South Dakota
South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame induction latest honor in Scott Morgan's storied career
MITCHELL — All Scott Morgan wanted to do was have fun when he first picked up a basketball.
Little did he know he’d put together one of the most prolific basketball careers in South Dakota history, let alone be recognized for it.
Morgan was one of 19 inductees into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame class of 2024 for his contributions to both Mitchell High School and Dakota Wesleyan University basketball. Much like his other honors over the years, it came as a complete surprise to him.
“I wasn’t even expecting it,” Morgan said upon finding out from former Mitchell and DWU radio announcer Tim Smith. “It’s a heck of an honor, and I was excited about it and thought it’s pretty cool.”
Mitchell Republic file photo
As a Kernel under the tutelage of legendary coach Gary Munsen, the 6-foot-7 Morgan was a two-time Class AA all-state first-team selection while helping Mitchell High School to three state tournaments, including a runner-up finish his junior season in 1988.
At DWU, he was twice named the NAIA Division II national player of the year, averaging 25.8 points and 10.7 rebounds throughout his career, and finished with the second-most points in school history at 2,810. Morgan is one of only six 2,000-point scorers in Tigers history and his jersey No. 50 is one of seven retired by the men’s basketball program.
However, after only his second game of his sophomore season with Mitchell, Morgan’s first on the varsity team, the mark he left on the Corn Palace floor almost never came to fruition.
Mitchell Republic file photo
“(Coach) Munsen told me after one or two games, ‘If you don’t start shooting, I’m going to put you on the bench,’” Morgan recalled. “As a young kid playing against older kids, you’re really nervous to pull the trigger, but I didn’t want to sit on the bench, so I better start shooting.”
Crediting Munsen for bringing the best out of him and his players on game days, Morgan flooded the post and overpowered opponents on contested rebounds. He never paid attention to how many points he scored, as he enjoyed the camaraderie of playing with his teammates and siblings he shared the court with.
It was especially true the night he set the South Dakota collegiate scoring record, putting up 57 points against Mount Marty in 1992. When he reached 55, Morgan was oblivious to what was at stake to the point he questioned why teammate Craig Cheeseman kept feeding him the ball.
“I had no idea how many points I had because it wasn’t posted (on the scoreboard) like it is now,” Morgan said. “He kept throwing me the ball and said, ‘You’re going to get the record,’ and I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I ended up breaking it on free throws, which was cool.”
Mitchell Republic file photo
Morgan’s team-oriented personality on the floor went back to the days of playing basketball with his siblings in their driveway on the farm, as his ultimate goal was to have fun playing a sport he grew to enjoy, and still supports to this day. Looking back on his journey, Morgan cherishes the time spent being around others from pickup games to the long road trips.
“We had good times in high school playing duck ball and playing 3-on-3,” Morgan said. “When you like doing something, you find whatever it takes to go play. You get together with your buddies and that’s what you did.”
Morgan currently resides in Mitchell with his wife Stacy, with whom he has raised three children, and is the owner of Blarney’s Sportsbar and Grill off Highland Way in Mitchell.
In addition to being inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, Morgan is already a member of the Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell High School, South Dakota Basketball and South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Halls of Fame. He’s also a member of the NAIA National Hall of Fame.
The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame banquet is on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
Blake Durham is a Sports Reporter for the Mitchell Republic, having joined in October of 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Durham can be found covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports in the area.
PIERRE — Gov. Larry Rhoden’s first budget address as governor is in the books.
And it was a “straightforward” budget without many surprises, as multiple lawmakers told the Argus Leader.
Rhoden presented his recommended budget Dec. 2 for South Dakota’s fiscal year 2027 at the State Capitol Building.
The Republican governor asked lawmakers to budget $7.44 billion in state fiscal year 2027, up from the $7.28 billion recommended by former Gov. Kristi Noem for FY2026. FY2027 is split between about 34% state funds, 42% federal funds and 23% funds marked as “other.”
Rhoden is also leaving about $14 million for lawmakers to divvy up during the upcoming Legislative Session in January. And an additional 135 full-time staff have been recommended for the next fiscal year, up from a budgeted 14,095 in FY 2026.
But Rhoden, who is only serving a partial term as governor after having taken over the reins from Noem last January and now faces reelection in 2026, is taking on the state’s fiscal goals and ambitions amid slim revenue projections and realities.
“I won’t sugarcoat it: Revenues have been pretty flat – only rising slightly,” Rhoden told lawmakers during his address. “But we have to keep the context in mind. We’re coming off some of the strongest years in our state’s history – or in any state’s history. Our economic growth may have slowed, but we’re comparing that to the fastest growth that South Dakota has ever seen.”
Ongoing sales and use tax collections suffered in FY25 before bounce back
More than half of the state’s overall revenue picture is made up of an ongoing sales and use tax, which saw a fiscal year-to-year decrease.
South Dakota FY2025 collected about $1.43 billion from the state sales and use tax — a 1.5% decrease compared with FY2024. Data from the state’s Bureau of Finance & Management indicates several months measured in FY2025 saw dips in sales and use tax growth.
The Rhoden budget estimates the FY2026 collections will reach about $1.5 billion and $1.56 billion in FY2027.
State sales and use tax revenue has seen month-to-month growth since June, with a more-than-8% increase in October.
