Nebraska high school boys basketball preseason Top 25 (12/4/2023)

The first SBLive Nebraska high school boys basketball Top 25

The beginning of the 2023-24 season feels similar to this time a year ago. 

Bellevue West looked like the best squad in the land, and the Thunderbirds went on to prove that unequivocally. How dominant Bell West was, however, was a surprise. 

As the season tips off this week, the T-Birds again stand atop the rankings, though it looks like another dominant run that includes an unbeaten season looks unlikely. 

In Class B, there appears to be just a handful of teams that have a chance at winning a state title. 

In Class C-1, how Wahoo reloads after several graduations and deals with another first-round state loss will both be interesting storylines to follow.

1. Bellevue West (29-0, Class A State Champions) 

Josiah Dotzler was the face of the program and the face of Nebraska boys high school basketball last season. His departure certainly leaves a hole, but more than enough talent remains to potentially keep Bellevue West on top.

Senior Jaden Jackson is a South Dakota State commit who averaged 14.7 points per game and just over two rebounds. Three others return who each played in all 29 games and there are four total, not counting Jackson, who were all-state honorable mention awardees. Jacob Arop missed four games and mostly came off the bench, but he was arguably the sparkplug and the tone-setter of the team.

The Thunderbirds only played one game within single digits and averaged wins by over 26 points. It may not be that dominant again, but few predicted the dominance of Bell West last season. With so much back there will be a chance to once again be head and shoulders above the competition.

The T-Birds have played in five of the past six championship games and have made state for six seasons in a row. They look like another lock to play in Lincoln, but there will be a new man at the helm this winter following the retirement of Doug Woodard. Woodard captained the ship for 25 years and led Bell West to six state titles.

Steve Klein steps into his spot following 11 years as Woodard’s assistant. His coaching career also includes stops at Elkhorn and Plattsmouth. Coaching 101 says not to be the guy who follows the guy, but Klein has more than enough remaining on the roster to keep the momentum rolling.

2. Millard North (23-5, Class A State Runner-Up)

The Mustangs were in the same position last year as Bellevue West is this year – welcoming in a new head coach after the retirement of a legend.

Tim Cannon helped usher in the greatest era of Millard North basketball by leading the program to back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. The Mustangs also played in the 2020 championship but came up short to Bellevue West.

Also like the T-Birds, the Mustangs promoted a long-time assistant in Mike Etzelmiller. Etzelmiller had been with the program for 13 years when he was promoted to the head position. His first year of leadership kept Millard North right near the top. The Mustangs played in their fourth straight state title game and won more than 20 games also for the fourth year in a row.

They should be there again on a roster that still has first-team all-state honoree Elijah Gaeth as well as honorable mention selections Neal Mosser and Camden Monie.

Millard North's losses last year came at the hands of Bellevue West twice, Westside, Prep and a team from New Jersey.

3. Gretna (20-5, Class A State Semifinals)

Gretna has been running to catch up with Bellevue West and Millard North each of the past two years but has settled for semifinal losses to one then the other. The Dragons came the closest of any team to preventing another Bell West/Westside state championship game but gave up a layup with 13.8 seconds left and suffered a 54-52 defeat to the Mustangs.

Gretna will try and regroup this winter with a returning group highlighted by all-state first-team member Landon Pokorski and honorable mention selection Alex Wilcoxson.

Gretna’s only losses last season were by one point to Prep, one point to Millard North in overtime, five points to North Star, two to Millard North at state and 11 to Bellevue West. The Dragons were one of the better defensive teams in Nebraska – allowing an average of less than 50 points per game.

4. Creighton Prep (19-7, Lost in District Final)

Prep missed out on state a year ago because of a 47-42 loss to Lincoln Southeast. The Junior Jays had defeated the Knights in the same gym just about three weeks earlier but then went cold in the fourth quarter, managed just one basket until the final 15 seconds and saw state hopes drift away. Gretna, another surprise district loser, earned the only wild card spot to state. Prep was left as the first team off the state tournament bracket.

The Junior Jays started 2022/23 3-3 then went 16-4 the rest of the way, handed Millard North one of its five defeats and picked up other impressive wins over Westside, Kearney, Gretna and Papio South.

Dillon Claussen returns as an all-state honorable mention selection along with four others who played in 23 or more contests.

5. Omaha Westside (19-8, Class A State Semifinals)

Westside has had some good teams recently but unfortunately not quite good enough to get over the hump against various other powerhouse programs.

