Basketball - SDPB State Championship Coverage

South Dakotans might be split on this year’s WNBA Finals as the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury are set to tip off in a seven game series that begins Friday night. The Aces are coached by Becky Hammon, while the Mercury are coached by Nate Tibbetts. It’s west river versus east river, but on a national stage.

Basketball is more than a game to the people of Pine Ridge. We meet several community members who tell us more about how it has expanded over the years and impacted the lives of players and their families.

The state of South Dakota lost a good one last month with the passing of Denis ‘Deny’ Lather. Not only was he quick-witted, funny, and extremely sociable, but his knowledge of sports in the state and his passion for coaching – it’s obvious there can only ever be one Deny Lather.

Relive the best dunks from the 2025 South Dakota Boys Basketball Tournaments

Mitch Reed, the superintendent at Florence, was doing radio play-by-play for the Castlewood games on New Country KS93. His color commentator for Thursday and Saturday was Taven Sumner, a fourth grader from Florence. Not only is Taven (probably) the youngest broadcaster to ever call a state championship game, but he’s also blind.

From the sidelines to the spotlight, Bruce Kleinsasser has been a driving force in South Dakota’s competitive cheer and dance scene. He was there when it all came together—helping sanction the sport and elevate it across the state. A two-time South Dakota Cheer Coach of the Year, he joins Craig Mattick on this edition of In Play.