Flatten Soaring in Senior Season

By Andrew Sogn
SDSU Assistant Sports Information Director

It's the middle of January 2016, 6 a.m., and Skyler Flatten is tired.

Not the typical college student tired, balancing the stress of academics, a part-time job and a social life.

Not the student-athlete version of tired where early-morning workouts, hours of film have become the norm.

No. This morning, Skyler is tired of pain.

Tired of not being able to get out of bed without a tinge in his back. Tired of not being able to walk across campus without feeling his knees grind.

Tired of looking at a basketball and wondering if he'll ever get another chance to become the ballplayer he felt destined to become when he signed an NLI to join the Jackrabbits.

There have been glimpses of that player to this point in his career.

Fans can recollect his thunderous dunk in the 2015 Summit League Tournament against Western Illinois with ease. He remembers scoring 11 in his collegiate debut and following it up with another 13 at Idaho.

Those who have followed Flatten longer remember how the Clark-Willow Lake High School product averaged 24 points, seven rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game over his final two seasons, earning two McDonald's All-American nominations while picking it up All-State honors in 2012 and 2013.

Glimpses, but not a full resume.

At 6 a.m., that's a lot on the mind of a sophomore.

Too much.

"There were a lot of moments where I was thinking this wasn't for me," Flatten remembers. "There were times I didn't like basketball. It hurt to do it every single day.

"I had problems with my knees going back to high school, and I remember during that year questioning whether or not I should play, but I never wanted to quit."

That drive kept him afloat during two seasons stolen by shaky knees; a redshirt campaign in 2013-14 and the injury-hijacked 2015-16 year.

That drive allowed Jackrabbit fans to see the full version of Flatten, and his teammates to see what it means to never give up.

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Another flashback. This time, to a happier memory.

It's Nov. 20, 2018 and the Jackrabbits are soaking up the sun in Fort Myers, Florida while it rains on UTSA.

Raining buckets poured on by Flatten and his State teammates.

Bang. The sixth-year senior hits his first 3-pointer at the 17:01 of the first half.
Then again, again and again.

Over the next hour and half, the 6-6 guard has buried five more from deep, gone 10-of-11 from the field and finished with a career-high 28 points to help the team roll to a 20-point victory.

This performance came alongside a record-breaking day from Flatten's teammate Mike Daum, and though overshadowed in the media, was nothing short of a statement.

Flatten won't be denied, no matter who's watching.

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Plenty of folks were tuned in when Flatten signed a letter of intent in 2012, committing his basketball future to the Jackrabbits. The program was on the upswing, having overcome the early struggles of transitioning to Division I while setting a course for its current run of success.

After a few visits, offers from local mid-majors and laying out the pros and cons, Flatten signed on the dotted line for State.

"I knew what SDSU was and what I was getting myself into," he says. "It was good time for me to come here."

Having played high school basketball less than 70 miles, Flatten is outspoken about the importance of his family and the blessings that have come from having them nearby.

"SDSU was in my backyard, and I remember thinking how cool it would be to play in my home state. I wanted my whole family to be able to see me play, and it turned out to be so important to have them with me when I went through the injuries. It meant a lot to have them support me."

The Clark native arrived on campus as budding star, and after the redshirt season was spent in the weight room, he made an immediate impact for South Dakota State while growing up in front of Jackrabbit fans in 2014-15.

"Those first couple of games I played pretty well. My first official game was against Buffalo and I think I had 11, and then at Idaho I had 13. It was a fun year."

The scoring totals and playing time dipped when George Marshall returned to the lineup in mid-December, though the lessons and maturation continued.

"I learned a lot that season about how to handle myself," Flatten says. "How to be a collegiate player and just approach the game."

After a successful year that ended with that soaring slam in Sioux Falls, though, the injuries of the past came back to haunt him.

Flatten knew something needed to be done, so he stepped away.

Not from the team, nor from the school he committed his future to, but from the court on a regular basis, focusing instead of strengthening and rehabbing his body to ensure he would never again be grounded.

"I picked up a basketball during that season to do some form shooting, but at that point I just wanted to get healthy and get my knees and legs stronger. It was a struggle. I really wanted to play but knew if I did it'd just set me back," Flatten says while remembering the tough times.

It wasn't all bad.

He was along for the ride as the Jacks won the 2016 tournament and nearly upset No. 5 seeded Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.

Still, something was missing. The game he loved.

Flatten returned to the game in 2016-17, though it came with a cautious approach as he worked through the nagging fear of being hurt again.

"I had to get it out of my head, and it just took a while. Once I learned to trust my knees things really took off."

Lifted-off, more like it, as the high-flying senior has helped the team to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and entered 2018-19 on a tear, having led the Summit League in 3-point percentage a year ago.

"Last year was the first time that I felt a part of what was going on." Flatten smiles. "I really took on a leadership role and had a lot of things on my shoulders. There were a lot of good moments and I'm proud of the fact that I stuck through the hard times and started to feel the benefits of winning that fight."

After earning a sixth-year from the NCAA through a tedious appeals process, Flatten is having another go-around for his senior season, taking time to soak in the experience.

"I don't want this year to hurry up at all," Flatten laughs. "I'm cherishing everything."

It's not a ceremonious victory lap for the veteran, however. Already past the midway point of the regular season, Flatten has played the second-most minutes nationally while sitting third on the team in scoring (15.2 points per game) with 52 treys through 21 games.

"Skyler is really the unsung hero of this season," head coach T.J. Otzelberger boasts. "He's a tremendous leader for us not only on the court, where he's put in some serious minutes, but also in the locker room as a mentor for our young guys."

Flatten laughs at the praise and shirks the compliment, instead approaching his role as a "pay-it-forward" endorser.

Just as George Marshall and Deondre Parks encouraged him as a young player, he's passing on the lessons to this year's crop of newcomers.

"I tell them the same thing that I was told when I was younger," Flatten says. "Mistakes happen. A lot of them. It's important though to just stay level-headed and move on."

The encouragement is beneficial, but so is what the rookies are getting to witness on the court: a veteran approaching each game as a challenge and an opportunity to do great things.

"I went into the year telling myself I was going to be aggressive, no matter what," Flatten declares.

The approach has paid off, bringing the consistency and confidence he sought after during the early years on campus. Though the numbers may contradict his own statement, Flatten insists he wasn't that good of a shooter when he arrived at SDSU.

"I could shoot well, but I wasn't this good," he says. "This year, though, I feel like I make every single shot I take. When you take that the number of shots I've taken, it just becomes second nature.

"I've always said if you're going to shoot the ball, you should know it's going in. Otherwise, don't shoot it."

Remember the Skyler Flatten whose confidence was shaken before an early-morning trek to the training room? That young man is gone.

In his place is a mature leader who has bigger things on his mind. Things like a fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, winning another Summit League title, and leaving an impact that goes beyond his final stats.

"Skyler has left a mark on this program that not many in-state kids could have done," teammate and fellow senior Mike Daum shares. "Sky's unique ability to not only be a great teammate, but a great friend on-and-off the court while being 100 percent genuine is something you just don't see often. He's leaving a legacy that will impact so many Jackrabbits to come."

What will Flatten's legacy be?

A common question for a senior, but not a common answer.

"I want to be known as one of the best teammates who played here," Flatten says. "I want to be known as a good person who tried his best to make others better, took on challenges every day and never gave up, no matter how hard things were."

This story ran in the Jan. 24 version of the The Bum, South Dakota State's official Jackrabbit basketball program.

-GoJacks.com-

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