Men’s basketball aims for NCAA Tournament trip as season begins

A trip to the Summit League semi-finals last year gave the men’s basketball team its first taste of victory they’ve ever had in the Tournament.

This year the team looks to take it one step forward and win it all, for a chance to go dancing in the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Craig Smith enters his second year at USD. The former disciple of Tim Miles at the University of Nebraska knows what this team is capable of and hopes to get the best out of them.

“We for the first time won a Summit League Tournament game and I think the guys got a great taste of what it’s about,” Smith said. “I think once you get to that point you’ll do anything you can to keep going and keep going and keep going further. It’s a great challenge but it’s easy to keep the guys hungry because they finally got a taste of success.”

Senior guard Casey Kasperbauer said he knows the goals this year and believes the team is up for the challenge.

“The bar is raised even higher this year. We want to make it to the championship game and have a chance to win that game,” Kasperbauer said. “The ultimate goal is to make it to the NCAA Tournament, obviously, and I think we have the pieces for that, we’ve just got to stay focused. We just need to stay focused on improving and getting better every day.”

Since last year, USD has gained multiple transfers that will have to sit out a year, but the incoming first-years should make an impact.

The first-years include: Tyler Borchers, who won a state title out of LeMars, Iowa, his senior year and was named All-Tournament Team Captain; Dan Jech from Rochester, Minn., who helped his team win their first team all conference his senior year; Logan Power from Lincoln, Neb., redshirted his first year but is now available and Tyler Hagedorn from Norfolk, Neb., who was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska his senior year, as well as first team all-Super State captain and Nebraska Coaches Association Player of the Year.

The first-years have been dropped into a situation where they will be needed from the get go. Kasperbauer said they have been playing hard and earning the respect of those above them.

“They are really high IQ, high character guys, which are the type of guys this coaching staff likes to recruit,” he said. “I think they’re meshing really well with the experienced guys and I think us veterans have done a really good job of mentoring them. As a freshman you’re going to have bad days, we’ve done a really good job of helping them get through those bad days.”

Hagedorn said the coaching staff was one of the reasons he was interested in playing for USD.

“Craig Smith and the guys were really welcoming and especially being close to home, the family support is going to be huge,” Hagedorn said. “The new arena is a big factor, but I thought the Summit League was a great fit for me and I think Craig Smith and the guys can make it to the NCAA Tournament.”

Getting transfers is not an easy task and prior connections can only help.

“Every situation is different. For the most part, with all three of those guys, we had a former connection,” Smith said.

Despite the changes, the task remains the same.

Smith has a motto, GATA or Get After Their Ass. This has been an echo of Smith’s since he arrived at USD and one the team will be trying to follow this weekend when they take on Wright State, Northern Illinois and California State Northridge in DeKalb, Ill.

Smith said coaching is more than a job, but it’s also a lifestyle.

“It’s 365 days a year, seven days a week, for 52 weeks,” Smith said. “That’s what we try to build upon with our basketball team. We want to be the toughest team, we want to be the team that tips and deflects basketballs and is the first on the floor. It’s a day-to-day lifestyle that way, it’s all about energy, enthusiasm and playing for your teammates and that will never leave any program I’m a part of.”