Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Looking for the rare feel-good story to come out of the "portal combat" window in college basketball?
 
Look no further than Fargo, where the Summit League women's player of the year announced Thursday she is returning to NDSU for her senior year.
 
Wait. That probably doesn't feel good for Jackrabbits and Coyotes fans. 
 
Koenen, the Bison's third all-time leading scorer, cited the loyalty and support shown by Bison teammates, coaches and fans in an interview with WDAY-TV's Dom Izzo on Friday.
 
She also mentioned "unfinished business," referring to NDSU falling short of a Summit League Tournament championship and NCAA berth after winning the conference regular season title.
 
South Dakota State and a partisan SLT crowd in Sioux Falls again stood in Koenen's way. With Jacks legend Brooklyn Meyer now out of eligibility, how strong of a favorite are the Bison in 2026-27?
 
This is just one of many questions for the Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer to ponder over beers at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls.
 
But Happy Hour beamed north to gain more insight into Koenen's decision with veteran Fargo Forum NDSU writer Jeff Kolpack. 
 
What kind of money is she turning down? Why is Koenen and most of the Bison sticking around while the men's squad that won the conference regular season and tourney titles is losing all of its starters?
 
And, you can't talk NDSU without mining for insight into the football team's sudden leap from FCS to FBS. Kolpack has early observations from the first practices as a Mountain West team, fundraising, and fan buzz.
 
Some will predict the Bison to win the league right away. But why might Kolpack think those fans should put down the Kool-Aid?
 
Before the chat with Kolpack, the host and Trent Singer discuss the Koenen move from the home-away-from-home office at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls.
 
Other topics covered:
 
* Rascal Flatts
* Hawaiian shirts
* Tornado watches
* Stampede hockey 
* Trent's Mount Rushmore of movie shirts

Looking for the rare feel-good story to come out of the "portal combat" window in college basketball?
 
Look no further than Fargo, where the Summit League women's player of the year announced Thursday she is returning to NDSU for her senior year.
 
Wait. That probably doesn't feel good for Jackrabbits and Coyotes fans. 
 
Koenen, the Bison's third all-time leading scorer, cited the loyalty and support shown by Bison teammates, coaches and fans in an interview with WDAY-TV's Dom Izzo on Friday.
 
She also mentioned "unfinished business," referring to NDSU falling short of a Summit League Tournament championship and NCAA berth after winning the conference regular season title.
 
South Dakota State and a partisan SLT crowd in Sioux Falls again stood in Koenen's way. With Jacks legend Brooklyn Meyer now out of eligibility, how strong of a favorite are the Bison in 2026-27?
 
This is just one of many questions for the Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer to ponder over beers at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls.
 
But Happy Hour beamed north to gain more insight into Koenen's decision with veteran Fargo Forum NDSU writer Jeff Kolpack. 
 
What kind of money is she turning down? Why is Koenen and most of the Bison sticking around while the men's squad that won the conference regular season and tourney titles is losing all of its starters?
 
And, you can't talk NDSU without mining for insight into the football team's sudden leap from FCS to FBS. Kolpack has early observations from the first practices as a Mountain West team, fundraising, and fan buzz.
 
Some will predict the Bison to win the league right away. But why might Kolpack think those fans should put down the Kool-Aid?

Looking for the rare feel-good story to come out of the "portal combat" window in college basketball?
 
Look no further than Fargo, where the Summit League women's player of the year announced Thursday she is returning to NDSU for her senior year.
 
Wait. That probably doesn't feel good for Jackrabbits and Coyotes fans. 
 
Koenen, the Bison's third all-time leading scorer, cited the loyalty and support shown by Bison teammates, coaches and fans in an interview with WDAY-TV's Dom Izzo on Friday.
 
She also mentioned "unfinished business," referring to NDSU falling short of a Summit League Tournament championship and NCAA berth after winning the conference regular season title.
 
South Dakota State and a partisan SLT crowd in Sioux Falls again stood in Koenen's way. With Jacks legend Brooklyn Meyer now out of eligibility, how strong of a favorite are the Bison in 2026-27?
 
This is just one of many questions for the Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer to ponder over beers at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls.
 
Other topics covered:
 
* Rascal Flatts
* Hawaiian shirts
* Tornado watches
* Stampede hockey 
* Trent's Mount Rushmore of movie shirts

There's no crying in baseball!
 
I don't want your life!
 
My team is on the floor.
 
Up your butt, JoBu!
 
Those four lines could be on the Mount Rushmore of all-time sports movie one-liners. And, absolutely, there are plenty more classic or memorable ones you might remember. 
 
That's the thing about Mount Rushmore lists — there's only room for four.
 
And, that's the fun. 
 
For Wednesday's Happy Hour, the host and video producer give their Mount Rushmores of sports movies. In other words, their own personal favorites.
 
It was a segment inspired by the back-to-back anniversaries of the theatrical release dates for two movies on the host's list: *Major League* (37th) and *Hoosiers* (40th).
 
With an age gap of almost 20 years (host is 47, producer is 28), naturally, there wasn't one match between these two lists.
 
Hopefully, you find the trips down memory lane and their accompanying epic clips entertaining and relatable.
 
Before that, the host found a remark about Chase Mason from South Dakota State offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness that should excite Jackrabbit fans about Mason's second season as starter.
 
Plus, if you are screaming at the clouds about the nearly 3,000 players in college basketball that have entered the transfer portal — more than half of them — perhaps the perspective of one of the most respected analysts of the game will calm and quiet you down.

There's no crying in baseball!
 
I don't want your life!
 
My team is on the floor.
 
Up your butt, JoBu!
 
Those four lines could be on the Mount Rushmore of all-time sports movie one-liners. And, absolutely, there are plenty more classic or memorable ones you might remember. 
 
That's the thing about Mount Rushmore lists — there's only room for four.
 
And, that's the fun. 
 
For Wednesday's Happy Hour, the host and video producer give their Mount Rushmores of sports movies. In other words, their own personal favorites.
 
It was a segment inspired by the back-to-back anniversaries of the theatrical release dates for two movies on the host's list: *Major League* (37th) and *Hoosiers* (40th).
 
With an age gap of almost 20 years (host is 47, producer is 28), naturally, there wasn't one match between these two lists.
 
Hopefully, you find the trips down memory lane and their accompanying epic clips entertaining and relatable.