Happy Hour with John Gaskins

What a short, strange trip it's been.
 
Also — spirited, successful, and at times sensational.
 
Now, it's over. Now what?
 
Over Miller Lite tallboys at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Live writer Trent Singer joins the Happy Hour host to look back on a unique season of USD women's basketball, which came to an end with a WNIT "Fab Four" loss on Wednesday.
 
An almost entirely new roster made of mostly transfers. The "core four" senior transfers immediately gelled and swept Coyotes fans, who were hungry for a return to relevance, off their feet by the end of their postseason run.
 
Take a bow, Carrie Eighmey. But don't take a very long breath. It's re-loading season once again. 
 
The Coyotes conversation naturally flows into the USD men's issue of roster turnover, which, like many mid-major men's teams, is a byproduct of the transfer portal and irresistible NIL money at higher levels for those who perform well. 
 
How much would it help to have more in-state players? Why is Eric Peterson uniquely equipped to handle the turnstile? 
 
Next, a high school hoops discussion starts with Sioux Falls Live's Super Six All-Metro team and the recent All-State honors, then dives into the complicated case of the Sioux Falls Lincoln girls, who have won one game in the last two seasons.
 
All roads lead to a grand finale of local food talk. Why is Trent so crazy about Raisin' Canes coming to town and where are the hosts' favorite local places to eat?
 
 
Michael Rand, Minnesota Star Tribune
The veteran columnist recently wrote about the Gopher women's basketball resurgence under former USD coach Dawn Plitzuweit. How did she manage to scrape the program out of the scrap heap of the saturated Twin Cities sports scene, at least for a few days?
 
Rand also wrote about Augustana hockey coach Garrett Raboin reportedly turning down the plum Gopher job. What is it about the seat that Raboin's mentor Bob Motzko gave up that may have kept Raboin in Sioux Falls?
 
How well will the Kyler Murray pickup work with the Minnesota Vikings? What should we anticipate they will do with their first round draft pick?
 
The Timberwolves have been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. How equipped is this year's team to get back there?
 
And then there are the Twins, whose fans have hit a low point, at least in this century. What is there to actually watch and enjoy?

The veteran columnist recently wrote about the Gopher women's basketball resurgence under former USD coach Dawn Plitzuweit. How did she manage to scrape the program out of the scrap heap of the saturated Twin Cities sports scene, at least for a few days?
 
Rand also wrote about Augustana hockey coach Garrett Raboin reportedly turning down the plum Gopher job. What is it about the seat that Raboin's mentor Bob Motzko gave up that may have kept Raboin in Sioux Falls?
 
How well will the Kyler Murray pickup work with the Minnesota Vikings? What should we anticipate they will do with their first round draft pick?
 
The Timberwolves have been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. How equipped is this year's team to get back there?
 
And then there are the Twins, whose fans have hit a low point, at least in this century. What is there to actually watch and enjoy?

What a short, strange trip it's been.
 
Also — spirited, successful, and at times sensational.
 
Now, it's over. Now what?
 
Over Miller Lite tallboys at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Live writer Trent Singer joins the Happy Hour host to look back on a unique season of USD women's basketball, which came to an end with a WNIT "Fab Four" loss on Wednesday.
 
An almost entirely new roster made of mostly transfers. The "core four" senior transfers immediately gelled and swept Coyotes fans, who were hungry for a return to relevance, off their feet by the end of their postseason run.
 
Take a bow, Carrie Eighmey. But don't take a very long breath. It's re-loading season once again. 
 
The Coyotes conversation naturally flows into the USD men's issue of roster turnover, which, like many mid-major men's teams, is a byproduct of the transfer portal and irresistible NIL money at higher levels for those who perform well. 
 
How much would it help to have more in-state players? Why is Eric Peterson uniquely equipped to handle the turnstile? 
 
Next, a high school hoops discussion starts with Sioux Falls Live's Super Six All-Metro team and the recent All-State honors, then dives into the complicated case of the Sioux Falls Lincoln girls, who have won one game in the last two seasons.
 
All roads lead to a grand finale of local food talk. Why is Trent so crazy about Raisin' Canes coming to town and where are the hosts' favorite local places to eat?

f only it was an April Fool's trick.
 
Last week, Roosevelt boys basketball coach Mitch Begeman surprised many by stepping down at age 38, after 10 years, two state titles back-to-back (2021 and '22), and a third place state finish this year, finishing at 19-5.
 
It was no April Fool's trick. Begeman joins Happy Hour from the Gateway Lounge to explain how this decision was three years in the making, how he knew all season this would be his last, and how hard it was to deliver the news to his players, principal and athletic director.
 
Long respected as one of the best coaches and humans in the local hoops scene, Begeman held back little in this 70-minute chat that walked through his basketball journey — first as a budding high school star playing for his father Mike at O'Gorman, then at USD during the Coyotes' last D2 days, and into the coaching world after a brief stint as both a personal hoops coach and personal trainer before diving into coaching, first as a Sioux Falls Skyforce assistant, then at Roosevelt.
 
He poured out memories the way he poured his heart and soul into the profession and the lives of his players at a program and school marked by a diverse array of students, including those without father figures.
 
Before that sit-down, the Happy Hour host unfolds some April Fool's Day sports topics. USD tried to pull one on its fans about the Coyote women's WNIT run. A Brandon sportswriter hooked, lined, and sinkered the Happy Hour host into "big breaking news" about that city's high school sports scene.
 
The host and video producer share their favorite teams' and local colleges' "wish it was April Fool's" sports moments — for SDSU, USD, Augustana, USF, the Minnesota Vikings and Nebraska.
 
Additionally, more words are devoted to South Dakota State instant legend Brooklyn Meyer, who learned on Wednesday that she won the Becky Hammon Award as the nation's best mid-major player. 
 
It makes the host wonder if Player of the Year or MVP voting (like, the Summit League POY, which Meyer didn't win) should be done differently in all sports at all levels.
 
Also: What do we make of the mass exodus of USD's best men's basketball players?

The Happy Hour host unfolds some April Fool's Day sports topics. USD tried to pull one on its fans about the Coyote women's WNIT run. A Brandon sportswriter hooked, lined, and sinkered the Happy Hour host into "big breaking news" about that city's high school sports scene.
 
The host and video producer share their favorite teams' and local colleges' "wish it was April Fool's" sports moments — for SDSU, USD, Augustana, USF, the Minnesota Vikings and Nebraska.
 
Additionally, more words are devoted to South Dakota State instant legend Brooklyn Meyer, who learned on Wednesday that she won the Becky Hammon Award as the nation's best mid-major player. 
 
It makes the host wonder if Player of the Year or MVP voting (like, the Summit League POY, which Meyer didn't win) should be done differently in all sports at all levels.
 
Also: What do we make of the mass exodus of USD's best men's basketball players?