By Matt Gade

605 Sports

MITCHELL — As a senior, Mitchell’s Markus Talley is more hungry than ever for a state title.

The 17-year-old Talley was an instrumental part in the Kernels' first state championship since 2005 defeating Brandon Valley 46-45 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center last March.

Over the holiday break, the Kernels hoisted up the 2024 state championship banner inside the Corn Palace in Mitchell ahead of the Kernels’ game against Orono (Minn.) on Saturday, Dec. 28 during the Hoop City Classic.

“That was an awesome moment,” said Talley, seeing the state championship banner come down. “It really didn't set in until Saturday.”

The Kernels unveiled their 2024 state championship banner inside the Corn Palace before the Kernels game against Orono (Minn.) during the Hoop City Classic last weekend. (Rodney Haas/605 Sports)

The Kernels are currently on a 22-game winning streak dating back to Jan. 2 2024 as the Harrisburg Tigers defeated Mitchell 62-53.

“Most of our offense is just get it to Markus and let him make a decision,” Mitchell head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt said. “The best thing about him is he's going to shoot it when he can. But he's a great passer, a willing passer. And he wants to get other kids involved because he knows that's important. There's nobody you'd rather have - have the keys to the car than Markus Talley.”

So far this season, the Mitchell senior has stepped up in key games to help lead the Kernels to the win.

During Mitchell’s game at Rapid City Stevens, the Kernels found themselves down 44-41 after the third quarter as Talley and the Kernels came away with a 55-52 victory. The next day the Kernels held onto just a 1-point lead over Rapid City Central at the half before pulling away for a 61-47 victory over the Cobblers.

On that Saturday night, following the Kernels’ banner celebration, Mitchell was in a heated back-and-forth contest with the Spartans from Minnesota. Ranked No. 2 in 3A (the second-largest class for high school boys basketball).

Talley, a Class AA all-stater last season, scored a team-high 30 points and added six rebounds to lead the Kernels to a 61-60 victory.

“We usually don't play well in the first quarter. We need to change that,” Talley said. “But, I think we just know how to win. We're just a tough team.”

Kreutzfeldt said Talley’s confidence in his own abilities has only gotten better since his days of playing youth basketball but also his willingness to take criticism and not complain is what makes Talley stand out.

“He just leads by example. He never has a bad day in practice. The biggest thing is he's coachable,” Kreutzfeldt said. “Just the way he acts, he's a class act. He treats his teammates great, treats his coaches great, treats officials great, treats the opposing teams great. He's just, exactly what you want in a kid, and that's a credit to himself and his family.”

Talley said his parents instilled in him his competitiveness but also his poise and composure on the court.

Kreutzfeldt said early on in Talley’s career, he wasn’t always as poised as he is now, but it is a trait the fourth-year head coach has seen as a part of Talley’s development as a leader for the Kernels.

Markus is the oldest child of Katrina and Kevin Talley. Kevin and Katrina both excelled at Dakota Wesleyan University where Katrina was a member of the volleyball team and Kevin was a part of the men’s basketball team.

There hasn’t been a time where Markus said he doesn’t remember having a basketball in his hands.

“Yeah, we put a basketball in his hands early,” Kevin said of Markus. “We started with a little tikes hoop when he was two years old. Every dad wants their son to start doing that stuff”

A native of Maryland, Kevin excelled at Dakota Wesleyan being named an all-conference honorable mention his junior year and second-team all-conference as a senior. On the court, Kevin was known for his poise on the court and ability to make plays when needed.

A trait that Markus has adopted from his dad.

“He definitely has my demeanor, but I would say has mom’s competitiveness,” Kevin said.

Kevin preaches to Markus and all his kids to be better than he is. A lesson that Markus has taken to heart. 

“I think he's done that and more, he's just gonna continue to do that,” Kevin said. “Everything I told him to do better than I was, it wasn't just about basketball. Every day you have a goal, every day set goals, every day try to achieve those goals. I think he's done that so far. He still has a lot left to do.”

Mitchell's Markus Talley looks for an outlet to pass to during a game against Rapid City Stevens on Dec. 20 at Carold Heier Gymnasium in Rapid City. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

As a freshman, Markus began to see some time in varsity games mostly in the last minutes of games in clean-up duty but would also practice with the varsity. 

Having those seniors to look up to and rely on, Markus didn’t pay as much attention to how he carried himself, he said.

As a sophomore, Talley continued to see more playing time but it wasn’t until his junior year when he was moved to the point guard position after playing largely in the shooting guard position that he knew he had to learn to keep his emotions in check.

That switch to point guard is also where Talley said his confidence really grew. 

“That was where he needed to be on that run-around team,” Kreutzfeldt said of Talley’s earlier years. “He had to play off the ball a little bit more with the guys we had, but he's a point guard at heart. He knows the game so well and has such a high basketball IQ. That's who he is.”

Following his junior season, Talley committed to Augustana University to continue his basketball career and potentially join former teammate Caden Hinker who is also a member of the Vikings basketball team.

“He knew right away, I think in the back of his mind anyways,” Kevin said. “And again, he's quiet. I know that when he comes out and says something, I better listen. So by the end of summer, he called me and said, ‘Hey, I know where I want to go.’”

While Markus’ college future looks bright, the senior isn’t done yet.

Markus Talley has committed to continue his basketball career at Augustana University. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Talley said he believes he and his teammates are even more hungry for another state championship. The Kernels return four of their five starters from last year’s squad as Gavin Soukup now plays for South Dakota Mines. 

“(The championship) made everyone work even harder in the summer,” Talley said. 

“That's the goal. Is to try to get one more before we get out of here,” Kreutzfeldt said. “We told our kids before the year, Markus included, that they'll never be forgotten. What they did last year. They'll always be a figure in Kernel basketball history. But now it's, ‘How do you want to go out?’ these kids, they want to do it. It's a long road to get there, but I've liked what we've seen so far. We're focusing on every game, not thinking about the end result.”

The Kernels' next game will see them travel to Harrisburg for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 7.