Q&A with SDSU men’s basketball coach Bryan Petersen
BROOKINGS — It’s been an eventful summer for new South Dakota State men’s basketball coach Bryan Petersen.
After taking the job in the spring, he put together a staff, made some additions to the roster in the transfer portal, led his squad through summer workouts and recently moved into a new house.
Then this week came some good news, with 6-foot-9 Huron standout Blake Ellwein announcing his commitment to play for the Jackrabbits, the first major recruiting coup for Petersen, as Ellwein chose the Rabbits over USD, NDSU and former SDSU coach Eric Henderson and Drake.
The Jacks have used up five of the eight weeks of team activities that are allowed over the summer, and will fulfill the last three after the Fourth of July weekend. Petersen spoke with Sioux Falls Live’s Matt Zimmer about the new staff and roster and how things are going while on his way to a family vacation in Iowa.
MZ: How did those five weeks of workouts go?
BP: It went really good. I told the group the two biggest things I wanted to see were for us to get as connected as we can and then see continued growth in everything we’re doing, whether it’s in the weight room or on the court, mentally or physically. We’re really physical, our guys really compete. We had a lot of really good days when it came to just playing hard, competing and energy level. Five weeks is a pretty good grind. We’ve had some really good summers before but this one I was really impressed with our group.
SDSU’s Jaden Jackson dribbles past Jett Montgomery of Southern Miss during the Jackrabbits’ win over the Golden Eagles on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings.
Dave Bordewyk, SDNMA
MZ: Five years ago I would’ve said you have a young and inexperienced roster. But with how college basketball is today, having some returners and upperclassmen and it’s like you’ve got an experienced foundation to build on.
BP: Yeah, even three years ago, I think, I would’ve looked at us and said man, we’re pretty young here. But if you look at the amount of playing time we have, it’s pretty good relative to our competition. Leadership-wise, our guys have done a good job. The culture here has been in a good spot for a long time going back to Coach (Scott) Nagy. So I’m pretty fortunate to step into a situation where that culture is here and there are guys who already understand it. Guys like Matt Mors, Kalen Garry, Joe Sayler — they’ve been able to really help, and that’s important when we have a new staff, too. They can not only talk about that culture but show it on a daily basis.
MZ: Speaking of your staff (Ryan Kirsch, Cole Christian, Nick Smith, Jamal Nixon and Tucker Wookey) — how did this group come together?
SDSU’s Joe Sayler drives the lane against Oral Roberts on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 in Brookings.
Dave Bordewyk, SDNMA
BP: I wanted to have a really connected staff. Hendo did a really good job of putting together a group that worked well together. We didn’t always agree on everything or have the same ideas but we got along and were always connected. In today’s world you’ve got to get your team connected as quickly as possible. With all the changes and newness every program has that’s harder than ever, so you have to have a staff that can model that every day. I wanted guys who would work hard, put the players first and not only work well with me but work well with each other. Our program still has to be built on player development. We’re not going to be able to just go out and grab (elite transfers) every single year. So we’ve got to be able to take high school kids and develop them. So I wanted good teachers of the game and guys who can develop relationships with kids and who can make players better.
MZ: Having said that you did bring in some good transfers. What can you tell us about them?
BP: Luke Haertle (a 6-3 junior guard who averaged 17 points per game at Division II Winona State last year) is a big one. He was the Newcomer of the Year in the NSIC. He’s physical and talented and we’re excited about him. He’s a strong guard with a high IQ and he fits well with what we want to do on both sides of the ball.
Caleb Delzell (a 6-9 senior foward from Division II Upper Iowa) has a lot of experience. We needed to add some size — someone who can make us physical up front but who can also play the perimeter game, because our other bigs are mostly inside guys.
Then you’ve got Trey Buchanan (a 6-foot redshirt freshman from Iowa) who redshirted for the Hawkeyes last year, he has four years of eligibility. He spent a year competing in Big Ten practices and he’ll bring some toughness and great shooting ability to the team. He can help us at point guard, too.
South Dakota State’s Matthew Mors goes up for a finger-roll against South Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 in Brookings.
Dave Bordewyk / S.D. NewsMedia Association
And then our two true freshmen, Jaden Rogers (a 6-6 wing from Waukee, Iowa) is really versatile, a multi-position guy who’s already big and strong with some athletic tools, we just have to get him acclimated to the college game.
And then Davis Kern (a 6-9 forward from Marion, Iowa) is a really skilled big, he can really shoot it, all-time leading scorer at a high school that’s produced several D1 players. We just need to get him adjusted to the game and the physicality. That might take some time but he’s got a high skill level at 6-9.
MZ: Lastly, the news that SDSU is opting in to the NCAA House Settlement. How does that impact men’s basketball?
BP: In the right now, not a ton different, but I would say now going forward it allows you to be more prepared. Now at least we have a blueprint of what we’re going to be doing, what environment we’re going to be working in (and) under what parameters. So that helps. Right now on July 1 I don’t think it affects us a ton but moving forward into the fall it just allows me and my staff to put a plan together for our upcoming seasons in how we’re building our rosters and maintaining our rosters. And bringing things in house, I think our fan base will maybe get more behind some of the NIL pieces of it and I think that’s a positive. Now that we know what rules we’re playing by I think under Justin Sell’s leadership we can really take off from here.
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.