#3 The University of South Dakota
"Coyotes"
Coyote coaches of the last 10 years:
Dave Boots (coached 1989-2013)
Dave Boots is the winningest coach in Coyote men’s basketball, posting a 503-235 record for a win percentage of .681. He led the Coyotes to 23 consecutive winning seasons from 1989-2011, 10 NCAA Division 2 Tournaments, 6 NCC titles, and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 1993 and 1994. The top-five winningest seasons in Coyote history are all Dave Boots-coached seasons, including a 27-6 record during a Sweet 16 run during the 2004-05 campaign. At the Division I level, Dave won a Great West Championship in 2010, which culminated with a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Dave amassed 618 wins in 32 seasons as a head basketball coach. He retired in 2013 with the
14th-most wins in Division 2 history and is a 7-time Coach of the Year honoree.
Joey James spent a season (2013-14) as interim head coach at the University of South Dakota where he had been an assistant for 11 seasons prior to his interim appointment. James also played for the Coyotes from 1997-99. In his interim season, James and the Coyotes went 12-18 overall and 6-8 in the Summit League. USD played to a 10-3 record at home in the DakotaDome, had a five-game midseason winning streak and a pair of three game winning streaks (one early, one late).
Craig Smith (coached 2015-2018)
Craig Smith spent four seasons (2015-18) at South Dakota and led the Coyotes to a 79-55 (.590) overall mark – including a 38-26 (.594) record in Summit League action. Smith guided USD to back-to-back postseason appearances in his final two season in Vermillion, S.D.
The 2016-17 season saw South Dakota go 22-12 overall and 12-4 in league play – which earned it
a spot in the NIT. Smith was named the NABC District 12
Coach of the Year for his efforts after leading USD to just its second Division I
conference championship.
In his final season at USD, Smith led the Coyotes to a
26-9 record and CBI appearance. The 26-9 overall mark was the second-most wins in school history and best record in the program’s 10-year existence at the Division I level. That 2017-18 team did not lose back-to-back games in the regular-season.
Overall, Smith guided nine players who totaled 11 all-conference accolades – including
Matt Mooney, a two-time first-team all-conference honoree and two-time NABC All-District 12 recipient.
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Todd Lee (2019-2022)
Todd Lee spent four seasons as head coach at the University of South Dakota where he finished 66-52. In his first year at the helm of USD, he guided
Stanley Umude to first team All-Summit League honors. As a team, Lee’s defense led the Summit League with the fewest points allowed per game at just 71.2 while the Yotes ranked sixth in the nation in fewest turnovers.
In year two, he guided
Tyler Hagedorn to first team All-Summit League honors. As a team, the Coyotes recorded 20 wins in the 2019-20 season, and the Yotes finished as one of 11 teams in the nation that had five starters average 10 points or more on the season. In addition, USD finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in both FG percentage and 3-point percentage while ranking fourth in the nation with 1.021 points per possession on the season.
In his third season at USD, Lee guided a trio of Coyotes to All-Summit League honors in Umude (1st),
A.J. Plitzuweit (1st) and Xavier Fuller (HM). Lee also earned the
2021 Summit League Coach of the Year honors while Plitzuweit earned the Newcomer of the Year honor. The Coyotes finished the season ranked eighth in the nation in 3-point FG percentage, 14th in the nation in free throw percentage and 15th in the nation in turnover percentage. In the Summit League, the Yotes ranked first in free throw percentage and defensive field goal percentage.
Individually, Umude finished the season as the 10th leading scorer in the country and fifth in field goals made. He ended his career 11th in program history in points.
Eric Peterson (2023-)
Eric Peterson was named head coach of the Coyotes in March of 2022. He returns to South Dakota where he served as an assistant to Craig Smith for four seasons from 2014-18. The Coyotes won their first Summit League title in year three during the 2016-17 season and won 26 games while advancing to the championship game of the Summit League Tournament during the 2017-18 campaign.
Last 5 Years' Results:| year | overall | conf | postseason | coach |
| 2018 | 26-9 | 11-3 (#2) | Summit Finals/ CBI first Rd | Craig Smith |
| 2019 | 13-17 | 7-9 (#5T) | Summit Quarterfinal | Todd Lee
|
| 2020 | 20-12 | 10-6 (#3) | Summit Quarterfinal | Todd Lee
|
| 2021 | 14-11 | 11-4 (#2) | Summit Semifinal | Todd Lee (COY) |
| 2022 | 19-12 | 11-7 (#5) | Summit Semifinal | Todd Lee |
| 2023 | ? | ? | ? | Eric Peterson |
Individually:2023 Roster:Outgoing players:Returning Players:Incoming Players:2022/23 Non-Conference Season:* from Massey/ WarrenNolan
2022 Outlook:
