Three accomplished seniors and three budding juniors make up this year’s Class AA boys basketball all-state first team, as selected by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association. 

The first team includes Mitchell senior Markus Talley, Huron junior Blake Ellwein, Brandon Valley senior Landon Dulaney, Sioux Falls Lincoln junior Sam DeGroot, Rapid City Central senior Gilbert White Jr., and Sioux Falls Lincoln junior Sam Ericsson. 

As the Class AA all-state leading vote getter, Talley is the Class AA boys basketball player of the year. A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Talley is making his second consecutive all-state first-team selection. 

Talley capped a decorated career for the Kernels, who played in the past three Class AA state championship games. Talley helped Mitchell win the 2024 Class AA state championship. 

This season, the lefty guard averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and three assists per game. The future Augustana University Viking finished his career with 1,135 points, sixth most in the storied Mitchell boys basketball history. Talley was the Class AA Spirit of Su recipient this year. 

Ellwein is making his second consecutive Class AA all-state first-team selection. A 6-foot-9 skilled forward, Ellwein averaged 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He added 41 steals, 23 blocked shots and numerous slam dunks. For his career, Ellwein has totaled 1,061 points, 363 rebounds, 165 assists, 92 steals and 78 blocked shots. 

Ellwein has scholarship offers from South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, North Dakota State University, Northern State University, Augustana University and Dakota Wesleyan University.  

“Blake is a unique player at 6-9 with guard skills,” Huron coach Tim Buddenhagen said. “He is a tough match up because of his size, athleticism, and skill set.”

Huron's Blake Ellwein, right, attacks the basket against Mitchell on Jan. 14 at the Corn Palace. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

A 6-foot-2 senior guard, Dulaney was an all-state second-team selection last season. This season, Dulaney averaged 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for the state champs. 

Dulaney finished his career with 777 points, 465 rebounds, 260 assists and 150 steals. He will play college football at South Dakota State University. 

“Landon competes as hard as any kid I've ever coached,” Brandon Valley coach Craig Nelson said. “Not just his athleticism that sets him apart, but the example he sets for our program with how hard he competes every day. This year he took on more of a leadership and scoring role for us and excelled at that as well. I think if you quantify the offensive and defensive end of the game, Landon is as impactful as any player in the state.”

DeGroot and Ericsson powered Sioux Falls Lincoln to a third-place finish at the Class AA state tournament. A 6-foot-6 junior forward, DeGroot averaged 14.4 points, six rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. 

“Sam DeGroot is an extremely hard worker,” Lincoln coach Luke Hannemann said. “He puts a ton of time working on his game and the weight room. Sam is a dynamic scorer who can score all over the floor. Sam also defends and rebounds at a high level.”

A 6-foot-3 junior guard, Ericsson averaged 12.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. He also knocked down 69 3-pointers on 169 attempts. 

“Sam Ericsson is the greatest shooter to come through Lincoln High School and one of the greatest shooters ever in AA,” Hannemann said. 

Rapid City Central's Gilbert White Jr. (11) puts down a dunk off the alley-oop from teammate Junior Allen during the Cobblers game against Brookings on Friday at Naasz Gymnasium in Rapid City. (Matt Gade / 605 Sports)

A 5-foot-11 bouncy guard, White Jr., averaged 20.8 points, six rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season. He had three games with 30 or more points this season, and scored 901 points the past two seasons. 

“Gilbert had a really good season,” Rapid City Central coach T.J. Hay said. “Quite possibly the best scorer in transition I have coached. He is extremely hard to guard in transition. At 5-11, he played at and above the rim when he went to the rack. Gilbert's athleticism is off the charts. He has a knack for getting to the free throw line (120 this year) and shot 79.2% from the line. When he becomes a more consistent perimeter shooter, he will be a very good player at the next level.”

The complete Class AA all-state boys basketball teams are listed below:  

CLASS AA

First Team

Markus Talley, Mitchell, 6-1, sr. (17.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.0 apg)

Blake Ellwein, Huron, 6-9, jr. (21.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.1 apg)

Landon Dulaney, Brandon Valley, 6-2, sr. (14.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.5 apg)

Sam DeGroot, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 6-6, jr. (15.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.9 apg)

Gilbert White Jr., Rapid City Central, 5-11, sr. (21.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 52 steals)

Sam Ericsson, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 6-3, jr. (12.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.9 apg)

Second Team

Brody Schafer, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 6-0, so. (10.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 5.7 apg)

Grifin Wiebenga, Tea Area, 6-3, so. (15.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 apg)

Nolan Krull, Harrisburg, 6-3, sr. (10.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Gavin Hinker, Mitchell, 6-4, sr. (10 ppg, 6.3 rpg)

Tommy Hoffman, Sioux Falls Washington (14.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg)

Dylon Doren, Spearfish, 6-3, sr. (11.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Colton Smith, Mitchell, 6-5, jr. (15.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.9 apg)

Honorable Mention

Luke Olson, Pierre, 5-11 sr. (12.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 5.2 apg, 62 steals)

Nyun Dut, O'Gorman, 6-4, sr. (10.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

Ryan Heinert, Sturgis, 6-3, sr. (15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.9 apg)

Dayler Segrist, Rapid City Stevens, 6-3, sr. (14.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

Austin Terveen, O'Gorman, 6-2, sr. (13.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2 apg)

• Player of Year — Talley.

• Repeat Selections — 2024 (Talley, Ellwein and Smith, first team; Hoffman and Heinert, second team; Dulaney and Segrist, honorable mention.