On June 9, the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors will conduct a second reading and adoption of state tournaments sites/venues for the 2025-26 school year. 

The one noticeable item is the combined Class A/AA boys basketball tournament on March 19-21, 2026 in Rapid City. 

In an email, SDHSAA executive director Dan Swartos confirmed it’s due to a scheduling conflict with the Denny Sanford Premier Center, which was originally on track to host the Class AA boys basketball tournament in 2026. 

The Premier Center is also the home venue of the Sioux Falls Stampede, a United States Hockey League team. But it’s a pair of NCAA tournaments impacting the SDHSAA on March 19-21. 

In 2026, the Premier Center is hosting the NCAA Division II wrestling tournament the weekend before the boys tournament and an NCAA Division I hockey regional the weekend afterward. 

Swartos said the Premier Center and Stampede agree upon a certain amount of regular season weekends for home dates. However, with the venue hosting events the weekends before and after boys state tournaments, the Stampede will be home the weekend of March 19-21. 

In recent years, Class AA and A boys basketball tournaments have traditionally rotated between Rapid City and Sioux Falls, with Class B taking place in Aberdeen every year since 1995. 

Hosting guidelines for a boys basketball combined tourney eliminates all cities but Sioux Falls and Rapid City from consideration. To host a combined boys basketball tourney, guidelines call for a minimum seating capacity of 10,000 and 1,237 available hotel rooms. 

Also of note, the SDHSAA will establish an every other year rotation of Sioux Falls and Rapid City for state wrestling, beginning in the 2022-23 school year. It will also establish a cross-country and cheer and dance rotation of Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Huron (cross-country) and Watertown (cheer and dance).