On the recordJanuary 11, 2024
as I said, it is not just football championships keeping South Dakota sports fans busy this time of the year. There is just as much excitement--sometimes even more--at a Friday night basketball game in towns across our State. Over the holidays, I was able to get around South Dakota for some of those games. I caught up with Coach Phillips and the Northern State University basketball team last week. I brought my grandkids to see the Sioux Falls Jefferson girls take on the O'Gorman Knights girls for some Friday night hoops. I went to a girls hoops matchup between the Faulkton Trojans and Highmore-Harrold Pirates. I got to see some of the Hoop City Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD, and Saturday was able to see a cross-State matchup between the boys teams from Rapid City Central and Sioux Falls Roosevelt. As I travel around the State, I take every opportunity I can to stop in to a local game or a sporting event. I can count on catching a good matchup wherever I go. It is a chance to connect with people across South Dakota and to support South Dakota's athletes. This weekend, I am looking forward to being back in my hometown of Murdo for the Jones County Invitational Basketball Tournament. For 3 days in January, the gym at Jones County High School is the center of the universe for the eight teams that are competing for the tournament title.…
