VERMILLION — Becky (Flynn) Jensen cast a big shadow on South Dakota girls basketball. 

She led Wakonda to three state championships (1988-90), scored a then-state record 3,268 career points, was named the 1991 South Dakota Miss Basketball and was an honorable mention USA Today All-American. She was later an all-conference player at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Jensen’s impact on South Dakota hoops also cast a big shadow on her daughter, Brooke Jensen. The Vermillion High School senior girls basketball player admits she felt the pressure of being Becky (Flynn) Jensen’s daughter, and the expectations that might come with it. 

But she’s embraced it and has developed into a two-time Class A all-state girls basketball player. 

“It was a lot of pressure and I definitely felt it a lot growing up,” Brooke Jensen said. “People would talk about it and it would kind of bug me. But I have kind of grown to be proud of who she is and what she did. 

“It’s been a lot less pressure on me as of recently. She’s definitely someone I really look up to and she gives a lot of really good advice as well.”

Vermillion's Brooke Jensen (33) goes up for a shot against Mount Vernon/Plankinton last season at the Corn Palace. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

In addition to embracing her mother’s impact on basketball, Jensen has also focused on carving out her own path. 

Vermillion coach Jon Brooks has been impressed with Jensen balancing both on and off the court. 

“The bloodlines are definitely there to be a good basketball player,” Brooks said. “She’s done a really good job of handling it. It gets brought up a lot about her mom. I think early on in her career she was just young and she didn't quite know how to handle that yet. 

“I think as she’s matured, she’s really gotten to the point she’s really proud of everything that her mom has accomplished and then she’s really wanted to be her own player.”

Jensen, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward, has forged her own basketball legacy with the Tanagers. This season, she’s averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals per game, while also swatting 30 shots.  

A four-year starter, Jensen has registered 1,346 points, 524 rebounds and 161 assists during her career. 

She’s also been Vermillion’s chess piece, moving around the court to utilize her inside and outside skillsets. 

“We will kind of move Brooke around to what we think is going to help her out the most,” Brooks said. “Because there’s not many teams in the state that have a kid that can really guard her inside and out. So she is going to have a mismatch. It’s just about us finding it.”

Jensen’s varsity career started as an eighth-grader when she was Vermillion’s first player off the bench. Jensen’s offensive skills were evident, prompting Brooks to play her as an eighth-grader. 

“She’s a natural scorer, and as an eighth grader she would come in with no fear and she would shoot it from everywhere and she scored the ball right away early on in her eighth-grade year,” Brooks said. “So we always knew offensively she was very gifted and then over the years it’s been nice to see her grow in every other area as well.”

Jensen and the Tanagers have grown with each other the past few seasons. Vermillion finished 12-9 in the 2020-21 season, improved to 17-6 in 2021-22 and upped its record to 20-2 in 2022-23. 

They not only developed on the court but off the court as a host of underclassmen played key roles.  

“It definitely helped a lot because we had some strong players when I was in the eighth grade, who I got to learn from,” Jensen said. “So that was really cool to learn from them and I got to play a lot with the girls I got to play with for the next how many years. That was really helpful for us to be able to kind of build a relationship on the court and off the court.”

Brooke Jensen and Vermillion celebrate winning the 2024 Class A state championship in Brookings. (Bosten Morehart / 605 Sports)

But Vermillion failed to make the state tournament during Jensen’s first three seasons as a varsity player. That all changed last year with a 22-4 campaign, culminating with Vermillion’s first state girls basketball championship since 2007.

The Tanagers found some March magic, winning their three state tourney games by six points or less. Vermillion clipped Mahpiya Luta (41-37) in the opener, edged Sisseton (50-47) in the semifinals and outlasted Tea Area (60-54) in the championship. 

Jensen said the selflessness and team chemistry are what set that team apart down the stretch. 

“We all just cared about winning and I think that’s what made us such a great team,” Jensen said. “We wanted to play for each other and especially when it came down to those last six games of the season and we knew it was do or die.”

For Jensen, it was also special to add another state championship to the family trophy case. 

“My brother (Jake) won a state baseball tournament,” Jensen said. “My mom has won state championships as well. So it was really cool to join the club and they all know the hard work that it takes to get to one of those. So that was just really awesome.”

The Class A No. 3 Tanagers (16-3) are now finding their groove down the stretch. Vermillion lost to Class B No. 1 Centerville on Dec. 21, while it lost to Class A No. 1 Mahpiya Luta and Elk Point/Jefferson in back-to-back games in late January.

Vermillion has since won seven straight games, including wins over ranked teams Lyman, Parkston, Sioux Falls Christian and Dakota Valley. 

“I think we are hitting our stride at the right time again,” Brooks said. “Those kids that were in that state tournament last year know it’s about ready to come around here with region time. They have been in a lot of those situations. I think our team is comfortable playing in those pressure games; those region games. 

“We played in a lot of big games throughout the regular season. They kind of know what to expect and that’s a good feeling as a coach when you have that.”