Each of the past five seasons has included at least 17 wins and four trips to state. However, once in Lincoln, Westside is just 2-4 since 2019. Three of those losses have come by five points or less.

Kevin Stubblefield, a first-team all-state player last year, and all-state honorable mention honoree Caleb Benning will try and push the Warriors over the top this winter.

Westside was the only team to play Bell West to within single digits last winter when the two met in late February. The TBirds hit a three with 10 seconds left in overtime while trailing 78-77 and denied the Warriors 80-78.

Westside was 10-8 against teams with a winning record and jumped out to an 8-1 start. The Warriors have played in two championship games in the past 20 years but haven’t won a title since 1980.

6. Papillion-La Vista South (15-8, Lost in District Final)

Papio South has been surging recently. Although the program has yet to win a game at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Titans have been at state in three of the past four seasons. The one that missed was last year following a district title loss to Elkhorn South.

The Storm graduated six seniors from the 2021 squad that played in all 24 games and reloaded with a group that averaged a higher point total, shot a better percentage and made more three-pointers. Elkhorn South hopes that can be the case in 2023/24 following the loss of five players who earned their diplomas this past May. Those five accounted for 92% of the scoring, 71% of the rebounds and all but 18 of the team’s 191 threes.

There aren’t any all-state players remaining on the roster but there are two who played in 20 or more games. Lincoln Schwarz played in all 24 games as a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward/center and averaged just under five points and five rebounds. Owen Musil also played in all 24 games as a 6-3 sophomore guard who averaged three points and a rebound. Aidan Skradis was a 6-2 junior guard who averaged three points and a rebound.

Plus, the program added transfers Montae Brown (Westside), Wes Frost (Gretna) and Jacob Young (Millard West) who each earned a letter at their last school.

7. Lincoln Southwest (15-9, Lost in District Final)

The Silver Hawks limped to the finish line over the final five weeks of last year’s schedule, going 6-5 before losing 76-72 to East in the district final. Defense was an issue at times. Southwest allowed more than 70 points in seven contests. That led to an average margin of defeat of over 11 points and four losses by differences such as 13 against Gretna, 11 against Millard North, 29 against Westside and 16 in the first matchup with East.

Junior shooting guard Chuck Love and junior forward Braden Frager are back on a roster that includes four others who appeared in at least 23 games. Love and Frager are a pair of all-state honorable mention selections who averaged a total of 28 points between one another. Frager is a Nebraska basketball recruit who will reclassify, graduate high school early and join the program this summer.

Southwest has made the state tournament just one time in school history – the 2009 runner-up season that ended with a 34-31 championship loss to Prep.

8. Lincoln Southeast (16-10, State Tournament)

Southeast started the 2022/23 season with a win over Westside then struggled to find consistency for several weeks. The Knights were 5-6 in early January, won seven in a row but then dropped three straight. However, those three losses came to Prep, Bell West and Kearney.

Seven of the ten setbacks were by single digits, and five came by margins of five or less. It was a season with a ton of close calls. Even when Southeast won, eight times it was within eight points.

Jake Hilkemann was an all-state honorable mention forward on that squad while Taye Moore also earned honorable mention as a combo guard. Three others who played in at least 23 of the 26 games are also back on the roster.

Following the theme of the season, Southeast lost a first-round state game to Gretna 60-53. It was the first time the Knights had played at state in nine years. Southeast hasn’t won a game at state since 2010.

9. Kearney (17-8, Lost in District Final)

Kearney had the luxury of easing into the season last winter thanks to an opening stretch that featured just two teams that finished with a winning record. Overall, the Bearcats played 15 games against teams above .500, leaving Kearney with a stiff test over the final two months. They only lost consecutive games twice and went 7-8 overall facing teams with a winning record.

Graduating Jack Dahlgren is a big loss, but Ben Johnson and Asher Endorf were selected as all-state players and bring back the second and third-highest scoring averages on the team. Kearney was one of the better three-point shooting teams in the state – averaging 34% while hitting nearly 200 total shots from beyond the arc.

10. Lincoln North Star (17-9, State Tournament)

North Star advanced to state for just the fourth time in school history last March when the Navigators took down Gretna. That result was the reason why Prep didn’t earn the wildcard into state. The Dragons took that spot card spot and left the Bluejays at home from state for the first time since 2014.

You won’t find North Star shedding any tears for Prep. The Gators last made it to state in 2019 and have just three wins all-time in the tournament. A matchup with Bellevue West in the first round ended the trip quickly, but it provided what North Star hopes is a stepping stone to continued success.

