Index of Sports Press Releases

Jan. 26, 2009

Hemenway adds Hurley star to recruiting class

John Hemenway

MITCHELL, S.D. – Dakota Wesleyan University head men’s basketball coach John Hemenway has been busy over the last week. Hemenway coached the Tigers to two crucial Great Plains Athletic Conference victories, a first-place tie in the GPAC standings and a jump to No. 14 in the national rankings. And Monday, Hemenway announced a key addition to his 2009-10 recruiting class: Hurley, S.D., star Bo LaCroix.

LaCroix, a 6-7 senior swingman at Hurley High School, signed his Letter of Intent to play basketball at Dakota Wesleyan late last week. Hemenway is excited to add a player of LaCroix’s caliber to a class that already includes Matt Dykstra from nearby Avon, S.D.

“I am very excited about adding Bo to our program,” Hemenway said. “He is a versatile wing player who has good size and is very skilled. He’s had a great high school career, and I think his best basketball is ahead of him.”

If Hemenway’s right and LaCroix’s best days are indeed in the future, Tiger fans should be extremely happy. This season, he’s averaging a robust 27.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and four assists per game for the Bulldogs. He recently scored a season-high 43 points in a single game.

LaCroix has also been a proven winner throughout his high school career. Mitchell-area basketball fans may remember that LaCroix drained three 3-pointers in the final 1:30 of the 2007 Class ‘B’ State Championship game to help Hurley defeat Mitchell Christian for the state title. This fall, LaCroix added another title to his resume when he quarterbacked the Hurley-Marion football team to the Class ‘9AA’ State Championship.

In each of his first three basketball seasons at Hurley, LaCroix has earned All-Conference honors, and he appears poised to tack on additional accolades at the conclusion of his senior season. He was also honored as a member of the 2007 Class ‘B’ All-Tournament Team.

LaCroix has earned a total of eight varsity letters in basketball, football and track. He is the son of Bret LaCroix and Castle Kelly, and he is currently undecided on his college major.

The Tigers hope LaCroix’s signing kicks off a big week. DWU (18-5, 9-2) travels to Sioux City, Iowa, Wednesday to take on No. 15 Morningside College (17-5, 9-2) with first place in the GPAC on the line. The Tigers are also home Sunday to take on Mount Marty College at 3 p.m.