Looking at the 2017-18 South Dakota State wom en’s basketball roster, one common thing stands out amongst the 13 players: they were all recruited from within South Dakota or one of its bordering states.

Recruiting local talent is nothing new for the Jacks. Past rosters have been loaded with players mostly from South Dakota and Minnesota.

Aaron Johnston is in his 18th year as head coach of the Jacks and has led the team to a 430-146 record. The team has won seven Summit League tournaments, including a dominant stretch from 2008 to 2012, when it won five consecutive times. So, it’s easy to see why SDSU is a top school in the Midwest for high-level recruits.

In her senior year of high school, junior guard Madison Guebert was awarded the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year, Minnesota Associated Press Player of the Year and Minnesota Miss Basketball while playing at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Redshirt junior guard Macy Miller from Mitchell, junior guard Sydney Palmer from Pierre, and freshman forward Myah Selland from Letcher, were all recognized as South Dakota Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Miller and Selland also held the title of South Dakota Miss Basketball in their senior years of high school.

The combination of former high school players of the year in South Dakota and its bordering states has paid off so far in 2017-18. The team is on top of the Summit League with a 15-4 overall record and a 4-0 record in the Summit League.