The Navigators will try and repeat that success with the help of all-state honorable mention players Lazerek Houston and KG Gatwech.

The top two scorers from a year ago have graduated, but Houston and Gatwech provide consistency at the guard position to build around in the starting lineup. Marquee wins last year included Prep, Kearney, Lincoln High and the district title over Gretna. Five of nine losses came by five points or fewer.

11. Lincoln Pius X (14-11, Lost in District Semifinal)

The Thunderbolts were 13-5 at the end of January and coming off a 62-54 win over Kearney when the season went slightly off track. Pius closed the schedule with losses in five of six then suffered a defeat to the same Kearney team in district play when the offense mustered just 14 points in the first half. Pius has had a winning season each of the past eight years and has been to state five times during that span. The loss to Kearney ended hopes for three trips to Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Thunderbolts will try and return this year with the return of the top two scorers, Treyson Anderson (14.6 PPG, 10.3 RPG) and Adam Searcey (9.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG), plus four others who all played in 20 or more games.

12. Omaha Bryan (13-10, Lost in District Semifinal)

The emergence of A’mare Bynum plus a large senior class propelled Bryan from six wins in 2022 to 13 in 2023. The Bears didn’t beat any of the big boys but had quality wins over Central, Lincoln High and Omaha North. Bynum was already receiving national recruiting attention then had a big summer and has been updated as a four-star by some recruiting services. That has earned the attention of Nebraska, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State and 14 other power-six programs. The obvious question is whether or not Bynum can keep the Bryan train rolling with more of a focus on limiting his impact. The 6-foot-7 junior has fellow all-state honorable mention selection Amir Martin (11.2 PPG) in his senior season as another option to relieve the pressure. And, overall, those two should already be used to the attention since they were the top two scorers last year. Building around them will be crucial for success. Two others played in 22 or more games.

13. Omaha Central (14-10, Lost in District Semifinal)

The Eagles won 19 games in 2022 thanks to a roster loaded heavily with senior experience. The program then turned over to two juniors who had each played in 25 games or more and added Devin Holmon. Holmon earned all-state honorable mention honors with 10.2 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. The other two returning juniors, who became seniors, split when Jdyn Bullion transferred to Bellevue West. Awit Mamer returned and led the Eagles with averages of 14 points and six rebounds. Holmon is the face of the program this winter along with Illinois offensive line recruit Caleb Pyfrom. Central won eight of 10 to start the schedule but then struggled to 6-8 over after Jan. 6. The schedule stiffened up with the likes of Gretna, Millard North, Prep, Bellevue West and Elkhorn South. Central lost to Northeast 51-47 on Feb. 9 when the Rockets turned an eight-point halftime deficit into a four-point lead to start the fourth. The district semifinal rematch was another close one that ended in a 58-52 Northeast win thanks to the Rockets allowing 10 points in the second and third quarters. It looks like another competitive squad that will hover around the fringes of being good enough to play with the best.

14. Omaha Roncalli (15-8, Lost in District Final)

Roncalli had a strong year that earned it home court for the district final but then had an off night and was held to its lowest total in a season-ending loss to Norris. It was a stunner the Titans took the length of the floor with 9.5 seconds remaining and quieted the home crowd with a three from the left wing just before the buzzer. Three players who were named all-state honorable mention were a part of that heartbreaker and are back for another run this winter – Brady McGill, Hunter Giles and Christian Swift. The loss denied the Crimson Pride a fifth trip to state in a six-year span that stretches back to 2018. It also put an end to a title defense from 2022 that included 21 wins and 12 in a row to end the year. Since 2018, Roncalli has had a championship DNA that includes three trips to the title game and a 7-3 record in Lincoln. With the talent the Crimson Pride have back, championship experience and motivation from the district final loss, Roncalli looks like a hungry team that will stay in the mix in Class B.

15. Crete (19-7, State Tournament)

The Cardinals saw a furious fourth-quarter comeback fall short at the state tournament when Aidan McDowell’s game-tying floater was blocked with under three seconds remaining. Crete was back in Lincoln after a five-year hiatus but gave up 23 points in the first quarter and was chasing the rest of the way. McDowell (15.8 PPG, 2.4 APG) is an all-state honorable mention selection who is also a back-to-back state tennis champion. Six others are back on the roster who each played 20 or more games. Crete started last year 7-0 before Skutt destroyed the Cardinals 66-38 during the first matchup on Dec. 29. More than two months later, Crete had closed the gap and nearly took out the eventual state champs on the biggest stage. Perhaps it’s an overestimation of how the Cardinals will carry that momentum over to this season, but with many pieces back on an already good team, they should be in the mix to decide the Class B title.

