May 7, 2021

Dakota Wesleyan University Men’s Basketball: More than a Brand

MITCHELL, S.D. –. A unique procedure for businesses, factories and other successful lines of operation, an apprenticeship program fuses both learning and hands-on work in order to help individuals develop skills in a particular trade. And in a state characterized by the blue-collar qualities of hard work, opportunity and dedication, South Dakota and its businesses rely heavily on skilled workers to get the job done. Therefore, in an apprenticeship program, businesses and organizations administer skilled individuals, known as apprentices, with the accredited certification needed for furthering and expanding their careers.

MITCHELL, S.D. –. A unique procedure for businesses, factories and other successful lines of operation, an apprenticeship program fuses both learning and hands-on work in order to help individuals develop skills in a particular trade. And in a state characterized by the blue-collar qualities of hard work, opportunity and dedication, South Dakota and its businesses rely heavily on skilled workers to get the job done. Therefore, in an apprenticeship program, businesses and organizations administer skilled individuals, known as apprentices, with the accredited certification needed for furthering and expanding their careers.

The game of basketball also possesses a pinnacle or level of mastery like any trade where players have the chance to reach the highest level of the profession by crafting their skills and talents in the gym. And unbeknownst to the rest of the state and country at large, is the truly extraordinary rate of accreditation currently constructed by the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball program and head coach Matt Wilber. Dakota Wesleyan has produced more All-Americans over the past eight seasons than any other basketball program in the NAIA.

Seven different Tiger players have earned a total of 13 All-American accolades under Wilber's instruction and guidance leaving the eight-year veteran with an appreciation for helping players craft their skills on the court.

"I love to coach and work with players on a daily basis in all areas of the sport and it has always been this way for me in every role I have ever had in basketball," Wilber mentioned. "When you combine talent, work ethic, competitiveness and internal motivation with an overall willingness to buy-in into the program, special things have a chance to happen. It may sound cliché, but the relationship formed between coach and player is very special and this strong, authentic relationship is the most important factor when progressing through the ups and downs of a season or career."

Wilber, a former apprentice of the game himself, learned the ropes of coaching working under previous Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball head coach Shane Murphy. The duo worked together at the University of Sioux Falls during the 2003-04 season as the former Augustana two-sport athlete assisted Murphy with a variety of tasks including recruiting, NAIA compliance guidelines, practice planning, game management and scouting.

For nothing in South Dakota equates to big business quite like the game of basketball from the skills factory that is the Sanford Pentagon, to high-profile names in the sport like Mike Miller and Becky Hammon. At every level, whether it be the high-school circuit or college ranks, coaches and parents are exploring every competitive edge in order to help players improve and develop the skills needed for the trade of basketball.

"As basketball people, we are so lucky to be here in South Dakota where everyone knows each other at both the high school and college ranks which is truly amazing," commented Wilber on the state's love and appreciation of the game. "The amount of local talent that has played here at Dakota Wesleyan is really fascinating and the cornerstone of our rosters have been constructed on both in-state products and the right blend of transfers. As the current head coach, I feel a great responsibility to do my best in continuing on that tradition and foundation that has been a formula for success."

While Wilber continues the tradition and formula for winning that is DWU men's basketball, a rich history and culture of success, achievement and player development was first integrated by past coaches and players like Jalen Voss (2011-2015).

Voss, 1-of-7 Tiger players to ever have their jersey retired, was the first apprentice to receive All-American honors under Wilber's direction. The three-time All-American ended his sophomore campaign with All-American Honorable Mention honors, while playing for Shane Murphey, and was named All-American Third Team following the 2013-14 season. Though, Voss, who concluded his DWU career ranked fourth all-time in scoring with 2,059 career points and is part of an elite list of just six Dakota Wesleyan players to surpass 2,000 points in a career, took his craft to another level when Wilber took over the program during the summer of 2013.

"Coach Wilber did a fantastic job of developing me into an All-American player and he helped me focus on areas that I could improve on including my jump shot," commented the 2015 All-American First Team selection on Wilber's extraordinary abilities to develop and help players improve throughout their careers. "One thing that stuck out to me about Coach Wilber during his first season was the amount of focus he instilled into skill work and development as he would dedicate an entire day during the preseason to just working on the tangibles of the game. Wilber did a great job of pushing me to my full potential and granted me the confidence needed to succeed within his system."

And of course, behind any successful business venture is a sense of family and the same goes for the Tiger basketball program in the words of four-time All-American Ty Hoglund (2016-2020). Hoglund, like Wilber, graduated from Dell Rapids High School en route to scoring 2,729 career points in his Dakota Wesleyan career. The 2019-20 Great Plains Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year received All-American Honorable Mention honors as a freshman before collecting Third Team honors as a sophomore and back-to-back All-American First Team honors over his final two seasons.

"I observed the foundation that was in place from the guys before me and I wanted to keep that tradition going for them," Hoglund stated. "I came to DWU to play for Coach Wilber and truly loved the culture he established and wanted to be a part of it immediately. Dakota Wesleyan basketball is family and you never want to let family down, so I expected myself to play at high level knowing that I had to work harder than everybody to get there."

So, to all the current and former Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball coaches and players, you have all truly earned your stripes. Whether you have received the highest level of accreditation in basketball or not is insignificant, for you have contributed to a program dedicated to winning and a willingness to buy-in, whether it be teammates, coaches and the program as a whole.

"It is a pretty special aspect of a program when everyone can celebrate and appreciate the individual success and recognition of their teammates," expressed Wilber on the magnitude of this remarkable distinction. "And this list of guys obviously made a huge impact with their talent and abilities, but we have also had some great players in this program make huge strides and improvements during their careers who did not obtain All-American recognition. I am most proud of these guys because they did it while winning and competing and that was the most important factor for them in everything they did."

Dakota Wesleyan University All-American selections under head coach Matt Wilber:

Year Player Honors

2013-14 Jalen Voss Third Team

2014-15 Jalen Voss First Team

Kris Menning Third Team

2015-16 Trae Bergh First Team

Tate Martin Honorable Mention

2016-17 Tate Martin First Team

Ty Hoglund Honorable Mention

Jason Spicer Honorable Mention

2017-18 Jason Spicer First Team

Ty Hoglund Third Team