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Aberdeen Christian point guard Dylan Hofer will try and help his squad capture a state title beginning Thursday, March 19 at the Class B State Boys Basketball Tournament at Wachs Arena. The Knights play Castlewood at 12:45 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Dylan Hofer’s nickname is suited for March.
The Aberdeen Christian junior point guard is known by his teammates and coaches as Playoff Dylan. He’s one of the key components for the Knights as they get ready for the 2026 Class B Boys State Tournament, which is Thursday, March 19 through Saturday, March 21 at the Barnett Center.
This is Christian’s second straight trip to the State B and the sixth in the past seven years. But, it was during last season’s playoff push that Hofer’s moniker was established.
Aberdeen Christian’s Dylan Hofer soars to the rim in between Warner’s Brennan Wolf-Donat, left, and Braydon Kroll during the Knights 61-56 Region 1B win over the Monarchs. Christian opens the State B Thursday March 19 against Castlewood in the Barnett Center. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
“It was last year in the first round of regions against Hitchcock-Tulare,” he said. “I broke the school record with 11 steals in a game. My best three games of the year were actually our first three playoff games last year, and so Playoff Dylan just kind of stuck.”
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His head coach Matt Rohrbach said Hofer’s success is a combination of athleticism and having an uncanny knack for knowing where the ball is going.
“First, he’s one heck of an athlete. I mean he won the triple jump last year at State B track, and you don’t win that if you’re not a heck of an athlete, but it’s more than that on the basketball court. He just sees the court really well and knows where to be,” Rohrbach said.
He said the Knights took a step forward as a team when “Dylan took the reins of being a point guard and showed the quickness and smarts to handle it.”
During last year’s run to the state tournament, Hofer said his time playing point guard was limited behind then-senior Ellis Russell.
But, Hofer has logged the bulk of minutes running the offense this season.
“This year, I have the ball in my hands a lot more,” he said. “Last year, we had Ellis, who was kind of like a hybrid point guard/post type of player. This season, my goal coming in was for the team to score first and (to) try to get them involved so we can get some good looks. Then, when I need to, get myself open and try to score.“
Mobridge-Pollock game changed Hofer’s offensive approach
Aberdeen Christian’s Dylan Hofer goes up for a rebound against Aberdeen Roncalli’s Paul Barr-Kvapil during their game on Jan. 6 inside the Aberdeen Civic Arena . The Knights have qualified for the Class B state tournament for the sixth time in seven years. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Hofer averages 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists per game.
In the past five games, Hofer said he’s been encouraged by Rohrbach to look for his shot more. The message came after the Knights’ 60-52 victory at Mobridge-Pollock.
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“After our game in Mobridge, Coach told me he wanted me to get more incorporated on the offense and look to score more. He wanted me to create some more looks for myself, but still keep finding my teammates when I see them. That confidence in my scoring really helped me a lot the past few weeks,” Hofer said.
One thing Rohrbach said is incredible to watch is Hofer’s ability to rebound. During Christian’s SoDak 16 win over Sioux Falls Lutheran, the 5-foot-8 point guard had 12 rebounds. He had seven in the Knights’ Region 1B triumph against Warner.
“Dylan has a sense for where the ball is going to go coming off the rim, and guys inside kind of forget about him because he’s smaller and kind of slippery,” Rohrbach said, “And then, all of a sudden, he’s the one with inside position and then he just goes and gets the board because he’s athletic enough to do it.”
Hofer said he maintains an unassuming posture when it comes to rebounds, then seizes his opportunity.
“Usually, I have the smaller guys guarding me, so (rebounding) can be easier at times, but not a lot of bigger players expect me to go for rebounds,” he said. “As a point guard, I know it also helps if I grab the board, we can turn up the floor and get our transition game going.”
Hofer said when the Knights get up and down the floor, he looks for lanes to get to the basket, but his priority is to find open teammates.
Playing with childhood friends makes tournament more special
Hofer got his start in basketball in elementary school.
He said he remembers it was around fourth grade was when he began playing, even though he didn’t plan on it.
“Well, everyone else in my grade was playing,” Hofer said. “Luke (Kaiser), Brooks (Jett) and a bunch of others, and they kind of pressured me to play. At the time, I was pretty much the only one who didn’t do sports, so basketball turned out to be my first sport.
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Hofer said once he got a taste of the game, he enjoyed it. And the group he was playing with, as he put it, “was pretty good.”
“I liked it because you were around your friends and we were winning, and it’s always fun to win,” he said.
Hofer said he feels lucky to be playing varsity basketball with his friends at Aberdeen Christian.
“I feel like not many schools give you a chance to play with certain guys your whole life,” he said.
Aberdeen Christian’s Dylan Hofer drives to the rim on Hitchcock-Tulare’s Preston Wipf during their game on Feb. 16 inside the Aberdeen Christian Gym. Hofer and his teammates open the State B on Thursday, March 19 against defending champion Castlewood. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Tough task as Knights open with defending champ Castlewood
Christian enters the State B with an 20-3 record and the fourth seed.
The Knights’ opening-round opponent is no stranger to the Barnett Center. Defending champion Castlewood is making its fifth straight trip to Aberdeen and is the No. 5 seed. The quarterfinal game begins at 12:45 p.m. Thursday.
“Well, they’re pretty long and athletic, and they have that guard/forward Cam Keszler, who’s really good,” Hofer said. “We’re gonna need to value every possession and make sure, when we have the opportunity, to run to get out on the break. We just need to make sure to limit our turnovers and keep them off the offensive glass.”
Hofer said he and his teammates are aware that playing in Wachs Arena is as big as it gets in Class B basketball.
“I feel there is a little pressure being an Aberdeen team playing here in the tournament. I just think all our friends from Warner and Aberdeen Roncalli will show up and watch us. When you see them around, you definitely want to win in front of them because we know State B is a pretty big deal, and so, yeah Playoff Dylan will be ready.”
