One of Nebraska’s biggest schools will not have a girls basketball team

Grand Island Senior High opts to scrap the entire planned 2024-25 season

The Grand Island Islanders (Nebraska) will not have a girls varsity basketball team this winter after no underclassmen signed up to tryout. The school will focus, instead, on rebuilding the program on the JV level. / Grand Island Senior Girls Varsity Basketball X

One of the bigger high schools in central Nebraska will not play varsity girls basketball for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

According to a report by NTV News ABC out of Nebraska, Grand Island Senior High did not have a single junior or senior girl plan to go out for basketball this year. Due to that, school administration has decided to work towards building for a future.

The program will receive what they called a “pause” for varsity.

“We’re committed to his program,” Grand Island activities director Chris Ladwig said. “And it’s because of our commitment to cultivating girls basketball at Grand Island - and our state - that we are taking this difficult but innovative approach.”

Development will be focused on the current freshman and sophomore players with head coach Kathryn Langrehr and her staff. 

“We want to provide the best student-athlete experience we possibly can for our kids,” Ladwig said. “Right now, we don’t have the numbers to roster an upper-class varsity team.”

Langrehr is definitely dedicated to building the program back up, as the report indicated she has put on clinics at all Grand Island elementary schools this fall. The plan is to offer a freshman and reserves schedule for the year.