# Dakota State Trojans men's basketball

The Dakota State Trojans men's basketball team represents Dakota State University, competing as a member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). During the 2025–26 academic year, the Trojans will be moving to the Frontier Conference. The Trojans play their home games at the DSU Fieldhouse in Madison, South Dakota. Their current head coach is Darren Tighe.

## History
### Conference affiliations

* South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (1917–2000)
* Dakota Athletic Conference (2000–2011)
* NAIA independent (2011–2013)
* North Star Athletic Association (2013–2025)
* Frontier Conference (2025–)

## Conference championships

The Trojans have won 3 regular season championships and 2 conference tournament championships.
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference
* Regular Season Champion (1 time): 1966–67
North Star Athletic Association
* Regular Season Champion (2 times): 2014–15, 2015–16
* Conference tournament champion (2 times): 2015, 2016

## Postseason
### NAIA tournament results

Dakota State has appeared in the NAIA tournament 5 times. Their combined record is 5–5.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1992 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Edgewood King William Jewell Northwestern | W 86–70 W 92–79 W 83–77 L 68–91 |
| 2012 | First Round | McPherson | L 63–69 |
| 2013 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Warner Pacific St. Thomas Grace | W 89–80 W 61–60 L 59–72 |
| 2015 | First Round | College of Idaho | L 64–65 |
| 2016 | First Round | Saint Francis | L 81–96 |

### NSAA tournament results

Dakota State has appeared in the NSAA tournament 12 times. Their combined record is 13–10
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2014 | 2 | Semifinals Championship | Valley City State Jamestown | W 74–56 L 67–72 |
| 2015 | 2 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Dickinson State Mayville State Jamestown | W 85–74 W 75–57 W 66–65 |
| 2016 | 3 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Waldorf Mayville State Jamestown | W 101–84 W 84–72 W 79–65 |
| 2017 | 5 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Viterbo Bellevue | W 56–52 L 62–69 |
| 2018 | 6 | Quarterfinals | Dickinson State | L 59–79 |
| 2019 | 7 | Quarterfinals | Presentation | L 67–79 |
| 2020 | 7 | Quarterfinals | Mayville State | L 59–74 |
| 2021 | 5 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Viterbo Mayville State Bellevue | W 95–88 W 66–65 L 57–63 |
| 2022 | 5 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Mayville State Viterbo | W 74–68 L 73–75 |
| 2023 | 6 | Quarterfinals | Dickinson State | L 60–72 |
| 2024 | 4 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Viterbo Bellevue | W 85–61 L 66–70 |
| 2025 | 6 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Mayville State Jamestown | W 86–75 L 69–76 |

## Coaches
### Current Coaching Staff

| Position | Name | Alma mater |
| Head Coach | Darren Tighe | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
| Assistant Coach | Dalton Kleinschmidt | Bethany Lutheran College |
| Graduate Assistant | Damien Luna | Presentation College |
| Graduate Assistant | Jacob Strand | Mayville State University |
| Volunteer Assistant Coach | Greg Kahler | |

## Arenas

* DSU Fieldhouse (1957–present)

## Individual awards and honors
### All-Americans
#### NAIA

* Myron Moen (1967)
* Cliff Anderson (1973)
* Brett Schwartz (1991)
* Jason Smidt (2000)
* Sal Raphael (2005)
* Joe Backus (2007-08)
* Luke Lamb (2013)
* Dylan Hale (2014)
* Bryant Allen (2015)
* Kyle Kilgore (2016)
* Justin Folkers (2019)

### SDIC honors

All-Conference
* George Gregerson (1930)
* Oxy Oxwan (1930)
* "Archie" Turner (1930)
* LeMar Nelson (1954)
* Maury Poppen (1956-57)
* Dick Miller (1958)
* Jerry Manthey (1959)
* Gene Appelwick (1960)
* Leroy Debeer (1963)
* Myron Moen (1965-68)
* Simon Schloe (1967-68)
* Cliff Anderson (1971-73)
* Mike Peterreins (1973-76)
* Warren Quail (1975)
* Randy Schaefer (1982-83)
* Tim Asche (1983-85)
* Todd Cavanaugh (1984-85)
* Brian Kearn (1985-86)
* Brett Schwartz (1988-91)
* Fred Fleming (1990)
* Rob Grady (1991)
* Earnest Monette (1992)
* Keith Carter (1993)
* Floyd Johnson (1993)
* Jason Smidt (1999-2000)
* Scot Namanny (1999)

### DAC honors

All-Conference
* Scot Namanny (2001)
* J.F. Jensen (2003)
* Sal Raphael (2005)
* Ryan Burggraff (2005)
* Joe Backus (2006-08)
* Mike Larsen (2011)