Larry Luitjens’ coaching legacy will carry on. 

Luitjens, who died in June, was the all-time winningest high school basketball coach in South Dakota history (748 wins) and won seven state championships. Luitjens, who was 81, received several coaching awards during his tenure and his name will forever be associated with Custer Wildcats basketball. 

His name will now be memorialized with the Larry Luitjens Coach of Influence Award, which was proposed by his son, Lance, and unanimously approved by the South Dakota High School Association Board of Directors on Wednesday. 

“It was an honor for me to be able to hear that,” Lance said about Wednesday’s unanimous approval by the SDHSAA. “I think it shows the respect that my dad, his name and what he’s done in basketball and for the state of South Dakota.”

The award, which will be presented at both boys and girls basketball state tournaments, had been on Lance’s mind for some time. He submitted a proposal to the SDHSAA Board of Directors and presented it during Wednesday’s meeting. 

The award’s objective is twofold — pay tribute to Larry Luitjens and honor coaches that stood for his core coaching values. 

“I always thought we need more coaches thinking about their impact and their influence, more about that than wins and losses,” Lance said. “So to have an award that would recognize that was kind of the thought process behind it.”

The award’s recipients be based on three pillars of Larry Luitjens’ coaching philosophies:

• Influence and impact: “Your influence is long term,” Lance said. “What type of impact do you have on your athletes and those around you? What kind of impact do you have on your school and the community and different things you are doing outside of coaching?”

• Discipline and preparation: “It was just something that my dad always excelled at,” Lance said. “His teams were a class act, seldom ever did you have a player or anyone get a technical. He taught them how to act on the floor, off the floor and then his planning and preparation. Planning for the opponent and planning his practices in such a way that it gave each athlete the best chance to succeed and it gave the team the best chance to succeed in how detailed his preparation was.”

• Motivation and communication: “My dad knew how to motivate every player and each player is motivated differently,” Lance said. “He knew how to communicate in a way where your words are so impactful. He didn’t have to communicate by only yelling, but knew that by building kids up, that was going to be a better form of maximizing their potential.”

To be considered for the award, coaches can be nominated by athletic directors, students, staff members, parents and community members. Lance will send out submissions to athletic directors and links to nominate will be available on the SDHSAA and South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association websites. 

Lance and his wife, Renae, along with two former Custer assistant coaches Bob Parsons and Paul Anderson and former player Bryce Schaffer will form the selection committee. 

There will be two recipients each season, one boys basketball coach and one girls basketball coach. They will be honored at state basketball tournaments and aren’t limited to just coaches in a state tournament.

“Any coach that fits those criterias,” Lance said. “They might be a state championship coach or they might be 2-17. But the wins and losses won't dictate it.”

The recipients will receive a plaque featuring a picture of coach Luitjens, the award’s description and the honoree’s name. The winner will also receive a Native American traditional beaded necklace, similar to the one Larry Luitjens was presented by the Lakota Nation for his work toward reconciliation. 

The beaded necklace, much like one Luitjens donned as a coach, would be placed around the recipient’s neck as part of the award ceremony. It will be similar to the Spirit of Su recipients receiving a star quilt. 

“We wanted to come up with something that was unique,” Lance said. “That would be an honor, and that kind of symbolizes the idea of influence and impact, with how that was honored to my dad for his impact on the relations between the Native American teams and coaches and players.”