This feature story is a part of Black Hills State’s celebration of World Basketball Day, commemorating the 133rd anniversary of the creation of basketball by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, on December 21, 1891.

SPEARFISH, S.D. – As the Black Hills State University men’s basketball program has risen under the leadership of head coach Ryan Thompson, the Yellow Jackets have developed numerous talented players that have gone onto professional careers in the game of basketball. Since Thompson took over in 2018-19, BHSU has gone 128-59 and appeared in back-to-back NCAA Division II Final Fours in 2022 and 2023. Among the players that elevated the program to where it is today, there are four that are active within the top leagues in Europe currently, including Fraser Malcom (Caledonia Gladiators – United Kingdom), Joel Scott (MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg – Germany), Matthew Ragsdale (Dresden Titans - Germany), and Stefan Desnica (Eanna Basketball Club – Ireland).

Malcom is in his sixth season of playing for the Caledonia Gladiators in the United Kingdom’s Super League Basketball. The former 3-point sharpshooter for Black Hills State has continued to be a spark for his club by providing another scoring option from beyond the arc. This year Malcom has averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game as Caledonia is eight games into the regular season. He’s posted three double figure scoring games, including a season-high of 17 points in a match-up with the Newcastle Eagles where he went 3-of-4 from deep. The Gladiators are currently ninth in the league standings with a record of 1-6 with their next game set to be December 27, 2024, against the Manchester Giants in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off local time in Great Britain.

Malcom and Caledonia also appeared in the regular season of this year’s FIBA Europe Cup, playing in Group H where they went 2-4 for a third place finish. In those six games he averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds as he shot the ball 11-of-28 (39.3%) from 3-point range as four times he made multiple shots from deep in a game. In European contests he posted a regular season high of ten points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range in an 80-76 win over BC Trepca.

Scott is in his first season of playing professional basketball in Germany’s top league, the EasyCredit BBL, where he plays for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. In his first season, the 2022-23 D2CCA National Player of the Year and all-time leading scorer in Yellow Jacket history, he has begun to make a major impact as he has scored in double figures in six consecutive games which included a career-high of 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range against Rasta Vechta in league play. Currently he is averaging 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 assist per game as Ludwigsburg is 7-5 for sixth place in the league standings and continuing to rise as they’ve won three of their last four. Their next EasyCredit BBL contest is on December 26, 2024, against the Fraport Skyliners at 6 p.m. local time in Germany.

Additionally, Scott has helped lead Ludwigsburg into the second round of the FIBA Europe Cup. The team is currently 7-1 in the contests, which saw the club go 5-1 to win Group H in the regular season and are now in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 mark in Group N of the second round with four games remaining in the double round robin schedule format. In the eight FIBA games Scott has averaged 12.8 points with six games in double figures while adding 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. The teams next Cup game is January 9, 2025, at Spirou Basket, a team which Ludwigsburg has beaten twice already this year, at 8:30 p.m. local time in Belgum.

In a pair of head-to-head match-ups in the FIBA Europe Cup this past October, Malcom and Scott’s teams split the meetings with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg winning the first meeting (86-62) on October 8, 2024, while the Caledonia Gladiators won the second meeting (73-71) on October 30, 2024. In the regular season opener, Scott led his club to the victory with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 3-point shooting; he then posted five points, three rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the in the team’s narrow defeat to end the month. Malcom on the other hand, had five points and a pair of rebounds in the first FIBA Europe Cup contest and then contributed six points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc and added four rebounds in the team’s win.

Ragsdale, who was one of the top scorers in the RMAC as he reached 1,000 career points at both Western Colorado and Black Hills State, has begun to hit his stride as he adapts to the European style of play in Germany – Pro A for the Dresden Titans. In his first professional season he has averaged 11.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, while he has also been lights out from beyond the arc with a 46.9 percent shooting percentage as he has knocked down 30-of-64 shot attempts.

While Dresden is currently 11th in the league standings with a 6-7 record on the year, they are one of the hottest teams in the league as they have won five of their last six games. In those five wins, Ragsdale has averaged 15.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, while he has shot 15-of-26 from 3-point range for 57.7 percent. In the stretch he posted a pair of 20-point outings, including setting a career-high of 28 points in a 100-97 victory over Rasta Vechta II where he went 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Ragsdale and the Titans look to continue their momentum as they are next set to play at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim on December 23, 2024, with a 7:30 p.m. local tip-off in Germany.

Desnica, who was a consistent face in the Black Hills State lineup from 2016-20, has been a key piece for the Eanna Basketball Club in the last few seasons. Playing in the Ireland Super League, he earned All-Irish Super League Second Team honors in 2022, and he then helped guide the club to their first-ever title in the league’s 50-year history. They capped the 2023-24 season with a commanding 93-61 victory over Pyrobel Killester to secure the championship as Desnica averaged 9.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game during the year.

Thus far in 2024-25, Eanna currently sits fifth in the league standings with a record of 7-5 and 21 points, just three wins out of first place and nine points back. Additionally, the club continues their quest for a title in the Pat Duffy National Cup, as they have advanced to a semifinal fixture on January 11, 2025, for a match-up against Killester, who is currently the top team in the super league standings at 10-2 on the year. They reached the semifinals with wins over Belfast Star (103-89) and Flexachem KCYMS (87-74), as they are the only team to post a pair of double digit wins in the tournament up to this point. Despite early season injuries and having to sit out a few games, Desnica is averaging 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game in six games played.