Season Preview: Skyforce Locked and Loaded for the 2025-26 Season
Carter Mix /November 7, 2025
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On Friday, November 7th, the Sioux Falls Skyforce will kick off their season at 6:00 PM CST at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit against the Motor City Cruise. “We've been itching, these guys have been working so hard behind the scenes. I think we're all just raring and ready to go just to get that first game underway”, said Dan Bisaccio ahead of his second season as the head coach of the Skyforce.
The Skyforce have a unique situation for the 2025-26 season. The Skyforce have zero returning players from last years team.
“The most important thing when you go into training camp, whether you have all new guys, different guys, and even the same, you're always trying to build connection.” Bisaccio said. “So, when you talk about connection, it's important to do that on the court okay. That means communication. That means calling out, a standard or something not happening. Not being afraid of that type of confrontation. That's that two-way communication that you're able to have with each other.”
In 2024-25 it was quite the year for the Skyforce. The Miami Heat won the 2024 NBA Summer League Championship, and when the G League season got under way the Skyforce went all the way to finals in the 2024 NBA G League Winter Showcase Cup, before ultimately falling to Westchester Knicks. The Skyforce finished the 2024-25 season 18-16 which was good for 7th place in the Western Conference but fell short of making the playoffs.
The Skyforce’s new addition Trevor Keels is focusing on one thing at a time.
“I think we got to take one game at a time, win one game at a time, start winning now. Every week, every game. I think that's the most important thing.”
Similar to his players, Bisaccio is instilling that championship mindset.
“Udonis Haslem always says it. He quotes it as, how you do one thing is how you do everything. And that's true with us in a championship mindset. We want to bring that every day and every drill and practice, every game, every piece of the game, whether you're up twenty, whether you're down twenty, you want to have a championship mindset because we're building habits.”
The Skyforce may have a completely new team, but the culture has never been stronger. Keels says the Heat and Skyforce is like one big family.
“I feel like here is just, way more connected. Starting with the up top. You know, we had the GM here. They reach out to us. You know the vets up there reach out to us making sure we're doing good. I think the biggest thing is, you know, the Heat. They got a lot of people that played in the G League, so they understand the path. They understand how hard it is, and I think that's what I love about here is, you feel that family love. You feel like everybody's here for you. They're going to get the best out of you.”
Keels who was drafted by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft will look to be a key factor for Skyforce this season. Last season Keels played for the Iowa Wolves, and averaged 19.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3,7 assists, and 1 steal a game last year.
2-way player Vladislav Goldin is also new to area, but the culture remains strong with him as well.
“All I want to do is win, and I feel like that's the most important thing as an athlete you can do, because if you don't win, everything goes away. Your stats, your personal goals, your personal achievements, but if you win as a team that changes everything and changes everything for everybody.”
Goldin went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft but played a big role in getting Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to the final four in 2023 earning all-conference honors along the way. Goldin transferred to Michigan for his last season in college and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors and won the Big Ten Tournament MVP award.
When asked about his high-level experience Goldin said “I played at FAU which is a smaller school where you are a underdog. Then I played at Michigan, where we were favorites in a lot of the games. So, it’s just understanding perspective, it doesn't matter who you play or who plays against you, the team who wants it more usually is going to win that game. So, just stay hungry and everything else is going to be fine.”
Cam Carter was drafted 6th overall by the Skyforce in the 2025 NBA G league Draft. Carter attended the historic Oak Hill Academy in high school.
When asked how attending a historic school like that helped elevate his game Carter said
“I would say it opened my eyes to the hoop world a lot, because I was coming from a 5A school, but in Louisiana where we are more of a football state. So, just facing competition that is just as good as me every day elevated my game”
Carter played his Senior season at Louisiana State University (LSU) for the 2024-25 season. Where he averaged 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals a game.
Josh Cohen was selected by the Skyforce with the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NBA G League Draft.
Cohen played his senior season at the University of Southern California (USC), where he averaged 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds.
When asked about what it means to him to be drafted by the Skyforce Cohen said
“Means a lot, you know, it's nice to have somebody believe in you and, coming into training camp, you know, you've still got to make the team. So, it's been great. It's been a great environment. We've had a lot of fun, and it's been a good experience so far.”
The season will begin like always with the Showcase Cup which consists of a 16-game season followed by a single elimination tournament to find a 2025 NBA G League Winter Showcase Champion. After a Winter Showcase Champion is crowned, teams will then begin competing in a 36-game regular season. The playoffs for the NBA G League have been expanded. Previously only six teams from each conference made the playoffs, but this number has now been expanded to eight for the upcoming season. Sixteen teams will then battle to make the NBA G League Finals which takes place in April.
The Skyforce open the season against the Motor City Cruise in Detroit and coach Bisaccio is all business heading into the season.
“We're always going to try and win. Okay, we're going to go for it. It doesn't matter if it's the tip off, it doesn't matter if it's scrimmage or whatever it is. We're going to try and win the thing. It's the same thing I'm going to instill in these guys this year is why not? Let's go for it.”
Tickets for the first two home games of the season against the Noblesville Boom (November 12 and 14) can be purchased online or by calling the Skyforce office at 605-332-0605.