By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Kalen Garry punctuated a memorable two-week stretch by committing to South Dakota State University. 

The De Smet High School standout recently verbally committed to play basketball at SDSU, tweeting his intentions on Dec. 27 to join the Jackrabbits. 

The pledge came after Garry’s last-second 3-pointers capped De Smet’s comeback win over Clark/Willow Lake on Dec. 14. Garry then gained national attention for his 35-point performance in a losing effort against national-power Dream City Christian (Ariz.) on Dec. 17 at the Sanford Pentagon. 

I am excited to announce my commitment to further my academic and athletic career at SDSU! I thank my family, teammates, coaches and community for all the support! Go Jacks!�"�🟡���° @GoJacksMBB pic.twitter.com/uedI9tqSgH

�" Kalen Garry (@kalen_garry) December 27, 2021

SDSU assistant coach Bryan Petersen, among other college coaches, was in attendance and that piqued the Jacks’ interest. 

“This summer, they weren't really looking at me,” Garry told 605 Sports. “But I had that pretty good week and coach Petersen was at the game. He watched me against Dream City and said he liked the way I played. So they started recruiting me. I went on a visit there and they offered me and I just loved it there. I wanted to be a Jackrabbit.”

Garry visited SDSU for its game against Oral Roberts on Dec. 22 and that cemented his decision, while also singling out Petersen, head coach Eric Henderson and associate coach Rob Klinkefus for his decision. 

“The program is amazing there and I love the coaches,” Garry said. “They all are just great guys. They are a winning squad and they recruit winning players up there.”

De Smet's Kalen Garry chases a rebound last season at the State B boys basketball tournament in Aberdeen. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

The Jacks also beat out in-state rival South Dakota for Garry, who received an offer from the Coyotes on Dec. 20. Garry said in-state schools Dakota Wesleyan University and Northern State University were also heavily recruiting him. 

But playing for SDSU was too hard to pass up and now he can focus on his senior season. 

“Recruiting is definitely stressful,” Garry added about his decision. “But it feels great. I want to be at the place, I wanted to be. I want to be a Jackrabbit. I want to play at Frost Arena. I am just excited to get it off my shoulders and enjoy the rest of the season.”

Garry, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, is a three-time all-stater, including a two-time first-team honoree. He guided the Bulldogs to the 2021 Class B state championship in March.

Last season, he averaged 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game. This season, he’s averaging 25 points per game through De Smet’s 4-1 start. He is De Smet’s all-time leading scorer with 1,740 career points.

He’s also the second Class B boys basketball commit for the Jacks in back-to-back recruiting classes. White River junior standout Joe Sayler has been committed to SDSU since Aug. 2020 and will join the Jackrabbits in fall of 2023. 

“That's super exciting,” Sayler said Tuesday about Garry’s verbal commitment. “I saw it and I was like ‘Holy crap, that’s pretty crazy.' I can’t wait to be on the same team as him and see what we can do in Brookings.”