Dylan LeBrun will go down as one of the greatest Fliers of all-time.
He broke numerous school records and racked up plenty of accolades in his standout career at Flandreau.
LeBrun is the 2018 Register Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year.
“As a team, I would definitely say, we proved ourselves,” the 6-foot-6 point guard said of the Fliers’ 16-6 season, which included an appearance in the Region 2A semifinals. “I think we were kind of flying under the radar for a little bit and we beat Tea and that kind of helped us out a little bit and what not. I think we were for sure a lot better than a lot of people were expecting.
“Individually, I would say it was a decent year; it could have been better but I think I helped my team contribute on the scoreboard. And rebounding and defensively this year, I helped out a lot more than other years. ... (Coach Brendan Sheppard) had a big focus on defense and I was not much of a defender when he came, so he kind of coached me up on defense and helped me contribute a lot more on the defensive end.”
Added the third-year head coach Sheppard: “Dylan is a fantastic scorer. He has no fear, no matter who he’s going against; trying to guard him or what double teams they throw at him, he’s really aggressive and loves to attack the basket. This last year or two, he’s really added some rim protection and rebounding to his game. That was a big stride he made this past year; he just controlled the glass.”
LeBrun averaged 26.5 points per game as a senior. He added 11 boards per contest while also contributing 4.5 assists and a pair of blocks.
“It was huge,” added Sheppard of LeBrun’s emergence defensively and as a rebounder. “We kind of switched some defenses this year. We played kind of a zone with him at the rim and we really worked at running teams off the 3-point line.
“We just knew if they got by and got into the paint, a lot of times players were scared to finish or shoot over him. We didn’t have to worry about rebounding because he would just take care of it and get it so we could go.”
LeBrun shattered the career scoring record at Flandreau – he actually surpassed the previous mark during his junior campaign – by totaling 2,097 points. He is also the Fliers’ all-time rebounding leader with 691.
Now LeBrun is heading to Augustana to continue his education and playing career.
He said the coaching staff helped in his decision to become a Viking.
“They contacted me first. From Day 1, they supported me. They’re really just nice, genuine guys. They’re never going to lie to you; never going to stab you in the back to other schools and what not. So definitely the coaches and probably Augustana’s reputation to always be one of the top teams in DII and stuff like that,” LeBrun added.
Others expect big things from LeBrun at the next level, including Sheppard.
“In my opinion, Augie got a steal,” he explained. “I think he’s going to be a great player for them. One of the reasons Dylan is so good is that he’s worked hard to be good, so he has a work ethic and a drive and he doesn’t want to get beat by anybody.
“So I think playing for Augie and playing against some guys, I mean, he’s not going to be afraid to compete and work. I think that’s going to make him a really good player at the next level.”
The future certainly is bright.
