SDIC Basketball Hall of Fame inductees include five with area connections

Roger Merriam, Watertown Public Opinion
·3 min read
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Five former northeastern South Dakota standouts are among the 15 new inductees into the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame during a ceremony scheduled for Nov. 30 at Madison.

Former area standouts in the 2022 induction class include former Hamlin High School standout Mick Hoglund of Lake Norden (Sioux Falls College), Steve Hammer of Pierpont (Huron College), Terry Jordre of Corona (Northern State), Lon Nelson of Clark (University of South Dakota-Springfield) and Gerald Sayler of Aberdeen Central (Northern State). Nelson and Sayler are being honored posthumously.

Other new inductees are Gene Applewick of Madison (Dakota State), Brad Bouche of Mitchell (Black Hills State), Bruce Bad Moccasin of Pierre (South Dakota Tech), Billy Christensen of Canton (Northern State), Jim Martin of Chamberlain (Dakota Wesleyan), Tom Miller of Stickney (Dakota Wesleyan), Jeff Palzgraf of Rockford, Ill. (S.D. Tech), Jim Stoebner (Dakota Wesleyan), Riley Goza of Rockford, Ill. (Dakota Wesleyan) and Jeff Stevens of Fargo, N.D. (Black Hills State). Goza is also being inducted posthumously.

The SDIC Basketball Hall of Fame is an extension of the conference’s original hall of fame, which honored players from all sports over the conference’s 83-year history until it ceased operations at the end of the 1999-2000 season, giving way to the Great Plains Athletic Conference and the defunct Dakota Athletic Conference.

For more information, visit sdichalloffame.com.

Other SDIC Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees

2022: Aaron Kranz of Watertown (Mount Marty); Josh McNames of De Smet (Black Hills State); Chris Miller of Stickney and Dan Duffy of Fort Pierre (Dakota Wesleyan); Jesse Dana of Spearfish, Stacy Finkbeiner of Belle Fourche and coach Mike Olson of Tomahawk, Wis. (Black Hills State); Mike Peterreins of Lamberton (Minn.), Jason Smidt of Brookings and Paul Park of Dell Rapids (Dakota State); Matt Geiver of Sioux Falls (Mount Marty); Derek Knapp of Rapid City, Jim Benjamin of Billings, Mon., and Dave Becker of Kenosha, Wis. (South Dakota Tech).

2021: Gene Smith of Thomas and Watertown, Jack Ecklund of Sisseton and Darrel Eisenbraun (Huron College); Cliff Anderson and Brett Schwartz of Dakota State College in Madison, Jim Van Gerpen of Southern College in Springfield, Joe Divis of Black Hills State, DuWayne Groos of Sisseton (Northern State College in Aberdeen), Chad Kramer and Mitch Slusarski of South Dakota Tech and Alan Miller of Stickney and Scott Morgan of Mitchell (Dakota Wesleyan).

Former SDIC Hall of Fame basketball inductees, listed by school, include:

• Northern State — Rich Andrzejewski, Gary Evjen, Wm L Jordan, Mel Klein, Harry Marske and Mo Mack.

• Dakota Wesleyan — Elton Byre, Tom Billars, Glenn Draisey, Gordon Fosness, Greg Hansen, George Smith and Wayne Thue.

• Yankton College — Kaye Besanon.

• Southern State — Max Becker, Dick Drapeau, Arlo Mogck, Gary Merkwan, Jerry Wingen and Jon Westling.

• Huron College — Terry DuPris, Garney Henley, Carold Heier, Lyle Kraft, Vern McKee and Dan Wollman.

• Black Hills State — Maurice Fitzgerald, Jim Lampshere, Jeff Lamb, Mike Savoy and Kim Templeton.

• South Dakota Tech — Chuck Neller and Doug Schlepp.

• Sioux Falls College — Gayle Hoover.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Fifteen men to be inducted during ceremony set for Nov. 30.