“We’ll be getting November numbers any day now,” Rhoden said. “Year-to-date, we’re about where we want to be. 4% to 5% growth is pretty typical for South Dakota, but it also means we don’t have a ton of headroom.”
South Dakota’s farm sector sees impacts of Trump tariffs; Rhoden says to ‘pray for rain’
Recent data shows the Midwest has seen economic swings in the agriculture and commodity markets — and Rhoden had to acknowledge it, at least in part.
According to a recent study by The Dakota Institute, a nonprofit economic research firm, South Dakota saw its real gross domestic product (GDP) shrink by 3.1% in Q1 of 2025 — neighboring states saw similar impacts.
It later rebounded in South Dakota with 5.2% annualized growth in Q2 of 2025. But President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy and an international trade war underlined the volatile nature of in the state’s corn, soybean and wheat prices, which have dropped since to lowest prices in years, while U.S. beef cattle prices are at record highs.
“The weakness reflected ongoing pressures from trade disruptions through the implementation of tariffs and a mass renegotiation process of multiple trade agreements,” The Dakota Institute’s study indicated. “This volatility — contraction followed by robust recovery within six months — underscores both the region’s vulnerability to external shocks and its capacity to bounce back when conditions stabilize.”
“When ag does well, the state does well,” Rhoden said. “But when ag struggles, our growth tends to slow down … Historically, there’s been a correlation between our sales tax collections and farm income. So let’s pray for rain and for President Trump to be successful in his trade negotiations.”
Medicaid spending overtakes K-12 dollars in FY27
Medicaid, one of South Dakota’s largest fiscal responsibilities, has grown “far faster than any other area of the budget,” Rhoden said.
“In fact,” Rhoden added, “for the first time in state history, Medicaid is a bigger share of the general fund than K-12 education.”
According to the BFM, the state’s Medicaid budget has grown by $360 million since 2020 to $758 million. Rhoden budgeted $725 million for K-12 education.
The state’s share of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, which determines matching each state’s federal match, now represents $105 million. South Dakota’s coverage share went up by 0.86%, from 48.47% to 49.33%.
State employees won’t see budgeted raises in next fiscal year
Breaking from his predecessor, who pushed for state employee raises during her tenure as governor, Rhoden revealed that employees for the state won’t see a baseline raise to their salaries in FY2027.
Rhoden said the state budget includes a “modest investment in our State Employee Health Plan,” specifically a $3 million investment in health plan reserves. The Republican governor added there are also “plan changes” in the works to prevent employees’ healthcare costs from going up, “since we won’t be able to give them a raise this year.”
But Eric Ollila, executive director and lobbyist for the South Dakota State Employees Organization, told the Argus Leader following the budget address that Rhoden’s budget picture doesn’t account for healthcare deductibles.
Ollila also said the “plan changes” that Rhoden teased were too vague for his liking. He later expressed concern that the changes would be passed through to state employees.
“What it’s not going to do is save employees 100% of the healthcare costs,” Ollila said.
Rhoden recommends raising reserve allocation to 12.5%
Rhoden plans to increase the state’s budget reserve from 10% to 12.5%
The governor attributed his desire to raise reserves based on “continued slower revenue growth and weakness in the farm sector.”
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Arts Council is seeking submissions for the Art for State Buildings Program. South Dakota artists have until March 1, 2026, to submit purchase proposals for consideration.
The Art for State Buildings program was created for the purpose of creating a permanent collection for the State of South Dakota and exhibiting the work of talented South Dakota artists in areas of state government buildings with public access. Work purchased will be installed in public access areas of the Capitol and other state buildings in Pierre.
Any South Dakota artists whose body of work has contributed to the state’s cultural heritage and development are encouraged to submit their work. Artists may propose one artwork for purchase.
Proposals will be reviewed by an advisory committee to the South Dakota Arts Council.
Selection will be based on:
- Quality of the proposed work and relevance to the artist’s career;
- The artwork’s relevance to South Dakota’s environment, history, heritage, or culture;
- The applicant’s professional arts experience; and
- Physical attributes of the artwork regarding durability and safety in a public setting
Submissions must be received through the South Dakota Arts Council’s online Artwork Archive platform. The complete request for proposal and submission instructions are posted at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/directories/artstatebldgs.aspx. For assistance call 605-773-3102 or email sarah.carlson@state.sd.us.
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Copyright 2025 KOTA. All rights reserved.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Corrections is warning the public about the pending release of a prison offender.
Richie Desersa, 31, is scheduled to be released from prison to suspended sentence supervision on December 3, 2025.
He was convicted of third-degree burglary in 2017 in Minnehaha County.
“Based on the assessments we conduct during incarceration, as well as his criminal history, including prior sex offenses, Offender Desersa is considered to be high-risk for committing additional violent acts in the future,” said Lamb.
“I am issuing this alert to let law enforcement and the public know about his release.”
Desersa will be released to Sioux Falls with GPS monitoring and must participate in treatment.
He is a Native American male, 5′11″ tall, weighing around 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
This notification is in addition to the letters currently sent to law enforcement and notices provided to the Division of Criminal Investigation each month.
Since 2011, the Department of Corrections has issued a total of 21 public notices of pending high-risk offender releases.
Copyright 2025 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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