The South Dakota State men’s basketball team will come into the 2020-2021 season as heavy favorites this season. Featuring three preseason all-league awards, the Jackrabbits received an overwhelming majority of the first place votes (which should surprise nobody.) The last time we saw the yellow and blue take the court they were upset in the first round of the Summit league tournament, for the second time in a row.
While the tournament results were a disappointment to the SDSU team and fans, there was a bright spot in the place of Noah Freidel. The freshman from Tea, South Dakota did not back down from the spotlight with stellar 35 point night! In addition to Freidel, the jacks are returning all five starters for this season and will have strong depth at the guard position, which will prove useful when it comes to playing back to back games in the new Summit League conference game format.
This tournament experience and established team chemistry will hopefully position the Jacks well for their season opener on January 8th, at Frost Arena. The remainder of the schedule does not do any favors for SDSU. They will start their season with a bye week and will arguably have the toughest road schedule in the conference. Traveling to play at North Dakota State University (NDSU) and Omaha (UNO), the Jacks could face the potential of playing four games in two of the top/toughest home-court advantages in the Summit League. SDSU will also be making the longest road trip in the conference to play Oral Roberts, and then go to Denver to play back to back games at a higher altitude. The Jackrabbits do however get to host their rivals the University of South Dakota (USD) and the University of North Dakota (UND) while also welcoming Western Illinois and returning Summit League member, the Kansas City Roos.
The major factor in a pandemic season like this is going to be taking care of business early in games. With SDSU’s lack of depth in the frontcourt they will not want to play in a lot of close games. In the back to back game format, giving guys like Dougl Wilson and Matt Dentlinger a break will be a necessity. The depth of the backcourt will be fine due to 6 or 7 capable guards to provide a good rotation. That is a benefit that many other conference teams will not be able to rely on. The biggest outstanding question will be if the Jacks can get extended minutes from David Wingett at the 4 and also if Luke Appel will provide the depth at the 5. Alex Arians has experience defending the power forward position but lacks the overall size to do it consistently.
Roster Breakdown
The South Dakota State men’s basketball team will look very similar to the energetic 2019-2020 team we saw on the court. With very few departures and additions, SDSU is poised for a successful season and will be favored, by most if not all, to win the conference.
Projected Starters
F 6’8″ Matt Dentlinger Soph
F 6’7″ Douglas Wilson Sr
G/F 6’7″ David Wingett Soph
G 6’4″ Noah Freidel Soph
G 6’4″ Alex Arians Jr
The projected starting five for SDSU this year should not surprise anyone. SDSU is returning all five guys that were starting together at the end of the 2019-2020 season, a year when the team was playing at their best. Led by 2019-2020 Summit League player of the year (POY) and 2020-2021 preseason POY; Doug Wilson, and returning freshman of the year Noah Freidel, SDSU is poised to have one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the Summit. The Jacks will likely turn to Alex Arians to run the offensive show again this year. Arians is the only member of the starting five to have three years of Division 1 playing experience at SDSU. Arians has played almost every position on the team from Point Guard to Power Forward. He will be a big-time reason for the team’s success this year, while he fills different roles defensively.
David Wingett, who brings a spot-up shooting presence to the starting five, helps space the half-court offense and his length allows him to be one of the team’s best perimeter defenders. Additionally, Matt Dentlinger, who is probably the most underrated guy on the team if not the conference, adds a strong post presence on offense and plays a large role in how the team defends. Last year, Dentlinger showed his versatility on defense, especially in the pick and roll situations, while he quietly averaged 12.2 points per game.
Role Players
G 6’ Matt Mims Soph
G 6’2” Tray Buchanan Sr
G 6’6” Baylor Scheierman Soph
F 6’8” Luke Appel Jr
Matt Mims, Tray Buchanan, Baylor Scheierman, and Luke Appel will have an immediate impact on the team going into the season and with the back to back game format will all see a lot of time early on this season. Due to an injury 12 games into last season, we did not get to see Buchanan’s full potential; he averaged 6.2 points per game while having a breakout 15 points versus Indiana and Montana State. Expect Buchanan to get major minutes this year, as he may be one of the favorites for Summit League sixth man of the year. Matt Mims will be SDSU’s best shooter off the bench. His instant energy will be counted on to make an impact early on in the s season. As the best passer on the team, Baylor Scheierman will likely run the offense when he enters the game. He is projected to see major minutes at the PG position and if his scoring becomes more consistent, he will be a hard player to take off the court. Luke Appel will look to provide much-needed frontcourt depth to both Dentlinger and Wilson. Former Kirkwood CC teammate of Douglas Wilson, Appel will try to use his on-court experience to fortify the rotation. This will allow Head Coach Eric Henderson to not tire out his two starting forwards.
Players to watch
G 6’2” Cooper Cornemann Fr
G 6’2” William Mfum Fr
G 6’2” Charlie Esley Fr
F 6’7” Aaron Fiegen Soph
Playing time could be hard to come by for Cooper Cornemann, William Mfum, Charlie Esley, and Aaron Fiegen. However, when SDSU needs Mfum to play, he will be fun to watch. The early enrollee showed off his athleticism in pregame warmups, with dunks that rivaled ones seen in the NBA dunk contest. It will be hard to find someone in the Summit that will match his athleticism. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 19.7 points a game. If he can add a fraction of that to this year’s team, he will be a valuable asset going forward. With front court depth being limited, it may just take one unfortunate injury for Aaron Fiegen to be thrust into the rotation. His size will be valuable and needed at times for the Jacks. Cooper Cornemann comes in as a true freshman, and with the experienced depth at PG, he will get valuable experiences in practice but will probably be limited in on court playing time. Charlie Easley will be redshirting this season due to transfer rules. Easley is transferring to SDSU from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he saw his role grow at the end of last season. Expect him to contribute next season.
Key departures
G Brandon Key
F Alou Dillon
G Beau Brown
G Owen King
Lastly, SDSU loses four players from last season’s team. Owen King and Alou Dillon both transferred to Winona State and will be expected to play big roles for their team in the upcoming season. While Brandon Key and Beau Brown graduated and are no longer eligible, both players brought an energy to the team that will be hard to replace this upcoming season.