South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame Spotlight:
Vince Whipple (Rapid City - 1956)
Induction Year - 2015
Those who had the pleasure of watching Vince Whipple play were impressed by the basketball instincts the 5-foot-10 guard showcased on the court.
Rapid City Central Basketball reached the championship game of the Class A state tournament in 1956 but fell just short against Sioux Falls Washington 55-53. In a dramatic finish, Whipple’s desperation shot from midcourt rimmed out as the final horn sounded.
Whipple was a three-year basketball letterman at Rapid City. He also made a mark as a football quarterback, a distance runner and pole vaulter in track, and a good-fielding .333 hitter in American Legion baseball.
Check out Whipple’s full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/vince-whipple-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight:
John Sivesind (Sioux Falls Roosevelt - 1996)
Induction Year - 2015
Sivesind was a rare four-year starter in the state’s big-school class. He finished his career with the Rough Riders as the leading scorer in Sioux Falls city history with 1,382 points.
A starter at Wright State (Ohio) University as a true freshman, Sivesind averaged 10.5 points per game and was chosen as a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference all-newcomer team.
He then transferred to Colorado State University, where he became a three-year regular for the Rams.
Check out Sivesind’s full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/john-sivesind-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight
John Eidsness (Canton - 1966)
Induction Year - 2015
Eidsness excelled in basketball, football, track and baseball as a C-Hawk. He then became a rare three-sport athlete as a collegian when he earned varsity letters at SDSU as a basketball guard, football quarterback and baseball shortstop.
In basketball the 6-foot guard led Canton C-Hawks Boys Basketball - Canton, SD in scoring each of his four seasons en route to a school career record 1,567 points.
Eidsness helped Jackrabbit Men's Basketball secure consecutive North Central Conference basketball titles in 1968, 1969 and 1970.
Read his full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/john-eidsness-2015/

The South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame congratulates Carson Shanks and the New York Knicks on winning the 2026 NBA Finals.
Shanks is the nephew of 2024 South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Brian Shanks, a Huron graduate. Brian Shanks led Huron to the Class A championship in 1973, and later played at South Dakota State and Northern State. Carson’s father, Michael, was on the 1981 Huron state championship team and later played college basketball at Northern State.
Carson Shanks, a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is a video/analytics/player development assistant for the Knicks. Shanks played college basketball at North Dakota and Loyola University Chicago.

Hall of Fame Spotlight
Mike Freier (Tripp - 1967)
Induction Year - 2015
In terms of both accuracy and range, South Dakota has rarely produced a shooter the equal of Mike Freier. During three days in March of 1967 the state was captivated by the performance of Tripp’s star senior guard at the Sioux Falls Arena.
The Wildcats defeated Beresford in the first round of the Class B state tournament as Freier notched 32 points. In the semifinal round he netted 36 in a victory against Frederick. Tripp faced Herreid in the championship game and the Wildcats emerged with a 72-46 win behind Freier’s 35. In the tourney Freier scored a record 103 points. His marksmanship was stunning. He made 62 percent of his field goal attempts and was on target with 93 percent of his free throws, converting 25 of 27.
Check out his full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/mike-freier-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight
Katie Dailey (Jefferson - 1981)
Induction Year - 2015
Jefferson held a firm grip on Class B girls basketball supremacy from 1978 through 1980 and Katie Dailey was at the point of the Hawkettes’ attack.
Dailey was a capable scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game as a senior, but her greatest asset was an ability to control games with her passing and defensive tenacity. Dailey’s example helped steer the Hawkettes to an incredible 76-2 record during her final three seasons, including a 67-game win streak. As a senior she totaled 125 assists and 125 steals to push her career totals to 317 assists and 383 steals.
More championships followed for Dailey as she moved on to excel at the University of South Dakota. Playing for Coach Chad Lavin she helped the South Dakota Women's Basketball earn North Central Conference titles in 1983, 1984 and 1985. In that three-year run the Coyotes constructed an overall record of 64-22.
Check out her full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/katie-dailey-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight
Jim Dyer (Willow Lake - 1960)
Induction Year - 2015
Jim Dyer earned the admiration of the state’s basketball fans as he led Willow Lake to the championship game of the Class B state tournament in 1960.
The diverse talents Dyer displayed as a Pirate propelled him to a stellar career for South Dakota Men's Basketball. As a Coyote he became a three-year starter, a two-time member of the all-North Central Conference team, an NCC scoring champion and an All-American.
Dyer was a four-year regular at Willow Lake and finished as one of the state’s all-time scoring leaders with 2,256 points. He averaged 22.7 points per game as a senior when he received all-state recognition for a third consecutive year.
Check out his full bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/jim-dyer-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight:
Chuck Iverson (Yankton - 1969)
Induction Year - 2015
Chuck Iverson played for Vermillion Tanagers BoysBasketball. The Tanagers finished seventh in the Class A state tournament when he was a junior in 1968. The following year as a senior, Iverson was all-state when he averaged 18.8 points and 20 rebounds per game. He was also an outstanding football player for the Tanagers where he was a three-year starter.
South Dakota Men's Basketball won the North Central Conference title in 1972 with Iverson a fixture in the middle for Coach Bob Mulcahy. He was chosen to the all-NCC team in 1971, 1972 and 1973.
Iverson scored 1,536 points during his time as a Coyote. And on the backboards he established school records for rebounds in a game (36), season (448) and career (1,241).
Check out Iverson’s full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/chuck-iverson-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight
Ray Hamann (Yankton - 1931)
Induction Year - 2015
Celebrating state championships became nearly an annual occurrence for Yankton Bucks Basketball during the four years Ray Hamann starred for the Bucks.
With the 6-foot-5 center controlling the middle, Yankton dominated that era of one-class basketball. The Bucks of Coach W.W. Stephenson advanced to the title game of the state tournament during each of Hamann’s four seasons. Yankton won three championships during that time.
Check out Hamann’s full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/ray-hamann-2015/

Hall of Fame Spotlight
Carla (Allard) Watson (Bennett County - 1987)
Induction Year - 2015
Chosen all-conference during each of her five seasons as a starter at Bennett County, Carla (Allard) Watson scored 2,835 points for the Lady Warriors. That was the most in the history of South Dakota girls basketball at the time of her graduation.
The 5-foot-11 center scored a single-game high of 59 points. During her final three seasons Allard-Watson achieved consecutive season point totals of 684, 642 and 735. She was named the state’s co-Miss Basketball.
She moved on to become a record setting four-year starter at National American University, then called National College, in Rapid City.
Check out her full South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame bio here: https://sdbbhof.com/2015-inductees/carla-allard-watson/