South Dakota State Basketball: Jackrabbits targeting experience

South Dakota State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has wasted little time in getting players to keep the Jackrabbits atop the Summit League.

When we last checked in on things in Brookings, South Dakota State had just one newcomer in Loudon Love-Vollbrecht.

Love-Vollbrecht decided to rethink his commitment to the new coaching staff and ultimately went to Wright State.

2016 PF Loudon Love-Vollbrecht has committed to Wright State.
— Drew Dinnhaupt (@drewdinnhaupt_) May 8, 2016

The de-commitment hasn’t bothered head coach T.J. Otzelberger, as the first year coach has gone out and grabbed four new players to help fill the gaps.

Three of the four newcomers are upperclassmen who have transferred in from other schools, with a fourth coming from the high school ranks.

Without further adieu, these are the newest Jackrabbits in town:

G – Michael Orris (6’2″, 200 lbs, transfer from Northern Illinois)

G – A.J. Hess (6’6″, 210 lbs, transfer from Southern Utah)

G – Andre Wallace (6’1″, 155 lbs, transfer from Iowa Western [IA] CC)

G – Sergio El Darwich (6’4″, weight-N/A)

Given that there were just two returning guards from the team’s most recent NCAA run, having four new guys on the perimeter is huge for this squad. One spot is locked down with incumbent Reed Tellinghuisen, but the spots next to him are pretty wide open.

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The point guard spot is likely a battle between former Kansas State/NIU guard Orris, JUCO product Wallace, and freshman El Darwich.

Orris has a track record at the DI level, but only averaged 2.7 points and 3.0 assists in 22 minutes of play for the Huskies. He can take care of the ball, but is a horrendous shooter.

Wallace is a much more accomplished scorer from a talented IWCC team, but doesn’t project as the same kind of distributor. He also hasn’t faced the same sort of competition one encounters in the Big 12 or MAC.

The wild card here is El Darwich. The Lebanon-born Maine prep player might not play much, but he has decent size and may be able to push the upperclassmen if neither can really create competitive separation. At the very least, El Darwich has four years of eligibility to learn the trade of college basketball.

If the point guard position is a three-way contest, the swing man spot is nearly a lock for former South Utah guard Hess. The four-year Thunderbird averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 boards for a horrible team that won just five games this past season. He will have a much better surrounding cast with the Jackrabbits and might be one of the big surprises in Summit League play with his ability to shoot from outside (he shoots 38% from beyond the arc in his career).

Next: 11 transfers moving onto greener pastures

The four new Jackrabbits aren’t exactly showstoppers, but they have enough collective talent and potential to supplement the returning players on the roster. There is no reason to believe that Hess and company won’t be dancing again in 2016-17.