University of South Dakota Athletics

Jay Hennies was a standout basketball player for South Dakota. A three-year starter in basketball for Coyote Coach Dwane Clodfelter, Hennies earned all-North Central Conference honors at guard in 1965, Hennies, a native of Wagner, S.D., was also a three year a starter on the Coyote basketball team, averaging 14 points per game as a senior. Later, he served as a graduate assistant on the 1965-66 USD basketball team, which faced eventual national champion Texas Western. After leaving USD, Hennies served as a basketball coach at Platte High School, guiding that squad to the 1968 South Dakota Class B State Tournament. He also was the head basketball coach at Vermillion High School.