TIBBS Basketball Online

Meet The TIBBS Staff

The directors of TIBBS have a combined coaching resume that includes experience at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, and their playing careers include selections to all-state high school teams and all-conference awards from the North Central Conference (NCC), a NCAA Division II athletic conference. Both have extensive experience as summer basketball camp coordinators and counselors. Each graduated from college with a degree in education and pursued their passion, coaching basketball, immediately following their playing careers.


Nate Tibbetts Director/Instructor		Nate has recently completed his first year as the Sioux Falls Skyforce head coach. The Skyforce was a member of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) before joining the NBA Developmental League (NBA D-League) in 2006. Prior to being named head coach, Nate served as the Skyforce assistant coach for two seasons. Following his playing career at the University of South Dakota in 2001, Tibbetts was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Sioux Falls. Shane Murphy, who coached Tibbetts as an assistant coach at USD, brought him on board and it was the beginning of a successful four-year run together. In his four seasons at USF, the Cougars posted a record of 92-44 (.676), including two trips to the NAIA Division II national tournament. Tibbetts and Wilber were each assistant coaches for the 2003-04 squad that was the best in school history as they would finish the dream season with 26 wins before falling to Bellevue University (Neb.) 72-60 in the Final Four. Prior to working at USF, Tibbetts enjoyed a stellar playing career at the University of South Dakota. He is second all-time in the USD record books in career assists (687) and steals (215). In addition to playing on three-straight conference championship teams (1999-2001), he was named All-NCC in 2001 and Honorable Mention All-NCC in 1999-00. Tibbetts was a two-year starter for Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School and earned first-team class AA All-State and first-team All-Sioux Interstate conference honors his senior season. Nate has a degree in elementary education and resides in Sioux Falls with his wife, Lyndsey.
Matt Wilber Director/Instructor		Matt Wilber’s coaching experience began at Augustana College where he served on Perry Ford’s staff for the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach. He then joined the University of Sioux Falls and Shane Murphy for the ‘03-04 season in which USF made a run to the NAIA Division II Final Four. During the ‘04-05 and ’05-06 seasons, Wilber was a member of Scott Nagy’s coaching staff at NCAA Division I South Dakota State University. He also coached high school AAU basketball in the summer of 2004 for a Sioux Falls based team. Wilber went to Augustana College as a walk-on with the men’s basketball team. Eventually earning a scholarship, he was a two-year starter for head coach Perry Ford. He finished his career in the top ten for career three-point shooting at Augie. Wilber was named to the Academic All-NCC team as a honorable mention selection in his senior year. In addition to playing basketball for Augie, he was a four-year starter for the Vikings’ baseball team. Wilber attended Dell Rapids Public High School where he finished with over 1,100 points and earned second-team class A All-State honors his senior season. Matt has a degree in secondary education with a focus in health, physical education, and recreation and is completing his master’s degree in Sport Pedagogy (Athletic Administration) from South Dakota State University. He currently resides in Sioux Falls with his wife, Lindsay and their three sons, Ben, A.J., and Nathan.
Josh Mueller Instructor		Josh Mueller has been a standout on the South Dakota basketball scene from his high school playing days at West Central to his collegiate career at the University of South Dakota. Currently, he is pursuing his professional career as a player with his most recent stints coming overseas. Josh will be on staff with TIBBS as an instructor during the summer months.For the past two seasons, Mueller has played in the top professional leagues in both Finland and Holland. He also spent time in the 2nd Bundesliga in Germany. Prior to playing overseas, he played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Mueller finished his career at USD as one of their all-time greats. He is the career leader in assists (801), steals (256), and 3-point field goal makes (308). He is also 2nd all-time in points scored at USD (1,994). He was an integral part of the 2005 North Central Conference Tournament Championship team, which also won a school record 27 games. Mueller was a 2-time Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Finalist, which includes the top 16 guards in the nation. He was also a three-time selection to the NCC All-Conference Team. Mueller’s high school career at West Central included two state championships in 2000 and 2001 along with a runner-up finish in 1999. He is currently 3rd all-time in points scored in South Dakota with 2,563 points. Mueller also holds the state tournament record for most points with 147 in 3 games. He was named to the Class A All-State Team 3 times and was a member of the Argus Leader First Five his junior and senior seasons and on the second team as a sophomore.
