekmann lived in Illinois forseveral years. He moved toCalifornia in 2005 and found

himself back on the court. Hebecame part of a team thatregularly visited the notoriousSan Quentin State Prison nearSan Francisco.

“That was a rewardingexperience,” says Diekmann. “Itwas a Christian outreachprogram. We played gamesagainst the San Quentin inmatesand then shared with themthrough devotions. It wasimportant to show them thatpeople cared about them andtheir rehabilitation.”

The goal was to reach out tothe inmates and influence them ina positive way by communicatingin a manner they understood -through the commonality ofbasketball. It’s a language SteveDiekmann knows well.

The Journey of a record shattering Scorer

Nation took notice of Upset bid by CoyotesOn the night of Dec. 14, 1964, a

game was played in WestLafayette, Ind., that nearly sentshockwaves through the collegebasketball world.

Purdue University was acompetitive member of the Big TenConference and boasted one of thecountry’s premier players in All-America guard Dave Schellhase, afuture NBA first-round draft pick ofthe Chicago Bulls.

The Boilermakers were coachedby Ray Eddy, a 15-year veteran ofNCAA Division I basketball. Purduewas playing on its home court,Lambert Fieldhouse, and was anoverwhelming favorite.

Purdue’s opponent that nightwas a winless Division II team withan 0-6 record. But theBoilermakers discovered there wasno quit in the University of SouthDakota Coyotes.

USD featured former prep all-staters Bill Bruns of Sioux FallsWashington, Jay Hennies ofWagner and Roger Schaffer ofRamona.

In a stunning near-upset ofmajor proportion that wasreported the next day innewspapers across the nation, theCoyotes had Purdue in serioustrouble as a partisan crowd of6,845 looked on.

The Boilermakers led by 17 withfive minutes left in the first half.USD then stormed back with a 10-0 run. The Coyotes eventually tookthe lead midway through thesecond half.

Schellhase, who had scored 29points, fouled out with 1:13 leftand Purdue trailing 77-76. Bruns,a 6-foot-4 senior forward, ledUSD with 20 points and had alsofouled out.

So the decisive final minutewas played with the top scorer ofeach team on the bench. That’swhen Purdue guard Bob Purkhisertook over.

A 20-foot jump shot byPurkhiser at :42 gave theBoilermakers a 78-77 lead. He thenhit two free throws at :03 andPurdue escaped 80-77.

The narrow loss against a highlyregarded opponent helped USDget on track. After starting 0-7, theCoyotes of Coach DwaneClodfelter won six of their nextnine and went on to take third inthe North Central Conference.

That season Purdue earnedvictories over, among other teams,Ohio State, Notre Dame,Wisconsin, Indiana and Iowa. Noneof those wins came harder for theBoilermakers than their victoryover the Coyotes.

TodayIn 1995 Steve Diekmann


HOF Overview: The SouthDakota High School BasketballHall of Fame is located at theSanford Pentagon pictured atright. Exhibits are on display inthe main Hall of Fame area onthe ground floor with additionalitems on the second floor. We area non-profit organization andchartered as a 501(c)(3) in 2009.To learn more about the Hall ofFame please visit our website atwww.sdbbhof.com.

NCAA Clash: NBA immortalElgin Baylor died at age 86 onMarch 22. In the 1958 NCAATourney he faced SDBBHOFmember John Bertolero of Lead.Baylor had 26 points as Seattlebeat Wyoming. Bertolero led theCowboys with 22. Seattlereached the finals where it lost toKentucky. Baylor then was all-NBA 11 times for the Lakers.

’88 Opinion: The Argus Leaderformed a panel of statewidebasketball experts in 1988 to ratethe greatest teams in history.Coming in at No. 1 was Miller ’72.Rustlers stalwarts were RickNissen, Kim Templeton and JeffWilber. Huron ’58 was second.Rounding out the Top 5 wereSisseton ’63, Mitchell ’85 andRapid City ’69.

