SPEARFISH - The Black Hills State men's basketball team is off to a 6-1 start to the season, and the Yellow Jackets' success is being driven by its own version of the Fab Five.

BHSU entered the season unranked in the NAIA poll but after some convincing wins - including a 97-92 victory over then No. 8 Dakota Wesleyan in the season opener - the Yellow Jackets vaulted all the way to No. 11 in the first regular season rankings with a 6-1 mark.

"That win over Dakota Wesleyan was huge for us," BHSU head coach Paul Sather said. "For a team with a bunch of sophomores to go in and beat a team picked to win the GPAC was a big confidence builder. It showed us what we are capable of."

Success has come behind a starting five comprised entirely of sophomores. Spencer Childress, Clay Pottorff, Cain Atkinson, Will John Johnson and Luke Enos represent the Yellow Jackets' standout sophomore class, and each brings something different to the team.

"Each one of those guys is leading our team in a different category so far this season," Sather said.

Balance is in the numbers with five Yellow Jacket players scoring in double figures led by Atkinson's 16 points per game. Johnson is a beast on the boards grabbing nearly 13 a game, Childress is responsible for dishing the ball to the shooters accumulating four helpers a game, Enos leads in minutes played and blocks and Pottorff has the team lead in steals at nearly two a game.

"They are a good, young, fun group but we are not close to where we need to be and just have to keep trying to get better," Sather said. "We don't have one guy that we rely on each night. We have to make sure we have good balance and that every guy shows up each night ready to play.

"It is exciting to know that you are dealing with good kids that you will have for this year and two more years. It is an exciting time and then adding a player like (Lead-Deadwood's) Tanner Adler who has already committed for next year will only help."

While the Yellow Jackets may not have the one go-to guy defined just yet, Atkinson has proven himself to be a big-time player in pressure situations thanks to a couple of last-second game-winning buckets on his resume already.

"He is an 89 percent free-throw shooter who has shown a knack for making plays," Sather said. "But a lot of our guys do, they just do it in different ways like rebounding or through matchups."

While the five sophomores have been impressive, Sather is quick to point out that the contributions the team gets from players off the bench is equally important.

"Guys like Randy Herman, A.J. Fodness and Aaron Sutton are all guys off the bench who provide leadership and have key roles for us."

Like most coaches, Sather still sees plenty of room for improvement with his squad starting on the defensive end.

"We are plus nine in rebounding right now but we are giving up too high a percentage of 3-pointers," he said.

The Yellow Jackets' lone loss on the season came at home to Rocky Mountain, but BHSU turned around and gave the same team its first loss of the season on its court four days later.

Resiliency like that has the Yellow Jackets expecting to contend for the Dakota Athletic Conference title.

"My gut tells me this team is good enough and next year we may be better, but we don't want to wait because you never know what might happen," Sather said.

The competition for that top spot should be thick as Sather said the balance in the league is as good as he has seen in his four seasons with the team.

However, you get the feeling he would put his Fab Five up against just about anyone and like his chances.