Savage Words: The Pentagon is perfect, and should be home to the girls AA state tourney

There will be nearly 6,000 Division I men’s college basketball games played this season.

Did you know it all started in Sioux Falls?

The Sanford Pentagon played host to the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase on Nov. 4. Southern Illinois and College of Charleston played at 11 a.m. on that Monday morning to tip things off for the 2024-25 season.

That might seem like a shocker, but it shouldn’t. Fans in Sioux Falls have seen plenty of top-ranked college basketball teams at the Pentagon over the past several years.

If you haven’t been to the Pentagon for a basketball game, make it a priority. It’s perfect. Simply perfect.

It’s steeped in basketball history, and it looks and feels that way. With just over 3,000 for a seating capacity, the place gets rocking during games. Playing, coaching, and watching basketball at the Pentagon is an experience.

I’ve covered my share of games at the unique venue. Probably the craziest was on Dec. 19, 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Top-ranked Gonzaga played No. 3 Iowa, an obvious nationally-televised game on ESPN.

I wrote the story for the Associated Press, and it was the eeriest game I’ve ever covered. Because of pandemic restrictions, the inside of the Pentagon included the players, coaches, referees, a few at the scorer’s table to keep stats, a couple of ESPN camera operators, a photographer on the baseline, and me. It was 1 vs. 3, and nobody was there. Such a strange time.

During that game, I recall sitting in one of the suites that I had to myself and thinking even though the place was empty, it still had a glamorous basketball feel. There’s just something about the Pentagon that oozes hoops.

Which is why I was incredibly disappointed to see that the South Dakota high school girls Class AA tournament isn’t scheduled at the Pentagon this year. It’s been there the last three years, and again, it’s just simply a perfect venue for that tournament.

This year, the AA tournament is scheduled to be in Rapid City at The Monument. That’s actually a cool venue, too, but not for the AA girls tournament. It’s similar to the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. It’s big. It’s cavernous. And during consolation games for certain, it will feel empty.

Even if a consolation game during the high school tournament only brings in 800 to 1,000 people, the Pentagon still feels full, still has a vibe. It felt that way four years ago when it was just me and a couple of other dudes sitting there watching Gonzaga and Iowa.

Last year, Brandon Valley played O’Gorman in the championship game, and the Pentagon was alive. Even though the number was around 3,000 in the building, you would have never guessed it. The decibel level inside was shaking the rafters.

It won’t be that way this season in Rapid City on March 15, no matter who’s in the finals.

So, I’m putting it out there: the AA tournament needs to find a permanent home at the Pentagon. I know that concept is probably met with criticism from our friends in west river, but it’s not unheard of. The Class B boys tournament has been a fixture on the campus of Northern State in Aberdeen for more than 30 years. 

The AA girls should follow suit in Sioux Falls.

“It’s a tremendous venue,” Brandon Valley head coach Mike Zerr said. “From how you’re taken care of by the staff there, to how they try and make it special for the kids with just little things that other places just don’t do.”

Kent Kolsrud, head coach at O’Gorman, agreed. Obviously, it helps when you win it all, and the Knights have won the title two of the last three years the tournament has been played at the Pentagon.

“The size and the atmosphere is unmatched. It’s a great facility and we’ve been treated unbelievably there,” he said. “If they’re going to lock tournaments in certain places, AA girls should be at the Pentagon.”

I agree, coach. I agree.

If the Lynx qualify for the state tournament this year and you head to Rapid City, give the Pentagon a nod as you cruise past it on Interstate 90. Hopefully, it’ll be home to the tournament for good soon enough.