EXTRAVAGANZA

MEMORIES OF LOCAL BASKETBALL STARS, PART 2

Editor’s note: Last month in our history article, I collected and printed stories of past basketball stars in our coverage area. I had several more players and several coaches to include, but some of the honoree information got stacked in the wrong place on my desk. My apologies. Here’s the rest of the story.

To spark your memories, here are some of the great basketball names from teams in Hutchinson, Turner, Lincoln and Minnehaha Counties – Part 2. (There were a lot of great high school players. To narrow things down, the focus is limited here to former players and coaches who are in the South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame or the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. Sioux Falls teams/players are not included.)

MIKE BEGEMAN (Parker, 1975) The Parker Pheasants had a combined record of 70-10 during Mike Begeman’s final three seasons and were in the championship game twice. His outstanding play as a do-everything guard helped Parker become a force in Class B. He was a 4-year letterman at Augustana, which won an NCC Championship his junior season. He also coached O’Gorman for several seasons. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2019.

JERRY EVEN (Dell Rapids St. Mary’s, 1964) One of the brightest stars at the SD State Catholic Tournament was four-year starter Jerry Even. He scored 2,032 points in his career, averaging 23 points and 17 rebounds his junior year and 26 ppg/14 rpg his senior year. In four years of tourney play, he averaged 21 ppg; and scored 108 points in the 1963 tournament. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2020.

COACH BURNELL GLANZER . The 1971 Freeman High and 1975 University of South Dakota grad was one of the most successful boys basketball coaches in state history, guiding Armour (and Tripp-Delmont/Armour) to a 617-209 record in 37 seasons. Burnell was just the third South Dakota boys basketball coach to reach the 600-win mark. He led Armour's Packers to a state-record 64-game win streak from 1978-80. SD Sports Hall of Fame, 2017.

AUSTIN HANSEN (Brandon Valley, 1998). In his senior year, Austin Hansen helped the Lynx capture its first State Class AA title. Brandon Valley finished 21-2 that year, with Hansen averaging 18 points and 6 assists per game. In college, he became the first player in SDSU his- tory to lead the Jackrabbits in scoring four consecutive years. He was on the All-NCC team three years. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2020.

COACH GAYLE HOOVER . Gayle Hoover coached boys basketball at Parker for 34 years. He retired in 1993 as the winningest coach in state basketball history, with a 577-217 record. He guided Parker to eight state tournaments, including runner-up finishes in 1968, '73 and '74. He was a basketball star at both SF Washington High School and Sioux Falls College. Hoover also is a member of the SD Softball Hall of Fame. SD Sports Hall of Fame, 1998.

COACH JIM MARKING. A 1950 Parkston High School graduate, Jim Marking had a 73.8% winning percentage in 24 years of coaching prep and college basketball. He retired as the winningest coach in SDSU men's basketball history (148-80). He coached high school basketball at Hayti and Watertown. He was the first coach to win state titles in Class A and B. SD Sports Hall of Fame, 1992.

ARLO MOGCK (Parkston, 1955) Parkston High School was small by Class A standards in the mid-1950s, but Arlo Mogck led the Trojans to 2nd and 3rd place finishes his junior and senior years. After graduating from USD-Springfield, he coached the Harrisburg Tigers to the Class B title as a 22-yearold rookie coach. He later coached Canton to the state tournament, before coaching Worthington State Junior College, where his teams were champions three straight years. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2020.

BOB PIDDE (Freeman, 1975) The Freeman Flyers trailed by 8 points with 8 minutes left in the 1975 Class B championship game. Bob Pidde scored 11 of his 23 points in the final quarter to keep the Flyers perfect season intact. He was a strong defensive player on top of averaging 17 ppg and 16 rpg his senior year. He went on to play both basketball and baseball for SDSU. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2020.

LOREN THORNTON (Harrisburg, 1936) In the first year of the twoclass system, Loren “Dutch” Thornton was named the Class B tournament’s MVP. Then he was a three-year mainstay for SDSU and part of the

Jackrabbits’ NCC championship team in 1940. He also excelled in baseball, playing several years in the minor leagues. He coached Flandreau to an undefeated football season and to several Class B Tournaments. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2020.

TRIPP HIGH SCHOOL, 1967

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Recognized as a “Team of Excellence” by the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Wildcats had a perfect 28-0 season in 1966-67. Tripp beat Herreid 72-46 to win the State Class B Tournament. Mike Freier scored 35 points and Dick Prien grabbed 14 rebounds in the title game. Freier, Prien and Bill Fischer were named to the all-tournament team for Coach Jim Flevares. SD Basketball Hall of Fame, 2018.

Sources

• South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame, www.sdbbhof.com

• South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, www.sdshof.com

• Sioux Falls Argus Leader via newspapers.com

• Brookings Daily Register via newspapers.com