Making Marks: Dru Gylten of Utahaveraged 5.2 assists per gamethis season, most by any womanin the Pac-12 Conference. She is a5-11 junior from St. Thomas More.Creighton freshman EmmaRonsiek, a 6-1 forward from SiouxFalls O’Gorman, averaged 11.6points per game and was amongtop newcomers in the Big East.

Major Leaguer: Fifty years agoDave Collins, a Rapid CityStevens senior in 1971, made hissecond appearance on theClass A first team all-statebasketball team. Collins laterhit .272 in 16 big leagueseasons, including seven withthe Cincinnati Reds.

Family Tradition: Nora O’Malleyhit 1,000 career points thisseason as an Irene-Wakondajunior to join five siblings.Kieran (2,599), Seamus (1,554)and Rory (1,333) played atCenterville; Shannon (2,154) atCenterville and I-W; and Malloy(1,412) at I-W.

New Award: The Northern SunConference’s new award, theBob Olson Outstanding Senior,honors the Aberdeen Centralgrad and former Northern Stateplayer, coach and AD. The firstwinner was NSU guard AndrewKallman of Chaska, Minn.

Holiday Magic: Presho nativeGordon Fosness coached DakotaWesleyan from 1962-83. TheTigers participated in a holidayclassic during each of those 22seasons, winning 16 titles.Fosness’ overall record in thoseholiday tournaments was 43-8.

Hawkeye Hitter: Seth Benson,linebacker from Sioux FallsWashington, had 47 tackles lastseason for Iowa. His mother,SDBBHOF member JoElle,starred in basketball at SFW andSouth Dakota State. His fatherChuck was a standout SDSUfullback.

On Target: The 1955 seasonproduced two of the state’sfinest prep scoring averages,made more impressive with no 3-point goal. Harry Marske netted35 points per game for Andoverand Merlyn Smith 31 for Avon.Marske starred at NSU and Smithat SDSU.

Sanford Photo

Fast Break of Things to Know


Virgil Riley, 86, of Des Moines, Iowa, died July 25, 2020. Aproduct of Dell Rapids, he starred in basketball at SouthDakota State and was named the MVP of the North CentralConference in 1956. He served in the U.S. Air Force.

George Birger, 91, of Tucson, Ariz., died Oct. 10, 2020. TheWinner native was a Southern graduate. He coached Mennoand Columbia before a career in Canada as a coach and AD.

Frank Odens, 84, of Springfield died Nov. 3, 2020. Hegraduated from Springfield and Southern. Among the severalschools that he served was Kimball, where he coached someoutstanding basketball teams.

Mo Mack, 91, of Aberdeen died Nov. 6, 2020. A veteran of theU.S. Army, he was a product of Aberdeen Central who playedbasketball for four seasons at Northern State.

Duane Brunick, 90, of Vermillion died Nov. 10, 2020. He wasa basketball player at the University of South Dakota. TheVermillion native served in the Army.

Bob Reimers, 85, of Canton died Nov. 15, 2020. After startinghis basketball career at the University of Iowa, the Inwood,Iowa, native then was a standout at Morningside.

Buck Timmins, 72, of Mitchell died Nov. 16, 2020. All-state atMitchell, he played at Dakota Wesleyan. He coached at Avonand Parkston, and was a longtime official.

Don Blumenberg, 86, of Fulton died Nov. 17, 2020. The Armyveteran graduated from Fulton. During his career at DWU hewas a starter in every game for four seasons.

Jim Lewis, 77, of Bullhead City, Ariz., died Nov. 30, 2020.After graduating from Washington he continued hisbasketball career at USD. He was a trucking executive.

Gordon Fosness, 85, of Sioux Falls died Dec. 15, 2020. A starplayer at Presho and DWU, he coached DWU to 351 wins and10 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference titles. He was aSDBBHOF member and served on the board of directors.

Jon Wubben, 65, of Spencer died Dec. 15, 2020. After beingan all-state player at Spencer, he attended USD-Springfieldand was a standout in the SDIC for the Pointers.

Max Hawk, 87, of Yankton died Jan. 22, 2021. Executivedirector of the High School Coaches Association, he was aWessington Springs native, Northern graduate and Armyveteran. The longtime football coach at Yankton was 284-78-2 in his career.

