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Men's Basketball
Senior trio reflects on Coyote basketball career
| Mick Garry, Special Contributor

Senior trio reflects on Coyote basketball career

Mick GarryTrey Burch-Manning can move forward after getting his degree at the University of South Dakota knowing that in regard to the biggest decision of his life so far, he trusted his instincts and made the right call.
 
The senior is one of three Coyote players who will be done playing college basketball in 2019, joined by Logan Power and Dan Jech.  
 
None of their careers really followed a traditional path at USD, plus they're from different parts of the country and come from different backgrounds. They share, however, a common sense of gratitude and appreciation of the value of the years they've spent in Vermillion.
 
"I'm extremely thankful for having been a part of something at USD," said Burch-Manning, a sports marketing and media major who will graduate in May. "We've been part of building a program here in the Division I era. I'm extremely grateful for the relationships I've developed with my teammates. The guys I've played with are great dudes and I stay in contact with pretty much all of them. We've had some great memories that will never be replaced and I'll never forget."
 
Burch-Manning, known as "Red" to his teammates, is from Federal Way, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, who was recruited by the Coyotes after one season at North Idaho Junior College. The 6-6 forward has since been a model of consistency within the South Dakota program, averaging 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds a game this year while posting an average of 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds over a career that has included 91 starts in 93 games.  
"When I was at North Idaho there were tons of friends I grew up with and were friends with – I was comfortable being there," Burch-Manning said. "South Dakota was going to be something that was completely new to me. I'd never been there, I didn't know what it was like."
 
The challenge proved to be a flattering one for Burch-Manning, who quickly earned a reputation with the local media for providing thoughtful answers to what sometimes were difficult questions. Within the team, it's been a quiet maturity and resolve – Jech calls him a "father figure" – that has marked his time in uniform.
 
"It has been a little unfair that we had to put Trey at the five this year when Tyler Hagedorn, who would have been our five, is sitting it out," head coach Todd Lee said. "But Trey has handled it with a great attitude. He's a great competitor, a hard worker and our best defender. We talked last spring about how his goal was to hit 30 3-pointers this year, so he worked on it. You look at the stat sheet now and he's hit 36 despite getting hurt and he's hitting 44 percent. That's an example of his commitment."  
While thousands of seniors say goodbye to college basketball every year, for the individuals themselves, this is a one-time-only experience. For Jech, a Rochester, Minnesota, native, injuries have been a persistent companion. As he enters the home stretch, though, he's contributing quality minutes to the Coyotes' effort.

"Yes, there have been some injuries that have set me back over these last four years but it's taught me to persevere – you have to keep doing the things you love," Jech said. "That's something that will last me the rest of my life when it comes to getting through the tough stuff."
 
Jech was not going to play at all this year after recovering from a knee injury that kept him off the court since the end of last season. When teammate Hagedorn was redshirted after struggling to recover from a plantar fascia tear, that all changed however. Suddenly, contributing and getting into games became a possibility.
 
"Coach Lee and I were talking at practice one day and he asked 'How do you feel?' And I told him I felt good. He said, 'Okay, let's talk about getting you back on the active roster.' I didn't know how to react to it, but I was very happy. Is this really happening?"
 
Jech's loyalty to the program was recognized by teammates who have seen up close what he's gone through. The fact that he's been right there with them this year, ready to contribute in the post when the situation arises, is a testament to a level of dedication that might not be showing up in the box score every night but is easy to see by those close to the team.
 
Dan Jech

 
"That kid is a warrior," Burch-Manning said. "Injuries are an unfortunate thing – a lot of people might have just quit and been done with it. But Dan was a warrior. He's got a lot of grit, a lot of toughness to battle through it. And he's always kept a smile on his face."
 
Power arrived at South Dakota as a walk-on from Lincoln Christian, a small high school where he earned all-state honors both as a quarterback and as a basketball player.  He eventually earned a scholarship for a season under former head coach Craig Smith but surrendered it when the next recruiting class came in. Then he earned it back under Coach Lee. There are probably a few other athletes who have gone through the USD basketball program and twice earned a scholarship, but not many.
 
Power, or "LoPo" as he's known by teammates, gave Coyote fans a glimpse of his skills in Brookings a week ago by hitting three 3-pointers in the span of 12 minutes vs. South Dakota State. Though it did not lead to a win, it did demonstrate the level of contribution a healthy Power is capable of for a team that has had depth issues caused by injury all season.  
He also sat out the middle part of the season with an injury – a stress fracture in this case – but has since returned healthy and, in an extremely timely fashion, expanded Lee's options when the coach needs help from the bench.
 
There have been days and nights, Power said, where he wondered whether trying to play Division I basketball was something he should be doing. He could have played small-college football or got more minutes at a smaller program for basketball as well.
 
A perennial all-academic performer, Power has approached the challenge of Division I basketball with humor and occasional self-deprecation. As a future coach – he'd like to run a college program someday – he's got a knack for understanding the big-picture stuff fans, and even some players, don't understand.
 
"I knew I was going to struggle defensively," Power said. "I played the post in high school and when I came here I was going to have to guard the perimeter. When I first got here for open gym it was just 'Get the ball to whoever Logan is guarding and he'll go one-on-one and he'll score.' I couldn't do anything about it."
 
He got quicker and he got smarter about how to approach that challenge. He's since become a good defender with a tendency to knock down big hoops in team scrimmages.
 
"Logan Power is one of the best open-gym shooters in all of the world," Burch-Manning said.
 
"He's got a knack for making crazy shots at the end of the shot clock. I'm going to go out on a limb and say at least 80 percent of those shots – at least that many -- happen when I'm defending him. I have no idea how he keeps doing this but it drives me crazy."
 
Burch-Manning wants to play professionally next year before becoming a high school coach, or perhaps starting a house renovation business with teammate Tyler Peterson. Power wants to be a college coach and Jech will be pursuing a career in sports marketing. While they've had to deal with tough losses here and there, they'll tell you it's been a great ride at USD, filled with friendships that will persevere, as well as USD's first-ever Summit League title.
 
"To deal with the coaching transition probably hasn't been easy to handle for them but they've kept their positive attitudes right from the start and they've been great teammates," Lee said. "They're all very smart, hardworking, talented kids who are going to be great at whatever they end up doing in life after basketball."

 
 
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