VERMILLION – A standout former AA guard is among three players joining University of South Dakota men’s basketball. Max Burchill, who was an all-state player at Sioux Falls Lincoln this past season, joins the Coyotes. The 6’4” Burchill averaged 14.2 points per game for the Patriots, with 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He also was a baseball pitcher for Lincoln and his brother, Nolan, pitches for the University of Minnesota. Their father, Tom, played basketball and tennis at USD after starring in Pierre, where he helped the Governors win the 1979 A State Championship.
Also joining the Coyotes are 6’5” guard Damani Hayes of Mankato, Minnesota. Hayes was a two-year starter at South Dakota Mines and averaged 6.8 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and two assists this past season. He must sit out 2020-21 due to NCAA transfer rules, but has two years of eligibility remaining.
USD has also added Edin Smjecanin, a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a prep school post graduate of Phoenix Prep, Smjecanin averaged 12.7 points and 9.3 rebounds last season. He graduated from high school in 2019 in a suburb of Dallas.
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