FLANDREAU – Less than two weeks ago the Flandreau Fliers played in Class A boys’ basketball state tournament, the first time they and the community of Flandreau have gotten to the boys’ state tournament in 18 years. Flandreau placed fourth and posted a final record of 20-5.

Leading the charge one of their seniors, Tash Lunday, and he is The Register’s 2022 Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-5 Lunday averaged a double-double each time out, scoring 24.5 points and grabbing 10.2 rebounds a game. He also dished out over four assists a game which Lunday said helped display his mentality of doing whatever needed to be done each game.

“I hate losing,” Lunday said. “I despise it. I want to be a winner and I think I’m a leader and I’ll work to get everyone involved. I find what the game needs and if that means I go rebound, that’s what I’ll do. If I need to assist Chase [LeBrun] so he can knock down a bunch of threes, that’s what I’ll do. It just depends on what the game needs out of me on that night.”

“I tend to go with the flow and I’m there to have a good time.”

Fliers’ coach Brendan Sheppard echoed the thoughts of his senior star.

“He was a four-year starter for us, but he’s also been our team leader the last four years,” Sheppard said. “He made our team really competitive and a force to be reckoned with in the state the last few years.”

Lunday, along with three other seniors, took the Flandreau program to new heights, but for Sheppard, it’s not as simple as next man up when it comes to finding a replacement for Lunday.

“You probably can’t fully replace Tash,” Sheppard said.” Yes, we have a nice group of kids coming up and they have the potential to be really good for us, but I don’t think there’s any Tash Lunday’s in that group.”

“When you’ve got a kid that scores over 2,000 points in his Class A basketball career and grabs nearly 1,000 rebounds, it’s a short list of players who have accomplished that and it’s not something you can just replace,” Sheppard added.

Mamba Mentality

Growing up with the game of basketball Lunday has gotten to witness numerous superstar NBA players come and go in the league, and their traits and abilities is something he’s modeled his game after.

“My dad always told me to be like Kobe Bryant, so I always used to practice his fadeaways and do stuff like that,” Lunday said. “That’s how I became able to do some of the acrobatic finishes with both my right and left hand. I remember seeing him do windmill dunks, too. I told myself that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to dunk like that, but I can lay the ball up like that.”

“More recently I’ve modeled my game after Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks) and Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets) the last five years or so after they came into the NBA. When I was a freshman, I thought their game and style was pretty cool.”

Breaking Through

Prior to 2022, the 2003-2004 season was the last time Flandreau was named on a boys’ basketball state tournament bracket. Getting the Fliers to state was a goal for Lunday, but even more so, to give the community of Flandreau the chance to come along for the ride.

“Getting to state was huge,” Lunday said. “It brought so much positivity to Flandreau and that people didn’t have to worry for about a week about what was going on in the real world. All the people were focused on was getting out to Rapid City to be with us and everyone was excited about it. We had people closing their stores to go out there. It was such a great feeling to be out there.”

Sheppard agreed and said that while Lunday was elated to get to a state tournament, he was more excited for his community to be able to experience it along with him and the team.

“Tash was excited more for the community of Flandreau than our team, for them to be able to experience it as well,” Sheppard said. “It’s obviously been a goal for this group for a few years, but for him, he was excited for what our community of Flandreau gets to experience. That was really important to him.”

Spirit of Su

Awarded annually since 1994 to one senior player at each of the six girls’ and boys’ basketball state tournaments across all three classes, the Spirit of Su Award is given to the player who “recognizes excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and community service.”

The award is presented in a joint effort between the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the South Dakota High School Basketball Coaches Association, and the “Visions of SuAnne” Foundation in remembrance of SuAnne Big Crow who passed away as a result of a car accident on the way to accept a Miss Basketball Award during her senior year.

The award is presented at halftime of each girls’ and boys’ basketball championship game, and at the 2022 state tournament in Rapid City, Lunday’s name was called as the recipient of the annual honor.

Lunday says the reality of being awarded such a prestigious honor has still not fully sunk in even now, nearly two weeks later.

“Hearing my name called as the recipient was crazy, a great feeling,” Lunday said. It was such a big honor and I’m still kind of shocked about it even now because it’s such a big blessing and honor.”

Sheppard says the committee made the right choice.

“The Spirit of Su award was an awesome honor for Tash,” Sheppard said. “I don’t think there’s probably a kid in the state that represents what the SuAnne Big Crow award means more so than he did.”

More Than a Team

Growing up in a town the size of Flandreau, the small town feeling really sets in both on and off the basketball court, something that Lunday will take with him long after he graduates from Flandreau High School.

“This community has shown me so much over the years, showed me what it’s like to be from a small town and have a bunch of supporters,” Lunday said. “All the little kids who came up to be and said they wanted to be like me when they grow up, that means so much to me. It puts something into my eyes, a different perspective, it’s been good for me.”

Lunday also said that being part of the Fliers’ basketball team showed that it wasn’t just a collective of young men wearing the same purple and gold jerseys, but that they’re an extension of his family.

“When I was younger, an eighth grader, I couldn’t even drive myself home yet,” Lunday said. “Coach Shep would give me a ride home if I was waiting for my dad who was working until seven or so, he’d say ‘c’mon kid, you’re riding with me.’ Flandreau basketball was like a family to me. Coach Shep was like a second dad to me, he did and still does mean the world to me.”

That feeling of family extends to the younger Fliers coming through the Flandreau basketball program, as well.

“All the younger kids I’ve gotten to work with and help develop, the freshman, eighth-grader Luke [Sheppard], they’re all like little brothers to me since I’ve never had anything like that.”

“It’s been an honor to be a Flier all these years.”

Looking to the Future

Lunday will graduate in the next two months, but between now and then he still has big decisions on his plate.

“Ultimately, I want to go play collegiate basketball somewhere,” Lunday said, “But right now I’m working on my body some more, getting more shots up.”

“I’ll decide on a college this coming month after taking a few visits and all that stuff that goes along with it, and then after college I want to get further into basketball and open my own business.”

Whether that business venture is in a bigger city or back in Flandreau, Lunday will have a community of supporters there for him every step of the way.