Roger Merriam's look at some of best Watertown High School boys basketball players since 1984

Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December of 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.

This list was a little harder for me to put together since J.T. Fey essentially covered Watertown High School's boys basketball team from December 1984 through the 1999 season.

It was much easier to me to pick the players I covered from 2000 on, but I still remember watching many of the others before that.

Again, pay no attention to the order except for the final few spots.

More: Some of the top northeastern South Dakota Class A, B boys basketball players since 1984

20. Others

All-Staters Spencer Waege (2017, second team), Landon Haug (2004, second team), Jesse Steiner (1999, second team), Dan Fjeldheim (1998, second team), Matt Mahowald (1997, second team) and Heath Rylance (1990, second team) all are certainly deserving.

I also want to mention the Kranz brothers (Marvin, Mark, Matti, Mike, Marty and Mitch). Most of them played basketball quite well for the Arrows.

Look for a number of these "others" in upcoming "20 Favorites" stories. After a week break, the series will resume with area high school football and Watertown High School football.

19. Brian Benson

The 1992 Watertown team captured the second state title in school history and ended a 33-year drought in the process. It was part of a really strong resurgence in the late 1980s and early 1990s for the Arrow basketball program that was ignited by coach Kraig Ulveling.

Benson earned second team Class AA All-State honors that season, which ended with a 53-36 win over Sioux Falls O'Gorman in a championship game that included a 25-minute delay due to a bomb threat in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. On top of that, Benson hurt his ankle in the game. In case it hasn't healed yet, maybe making this list will ease Brian's pain.

18. Jon Ryan

My original plan for the "20 Favorites" series was to try not to double-up on athletes, but I've thrown that out the window. Good athletes are good athletes and some excelled in multiple sports.

I know Jon and his brother Ben each played hoops for the Arrows and Jon was a leader on the 2006 team that took third in the state Class AA tournament. That was before he became a record-setting receiver at the University of Sioux Falls.

More: Roger Merriam's look at some of his favorite Watertown High School girls basketball players

17. Eric Kuehn

Talented big men have been a rare commodity for Arrow teams through the years and lack of size has been a definite issue for many recent Watertown teams.

The 6-foot-7 Kuehn was a big player for the Arrows for 2 1/2 seasons from 1999-2002. He averaged 12 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a junior and earned Class AA All-State first team honors in 2001-02 after a senior season in which he produced 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

16. John Decker

I'm using research through the Public Opinion archives along with the combination of my memory (take it for what it is) to compile my list. What I do know is that Decker was a starter on the 1984-85 Watertown High School boys basketball team in what was essentially my first season at the newspaper.

John also played at the University of South Dakota before joining my Watertown City League basketball team as a "top recruit" one winter. Notice the picture of John wearing a wrestling face mask to protect an injured nose in 1985.

Either way, the Jefferson Elementary principal could play. So could his son Matt, who was a starter on the 2015 Arrows — the only Watertown team since 2009 to qualify for the state AA tournament. Matt is the new head girls basketball coach at Yankton.

15. Rusty Remmers

Some of the Watertown sports fanatics may remember Remmers more for his exploits on the baseball field, where he became the only Watertown Post 17 American Legion player in history to be named the state's 1998 Class A Player of the Year. He later played the sport at South Dakota State.

He also was part of a talented run of backcourt players the Arrows had in the 1990s, averaging double figures while earning All-Eastern South Dakota Conference and state Class AA all-tournament honors as a senior in 1998.

14. Brady Krumwiede

Through much of the decade of the 2000s, the Arrows always seemed to have a Krumwiede on the roster. The list of basketball players included Adam (2004 grad), Brady (2009 grad) and Tate (2011). Jace (a 2007 grad) played football but not basketball.

Without trying to alienate the family it was Brady who led the way. I remember him being a really nice player. He was second in scoring (8.1 points per game) and also added 5.3 rebounds on a team that made a run at a repeat title in 2009 before taking third.

