RAPID CITY — A familiar face is on the sidelines for the Hamlin Chargers.

Last season, Easton Neuendorf was a senior point guard piloting the Chargers to a second-straight appearance in the Class A state championship. But this season he’s taken on a different role on the team while doubling as a college basketball player.

The now-Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball player took on an assistant coaching role midway through the basketball season, and is now sitting on the sidelines for his father, Todd, at this weekend’s Class A state boys basketball tournament.

“He plays on Wednesdays and Saturdays a lot so when he can get back, he gets back,” said Hamlin head coach Todd of Easton. “He’s going into coaching and he said ‘I want to sit on the bench,’ and I said ‘Well, you have to take the classes,’ so he took all of his classes and it’s good to learn.”

Just a year ago, Easton was teammates with the same players he’s now helping coach, but both say the dynamic with his former teammates hasn’t changed a bit.

“He’s got a vested interest with these guys, he played with these guys,” Todd said of Easton. “They’re like his brother.”

“I’d like to dress up and go play right now but being on the bench is close enough, as close as you can get to playing,” Easton said.

Neuendorf, a 5-foot-11 freshman guard for DWU, averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in his first season of college basketball. While his playing season is over, his activities as a collegiate basketball player haven’t slowed down.

“He had a lift this morning at DWU and then he high-tailed it out here and made it back for the game,” Todd said of Easton following Thursday’s game. “It’s good to have him on the bench, I like having him. For me, it’s kind of like a security blanket. I’ve had him on the floor since he was a freshman and he was kind of my guy on the floor and it’s nice.”

Neuendorf was a three-time all-stater for the Chargers helping them to three-consecutive appearances in the state tournament, including a state championship in 2024. And whether it’s on the floor or in the huddle on the sidelines, he’s continued to make an impact in the state tournament.

“He actually drew up one of those plays that we got tonight,” Todd said of Easton following the Chargers’ quarterfinal win over Groton Area. “He had it drawn up on the side and he just sees the game like a point guard does.”

“It’s just like I’m a second voice to see what I see and try to tell him to try this out or do this,” Easton said.

It’s also a special moment for Todd, who says Easton has been part of every run to the state tournament since his days coaching at Aberdeen Roncalli.

“He was in a car seat my first year at Roncalli when we came to the state tournament,” Todd said. “We went to eight of them and then we were at Mitchell and we came to one of them, and now we’ve been here and we’ve been to four of them and he’s been a part of every one of them as far as being with us on the bench.”

Todd added he hopes Easton, a sports management major, will one day take on a head coaching role and will be in the spot Easton is now, as his assistant coach instead.

“My goal someday is to be his assistant, he’ll be the coach and I can be his assistant,” Todd said. “I don’t know if he’s going to go that route or not but that would be cool for me to sit there and have him coach and be part of it. Our family is basketball oriented and it’s a big part of the experience, and this is kind of what we do.”

The Chargers will continue its run in the Class A state tournament Friday night at 5 p.m., MT, taking on No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian in the state semifinals.