Dylan Kvaale Instructor		Dylan Kvaale currently is an assistant coach at the University of Sioux Falls where he also played collegiately. He was a third-team All-America selection his senior year, averaging 17 points per game and helping lead his team to a GPAC title. As a junior, he was named to the second-team of the GPAC Conference for the conference champion Cougars. He had more than 1,300 points in his career, which puts him in the top 10 in USF history. An Ellsworth, MN. native, Kvaale led his high school team to a runner-up finish in Class A boys basketball and a 30-3 record. He was all-conference and all-area two years and an honorable mention all-state selection. As a student at USF, he majored in history and education and spent the fall semester student teaching at Memorial Middle School as an eighth grade history teacher. In the spring, he has become a graduate student and plans to earn his master's in education.
Brock Rops Instructor		Brock Rops is in his 9th year teaching at Sioux Falls Christian High School. As a college player, Brock helped lead the Mount Marty College Lancers to a first place finish in the SDIC with a 12-2 conference record and a 23-9 record overall in 1998. The Lancers lost to eventual champions Bethel College (IN) in the semifinals of the NAIA national tournament that year. Brock averaged 13 points and 6 rebounds his senior year and led the team in assists, steals and blocked shots. He was 3rd team all-conference and a 1998 Academic All-American. In high school, Brock played in two championship games for the Lennox Orioles finishing runner-up in 1992 and 1993. Lennox attained a record of 43-4 with Brock as a varsity player, including a 15-2 mark against AA teams. Brock currently coaches track at Sioux Falls Christian and served as the head girls’ basketball coach from 2003-2007.
Dave Nour Instructor		Dave Nour’s playing experience is extensive in South Dakota. He was a 1st team all-state player in 2001 for Armour High School where he averaged 28 points per game as a senior. He was the runner-up for Mr. Basketball to Josh Mueller in the same year. Following high school, Dave attended Dakota Wesleyan University for two years before transferring to the University of South Dakota. At DWU, he was a two time all-conference performer in the GPAC and was a two-time NAIA All-American honorable mention. He was the GPAC Freshman of the year for the 2002 season. He scored over 1,000 points in his two years at Dakota Wesleyan. At USD, he was two year starter and an integral part of the NCC Conference Tournament Champion team that advanced to the NCAA national tournament. Currently, Dave is an elementary teacher and basketball coach for the Sioux Falls Lutheran Schools.
Shane Murphy Instructor		Shane Murphy is currently in his seventh season as the head coach of the University of Sioux Falls men’s basketball program. Under Murphy’s tutelage, the Cougars have tallied a record of 142-60 (76-28 GPAC) and a winning percentage of .703. He has led USF to the NAIA National Tournament four times, including a trip to the NAIA Final Four in the 2003-04 season. Coach Murphy began his collegiate playing days at Drake University, but transferred to the University of South Dakota in the fall of 1992. In 1994, Murphy earned All-North Central Conference and All-Academic honors. Also in ’94, the Coyotes won the conference and regional titles and advanced to the Elite 8 round of the national tournament for the second straight year. Murphy began his coaching career at the University of South Dakota as an assistant coach. Shane resides in Sioux Falls with his wife, Jill, and daughters, Allison and Emma.
Travis Traphagen Instructor		Travis Traphagen is entering his first season as the head coach of the University of Sioux Falls women's basketball program. Traphagen was an assistant coach at USF for the 2007-08 season. Before that he was an assistant women's basketball coach at Augustana College since 2001. Traphagen played college basketball for three years at Black Hills State, where he was a two-time all-conference selection, including team Co-Captain and Co-MVP during the 1999 season. During Traphagen’s college career, the Yellow Jackets won three consecutive South Dakota Intercollegiate conference championships. He currently holds the Yellow Jackets single season record for made 3-pointers (97) set during the 1997-98 season.

1601 W 44th PL, Suite 4 - Sioux Falls, SD 57105 | (605) 271-5789 | tibbsbasketball@yahoo.com