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After months of prep, Ryker Kreutzfeldt nears head coaching debut with veteran Kernels roster

Daily Republic - 12/8/2021

Dec. 8—Intensity, commitment and togetherness.

Ryker Kreutzfeldt identifies those three pillars as the core of Mitchell Kernels basketball and his main points of emphasis since taking over the program five months ago.

Shortly after the resignation of former head coach Todd Neuendorf in early June, Kreutzfeldt took over the role on an interim basis. Just over a month later, the interim tag was removed and Kreutzfeldt officially became the Kernels' varsity coach.

During that month he served as interim coach, Kreutzfeldt says the Kernels played 46 summer games in a 10-day stretch. It set the tone for what came next.

As part of the busy summer, Mitchell competed at team camps hosted by Dakota Wesleyan, the University of South Dakota and Augustana, as well as the Cornbelt team camp in Mitchell. Additionally, the Kernels played in summer and fall leagues at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls and had training sessions with Shane Hennen, a basketball skills development coach based out of Sioux Falls.

"It's been similar with some of the same philosophies, but [the transition] has been good," said senior guard/forward Caden Hinker, who was a first-team all-state player last year. "He's intense with us, but at the same time he gives us praise. It's perfect, we couldn't ask for anything else."

Through all of it, Kreutzfeldt says all team activities were well-attended, noting there were several players who didn't miss a single open gym between the end of the 2020-21 season and now. Hinker thinks of it as "almost like getting a head start."

There was effectively no offseason, but no one seemed to mind.

"School started and I thought we'd give them some time and get started in September," Kreutzfeldt recalled. "Then on the first day of school I got a text, 'Are we having open gym, or what?' They were ready to get back at it."

And the significance of that high level of investment from the players isn't lost on the first-time head coach.

"It's really all you can ask for," Kreutzfeldt said. "If you have guys that are willing to work every day ... you talk to people and the kind of commitment these guys have, that's a really rare thing."

Kreutzfeldt, who also coaches Mitchell boys golf, admits there was a bit of an adjustment period while he learned the behind-the-scenes responsibilities of being a head basketball coach, but says he's really enjoyed his time on the job leading up to his head coaching debut against Huron on Dec. 10 at the Corn Palace.

While Friday will be his first game as the lead man on the sidelines, it's a venue Kreutzfeldt knows well. The 26-year-old graduated from Mitchell High School in 2014, and prior to taking over as head coach, Kreutzfeldt was a subvarsity coach for the Kernels for four seasons.

Though Kreutzfeldt hasn't coached varsity basketball previously and is younger than many of his coaching peers, he feels there are benefits to his situation.

"I think the age thing is overrated," Kreutzfeldt said. "... I've been with these guys every day for the last four years, so they have a lot of respect for me and they know I have a lot of respect for them and the work they put in. ... My age has allowed me to create relationships. They're able to talk to me and relate to me better, so it's been an absolute positive."

That mutual respect is most evident when considering the players' engagement throughout the summer workouts and observing their attentiveness when being coached.

"Basketball obviously requires a lot more intensity than golf, but in both sports, he's very particular," said senior guard Macon Larson, one of two Kernels on the varsity roster to have Kruetzfeldt as a golf coach this past fall. "He's very analytical in picking out what we need to work on and focuses on it — repeat, repeat, repeat — until he feels like we have it down. It shows how mature he is for being a 26-year-old first-year coach, and I think it's pretty cool."

Added Hinker: "He's intelligent and really cares about his guys. He just really wants to win and wants what's best for the team."

With Hinker and Larson as two of the three seniors on a roster that boasts eight returning letter-winners, there's reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season's prospects. The Mitchell boys have increased their win total in three consecutive seasons, and have designs on making it four. Last season, a 16-8 campaign resulted in the Kernels making their first state tournament appearance since 2012 and a seventh-place finish in Class AA.

While the recent successes and upward trajectory of the program has heightened expectations, Kreutzfeldt isn't focused on the end goal, but rather doing what it takes to guide the Kernels to a successful season.

"I wouldn't want to coach in a town that didn't care as much as Mitchell does," Kreutzfeldt said. "Any pressure I feel is to put our guys in a position to be playing in a state tournament and be contending for a state championship. The outside stuff doesn't really bother me, but you get some butterflies in your stomach because it's really, really exciting."

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