Happy Hour with John Gaskins

In his weekly appearance on Happy Hour, the Sioux Falls Live sports editor shares his views on the news of USD basketball coaches' deals (Eighmey getting a new one, Peterson not), plus:
* The reality of USD and other mid-majors losing their best football and basketball players to the transfer portal and NIL money the school cannot compete with
* The Summit League Tournament's viability in Sioux Falls and how far any discussion has gone among conference membership leaders of ever moving the event
* The powerful presence of Jackrabbit fans making the SLT an annual home court advantage for SDSU teams... but also the increasing number of Coyote fans during USD games
* The stability of the Summit League moving forward, considering Denver's upcoming departure will leave the conference with eight teams — the minimum needed to ensure an automatic bid in the NCAA basketball tournaments — and talk of schools like Omaha and St. Thomas looking to move to other conferences
* The perception there is a "Dakota Schools vs. Non-Dakota Schools" division among league leadership and a notion that the Dakota schools "run the league."
* South Dakota State's first football practice and the massive change in vibe (mainly, familiarity) from Dan Jackson's first season to his second
* Why North Dakota State should be the favorite in its first season in the Mountain West Conference, plus how South Dakota State would perform immediately there
* The annual state basketball tournament venue quandary and Sioux Falls not hosting a state tourney for the first time in 60 years

USD athletic director Jon Schemmel on the future (contracts) of both men's coach Eric Peterson and women's coach Carrie Eighmey, the reality of the major sports losing their best players to more lucrative NIL deals, the stability of the Summit League and level of unity among school leaders, the prospects of the Summit League Tournament ever moving, and the conference's TV deal.

North Dakota State isn't ready to play in the FBS.
 
It's ready to win the Mountain West Conference. Right now.
 
That is at least the conclusion you could make if you go by Collin Wilson of Action Network HQ — a sports media company featuring news and analysis focused on sports betting —  a who pegs North Dakota State as one of the six FBS teams out of 139 projected to be favored in each of its 12 regular season games in 2026.
 
Yes, the Bison are projected to be favored in every game in their first year at "the next level."
 
The Happy Host starts Wednesday's show not only breaking down why NDSU is an immediate MWC contender, but also breaks down NDSU's schedule, which was unveiled on Tuesday.
 
Hear Bison coach Tim Polasek's remarks on the reality of living in the FBS coaching world and what it will mean for the beefing up of his staff and types of players he recruits.
 
Then, hear from NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen, who remarked recently on the stability of the Summit League. There are some who wonder if the conference is on shaky ground, with Denver's departure after this school year leaving the Summit with just eight teams for men's and women's basketball.
 
With the inside ropes on the President's Council meetings, does Larsen believe there should be concern about other teams leaving and the conference not being "one big happy family?"


Craig Mattick, SDPB state championships broadcaster
The original co-host and producer of the first daily sports talk show in South Dakota history, Mattick teamed with the Happy Hour host for seven of the 19 years the show was on the air until its cancellation two months into the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
 
"Sports Talk with Craig & John" reunited for 50 minutes on Tuesday at Gibs Sports Bar, mainly to talk about the big picture of state tournament hoops in South Dakota.
 
It is an annual rite of passage — the discussion of state tourney venues, specifically if South Dakota would be better off to have all of its state tourneys in one city, like Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and most others. 
 
There's a sticking point: Would the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center ever want to host all-class state championships? This year marks the first time Sioux Falls won't host a state basketball tournament in over 60 years.
 
Also, there's the format and the process at the AA level to qualify for state. Mattick digs into how the "rank and file" who decides these matters operates.
 
Mattick looked back at how the Sioux Falls and South Dakota sporting landscape changed in 2002 when SDSU decided to join NDSU in Division I. I — a move Mattick constantly derided as the wrong one when it was happening — and when the Summit League Tournament came in 2009.
 
But how bright is that event's future?

North Dakota State isn't ready to play in the FBS.
 
It's ready to win the Mountain West Conference. Right now.
 
That is at least the conclusion you could make if you go by Collin Wilson of Action Network HQ — a sports media company featuring news and analysis focused on sports betting —  a who pegs North Dakota State as one of the six FBS teams out of 139 projected to be favored in each of its 12 regular season games in 2026.
 
Yes, the Bison are projected to be favored in every game in their first year at "the next level."
 
The Happy Host starts Wednesday's show not only breaking down why NDSU is an immediate MWC contender, but also breaks down NDSU's schedule, which was unveiled on Tuesday.
 
Hear Bison coach Tim Polasek's remarks on the reality of living in the FBS coaching world and what it will mean for the beefing up of his staff and types of players he recruits.
 
Then, hear from NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen, who remarked recently on the stability of the Summit League. There are some who wonder if the conference is on shaky ground, with Denver's departure after this school year leaving the Summit with just eight teams for men's and women's basketball.
 
With the inside ropes on the President's Council meetings, does Larsen believe there should be concern about other teams leaving and the conference not being "one big happy family?"

The original co-host and producer of the first daily sports talk show in South Dakota history, Mattick teamed with the Happy Hour host for seven of the 19 years the show was on the air until its cancellation two months into the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
 
"Sports Talk with Craig & John" reunited for 50 minutes on Tuesday at Gibs Sports Bar, mainly to talk about the big picture of state tournament hoops in South Dakota.
 
It is an annual rite of passage — the discussion of state tourney venues, specifically if South Dakota would be better off to have all of its state tourneys in one city, like Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and most others. 
 
There's a sticking point: Would the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center ever want to host all-class state championships? This year marks the first time Sioux Falls won't host a state basketball tournament in over 60 years.
 
Also, there's the format and the process at the AA level to qualify for state. Mattick digs into how the "rank and file" who decides these matters operates.
 
Mattick looked back at how the Sioux Falls and South Dakota sporting landscape changed in 2002 when SDSU decided to join NDSU in Division I. I — a move Mattick constantly derided as the wrong one when it was happening — and when the Summit League Tournament came in 2009.
 
But how bright is that event's future?