The Dakotas have featured some quality basketball talent in the 21st century. North Dakota’s Jerome Beasley was an NBA draft pick in 2003, North Dakota State upset Oklahoma in the 2014 NCAA tourney, and Mike Daum graduated from South Dakota State in 2019 as the 7th leading scorer in D-1 history. Another name that belongs on that list is South Dakota’s Josh Mueller, who graduated in 2005 yet remains the school’s all-time leader in AST/STL/3PM. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Josh about his sensational senior season of high school and being a good leader.
In your final 2 years at West Central High School you went 49-1: how did it feel to go undefeated as a junior, and is your strongest memory of the 49 wins or the 1 loss? The most vivid memory from those season was the 1 loss. Lennox (the team we lost to) was a talented and athletic team. They slowed the game down and we did not do enough to enforce the tempo we wanted to play at. It was a learning experience, one we had not dealt with for almost 2 years, and motivated us to never allow that to happen again.
You set all kinds of state scoring records as a senior with 55 PTS (including 16-16 FT) in a 31-PT win over Newell in the Class A championship game after scoring 60 PTS in a semifinal win over Sioux Valley: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up that week seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Definitely not every shot: there were some misses, probably some pretty bad ones at times (I did have much of a regulator for shot selection!). However, I had a good game and my teammates did a great job of playing off of my momentum and getting me the ball.
What made you choose South Dakota for college? In the end I really liked and trusted Coach Dave Boots. I also was excited about becoming teammates with the players who were already there. South Dakota was the first school to offer me when I was pretty young. I ended up receiving a lot of offers but I felt a little loyal as they were the first school to offer me a chance to play college basketball.
You were a 3-time team captain: what is the key to being a good leader? Accountability. You cannot hold others accountable if you can not hold yourself accountable. If I am asking teammates to play hard and dive for every loose ball, then there better not be a time in a practice or game where any of my teammates questioned my own effort/desire to win.
You remain the school’s all-time leader with 801 AST/307 3PM/258 STL: how were you able to balance your passing with your shooting with your defense? In college you are playing both with/against better players. It was just about doing whatever was needed to give our team the best opportunity to leave the court with a victory.
After graduation you played in the G League as well as in Europe: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? Professional basketball was so so good in both areas. Professional ball in America was more like try to create something in transition, otherwise just get the ball to a player in a spot with great spacing and give options for that player to play off of. Europe was more a free-flowing college type of basketball.
In 2016 you were inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That was a great honor because the University and community were so good to me. I love Vermillion and USD.
You later moved to Colorado and founded the Tri-State Ambush youth basketball academy: how much of an impact did your father Kent (who coached you in high school) have on your career path, and how do you like working with him at the academy? I actually co-own Ambush basketball and Ambush Apparel (custom screen printing, embroidery, and promotional items) with my partner Garrett Callahan (former Seneca and SDSU great). As far as my father, his impact on me goes well beyond any athletic venue. At the end of the day, my mother made our family function as my father and myself spent most of my time in high school butting heads. I was young and dumb and he motivated me/played me like a fiddle to utilize my skills and competitiveness. He knew how much I loved the game and how much time I put in when no one was looking and he did an amazing job of molding those things within me.
You also do special education work as part of the Affective Needs program at the Denver Public Schools: how did you get into that field, and what do you hope to do in the future? I have always had a passion for special education so I knew that would be something I would be interested in once my playing days came to an end. In the future I just hope to provide and set a good example for my children and be a good husband to my wife.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? A great and loyal teammate and a great competitor.