Coyote Sports Hall of Fame
The 2004-05 USD men’s basketball team won a program-record 27 games, captured the program’s second North Central Conference Tournament title, and advanced to one of eight regional finals in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
It was the seventh of 10 NCAA Tournament appearances for head coach Dave Boots, who won 503 games in his 25 seasons at the helm of the Coyotes. His 2004-05 team was led by junior forward Turner Trofholz, the NCC’s Most Valuable Player, and senior guard Josh Mueller, a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award for the second time. Trofholz, who became the program’s fourth All-American, averaged 21.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Mueller added 18.8 points and 4.5 assists per game.
The roster included senior starters Luke Tibbetts and Steve Anderson, and was the first year for junior David Nour, who made his way to Vermillion through Dakota Wesleyan and started all 33 games. Freshmen Dustin Little and Eric Hall, along with sophomore Brock Seim, were first off the bench. Sophomore Andy Mueting and redshirt freshmen Brooks Little and Tyler Westman saw time as well.
South Dakota had two 11-game winning streaks during the season – at the very beginning and up to the end. The Coyotes won their final six games in NCC play to finish in second place despite a 2-4 start. The team won three NCC tournament games by an average of 16 points each, including an 87-72 win against Minnesota State in the final. Trofholz was Tournament MVP. Mueller and Tibbetts joined him on the all-tournament team.
The Coyotes, seeded third in the North Central Regional, beat RMAC champion Nebraska-Kearney in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Denver behind 42 points from Trofholz – fourth-most in program history. Tibbetts tied his career high of 17 points and Trofholz led with 19 in South Dakota’s 73-68 win against Winona State to reach the Sweet 16. The win avenged an earlier loss to the Warriors. The season ended in an 89-84 loss to host Metro State, the third-ranked team in the nation. Mueller and Trofholz combined for 53 points in the final. USD finished with a 27-6 record.