16. Norris (17-10, State Tournament)

The Titans were a year ahead of schedule last February when freshman Macoy Folkerts hit a three at the buzzer from the left wing and sent Norris to state for the third time in four seasons. The Class of 2021 ended a nine-year state drought as juniors then reached the semifinals as seniors while posting the highest win total for the program this century. The graduation of those six seniors – the top six scorers – hit the program hard and dropped the Titans to 9-16 in 2022. Norris started 1-4 that year and lost five in a row late January into February. Expectations were for a few more wins and a chance at state in 2023. The Titans mostly traded wins and losses until late in the year when they went to district play with four wins in a row. They made it five after a double-OT victory against Crete then shocked Roncalli on its home floor when Folkerts became a Titan hero. He’s back but he was only a minor factor with just 17 games played and 2.1 points per game. Barret Boesinger enters his junior year coming off an all-state season with 14.9 points per game. Another freshman, Chris Garner Jr., averaged nearly 11 points and six rebounds.

17. Lincoln East (19-6, State Tournament)

Carter Mick, a Nebraska baseball recruit, is one of the most dynamic players in the state. A year ago he grew into a major contributor due to his own skill set and thanks to the benefit of having four senior starters playing around him.

He’s not the only quality player left from that bunch, but he’s the clear No. 1 and likely won’t find it as easy to affect the game when he’s the sole focus of the gameplan.

Perhaps a teammate will step up and relieve the pressure, but that remains to be seen. As part of a mostly six or seven-man rotation a year ago, Mick had eight games with 20 or more points and one with 31.

East has been an irregular participant at state the past two decades. Following eight title game appearances and three championships from 1971 to 2000, the Spartans have gone to state just five times in the past 23 years and failed to win a game in four of those trips. East was 7-3 against other capital city teams last season.

18. Elkhorn South (17-7, State Tournament)

Last winter, the Storm had nearly an identical year as the one before, complete with another trip to state and another first-round loss to Millard North. Elkhorn South played Millard North in a two-possession game on Jan. 27 but then went 5 of 19 from deep at state and never recovered from a 28-8 deficit after the end of the first quarter.

The challenge in creating another chance down in Lincoln will be overcoming the graduation of five players who made up 65 of the 70 points the Storm scored at that game. The biggest loss is guard Alex Noonan and his 13.8 points per game. He had 37 in the state tourney loss.

It looks like a season that could hover around .500 unless the youth on the roster makes a big step. If not, Elkhorn South could struggle for a year then return to prominence. Six players who remain played in 11 or more games last season.

19. Omaha Concordia (24-5, State Semifinals)

It wasn’t too long ago that Concordia was mired in consecutive losing seasons. Until the recent run of state tournaments, the Mustangs had finished below .500 in 10 of 11 years. That’s a distant memory now for a group that has gone 69-14 in the last three years. Concordia lost in overtime of the 2021 semifinals, suffered an early exit in 2022 and lost by a point last winter, again in the semifinals. Quientan McCafferty, a 6-foot-9 senior center, is back to lead the Mustangs after a junior year that earned him first-team all-state honors while scoring 16.3 points per game. Carter Sunde (8 PPG, 5 RPG) and Jack Thrasher (9 PPG, 5 RPG, 4 APG) were selected for honorable mention and also back for the 23/24 squad. Concordia’s only losses last season were to Class B Roncalli and Aurora, state runner-up Auburn, district finalist Lincoln Lutheran and 28-1 Ogallala.

20. Ashland-Greenwood (27-2, Class C-1 State Champions)

Ashland-Greenwood’s basketball history was mostly non-existent until the past four years. The Bluejays went to state twice in their history before ending a 13-year drought in 2020 and making a third trip to Lincoln. The championship in 2022 unseated Auburn from its throne. Last year’s rematch only strengthened Ashland-Greenwood’s grip on the crown. Now the Bluejays are working towards becoming the second three-peat in a row. Brooks Kissinger was named the captain of the Class C-1 All-State Team. He has big shoes to fill, but three juniors who were all-state honorable mention provide a solid foundation to construct another possible championship. Plus, despite Kissinger’s leadership and playmaking ability, Ashland-Greenwood hasn’t depended on a superstar, or superstars, to pick up wins. It’s been a team effort with great defense and complimentary offense. That sort of formula translates from one year to the next.

