Eyes on Branson: Talented youth and depth to propel Tigers into postseason play

MITCHELL, S.D. – Depth won't be an issue for fifth-year head coach Matt Wilber heading into the 2017-18 season. The Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team enters its 101st year of basketball, after recently making its third straight trip to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament in 2016-17.

 Despite graduating one of the most prolific passers in DWU men's basketball history in All-American Tate Martin, the Tigers seem to be poised to make a strong run in the postseason after dropping a first-round decision to the College of Idaho on March 8 in Point Lookout, Mo.

 "Obviously for us, we want to get back to the national tournament," Wilber noted. "That is a priority for us, and that is our No. 1 goal. It's tough to get done, but I think our guys have worked hard as we start the season, and we are moving in the right direction."

 From a numerical standpoint, Martin was part of three NAIA National Tournament teams, while holding the record for most assists in a career and season by any player at DWU in the last 100 years. He scored a career-high 35 points against Concordia University in an overtime thriller at the Corn Palace a season ago.

 "He is going to make it hard on the group moving forward, just because he is leaving a hole where there wasn't one," head coach Matt Wilber said. "What we are going to do moving forward has to be a lot more balanced because no one is going to step in and replace what Tate did because players are incapable of doing that."

 This past summer, most returners including a handful of newcomers stayed in Mitchell to work out in the gym and weight room, preparing for the upcoming season.

 "We have a lot of guys who are committed to the offseason," Wilber said. "Coach Kyle Hobbs has been tremendous with our guys. It's an expectation that we get better in the offseason, whether it be in the weight room or on the court."

 One of those players who stayed throughout the summer was reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference Freshman-of-the-Year Ty Hoglund. After tallying his 500th-career point as a freshman, Hoglund will be looked upon to lead a highly potent Tiger offense that averaged 91 points per game. The Dell Rapids, S.D., native was a vital key for the Tigers last season, averaging 18.2 points per game.

 "He had such a big step last year in the last 10 to 12 games of the season, where he averaged nearly 25 points a game," Wilber said.

 However, Jason Spicer, the Tigers' leading scorer last year and returning NAIA All-American, hopes to add another level to his game after averaging 21.2 points per game last season. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native has played in 96 games to date and will be looked upon to lead the team in the competitive GPAC. Joining Spicer for his senior year will be Trae Vandeberg, a talented sharpshooter who averaged 16.4 points a game last year and shot 40 percent from the 3-point line.

 "Those guys – Hoglund, Spicer and Vandeberg – are going to be a three-headed monster," Wilber said. "They are going to have to carry the load of our offense."

 Alongside Hoglund, Spicer and Vandeberg, returners Collin Kramer, Nate Davis, Kellen Barden and Aaron Ahmadu will provide immediate depth off the bench for the Tigers.

 The Tigers welcome three transfers to the team that will bolster the Tiger offense and create tough matchups down the stretch.

 Senior Nygel Drury joins the Tigers from Valley City State University, where he was a part of a national tournament team before making his way to Mitchell last spring. Sophomore Tyson Smiley comes to DWU from Southwestern Community College in Iowa, where he redshirted and was on a national championship team. Before Southwestern, Smiley was part of the Doane University men's basketball squad. Samuel McCloud joins the Tigers from NCAA Division II Black Hills State University and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

 "Those guys will add size and depth, and that was stuff we were shorthanded on last year," Wilber said. "Sam can really stretch a defense and make tough shots, while Tyson is a bigger guard who is quick and athletic."

 According to Wilber, there will also be a handful of newcomers to watch for who will push for playing time down the stretch. Cooper Williams, a native of Vermillion, S.D., was a four-year starter for the Tanagers and provides a solid work ethic for the Tigers. Fellow freshman Andrew Jurgens, a 6-foot-8 forward, brings his strong shooting ability to the Tiger offense from Brandon, S.D., where he was a two-year starter for the Lynx. Balaton, Minn., native Spencer Smith has also been getting his feet wet with the varsity squad after prepping at Tracy Area Public High School, helping his team to a 25-4 record his junior season.

 The final piece and possibly the most important piece for the Tigers is their strength of schedule heading into the 2017-18 season. DWU heads south to York College on Nov. 11, a team that knocked the Tigers out of Branson two years ago. Two weeks later, Wilber and Co. head to Leavenworth, Kan., to take on a University of St. Mary team that was one of the last teams left out of the postseason last year.

 After going 2-0 at the Trip Sports Las Vegas Hoopla last year, DWU will travel to the opposite side of the country and compete in the Keiser Classic in West Palm Beach, Fla., against Keiser University, a team that reloads every year according to Wilber, before squaring off with Johnson & Wales University out of Florida.

 Wilber also noted that playing in-state foe Dakota State University will be no easy task as the Tigers take on the Trojans in the Pentagon Classic and the Mike Miller Classic. DWU will also face NAIA Division I Peru State College in the nightcap of the Mike Miller Classic.

 "There are no nights off for us," Wilber said. "We did that intentionally to challenge our guys who want to play in big games at home and on the road."

 The Tigers open the 2017-18 season against Sisseton Wahpeton College at 8 p.m. Friday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.