RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team starts its season on the road with matchups in Texas.
On Friday, they take on Texas A&M – Kingsville at 6:30 p.m. before taking on Texas A&M International on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
POINT GUARDS:
Incoming Freshman Tre Dowdell figures to see a lot of time at the point guard role this season as a true point guard, while some of the other guys to spend time as primary ball handlers are combo guard types.
The 6'3" point guard started 23 games at Evergreen Park after transferring there for his final season, averaging 18.5 points per game as well as 4.5 rebounds and three assists per game. He played two additional years at Brother Rice High School, where he played 40 games in his sophomore and junior seasons. Following his season at Evergreen, Dowdell was a first team all-conference and second team all-area selection. Dowdell played a year of club basketball with Old Gold and scored 18 points per game with six rebounds and five assists per game.
In addition to Dowdell, Cameron Cohn, Abel Hutchinson and others could spend time as primary ball handlers.
OFF-GUARDS:
The Hardrockers bring back Cameron Cohn, Guillem Garcia and Abel Hutchinson as returners at the off-guard slots.
Cohn had a great first year at South Dakota Mines last year, averaging 17.9 points per game to finish in the top five in the RMAC and being named to the RMAC All-Conference Second Team.
He will be relied upon heavily for his scoring punch as the season progresses.
Guillem Garcia, also in his second year as a Hardrocker, figures to see an increased role this season after playing in 25 games last season and averaging just over 10 minutes per game.
He showed the ability to shoot as he was a 41.5% shooter from the field and a 37.5% shooter from three last season.
Abel Hutchinson is a different type of player. He is tough and gritty, likes to play near the basket, and was strong on the defensive end last season.
The sophomore played in 24 games, starting four and averaging just over 13 minutes per game in his freshman season.
There are lots of newcomers to the roster for South Dakota Mines, as they brought in three freshmen.
Gavin Soukup is the local product from Michell, S.D.
Soukup was an all-conference, all-state and all-tournament selection in his senior season. He played in 47 games, starting 29 over his final two seasons. Soukup helped lead Mitchell to three conference championships and three state tournament appearances, finishing as a runner-up once and winning the state championship in his senior year.
Mac Terry hails from Castle Pines, Colorado, and was a teammate of Nolan Kliewer, whom we will mention later.
Terry was a two-time all-conference selection and earned all-state honors in his final year. In his senior season, he averaged nearly 15 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He also played club basketball for CP Magic for eight years.
Parker Smith is the last freshman addition at the guard spot, hailing from Pocatello, Idaho.
He started 49 games over his junior and senior seasons at Pocatello High School and was named the state tournament defensive MVP and conference defensive player of the year following his senior year. He is a winner, having won a state championship, two district championships, and a state runner-up twice. Smith played club for Kongo and Utah Hard Knox throughout his basketball career.
FORWARDS:
Charles Christensen, Ethan Bruns, Keagen Smith, and Guido Wanschelbaum return as forwards. Meanwhile, new additions are aplenty, with freshmen Luke Stoddard, Alec Wendt, Nolan Kliewer, and graduate transfer Martin Poznanovic.
Christensen has not seen the court in his career, while Keagen Smith has been a critical contributor.
Smith has started every game for the last three seasons, averaging over 32 minutes per game each season.
He turned it on late last season, scoring nearly 20 points per game from December on. Overall, he averaged 12.7 points per game during the season and was one of the best shooters in the conference, with 50.2% from the field and 40% from three.
Ethan Bruns played in 24 games as a freshman, starting one, and saw an average of 10 minutes per game. Overall, he shot 46.9% from the field.
Guido Wanschelbaum played 22 games his freshman season, averaging 11 minutes per game.
Luke Stoddard, Alec Wendt, Nolan Kliewer, and Martin Poznanovic come from Crown Point, Indiana; Omaha, Nebraska; Castle Pines, Colorado; and Uzice, Serbia.
Stoddard played in 36 games over his junior and senior seasons. In his final season, he was a double-digit scorer, hitting 62% of his shots and 52% of his three-point shots and adding seven rebounds per game.
Alec Wendt was a late addition to the class. He is a big, physical forward who likes to play in the low post. He earned all-state honors and started over 40 games in his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he averaged 9.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Kliewer played two years of varsity basketball. He has a lot of untapped potential and grew a ton as a basketball player between his junior and senior seasons. Between the two years, he combined to play in 51 games but started in each of his 26 in his senior year. After averaging 2.3 points per game in his junior year, that climbed to nine points per game and six rebounds per game for his final year.
Martin Poznanovic is a graduate transfer from fellow RMAC institution Chadron State after spending his first two seasons at McCook Community College. Poznanovic averaged 5.5 points per game with Chadron State but showed his potential, earning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on 12/18 when he shot 77.3% from the field while averaging 19 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in a three-game stretch. The stretch four can provide shooting and strong post-play.
CENTERS:
The lone true center on the roster is Jasper Reinalda. Reinalda spent his first collegiate season at Montana State University, redshirting before transferring to South Dakota Mines, and has been here since the 2022-23 season. A prolific shot blocker and rebounder, and the Hardrockers hope to tap into that in the right matchups in 2024-25. He played in nine games in 2023-24 but made his most significant impact at Black Hills State when he scored seven points in 15 minutes and grabbed five rebounds.
OPENING WEEKEND
Texas A&M - Kingsville and Texas A&M International are on tap for this weekend on the road for the Hardrockers.
The Javelinas of Texas A&M—Kingsville will be a fresh team, as they lost their top player to graduation and return around half of the team.
They were picked 13th in the Lone Star Preseason Poll.
However, despite the projection, they have brought in three Division I transfers, Brian Gordon, Jake Arnold, and Bryce Cook, in addition to four other transfers, so there is plenty of talent and experience on the squad, and they could surprise.
Texas A&M International was selected sixth in the Lonestar Preseason Poll after a strong season last year, which resulted in an 18-12 record, a 13-9 Lone Star mark, and a loss by just two in the Lone Star Conference Championship.
The Dustdevils have already begun their season and are 1-2, with their lone win coming against Alaska Anchorage.
Thus far, Emmaniel Alexandre, Esteban Roacho, and Caylen Goff Brown are the players scoring in double-digits for them.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the opening road weekend, South Dakota Mines plays in the Crossover Challenge. They are in Spearfish at Black Hills State, taking on Augustana on Friday, Nov. 15, and Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Those games are set for start times of 5:30 and 3:00.
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 13 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