21. Elkhorn (18-8, State Tournament)

Elkhorn hadn’t been to state in more than a decade when the Antlers broke through in 2020 while they were still in Class A. They were back again as Class B runners-up in 2021 and lost in the first round a year ago. Elkhorn has 24 appearances at state in its history but has yet to win a title. That’s among the leaders in schools that have a lot of trips to state but no trophies. Three returning starters are hoping to change that history. Colin Comstock, Cole Peterson and Luke Howard are each seniors who combined for an average of over 23 points per game last season. Elkhorn started 3-6 last season then went on a seven-game win streak and won 15 of 17 before a 66-61 loss to Crete in Lincoln. The Antlers had beaten the Cardinals earlier in the season and also picked up wins over Skutt, Roncalli, North Platte, Bennington and Waverly.

22. Skutt Catholic (24-3, Class B State Champions)

Skutt’s inclusion on this list is a reflection of the past more than the present. The Skyhawks return just one starter and two other letterwinners from the 2023 state championship squad. That spells doom for most programs. Skutt is not most programs. Four state title games, seven state title game appearances and 21 wins at state since 1999 have made Skutt the model Class B program in the last two-plus decades. The Skyhawks have been through this before, thus, there’s faith the coaching staff can develop quickly and have the team back in contention once March rolls around. Junior Brock Scholl (6-8) is the one returning starter.

23. Ogallala (28-1, State Semifinals)

Teams from out west get a bad rap. In the mind of most basketball fans, there are only a few schools of size out in the panhandle and fewer of significant quality. That’s been proven often when a team with an impressive record comes to Lincoln and gets smashed in the first round of the state tournament. However, there are just as many examples of teams from the west that have records and attention that were legitimately earned. Unfortunately, the former opinion tends to overtake reality. Ogallala is an example of that. The Indians have won over 20 games in four of the past five seasons, been to state in five of the past six and have twice played in the title game including a championship in 2019. Ogallala won a game at state last year before a sub-par performance in the semis. A bounce-back win in the third-place game allowed the Indians to match the 2019 group for the most wins with 28. Jeron Gager graduated as one of the most proficient scorers in school history but freshman Sawyer Smith looks like a ready-made replacement to be a volume scorer. He plus fellow returnees Harrison Caskey and Caden Rezac were each all-state honorable mention players last winter.

24. Elkhorn Mount Michael (12-11, Lost in Subdistrict Semifinals)

A team that was barely above .500 and lost in the first game of the postseason seems like an unlikely candidate for the Top 25. Dig a little deeper and there are reasons for optimism. Harrison Long enters his senior season as one of the most dynamic scorers in Nebraska. The Knights’ shooting guard was a Class B second-team all-state honoree who averaged just over 21 points per game as a junior after averaging over 13 as a sophomore. He had five games with more than 30 points including a 40-burger in a win over Grand Island Northwest. Of course, one player doesn’t make a team, and Long won’t be without help. Six others who played more than 20 games are back on the roster including the leading rebounder, the player with the most assists and the most steals, the player with the most three-pointers made and the player with the most free throws. Maybe most encouraging is the fact that most of those are all different players. So, it seems, Long has a supporting cast. However, those sidekicks will have to take a major step for Mount Michael to return to state after missing each of the past three seasons. None of the other returnees averaged more than seven points per game and the Knights lost five times by more than 20 points. Of the 12 wins, only four came against teams with a winning record.

25. Wahoo (24-2, State Tournament)

It’s not fair, but Wahoo will only be judged on what happens in March. And while that’s been the case for a while at a program that has won 11 state championships, it’s especially true now after a few seasons of what might be considered underachieving, at least on the biggest stage. Following title game appearance in 2017 and a win in 2018, the Warriors lost in the semifinals in 2019, no shame there, but then suffered early, first-round exits in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Wahoo was 23-2 in 2020 then had its teeth kicked in by 26 points in a loss to Mount Michael. In 2022, a three with 7.2 seconds remaining gave Fort Calhoun a win over Wahoo and made the Pioneers the darlings of Nebraska after a 99-year gap between state tournament appearances. Last March, Wahoo lost just once before Lincoln then fell victim to Auburn’s legendary defense. Marcus Glock, a first-team all-state selection, will have to put the Warriors on his back for a while until other contributors emerge. Wahoo graduated seven seniors whose collective averages totaled almost 48 points per game.