Senior Spotlight: A 4-Year Journey for the Roosevelt Rough Riders

It's very rare that you find a high school basketball team with multiple players that have been a part of the varsity roster since freshman year. The Roosevelt Rough Riders are one of those teams.

Roosevelt's senior class features a combined 19 seasons between seven players. This group went to the Class AA state tournament during their freshman year but fell short of state in the next two years to follow.

Entering senior year, the Roosevelt Rough Riders went through a coaching change. David Maxwell left the Rough Riders program to rejoin the University of Sioux Falls as an assistant coach under Chris Johnson. Dakota Barrie took over the job starting this season and continued to lead the Riders forward.

Making the state tournament continued to be the goal for this group of seniors. Following a 2-4 start, the Rough Riders battled back to 7-6 and were ranked fifth in the South Dakota Prep Media Basketball Poll for the first time in a couple of seasons. Roosevelt then hit a stretch of six teams that had a combined record of 85-39. While the Rough Riders lost all six of those games, playing against the top competition of the state set them up for a final push to the tournament.

Roosevelt answered back with a win over Brookings to end the regular season at 8-12 overall and the 9th seed in the SoDak16. In the SoDak16, Roosevelt secured a road 62-50 win over Huron to advance to the state tournament where they would face #1 O'Gorman for the third time this year.

#1 Myah Roggenbuck, G

Member of the varsity roster for two seasons.
Started at guard through her senior season averaging 1.3 points/game while adding 14 assists and 10 steals.
College: University of Sioux Falls (Track & Field)

"Myah is our "smile" - no matter what you ask her to do, she'll do it with a smile. And if you asked her to run through a brick wall she wouldn't question why and yes, she would do it with a smile. One of the nicest people you will ever meet and she has been one of the most encouraging teammates you could ever ask for. She has had many roles on the team and she trusts whatever role she gets and fulfills it to the absolute fullest." - Dakota Barrie

#3 D'Andrea Ratliff, F/C

Two-year varsity player for Roosevelt.
Averaged 2.1 points/game while grabbing 3.2 rebounds/game during her senior year.
College: Undecided

"D'Andrea "DD" is our "juice" - she is always bringing the energy and trying to "hype" everyone else up. She has been undersized in essentially every matchup but she's always ready for a battle and gives her best effort. She has really grown this year and added a lot of physicality and heart to our post game." - Dakota Barrie

#4 Hattie Giblin, G

Four-year varsity player for the Rough Riders.
Team leader in assists this season at 57. Averaged 3.4 points/game and had 27 total steals.
College: University of South Dakota (Soccer)

"Hattie is our "spark" - she has a passion to compete that's unlike most people. Even in the simple drills at practice, she has a strong desire to win and that has pushed her teammates to compete and been huge for our growth." - Dakota Barrie

#15 Tatum Kooima, G

Four-year varsity player.
Led the team in total points scored this season. Kooima averaged 10.7 points/game and led the team with 31 steals. Also shot 46% from the field, a team-high 85% from the free-throw line, and 51% from 3-point territory.
Named to the 2019-2020 Metro All-Conference Girls Basketball Team.
College: University of South Dakota

"Tatum has been our "lethal weapon" - everyone knows how good of a shooter she is and yet she still manages to get 3-5 (and sometimes 7) 3's per game. But beyond that, she is one of the most humble players you could meet and inspires others to be like her on and off the court." - Dakota Barrie

#21 Macey Nielson, G/F

A four-year player for Roosevelt.
Second on the team in points scored this year. Averaged 8.2 points/game and 3.0 rebounds/game. Nielson shot 32% from the field, 65% from the free-throw line, and added 28 assists along with 21 steals.
Named as an honorable mention on the 2019-2020 Metro All-Conference Girls Basketball Team.
College: Dordt (Basketball)

"Macey is our "rock" - her stats may not have been the top in the state but we are better when she is on the floor. She has been our leader on and off the floor and is always looking for how she can serve others first." - Dakota Barrie

#31 Taylor Owens, G

On the varsity roster for her senior year.
Played sporadically during the season.
College: Currently exploring options

"Taylor "TO" is our "jokester" - she was that person that would lighten the mood and reminded us not to take ourselves too seriously. She knew when to be serious but she also knew when we needed that reminder that we needed to enjoy this moment. She never complained about anything and just genuinely enjoyed being on the floor with her teammates." - Dakota Barrie

#51 Shayla Tuschen, C

A two-year varsity player.
Played off the bench this season averaging 2.1 points/game and 2.4 rebounds/game. Shayla shot 41% from the field this season.
College: Black Hills State University (Softball)

"Shayla is our "silent but deadly" - if you met her off the court you would probably say she's very quiet and reserved, and then you see her on the court and you suddenly want to avoid trying to post up. Her physicality and willingness to battle in the paint have been a key factor in our success against some of the powerhouse teams with bigger posts. She knew her role on defense and embraced it to the fullest for us." - Dakota Barrie

Congratulations to the Roosevelt Rough Riders and to the seniors on a state tournament season!

In conjunction with Scott Van Pelt's Senior Spotlight, each day ESPN 99.1 will highlight our local seniors for their accomplishments on the court throughout their careers.

Photo courtesy: Jurgens Photography. Click here to view more photos from this season and more.