COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) announced the 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Monday, which featured Black Hills State University voted fourth by the league's coaches with 157 points. During the 2023-24 season the Yellow Jackets posted a 17-13 (14-8 RMAC) record, notching their seventh consecutive winning season but missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020-21, however head coach Ryan Thompson looks to lead his program back to the postseason with a group of veteran leaders and a mix of newcomers that brings both youth and experience. The 2024-25 season tips-off for BHSU with an exhibition against in-state NCAA Division I foe, South Dakota State on Wednesday, October 30, at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings.
 
2024-25 RMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

School (First-place votes)	Points
1. Colorado School of Mines (11)	191
2. MSU Denver (2)	176
3. Regis (1)	160
4. Black Hills State	157
5. Colorado Mesa (1)	142
6. CSU Pueblo	123
7. UCCS	122
8. New Mexico Highlands	90
9. Fort Lewis	87
10. South Dakota Mines	85
11. Western Colorado	74
12. Westminster	48
13. Adams State	47
14. Colorado Christian	41
15. Chadron State	32

 
KEY RETURNERS
Despite the losses of Matthew Ragsdale who scored 1,147 points in just two seasons in Spearfish and Hoku Fisher who averaged double digit points per game last season, the Black Hills State men's basketball program returns a wealth of experience from a year ago, highlighted by seniors Caelin Hearne and John Shanklin. Appearing in all 30 games while making 29 starts in 2023-24, Hearne was a part of one of the top shooting duos a year ago in the RMAC as he ranked ninth in the conference with a 45.2 percent field goal percentage, averaging 12.9 points per game as the top returning scorer for BHSU. The Norman, Oklahoma, native scored in double figures 18 times, including five games of 20 or more points en route to All-RMAC Honorable Mention honors last season. Additionally, Hearne has made his presence known as a 3-point shooter, knocking down three or more 3-pointers in nine contests, entering his senior campaign with 96 career made shots from beyond the arc.
 
Shanklin appeared in 28 games while making 26 starts during the 2023-24 season and provides key experience in the post, averaging 6.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and a team-leading 1.1 blocks per game. Defensively he made it difficult for opponents to finish at the rim, recording two or more blocked shots in ten games, and had at least one in 18 contests. The center from Bellevue, Nebraska, has also been efficient shooting the ball at a 64.8 percent clip and recorded double figure points in six games.
 
Additional players of note returning for Black Hills State include Joel Speckman who led the Yellow Jackets in rebounding a year ago, averaging 5.4 boards per game as a freshman, securing six or more rebounds in 14 games and a season-high of ten on three occasions. The forward from Parker, Colorado, also added 5.3 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field. Also, Deegan Williams played a critical role in facilitating the ball, averaging 2.0 assists per game, second on the team a year ago and the most among returners, as he dished out two or more assists in 19 games. Myles Johnson, despite only playing in 20 games and making two starts, was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the ball as he tied for the team lead with 1.1 steals per game, notching two or more steals in five contests which included a season-high of five against top-seeded Colorado Mesa in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals.
 
Other returners for the Yellow Jackets include Jaeton Hackley, Dawson Mohr, Matias Aldana, Jackson Edman, and Blake Volmer.
 
IMPACT NEWCOMERS
Highlighting a loaded class of eight newcomers for Black Hills State are a pair of transfers as Cam Lowe arrives in Spearfish after redshirting as a freshman at NCAA Division I Colorado State and Tristan Hurdle comes to BHSU after making stops at CSU Pueblo and Fort Lewis. Prior to his lone season in Fort Collins, Lowe was a standout at Lewis-Palmer High School where he was named the CHSSA 4A Player of the Year as he averaged 18.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as a senior for the Rangers. He also guided LPHS to a 27-1 record and a state title during the 2021-22 season.
 
The other impact transfer for the Yellow Jackets is a familiar name around the RMAC as Hurdle enters his redshirt junior season at Black Hills State following stops with CSUP and FLC. Known for his sharpshooting capabilities from beyond the arc, the Highlands Ranch, Colorado, native has knocked down 112 3-pointers during his career at a 37.3 percent rate and has connected on three or more shots from deep on 18 occasions. In his three seasons of college basketball, he has averaged 7.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
 
Highlighting this year's true freshman will be Jack Haggett and BJ Woodruff. Haggett arrives in Spearfish from Millicent, Australia, where he starred on the South Australian U20 National Team, averaging 12.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Woodruff was a 3-time all-state honoree in the state of Arkansas, where he averaged 16.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game as a senior at Morrilton High School, capping his prep career with more than 1,500 points.
 
Rounding out the newcomers are Colorado All-State standouts Johnnie Reed and Charlie Spann, Neal Mosser who led his Millard North High School team to four state title appearances in Nebraska, and Kavon Phillips who recorded 710 points, 413 rebounds, 137 assists, and 70 blocks during his final two seasons at North Scott High School in Iowa.