Top Week 3 Performers: Lincoln Area

<p><em>Week 3 saw the Class A city schools in Lincoln open up their seasons, while other schools in the area continued the early stages of the new high school season. Here are some Lincoln area prospects whose performances stood out during the week’s action. </em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958180" first="Sam" last="Hoiberg"] - 6’0 Senior Guard/Lincoln Pius X</strong></p> <p>Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="958180" first="Sam" last="Hoiberg"] led the way for Pius in the first two games of their season against Lincoln North Star and Gretna. Against North Star, Hoiberg had a game-high 19 points that came on 8-12 shooting from the field, which included 3-6 from 3 point range. He also had 5 rebounds and two steals against the Navigators. Against Gretna, he had 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals. The two biggest moments of that game however were his go-ahead 3 point make with 26 seconds left and 2 made free throws to seal the win for Pius. Hoiberg plays smart and has a very quick release on his jump shot, he also isn’t afraid to put his head down and look to finish through contact at the rim. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890470" first="Kwat" last="Abdelkarim"]- 6’3 Senior Guard/Lincoln North Star</strong></p> <p>Abdelkarim is a crafty left-handed combo guard who is a very capable scorer at all 3 levels. Against Omaha South, Kwat was doing just that, finishing with 28 points on the night, which included three made 3 pointers, and 9 made free throws. He also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals on the night. Abdelkarim is one of the top uncommitted prospects in Nebraska and is definitely a candidate to lead the state in scoring this year. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890550" first="Pierce" last="Bazil"]- 6’3 Senior Point Guard/Lincoln Northeast</strong></p> <p>I wrote a lot about [player_tooltip player_id="890550" first="Pierce" last="Bazil"] over the summer after watching his excellent campaign with Lincoln Supreme. He began his senior high school campaign with a bang, notching 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in an opening night victory over Lincoln High, and following that up with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in a win over Omaha Bryan. Bazil is a smart point guard who can both create for himself and his teammates at will. Another candidate to possibly lead the state in scoring this winter, it will be interesting to see how he leads the Rockets during his senior season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890462" first="Ajantae" last="Hogan"]- 6’4 Senior Guard/Lincoln Southeast</strong></p> <p>Hogan is one of the players in the state who is the toughest to guard. You know that most nights out Hogan is going to find a way to get his buckets. He averaged close to 25 points a game last season and began his senior season on a high note, notching 23 points and 7 rebounds against Lincoln Southwest, and 23 points and 8 rebounds the next night at Omaha Westside, Hogan shot 40% or better from 3 point range in both games and also converted opportunities at the free-throw line. Hogan remains one of the top uncommitted 2021 prospects in Nebraska and is certainly a name to keep an eye on throughout this winter. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="981706" first="Ben" last="Hunzeker"]- 6’3 Junior Guard/Lincoln Southwest</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="981706" first="Ben" last="Hunzeker"] stood out to me many times over the summer watching him play on a very talented Lincoln Supreme team that included Grand Island’s [player_tooltip player_id="890574" first="Isaac" last="Traudt"] and Ashland Greenwood’s [player_tooltip player_id="890577" first="Cale" last="Jacobsen"]. Hunzeker plays incredibly smart and incredibly hard game in and game out. The ultimate glue guy, he is always making the smart play. Rather that be the right cut to the basket, the right pass to a teammate, or just making extra effort and diving on the floor for loose balls, Hunzeker does a little bit of everything. In the season opener against Lincoln Southeast, Hunzeker led the host Southwest Silverhawks with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, doing a little bit of everything including converting 7 of 9 opportunities at the free throw line. Hunzeker is one of the more intriguing juniors to keep tabs on in the state. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>