DE SMET — I finally experienced the Dog Pound.

From legendary coaches, to all-state players and a passionate fanbase, De Smet oozes small-town basketball in South Dakota. The basketball-rich community eats, sleeps and breathes high school basketball.

So I — an avid South Dakota basketball nut — had to see it for myself. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs hosted a doubleheader against Flandreau in their beloved Dog Pound, which is riddled with maroon and gold banners to commemorate state championships of yesteryear. There’s also a banner for long-time coach Marv McCune, who passed away in April 2021 after a bout with leukemia. 

The atmosphere didn’t disappoint. The doubleheader attracted media attention and college coaches were roaming around. The gym has bleacher seating on both sides, an upper balcony, holds roughly 850 fans and the home side is signified by lettering that appropriately reads: Home Of The Dogs.

De Smet fans cheer late in its basketball game against Flandreau on Tuesday.

“It’s crazy,” De Smet senior Tory Holland said about the environment. “All the older guys that have graduated back in the 2000s and 1990s are here. So all these guys coming out here and supporting us just really shows what it means to bleed maroon and gold.”

The doubleheader featured four-ranked teams, including the Class B No. 1 De Smet boys basketball team. The Bulldogs pulled away from Class A No. 5 Flandreau, while the No. 4 De Smet girls defeated Class A No. 3 Flandreau in overtime.

For the De Smet boys, it hasn’t lost at home since Dec. 11, 2018 against Clark/Willow Lake. The Bulldogs, who won last year’s Class B state championship, have won 30 straight home games.

“There have been so many good players to play in this gym,” De Smet senior Kalen Garry said. “The tradition at De Smet is awesome. We haven’t lost here since the second game of my freshman year. It’s the place to be.”

It’s been the place to be since the mid-1990s. That’s when the Bulldogs started playing in the Dog Pound, but before that they were tenants of the adjacent Dog House.

De Smet's Dog House. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

The old school gym is like a scene from the movie “Hoosiers” and was home to decades of basketball success. Legendary coach Larry Luitjens guided the ‘Dogs to state championships in 1970 and ‘71. McCune led De Smet state championships in 1987, ‘95 and ‘99. 

Jeff Gruenhagen, a member of the 1987 state championship team, coached the Bulldogs to last year’s state championship. Former De Smet all-stater Doug Osthus coached the Bulldogs to the 2019 state girls basketball championship. 

In the early 1980s, Gruenhagen fondly remembers watching De Smet all-stater Dan Olson in the Dog House. A few years later, it was Gruenhagen’s turn to play in the hallowed and cozy gym.