Former SDSU player and coach Hansen joins Smith with Coyotes

Former South Dakota State player and coach Austin Hansen will be joining University of South Dakota head men’s basketball coach Craig Smith as one of three assistants for the upcoming season.

Hansen was a four-year letter winner and two-time captain at SDSU from 1998-2003. He remains the second-leading three-point shooter and third-leading scorer in program history.

He spent the 2013-2014 season as an assistant coach with the Northern Colorado Bears before joining  Gameli Ahelegbe and Eric Peterson as Smith’s picks for assistants.

Ahelegbe was a standout at Minnesota State, and has served as an assistant coach at the University of North Dakota the past three seasons. Peterson is joining the Coyotes after serving as the athletic director and men’s basketball coach at Williston State College in North Dakota.

Smith said his three selections for assistant coaches will provide tremendous passion, energy and work ethic for not only the basketball program, but for the entire community.

“These guys are great teachers of the game and possess fantastic recruiting relationships throughout our region,” Smith said. “They carry themselves in a professional manner and take tremendous pride in being positive mentors in young men’s lives. I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and go to work with these three.”