Watertown, Lake Norden and Aberdeen Central grads among 14 greats to be inducted in August

Half of the 14 former standouts who will be inducted into the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 24 have Watertown or Aberdeen area connections.

The former area standouts set to be honored include 1978 Watertown High School graduate Kay (Stormo) Freund, 1954 Lake Norden graduate Dale Jacobsen, 2004 Aberdeen Central graduate Derrick McCauley, 1953 Aberdeen Central graduate Wayne Fix, 1994 Hitchcock graduate JoEllen (Hofer) Salmen, 1967 Glenham graduate Dennis Smith and 1978 Mobridge graduate Tara (Batcheller) Volesky.

Induction will occur during the Hall of Fame's 14th annual banquet at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls.

The Armour Packers of 1978 will be recognized as a Team of Excellence. Burnell Glanzer coached Armour to a Class B title and 26-0 record. That season started the Packers on their way to a boys state record 64-game winning streak. Gregg DeSpeigler, the current principal at Lincoln Elementary in Watertown, was a freshman on that team.

Banquet ticket information will be available soon on the Hall of Fame website at www.sdbbhof.com.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2024:

Area Inductees

Kay (Stormo) Freund, Georgetown, Texas (Watertown 1978) — Freund was a Watertown mainstay as the Arrows took second in the state Class A tourney in 1975 and won the title in 1976. She averaged 17 points per game as a senior. Freund was an elite runner who excelled in track and cross country at Watertown and the University of Iowa.

Dale Jacobsen (Lake Norden 1954) — The late Jacobsen was a four-year standout for Lake Norden. He averaged 19 points per game as a senior while also leading the Bluejays in rebounding. Jacobsen was noted as a tenacious defender who drew the opponent’s top scorer as his defensive assignment. Jacobsen played at South Dakota State. He joins his younger brother Don, who held thje state's all-time high school career basketball scoring record for more than 50 years, in the Hall of Fame. Don was inducted in 2010.

Derrick McCauley, Waubay (Aberdeen Central 2004) — McCauley was a premier ballhandler who produced 21 points per game for Aberdeen Central during his senior season. When he was a junior he averaged 25 points per game at Waubay before transferring. McCauley went on to an outstanding career at Sisseton Wahpeton College.

2023 Inductees: Former Northwestern standouts, 11 others to be honored during banquet set for Aug. 26

Wayne Fix (Aberdeen Central 1953) — The late Fix was a dominating presence in the Aberdeen Central lineup as the Golden Eagles reached the state Class A state in 1952 and 1953. Fix was all-tourney both years with Aberdeen Central winning the championship when he was a senior. Fix earned three varsity letters at the University of Minnesota.

JoEllen (Hofer) Salmen, Tulare (Hitchcock 1994) — A five-year Hitchcock starter, Salmen totaled 2,564 career points. During her senior season she averaged 28 points per game for the Bluejays. Salmen played two seasons for Huron University then transferred to Black Hills State where she was named MVP of the SDIC in 1997.

Dennis Smith, Tulare (Glenham 1967) — With a career scoring average of 25 points per game, Smith concluded his four seasons starring for Glenham with a total of 2,186 points. He produced 32 points per game as a senior for the Eagles. His single game high was 51 points. Smith earned all-SDIC honors while playing at Northern State.

Tara (Batcheller) Volesky, Mitchell (Mobridge 1978) — Volesky was a multi-position player who averaging 24 points per game as a senior. She also was medalist for Mobridge in the state Class B golf tournament in 1977. Volesky played golf at Brigham Young University and then transferred to Northern State to play basketball for the Wolves.

Other Inductees

Denny Busch (Huron 1959) — The late Busch was a versatile performer as Huron won the state Class A championship in 1958 and finished 22-0. The following season Busch was a senior and the Tigers took third in the state tournament. Busch was a veteran guard on the South Dakota State team that won the NCAA College Division national title in 1963.

Jay Ellwein, Huron (Huron 1994) — Huron was state Class AA champion in 1993 as Ellwein led the Tigers with 19 points per game. A year later as a senior he averaged 24 points per game to cap his career with 1,383 points and earn Gatorade Player of the Year recognition. Ellwein played collegiately for Huron University and Augustana.

Column: Merriam: To late subs everywhere, the game's over so why not let it fly?

Roger Hammerbeck, Hamill (Chamberlain 1966): — Chamberlain was the smallest school in Class A when Hammerbeck led the Cubs to the state tournament when he was a senior. He averaged 20 points per game that season. Hammerbeck attended the University of South Dakota where he played both basketball and football for the Coyotes.

Dick Padrnos, Boulder, Colo. (Lake Andes 1951) — Lake Andes made its first trip to the state Class B tourney when Padrnos was a senior. The Eagles won the third-place game behind 31 points from Padrnos. He averaged 23 points per game that season and Lake Andes went 30-1. Padrnos went on to play at the University of South Dakota.

Jill (Young) Sargent, Waynesville, Ohio (Mitchell Christian 2007) — Mitchell Christian won the state Class B title when Sargent was a junior in 2006. Sargent was Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior when she averaged 29 points per game. Her career total was a state record 3,317 points. Sargent played at South Dakota State.

Troy Schaefer, Rapid City (Pierre 1983) — One of the state’s finest all-around athletes, Schaefer led Pierre to the state Class A title in 1982. The Governors finished second when Schaefer was a senior and averaged 19 points per game. He was co-Mr. Basketball and also excelled in football and tennis. Schaefer played football at Augustana.

Brian Shanks, Elk Point (Huron 1974) — Shanks led Huron to the state Class A championship in 1973 when he averaged 22 points per game. The following season Shanks was a senior and scored 26 points per game. His career total at Lake Preston, and then Huron, was 1,800 points. Shanks played at South Dakota State and Northern State.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: New inductees announced for S.D. High School Basketball Hall of Fame