Photos of Dane Hagler’s special night taken by Mojo Hill.
Hagler falls back while attempting a three.
Hagler and teammate Remy Davis Warrington reset between plays.
Hagler chats with Jamestown’s Trey Skoglund, an Oakes, N.D., native, while waiting for free throws.
Dalen Leftbear directs his attention at Hagler.
The North Star student section gazes on at Hagler’s deep shot attempt.
Hagler gets in defensive position.
Hagler runs down the floor.
Hagler looks down the court to prepare for the next possession.
Hagler and teammates sign autographs after the game.
Hagler is pictured with his mom, dad and younger brother Hunter.
CANDO — Dane Hagler hung around long after the game had ended, hunched before a line of excited kids.
Hagler and his Lake Region State College teammates signed shirts, posters and little foam basketballs. They posed for selfies. They waited into the late night for each and every kid, crammed into the tight hallway of the North Star Public School gym in Cando.
With beaming smiles, some kids bragged about how they’d gotten autographs from every player on the team. Others were excited that Hagler, in particular, had signed one of their items.
“No,” Hagler said with a laugh, when asked if he’d signed that many autographs before. “Not even close.”
For one special night, Hagler returned to the gym where he’d spent his childhood.
The LRSC basketball teams hosted Jamestown JV in Cando on Wednesday. Hagler, a sophomore on the Royals, played his first game at North Star since Feb. 15, 2024. Swarms of family, friends and community members came out to support him.
“I thought the crowd was awesome tonight. They were fired up for Dane,” LRSC men’s basketball coach Jared Marshall said. “It was a lot of fun. It looks like he had a lot of fun. I mean, kids are around here asking for autographs and stuff. This is what you hope for when you set this up.”
The gym — a vintage Class B setup with minimal sideline space and small sets of bleachers — was packed.
“It was cool to see all the kids out here, all the people coming to support us,” Hagler said. “A lot of Cando people, a lot of familiar faces that came to the high school games, too. So it just meant a lot to see that many people here.”
As a North Star Bearcat, Hagler accumulated 2,153 points. His storied career ended in a trip to the 2024 Division B state championship game.
Hagler largely credits his success to many of the same people who were in that gym Wednesday night.
“Coaches, family, friends — everything,” Hagler said. “Fans. It’s everything that comes down to it at the end. So it means a lot to see everything from those people and everyone in the stands here tonight.”
Hagler starred in three primary sports in high school: baseball, basketball and football. He also competed in golf and track and field.
He’s one of three brothers in his family. Growing up in Cando, with a population of just over 1,000, they had constant access to the gym.
“We spent a lot of nights up here,” said his father, Corey. “I brought all three of my boys up here, and we had a lot of fun nights up here. But when you’re playing three sports, too, you’ve got to dedicate to the other ones. So you’ve got to sometimes pick and choose, but yet, you’ve still got to put the time in the gym.”
As a senior in high school, Hagler committed to play baseball at the University of Jamestown. He ended up transferring closer to home last winter, joining the LRSC baseball team right away. At the time, he made plans with Marshall to join the basketball team for his sophomore season.
After a year away from the hardwood, he’s getting one last ride as a basketball player.
“I’m glad he actually decided to come back to LR, and where he’s happy and having a good time,” Corey said. “He’s having good success with them, and he’s really having a good time. He seems to gel with all the players, and made a lot of friends, I think. So yeah, it’s been fun.”
Hagler took some time to settle into his role, with a minor early-season injury.
Since he returned to full health, he’s thrived. He’s averaging 11.8 points per game. And, after 13 points on his home floor Wednesday night, he’s scored in double figures seven games in a row.
Hagler is shooting 50% overall and 31.3% from three-point range. He’s adding about four rebounds a game.
“He’s just all-around for us,” Marshall said. “He can score it, shoot it. He guards, rebounds. He’s just an all-around player for us, and we’re lucky to have him.”
Hagler has carried some of the scoring load alongside Four Winds alum Dalen Leftbear. Both have become consistent starters on the Royals.
“I feel the chemistry is definitely coming together,” Hagler said. “We’re struggling to win games right now, but we’re right there. We just need to figure it out down this last stretch, win a couple games and fight for the conference. It’s wide open right now.”
After some tough conference losses as of late, the Royals got to let loose a little on Wednesday night. They beat a six-man Jamestown JV team 99-75, extending their lead as wide as 17 points in the first half and into the 20s in the second.
Hagler said he had “big-time” nerves in the early going.
He went 0-for-3 from three in the first half. On his first attempt, an audible “Aw” echoed from the crowd as Hagler shot from an open corner.
“A lot of adrenaline going right away,” Hagler said. “Shots were going deep. That was the biggest thing I noticed right away.”
Hagler’s first point was a free throw that put LRSC ahead, 12-11. Shortly thereafter, he landed a long two-pointer.
The Royals separated themselves with a 7-0 run, growing their lead into double digits. During that stretch, Hagler threw a long pass down to Leftbear, who converted the layup.
On LRSC’s next possession, Hagler had the ball in the low post. Instead of putting up the shot right away, he drove forward, leapt in the air and somehow pulled off a dunk.
Needless to say, that one got a reaction from the crowd.
“Just wanted to get a dunk today,” Hagler said. “All of the kids loved it in high school, so I figured I’d try to get one. And I saw an open lane, and took it and punched it.”
Hagler looked a little calmer in the second half. He landed his first triple of the game and got to the rim a couple of times.
All in all, 13 points in a college game in front of his hometown fans wasn’t a bad showing. He added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
For the small town of Cando, this game was a long time coming.
“It was pretty cool bringing it back here, because a lot of people have been talking about it for two months now,” Corey said. “So it has been big for our town.”
Corey’s youngest son, Hunter, is similar to Dane in that he excels in football, basketball and baseball. Hunter is currently a starter on the North Star basketball team, which has won eight games in a row.
Wednesday was Corey’s last time watching Dane play a game on the North Star court.
There are only so many games left for Hunter, too.
“It is sad,” Corey said. “It’s kind of nearing to an end. And I don’t know what Hunter is going to do, if he’s going to go on, or what’s going to go on there. So we could be seeing the end of it all here, coming to a quick halt for me.”
Whatever the future holds, the Haglers sure had a night to remember. After Dane finally got through the giant line of kids waiting for autographs, he came back out to the floor. Most people had gone home already.
Still in full uniform, he posed for a picture with his parents and Hunter before hopping on the late-night bus back to Devils Lake, the rest of his season — and his life — awaiting him.
