SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball program and head coach
Ryan Thompson announced the addition of three student-athletes as the part of the 2026 signing class. Joining the Yellow Jackets in the winter of 2026-27 will be Caiden Braketa (Arvada, Colo.), Maddox Lewis (Sartell, Minn.), and Wyatt Seale (McKinnley, Texas).
Caiden Braketa // Guard // 6' 4" // 185 lbs // Arvada, Colorado // Ralston Valley H.S.
Braketa, a 4-year letterwinner and 3-year starter, enters his senior season closing in on 1,000 career points as one of the top shooters in the state of Colorado. Over each of the last two seasons he has averaged double figures scoring, earning First Team All-Jeffco League in 2023-24 and 2024-25. His junior season he helped guide the Mustangs to a Jeffco League title, going 23-3 overall and 11-1 in conference play, as he averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, while shooting the ball 45 percent from beyond the arc en route to also being named Honorable Mention All-CHSAA Class 6A. Under the guidance of his father Chris as head coach and alongside his brother Tanner, last year's team would advance onto the Great 8 of the CHSAA Class 6A Tournament, the deepest postseason run for the program in nearly two decades. Through three seasons the sharpshooter has connected on 180 career 3-pointers. Caiden is the son of Chris and Jenny Braketa, and has three siblings Tanner, Liam, and Emarie. Both of his parents played basketball collegiately, with his father playing at South Dakota Mines and his mother playing at Regis. His older brother, Tanner, is currently playing college basketball at Northern Colorado.
Coach Thompson's Thoughts: "We have followed and recruited Caiden for years. Through that process, we have seen him develop as a player, leader, and person; and we are extremely excited to have him join our program. Caiden plays with great poise, has an elite feel for the game, and is one of the top shooters in the state of Colorado. We are confident that his background has prepared him to impact winning at the college level."
Maddox Lewis // Forward // 6' 5" // 220 lbs // Sartell, Minnesota // Sartell H.S.
Lewis enters his senior year of high school as a 3-year starter and letterwinner and a second year captain for the Sabres and head coach Marcus Oistad. In those three seasons he has averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting the ball 40.8 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from 3-point range, and 73.4 percent from the free throw line. As a junior he averaged double figures in points per game with 13.3 per contest and added 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists en route to being named All-Central Lakes Conference. During his all-conference campaign in 2024-25, he knocked down a total of 77 3-pointers, the second-most in Sartell High School history. The sharpshooter enters his final season of prep ball third on the career top-10 list for 3-pointers made, connecting on 148 thus far and having made four or more in a single game on ten different occasions. He poured in a career-high of 27 points twice, as a sophomore in 2023-24 against Detroit Lakes and as a junior in 2024-25 against Rocori. On the AAU circuit he plays for the Minnesota Comets, which were ranked as the No. 3 team in the state in 17U and the No. 5 team in the state in 16U. His 17U squad won the state tournament, the Comets Shootout, and the Scheels League, while his 16U team won the Great Plains Alliance Tournament. As a Comet he was named Fourth Team All-State AAU. Maddox is the son of Chris and Jess Lewis, and has one sibling, Kennedy.
Coach Thompson's Thoughts: "Maddox is another highly intelligent young man, both on the court and in the classroom. Having seen him at our elite camp this past summer, and with his club team, we felt Maddox has a chance to really develop within our program. He is our prototypical stretch four man with his shooting ability, basketball IQ and court vision. We believe his character and makeup will be a great fit for our culture."
Wyatt Seale //Center // 6' 11 // 220 lbs // McKinney, Texas // McKinney H.S.
One of the top centers in the Lone Star State, Seale enters his senior season and will be a 4-year letterwinner, 3-year starter, and 2-year captain for head coach Jake Hodges and the Lions. He returns to MHS after playing last season at the iSchool of Lewisville, where he played alongside some of the top players in the state and helped lead the Cougars to a 22-6 mark where he averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. At McKinney he was a part of a pair of 20-win seasons and UIL 6A Tournament appearances, including reaching the area finals in 2023-24. On the AAU circuit he has played for programs such as Team Trea Young, Team Allegiance, and Team Houston Hoops, and has competed in events such as the Adidas 3SSB and the Nike EYBL. Wyatt is the son of Jake and Kristan Seale, and has two siblings, Jackson and Bo. His older brother Jackson is currently a redshirt sophomore on the Black Hills State men's basketball team.
Coach Thompson's Thoughts: "Wyatt follows a similar mold to Caiden, Maddox and his older brother Jackson that is currently on our team, in that he can really shoot the basketball. It is rare to come across a high school recruit that possesses Wyatt's length, shooting ability, footwork and skill set. He has enormous upside as a basketball player, and we cannot wait to get him on campus and start the process of developing him."
