4 Observations from Week #1 of the OSA Prep Fall League

<p><strong>Omaha-</strong> This past Saturday was week one of the OSA Prep Fall League at the UBT Sports Complex in Elkhorn. Teams from Class A and B from Lincoln and Omaha were in attendance. In four hours of games, I observed some of the many talented rosters that will be taking to the court this winter. Here are 5 takeaways from the moring’s action. </p> <p><strong>Creighton Prep will be one of the toughest teams to defend in Class A</strong></p> <p>The Junior Jays return many members of last year’s state tournament qualifying squad. Guards [player_tooltip player_id="1007526" first="Justin" last="Sitti"] and [player_tooltip player_id="946022" first="Mai’jhe" last="Wiley"] are incredibly tough on the defensive end and both being capable slashing scorers. [player_tooltip player_id="946019" first="Brendan" last="Buckley"] is one of the better shooters in the state of Nebraska. 2022 big man [player_tooltip player_id="981701" first="Luke" last="Jungers"] and 2021 Nebraska football commit [player_tooltip player_id="890472" first="AJ" last="Rollins"] will give Prep an inside-outside game that will make them one of the top competitors in Class A. </p> <p><strong>Emerging Youngsters Give Bellevue West Even More Firepower</strong></p> <p>The defending state champion Thunderbirds return Wisconsin commit [player_tooltip player_id="773431" first="Chucky" last="Hepburn"] and a fellow 2021 D1 prospect in 6’6 forward [player_tooltip player_id="890468" first="Frankie" last="Fidler"], but that’s not all. They also added transfer guard [player_tooltip player_id="890464" first="Greg" last="Brown"] from Omaha Burke this summer. As well, a group of emerging young talent will give Bellevue West plenty of offensive firepower. 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1013209" first="Josiah" last="Dotzler"] made the most of his minutes off the bench last season and after overcoming some injuries this summer will see his role increase. 2023 wing Jaxon Stueve plays really smart on both ends and thrives when cutting to the basket. 6’6 wing [player_tooltip player_id="1031436" first="Evan" last="Inselman"] is a sniper from behind the 3 point line and 6’7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1018806" first="Will" last="Kyle III"] is skilled inside the paint on both ends of the court. This group of youngsters, couple with Hepburn running the point, gives the Thunderbirds a great shot at repeating as Class A state champions. </p> <p><strong>Omaha Central Won’t Have Much Size, But They’ll Still Be Resilient</strong></p> <p>The Eagles’ tallest player on the court Saturday morning was talented 2022 wing [player_tooltip player_id="890569" first="PJ" last="Davis"] who stands about 6’5. Talking with Central head coach Eric Behrens he said his squad will have "little to no size," on the court at times, which is different from what we’re used to seeing from a typical Eagles roster. However, the Eagles will have plenty of tenacious guard talent that will keep them in games. The additions of Omaha Burke transfer [player_tooltip player_id="890466" first="Jaren" last="Marshall"] and Omaha Benson transfer [player_tooltip player_id="890463" first="Denim" last="Johnson"], coupled with returners [player_tooltip player_id="890589" first="Jayden" last="Dawson"], [player_tooltip player_id="890469" first="Faisaun" last="Germany"], and Jackson Page means Central will have plenty of depth. The resilient bunch of Eagles came back from down 22 points to cut it within 5 against a tough Creighton Prep squad in their first game of the afternoon. </p> <p><strong>A Very Competitive Year Ahead for the Lincoln Schools</strong></p> <p>Lincoln Northeast, Southwest, North Star, East, and Pius X were in attendance for games on Saturday and all of these teams showed signs of potential for this winter. In talking to some coaches, they agreed with my thought that it could be the most competitive year of hoops for the Lincoln Schools in quite some time. Pius X was missing twin brothers Sam and [player_tooltip player_id="958191" first="Charlie" last="Hoiberg"] on Saturday but combine the two of them with the Hastreiter brothers Sam and Jack and you’ll have a very good inside-outside team. Northeast returns one of the best point guards in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="890550" first="Pierce" last="Bazil"], and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="981714" first="Zander" last="Beard"] is a candidate to have a breakout season. Southwest has a core of youngsters in [player_tooltip player_id="981700" first="Jared" last="Bohrer"], [player_tooltip player_id="981706" first="Ben" last="Hunzeker"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1013219" first="Rylan" last="Smith"] who all had solid summers and will look to bring that momentum to their high school campaigns. North Star returns [player_tooltip player_id="890470" first="Kwat" last="Abdelkarim"], and this year will a healthy Brennan Clemmons Jr. Lincoln East will always play tough, and with players like [player_tooltip player_id="890564" first="Carter" last="Glen"]n, [player_tooltip player_id="982464" first="Brayden" last="McPhai"]l, and Carter Templemeyer, they will find ways to stay in games. There will be plenty of quality hoops to watch this winter in the capital city. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>