Manny Christopher, 23, of Sioux Falls died Jan. 24, 2021. Anative of Kenya, his family came to the U.S. in 2000. He wasa standout at Roosevelt, playing basketball and football, andthen went on to play football at DWU.

Dick Wold, 86, of Sioux Falls died Jan. 26, 2021. As a prephe helped Washington to two trips to the State Class ATourney. A stellar player at USD, he was a longtime banker.

John Pierson, 89, of Sioux Falls died Jan. 28, 2021. A fineathlete at Mitchell and DWU, the Army veteran taught andcoached in South Dakota, Iowa and Wyoming. He spent anumber of years at Brandon Valley.

Mitch Monette, 66, of Sioux Falls died Jan. 29, 2021. Thegraduate of Ramona was an all-stater for the Rockets. Heplayed at Dakota State and later served in the Air Force.

Mel Antonen, 64, of Washington, D.C., died Jan. 30, 2021.He was a graduate of Hamlin and Augustana and asportswriter at the Argus Leader and USA TODAY.

Bud Brown, 79, of Brooklyn Center, Minn., died Feb. 2, 2021.From Hawarden, Iowa, the USD graduate was a WatertownPublic Opinion sportswriter and SID at USD.

Bruce Mueller, 86, of Sioux Falls died Feb. 9, 2021. A four-sport athlete at Bethel College (Kan.), he coached at Hurleybefore returning to his alma mater, Freeman Academy.

Wayne Allen, 86, of Brandon died Feb. 18, 2021. An Armyveteran and Mitchell and DWU grad, he served schools atHoward, Ethan, Centerville and Brandon Valley.

Kevin Graesser, 59, of Dallas, S.D., died Feb. 23, 2021.Playing for Colome, he had 64 points in a game for one ofthe highest totals in state history. He was an SDSU graduate.

Butch Quail, 75, of Worland, Wyo., died Feb. 23, 2021. Hegraduated from Arlington and Dakota State. He coachedAndes Central and Spearfish to state tourneys.

Elmer Goetz, 88, of Sioux Falls died March 5, 2021. An all-SDIC player while at Northern, he was a graduate of Roscoe.He served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Bill Lynch, 97, of Yankton died March 6, 2021. A standout inbasketball, football and track, he earned 10 varsity letters atYankton. He was a veteran of the Army.

Jerry Sour, 82, of Watertown died March 12, 2021. He helpedHayti to a Class B state title in 1954 and runner-up finish in1955. The SDSU graduate served in the Army.

Eric Oyen, 52, of Colton died April 14, 2021. An all-stateplayer at Tri-Valley, he went on to Sioux Falls College wherehe participated in basketball and football for the Cougars.

Marv McCune, 66, of De Smet died April 18, 2021. A fineplayer at De Smet and Huron College, he was a state-champion coach in basketball and football at De Smet.

In Solemn Remembrance and Tribute


Dean Lee was only 6 years old in1940 when he left his home inForestburg and traveled alone by busto Sioux Falls. He spent 12 years at theSouth Dakota School for the Deafreceiving his education. After graduating in 1952, Deanreturned home to Sanborn Countyand the farm life he treasured. Unableto hear or speak, Dean met each daywith courage and optimism. With analways present pen and notebook, hecommunicated fluently and was afriend to many. Dean played basketball at Schoolfor the Deaf. His teammates includedJim Mitchell, a South Dakota HighSchool Basketball Hall of Famemember. Jim was the United StatesDeaf Basketball Player of the Year in1954 after averaging 27.6 points pergame. School for the Deaf was foundedin 1880. The Pheasants joined theSouth Dakota High School ActivitiesAssociation in 1941 and participatedin basketball until decliningenrollment intervened in the late1980s. An especially rewarding seasonoccurred in 1949. Dean was afreshman whose play helped thePheasants win the District 18 title bydefeating Hartford, Brandon andGarretson. Dean’s time on the court fosteredin him a genuine love of the game thatnever diminished. He was a supporter

of SanbornCentral HighSchool and fordecades heattended DakotaWesleyan gamesat the Corn Palacecheering silentlyfor the Tigers. Inretirement Deanmoved to Mitchell.After a brief

illness, he died at age 86 on Sept. 27,2020.

Dean was a loyal follower of theHall of Fame. In his will he bequeathed$25,000 to the organization. Deanspecified that his donation be used tostrengthen the Hall of Fame’sendowment to help preserve thelegacy of the School for the Deaf. “We are very grateful for Dean’sfriendship and generosity,” said Hall ofFame executive director Dave Wagner.“Dean believed in the importance ofpreserving basketball history in SouthDakota. His gift will help the Hall ofFame in service of that mission.”

A life of Courage and a Love of the Game

SDBBHOF PhotoSouth Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame officers LaMoine Torgerson (left) and BobSwanhorst (right) accept a check for $25,000 from the estate of the late Dean Lee. Also onhand for the presentation at the Sanford Pentagon was South Dakota School for the Deaf all-time great Jim Mitchell. Dean and Jim were teammates at School for the Deaf.

Dean Lee at SDSD

Banquetset forAug. 28

The South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame has been anxiously lookingforward to the time when circumstances involving COVID-19 would allow our 11thinduction banquet. The wait has been regrettable but necessary due to the pandemic. After consideration of safety concerns and protocol guidelines, the Hall of Famewill induct its Class of 2020 on Aug. 28. The banquet is at 1 p.m. at the Sioux FallsRamkota Hotel. The class includes Janel Birrenkott, Jerry Even, Jayne (Even) Gust, Austin Hansen,

Joe Krabbenhoft, Sarah Mannes Homstad, Arlo Mogck, Bob Pidde, Dave Thomas andDennis Womeldorf. Inducted posthumously will be Sam Perrin, Loren Thornton andStanton Uhlir. The Team of Excellence is the 1980 Sioux Falls Washington girls. An inductee reception is from 4-6 p.m. on Aug. 27. To see complete details, including ticket information, go to the ‘Banquet’ post on ourwww.sdbbhof.com website.


CORPORATE PARTNERSBillion AutomotiveComponent Manufacturing/

Reaves Building SystemsCorTrust Bank - Sioux FallsDacotah Bank - AberdeenFirst Premier Bank - Sioux FallsProstrollo Auto Mall - Madison:

South Dakota's Founding Sponsor of the Basketball Hall of Fame

Sanford HealthSanford PentagonSisson Printing

ENDOWMENT GIVING$20,000 or More

Dean E. Lee Revocable Living Trust$10,000 - $19,999

Dacotah BankGonzenbach Family FundBoyd & Dody Hopkins

$5,000 - $9,999Frank & Martha BrostDana DykhouseTom OrtonSanford HealthBob & Trish SwanhorstLeon & Virginia Tobin

$2,500 – $4,999Jim IversonDean & Rita Sorenson Charitable FundBarb Torgerson

$1,000 – $2,499Elton & Jody ByreDyer Family FoundationGordon FosnessJohn & Linda LillibridgePatrick MaroneyDoug Olson Memorial Fund

$1 – $999AnonymousJeffrey BrechtLinda Mickelson Graham

Estate of Dale HallJay & Kathy LarsenAlan & Roxanne Nissen

BUSINESS DONORSBraley Law Office - ParkstonCHS Farmers Alliance - ParkstonCorTrust Bank - FreemanCorTrust Bank - MitchellCorTrust Bank - YanktonDave Prohl Cancer Fund/George KinerFarmers State Bank - ParkstonFirst Dakota National Bank - YanktonFriesen Farms - FreemanFreeman Shopping Center - Ace Hardware -

Heritage PharmacyJamboree Foods - FreemanLemmon Sports BoostersMannes Architects - YanktonMaxwell & Bowar Agency - ParkstonMerchants State Bank - FreemanParkston Athletic Booster ClubPizza Ranch - Brandon