13. Dustin Tetzlaff

As long as we're talking about the 2009 team, we're going to Tetzlaff. The 6-foot-7 senior earned first team Class AA All-State honors that season after averaging 21 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

His father Mark was a former Hamlin High School standout who pieced together a Hall of Fame career at South Dakota State in the early-to-mid 1980s and ended his career as the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Dustin started his college career at the University of South Dakota and ended at Northern State.

If you need a good big man, get the Tetzlaffs on speed dial.

12. Kirk Gilbertson

The 2011 Watertown High School graduate burst onto the scene as a junior who averaged 13.6 points per game and earned second team Class AA All-State honors that year. He drew plenty of attention as a senior in 2010-11 and averaged 9.4 points per game.

Kirk could shoot and also was a standout runner in track. He's on the list for this reason: He could have been a poster boy for "how physical" Class AA basketball was and still is.

The 2010 Arrows lost to Brandon Valley in a region game. In the game, the Lynx employed a defense on Gilby that might have drawn legal charges in some states.

11. Ryan Engels

As long as we're talking 2011 graduates, I'm adding Gilbertson's backcourt mate Engels. Everybody needs to know that Ryan's style of play on the basketball court was about the exact opposite of my style of play. I was there to shoot and shoot only. Ryan, whose father Jim played for the Arrows in the mid-1980s, did anything that was needed to help a team win. I may need counseling after this, but Ryan helped me learn there's more to the game than scoring.

A three-year regular, Engels earned my respect. I can't remember his exact height (I'm guessing 5-8 to 5-10) but I do remember that Pierre had two Division I recruits including 6-5 Lane Severyn.

I'm fairly certain every time the Governors came to Watertown, they lost in part because of the defensive job Engels' did on Severyn.

More: A look at some of northeastern South Dakota's best girls basketball players since 1984

10. Marc Forbush

Another talented big man for the Arrows during my time in Watertown, Forbush was a key player on the Arrows' 1999 state Class AA championship team under Gary Thomas.

The 6-foot-8 Forbush returned in 2000 and earned second team Class AA All-State honors before playing a couple of seasons at North Dakota State University.

9. Justin and the Struckmans

Sounds like a band doesn't it. Actually it was a band of brothers who played the Arrows throughout the 1990s: Lonnie (1993 graduate), Justin (1996 graduate) and Chad (1998 graduate). The Arrows made 11-straight state Class AA appearances from 1991-2001 and I'm fairly certain the Struckmans played in either six or seven of them.

Lonnie was mainly a reserve. Chad started as a senior in 1997-98. Hope they'll forgive me when I say Justin was the best. He spent three years as a starter in the backcourt for the Arrows.

Justin later played at Northeast Community College in Norfolk (Neb.) and one year at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, earning second team All-South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference honors.

8. Aaron Kranz

If you don't know or remember the story of Kranz, a 1995 WHS graduate, you should. He played guard in middle school and was a scrawny 6-2 guard on Watertown's sophomore team before eventually turning into one of the premier college post players in the NAIA. He fashioned a Hall of Fame collegiate career at Mount Marty College in Yankton.

I believe he ended up 6-8 or taller. I'm almost positive what made him so good was he developed skills as a guard throughout his younger days, which he used to his benefit as a big man later on.

In today's sports world, late bloomers can get lost in the shuffle. That wasn't always the case a few years back.

7. Ryan Berry

Berry, a 2004 WHS graduate, started four years in basketball and also was a standout football player for the Arrows before becoming a record-setting quarterback at South Dakota State. He was inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.

I'm putting him on this list for what happened in the winter of 2002. Berry, only a sophomore guard, hounded one of Spearfish's standouts in the semifinals of the 2002 state Class AA tournament. In pain throughout the game, Berry had hernia surgery after a 52-48 loss. Spearfish went on the win the title.

Do I need to explain more on why Berry made my list.

6. Jon Walder

Walder, a 2001 WHS graduate, preceded Berry as the Arrows' point guard and in the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame (2017).

He earned Class AA all-tournament honors three times, first team Class AA All-State honors as a senior and played on state championship basketball (1999) and football teams (2000) with the Arrows before starting for three years for the South Dakota School of Mines men’s college basketball team.

