SDM on the rise as conference schedule starts

By Brad Blume

Sports Information Director

RAPID CITY --- After winning two straight regular season games, the South Dakota School of Mines men’s basketball team seems to have assembled all the components they need to be a solid unit as the Hardrockers prepare for the start of the Dakota Athletic Conference schedule which is set to begin Wednesday evening against Black Hills State at the King Center in Rapid City.

The Hardrockers recently earned two convincing wins, defeating Presentation College, 82-72, last Saturday in Aberdeen, and a week before that, posted a ‘W’ over Dana College (Nebraska) at the U.S. Bank Thanksgiving Classic at home. The two wins improved the ‘Rockers’ overall record to 3-6 on the season. The Hardrockers have also been close in a number of their other games this season, falling by just a handful of points in a majority of those outings.

“We are a better team then we were a month ago. Actually, we are a better team than we were a week ago,” said Hardrocker head coach Jason Henry. “That’s one of the things when you have a young team. I knew we would keep getting better because of how hard they play. They are coachable kids and they know how to get better. It’s a good combination.”

Black Hills State has been on a similar flight pattern, only they have come out ahead on a couple of those close games. The Yellow Jackets have a 5-4 overall record and also have a well rounded, balance team both offensively and defensively. Most recently, BHSU defeated NCAA Div. II Chadron State, 78-67, this past Saturday.

The Jackets come into Wednesday night’s game with six national category rankings, including one Top 10 mark. BHSU is currently ninth in the NAIA in three-point field goals made per game at 9.56. They are also 12^th in free throw percentage (.74), 30^th in assist turnover ratio (1.1), 35^th in total rebounds (32.44), 36^th in assists per game (16.33), and 42 in three-point field goal percentage (.37).

“They shoot a lot of threes. They shoot around 24 three’s a game which is an absolute ton,” Henry said. “But they also have two or three of the best post guys around (freshman Will John Johnson and junior Randy Herman).”

The Hardrockers have earned two national rankings thus far, rated 28^th in the NAIA in field goal percentage --- right at 50 percent --- and also ranked 45^th in total rebounds, averaging 33.33 a game.

Looking at the season stats to date though, South Dakota Mines also appears to have a very balanced offense with five players averaging over 10 points a game.

“As a group we have five guys scoring in double figures. We have a lot of guys that can step it up scoring wise,” Henry said. “Defensively we still have to work on some things. We have done well in halves but we haven’t put together a full game yet this year.”

Sophomore Robbie Fedor (Monticello, Minn.) leads the Hardrockers with an average of nearly 15 points a game, while freshman A.J. Trennepohl (Lubbock, Texas) is second, putting up 12 points each time out.

Fedor currently in ranked 27^th in the NAIA for three-pointers made per game, averaging 2.8, and is also the DAC’s eighth leading scorer with 133 total points.

Trennepohl has had a stellar last couple of games. He was the scoring leader in the last two regular season games as well as in an exhibition game played with Chadron State last Wednesday. In those three outings he has tallied 71 points and has just lit it up from the perimeter. Against Dana College, the 6-foot-1-inch guard was a perfect 10-10 from the field including a 7-7 performance from behind the arc.

“It was just a matter of him hitting shots. He’s capable of doing that. He did it last year in practice as a redshirt against a pretty good (SDM) squad,” Henry said. “It just took a few games like it takes all the freshmen. Hopefully he keeps it up.”

SDM junior forward Brandon Smith (Amenia, N.D.) is also making his presence known in the paint, putting up 11.56 a game.

“Brandon is just getting some playing time. He was capable of doing it last year too, but he had some pretty good players playing in front of him. He has definitely been a leader for us since Day 1.”

SDM’s Michael Ross (freshman guard from Fort Worth, Texas) and Donny DeGooyer (junior from Great Falls, Mont.) are both averaging just over 10 markers a game.

The Yellow Jackets are a very good perimeter team, with freshman Cain Atkinson leading the way with 131 total points for the year. He is averaging 14.56 a game and is No. 9 in total points for the conference. He is also ranked 29^th in the NAIA in free throw percentage at 86 percent (38-44).

The Jackets are also getting good production out of Belle Fourche native Randy Herman. The 6-7 junior is averaging 11.56 points a game and currently rated No. 49^th in three-pointer made per game (2.44).

Both SD Mines and BHSU have a fairly inexperience roster each listing eight freshman on their respective teams. Henry said the key to Wednesday’s game will be the play of those freshmen.

 “In a game like this you just don’t know how a freshman will react because he’s never been in this situation at a college level,” Henry said. “Inexperience is definitely going to be here in this game.

“Whatever freshman steps up in this game I think will be the difference.”

Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.