JACKSON SHINES AS SENIOR CAPTAIN FOR CASTLEWOOD

He is not the team’s leading scorer, or rebounder, or defender. In fact, Kabren Jackson is not even a starter. Yet, his value to the Castlewood basketball team can be summed up in one word: captain.

“For me it’s all about leading and making sure that practices go right,” Jackson said, “and make sure these guys are mentally ready.”

The fact that the senior seldom gets into games does not bother him, nor does he let it affect his positive attitude.

“I just see it as whatever role you have, do it the best of your ability,” Jackson said, “and it doesn’t hurt my feelings that I don’t play, obviously.”

Castlewood coach Paul Raasch said that Jackson was an obvious choice to help captain the Warriors.

“He’s a glue guy. The guys love him, and he understands his role and accepts it. It’s been nothing but good,” Raasch said. “He’s a good kid. I just thought that was a good choice to make him a captain. He’s done a good job with that.”

Jackson also plays football and golf for the Warriors, but does have a personal favorite.

“I like basketball the most. It’s the most fun,” Jackson said. “Great team, great coach, a lot of fun guys, and everybody loves each other.”

Raasch said that while it is a bit unusual for a reserve to be a captain, Jackson has the respect of everybody surrounding the squad.

“Here’s the thing, nobody really questioned it,” Raasch said. “Usually, it’s your starters or your best players, but our guys understand what Kabren means to our team, and it takes guys like that to have good teams.”

It’s easy to see that Jackson is a team-first guy with a servant leadership attitude.

“It’s just all about leading the team,” Jackson said. “It’s less about me and more about just give my best for everyone.”

And while Jackson seldom shows up on the final stat line, he did recently when he nailed a 3-pointer in Castlewood’s SoDak 16 victory.

“He showed up in the stats last game,” Raasch said. “He hit a three and our bench went crazy. They were more happy for him than he was for himself.”

Dave Vilhauer

FAST NO STRANGER TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

De Smet senior Kadyn Fast has had a varsity basketball career unlike many others.

Fast has been a varsity member on the Bulldogs current streak of three consecutive state championships over the past three seasons, something he says has been amazing.

“We’ve had some great leaders,” Fast said. “Just been following in their footsteps and now I’m here as a senior.”

He noted that representing the town of De Smet and bringing home more state titles the last few years has been an “unreal” experience.

“It’s amazing to see everyone else just working hard and getting it done,” Fast said.

De Smet coach Jeff Gruenhagen said that while Fast has improved his game in many aspects through the years, it’s his defense that got him in the starting lineup two years ago.

“He’s always been such a great defender and that’s what got him in our lineup early,” Gruenhagen said. “He could go out and guard a lot of people. He’s just so fast, so quick, and really good at just getting down the lane and finishing shots.”

Fast is included in a current group of seven seniors for De Smet that he says have played together since the third grade. This weekend, those seniors will look to finish their careers with an unprecedented fourth consecutive Class B state championship, something that has only been done one other time in state history when Yankton accomplished the feat nearly a century ago (1922-25). He noted what it will take to bring yet another state title home to De Smet.

“Great defense, play as a team, and just 1-0,” Fast said. “One game at a time.”

Jacob Wuertz

HUETHER BACK AT STATE TOURNEY WITH NEW TEAM: Kenny Huether is no stranger to State B Basketball Tournaments, but his current squad has not been there in three decades.

Huether, who coached Hitchcock-Tulare to four state tourney appearances, is now the coach at Wessington Springs, which is making its first trip to the tournament since 1994, when the Spartans played in Class A.

“Great memories to be in the back halls here and the locker rooms, and so excited for this group that I’m coaching right now,” Huether said. “We got close last year, felt the heartbreak of being six points away, and put in a real hard year of work and here we are, and we’re thrilled to be here.”

Huether totally understands what the atmosphere is like at a State B event, having coached in the 2010 championship game, a 66-63 setback to White River.

“I’ve had a lot of old gentlemen tell it’s one of the top five Class B title games they’ve ever watched,” Huether said.

Because of all the noise coming from the large crowds, Huether has implemented a signal system so his players can understand what he is trying to communicate from the sideline.

“We’ve talked a little bit what it’s going to be like and how It’s loud,” Huether said. “In a typical game during the season you can yell out instructions. We’ve got a lot of hand signals.”

The Spartans have lost just one game this season. Huether conveyed to his players that the state tournament is a whole different ball game.

“Just the environment that’s going to be here and how difficult it is to have success at this level now,” Huether said. “You’ve got to play well, you’ve got to be mentally sharp on every possession.”

Huether and the Spartans are looking forward to the next three days of basketball on the state’s biggest Class B stage.

“The excitement of getting back up here is wonderful. I’m proud of my team for accomplishing that and it’s a wide-open field,” Huether said. “Every team that made it is a top-10 Class B team. It’s going to be fun to see how things shake out.”

Dave Vilhauer

WHITE RIVER’S MARSHALL LITERALLY GROWS UP AT STATE B

White River senior Nic Marshall knows a thing or two about the State B Boys’ Basketball Tournament, and that’s not an understatement.

In the Tigers 19 consecutive State B appearances, the 18-year-old has been around for all but the first one. Marshall says it has been exciting to see each team make it year after year.

“It’s been fun,” Marshall said. “I grew up at the state tournament, basically, and I just enjoyed the experience. It’s fun getting a new team and getting here every year.”

Throughout his life, Marshall has been a everything from a water boy to a varsity starter, slowly climbing the ranks through the years.

“Since I’ve been born, I’ve basically been a water boy,” Marshall said. “I went to varsity my seventh-grade year and I’ve just been working my way up to the starting lineup.”

This season, Marshall took on a new role of being a team leader, something he said has been a challenge.

“A lot of people didn’t think we were going to make it this year,” Marshall said. “We kind of persevered and we became a better team throughout the year and got better defensively and offensively.”

Marshall’s father Eldon has been the head coach for the Tigers during all 19 appearances in the State B tournament, and the younger Marshall says while their relationship has had its ups and downs, it has been a fun ride.

“Sometimes it’s a struggle, but I try to enjoy it and he enjoys it,” Marshall said. “We have our problems, but we usually get through them, and we just try to have fun.”

Marshall has been a part of many memorable moments during his life as a Tiger, but he says his favorite came during the 2022 State B Tournament.

“My sophomore year with my brother Dylan and Joe (Sayler) we got third place versus Potter County,” Marshall said. “We played really good and that was one of my favorite games because I got to play with my brother for the last time.”

He hopes to make one more set of memories this weekend as his top-seeded Tigers look to bring home their first state title since 2013. Marshall described what it will take to bring home the state championship.

“We got to play smart, we got to play hard, we got to outwork every team,” Marshall said. “We got nothing to lose; that’s how we’re going to play this weekend. It’s going to be fun and we’re going to go try and win it.”

Jacob Wuertz