5. Justin Johnson and Jordan Burchatz

Johnson and Burchatz were part of the greatest high school sports story I have ever covered in Watertown, earning second-team Class AA All-State honors on the Arrows' 2007-2008 championship basketball team.

A handful of players were suspended from the team for training-rules violations (for the rest of the season) after a 10-1 start. The way the situation was handled by head coach Brian Norberg and staff was frankly incredible. The way it was handled by players who remained on the team was frankly incredible. And the way it was handled by some suspended players who returned next season to lead Watertown a third-place finish at state was frankly incredible.

Despite the losses, Burchatz and Johnson were part of an all-five senior starting lineup (Josh Hanson, Alex Kjellsen and Brad Monahan). Sophomores Kory Johnson and Steven Heesch had to fill bigger roles off the bench. The team went 13-1 to win the Eastern South Dakota Conference title and 21-4 to win the state title.

What a learning lesson! Basketball. Life. Disappointment. Jubiliation.

4. Josh Hanson

I probably shouldn't separate Hanson from his teammates on the 2008 squad, but the 2021 WHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee deserves his own section.

He was such a leader in so many ways, topping the team in scoring (14 points per game) and earning first team Class AA All-State honors.

Did I mention, he later starred as a quarterback (leader) for Augustana's football team.

3. The Heisers

The story begins with Ron Heiser as a starting guard on the 1984-85 Watertown High School boys basketball team and continues through his sons Blake and Tanner. Don't worry, I'm fairly certain Ron would tell you his sons were better.

Blake, a 2012 graduate, was a two-year regular for the Arrows who also played at Dakota State before a wrist injury ended his career.

The star was Tanner, a 2013 graduate and two-time first team Class AA All-State honoree who is the fourth all-time leading scorer in WHS history with 1,130 points. He later played at Northern State and Dakota State.

1B. Jason Sutherland

I don't want to hear it. How does the all-time leading scorer in WHS history (1,532 points) who later starred at University of Missouri have to share the No. 1 spot with anybody? Not to mention a two-time first team Class AA All-State selection and 6-foot-1 dunk artist who created a fan following across the state that forced those who wanted to see him play to get in line for tickets hours before game time. The 1993 WHS graduate was a junior on the Arrows' state championship team and joined the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.

I know. For those of us who lived through the phenomenon, we'll never forget it. Still, for the first time, Jason can share center stage.

1A. The Norbergs and Nate Davis

No family has likely done more for Watertown High School boys basketball than the Norbergs. It starts with brothers Brent and Brian. It includes Brian's son Drew and Brian's nephew Nate Davis.

Brent, a 1991 WHS graduate, was a 6-foot-1 guard who earned first-team Class AA All-State honors as a senior. The Arrows went 19-4, won the ESD title with an 11-1 record and took fourth in the state. I know he played two, likely three years, with the Arrows. He coached Chester Area to the 2004 state Class A title and has been Aberdeen Central's head coach since 2005-06.

Brian, a 1995 WHS graduate, was a freshman on Watertown's state championship team in 1992. He earned first-team Class AA All-State honors in 1994 and 1995 before starring as a point guard at South Dakota State. He is fifth on the Arrows' all-time scoring list with 1,025 points and spent 15 seasons as Watertown's head coach before stepping down in 2018. Watertown has won three state titles in more than 100 years. The 2009 WHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee played on one and coached another (2008).

Drew, a 2022 WHS graduate, earned first team Class AA All-State honors after averaging 21.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a senior. The 6-2 guard was a three-year regular for the Arrows is now at Dakota Wesleyan.

Davis, a 2016 WHS graduate and two-time Class AA All-State honoree, played four years for the Arrows and finished his career No. 3 scorer (1,185) in Arrow history. The 6-0 guard later played at Dakota Wesleyan and Evangel (Mo.).

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 Favs: Norbergs, Heisers, Sutherland and Hanson top Watertown boys' hoops