University of South Dakota basketball coaches announced the signing of three men and five women to letters of intent to join the Coyote programs next season.
South Dakota men’s basketball head coach Craig Smith has announced the signing of Brandon Armstrong, Tyler Peterson, and Triston Simpson to National Letters of Intent.
South Dakota women’s basketball head coach Amy Williams announced the signing of Ciara Duffy, Taylor Frederick, Rylie Cascio Jensen, Madison McKeever, and LaShayla Wright-Ponder to National Letters of Intent.
Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Armstrong is ranked as a top-40 prospect in the state. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 52 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line for Converse Judson High School as a junior. He was named first-team all-district 6A UIL for his efforts. Armstrong has transferred to Holy Cross of San Antonio for his senior season.
A 6-foot-4 guard from Lino Lakes, Minn., Peterson eclipsed Centennial High School’s program record for scoring during his junior season with 1,195 career points.
A 2015 second-team Super State honoree from Lincoln, Neb., Simpson averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game last season at Lincoln North Star. The 6-foot-1 point guard also earned a spot on the all-city first team as a junior.
A native of Rapid City, S.D., Duffy will join her older sister, Caitlin, a current junior on the Coyote basketball team. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 steals during her junior season at St. Thomas More High School.
Hailing from Earling, Iowa, Frederick has led Harlan Community High School to back-to-back 26-0 seasons and a pair of Class 4A state titles. A 6-foot-1 post, Frederick averaged 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds her junior season to earn first-team all-state honors.
A 5-foot-10 point guard out of Fremont, Neb., Jensen averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as a junior. Jensen earned a spot on the 2015 Super State second team and the Class A All-State second team for her efforts.
Hailing from Erskine, Minn., McKeever has averaged 23.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 5.8 steals per game for her career at Win-E-Mac High School. The 5-foot-8 guard earned all-state honors as a junior in addition to being named the 2015 Pine to Prairie conference MVP.
A 6-foot-1 power forward hailing from Bloomington, Minn., Wright-Ponder averaged 18.5 points per game as a junior at Bloomington Kennedy High School. She earned a spot on the 2014 Minnesota all-state tournament team as Bloomington Kennedy finished runner-up.