Pizza Ranch - Sioux FallsRalph's Feed - FreemanSchoenfish & Co., CPA – ParkstonStern Oil - FreemanThor's Gym Basketball Workouts - YanktonVision Care Associates - YanktonWalter Funeral Home - FreemanWenzel Insurance Agency - Juffer, Inc. –

ParkstonYankton Basketball, Inc.Yankton High Athletic Booster ClubYankton Quarterback Club

INSTITUTIONAL DONORSAugustana UniversityDakota Wesleyan UniversityMount Marty UniversityNorthern State UniversitySouth Dakota State University

INDIVIDUAL DONORSRich AndrzejewskiRon & Jan BertschBob BiermanDon BradleyJohn & Kathy BruceJerry & Esther BuriFrancis & Mary Campbell

Chris & Sue DivichDuane & Phyllis DivichKriss EdwardsJohn & Florence Evans FamilyJerry & Judy EvenGordon FosnessMike Freier

Neil & Debra GraffGreg & Debra HansenMerle & De Loris HeidenreichHustad-Perrin Charitable Family FundDaniel HyllandJay & Joellen JohnsonBob JudsonMel & Carol KleinJon Madland

Neil Nelson & Sharon LayonAlan & Roxanne NissenEdwin & Diane OlsonRichard & Sandra OlsonJim Page & Sharon HallJunior PereboomDarrel ReinkeAl SchoenemanDonald & Harriet ScottTerry & Kathy ShelstaCregg & Jolynn SkarinTerry SlatteryRoger & Marilyn Ann SmithDean & Rita Sorenson Charitable FundDuane & Jerelynn SteegeBob & Trish SwanhorstJim & Julie SuttonWayne & Marilyn ThueLaMoine & Barb TorgersonDean WebbBob & Carol Winter

IN RECOGNITIONSteve Le Fevre in honor of D. Christianson,

R. Wold & D. Eisenbaun

IN MEMORIAMBegeman Family in memory of Marvin &

Ramona BegemanRichard Cronberg in memory of

Don JacobsonLynn & Mary Frederick in memory of

Gordon FosnessGreg & Debra Hansen in memory of

Gordon FosnessPatrick Maroney in memory of Doug OlsonBettie Marso in memory of Lien MarsoJanice Pierson & family (Don, Steven &

Susan) in memory of John PiersonBob & Trish Swanhorst in memory of

Harold Thune; Joetta Swanhorst; Gordon Fosness; Dick Wold; John Pierson; Jim Iverson

James & Susan Thorson in memory of Albert Thorson

Wayne & Marilyn Thue in memory of Harve & Elgena Johnston; Marvin & Ramona Begeman; Buck Timmins; Gordon Fosness; Jerry Sour; Delbert Petersen

LaMoine & Barb Torgerson in memory of Gordon Fosness

Dave & Linda Wagner in memory of Lyle "Bud" Belk; Henry Park; Harold Thune; Marvin & Ramona Begeman

All of the financial gifts received by theSouth Dakota High School Basketball Hallof Fame during the past year prior to April21 are listed on this page.

The success and continued growth ofthe Hall of Fame depends on thegenerosity of those who support us as westrive to keep memories alive of the past.

We thank our ‘Friends’ for yourdonations and for your belief in ourmission to preserve South Dakotabasketball history.

If you would like to help, send your tax-deductible gift to SDBBHOF, 2210 W.Pentagon Place, Sioux Falls, SD 57107.

Sanford Pentagon2210 W. Pentagon PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57107

2,000 Point Club Players who have scored a documented 2,000points comprise a cross section of South Dakota highschool basketball. They come from all corners of the state. Graduationsrange from 1951 to 2021. At least one played sevenseasons, joining the varsity in sixth grade, others fromfour to six seasons. And some benefitted from the 3-point goalintroduced in South Dakota before the 1986-87 season. The 2,000-point displays shown at right in aSDBBHOF photo are posted at the Sanford Pentagon.The photo was taken before updating the boards afterthe 2021 season. For an updated list click on ‘Records’on our www.sdbbhof.com website.

how basketball has evolved in time

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