Postseason Preview: 5 Players to Watch in Class A District A3

<p><em>The postseason is underway across the state of Nebraska and with the month of March approaching, the state’s hankering for hoops soon will peak with the state tournament in Lincoln. But first, district play matchups which kicked off Friday night with the play-in games in Class A districts 1-3, and culminating with all of the Class A District final matchups taking place on Monday night March 1st. I will preview players to watch across all seven Class A districts. Let’s continue with District A3. </em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="981701" first="Luke" last="Jungers"] - 6’9 Junior Forward - Creighton Prep</strong></p> <p>Jungers has been on an absolute tear this last month, and that coincides with Creighton Prep playing their best basketball of the year. Jungers shows flashes on both ends of the floor where he uses his length inside to wall up well defensively as well occasionally block some shots. He has a very nice touch around the rim and can step out and shoot it well in the mid-range game and from 3 point range. Jungers is an above-average ball-handler for his size as well. All of these things are examples of why he has received interest and offers from some low mid-major D1 schools. Jungers is a very intriguing prospect and on a deep Prep roster, he will definitely be a name to watch this postseason. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890614" first="Will" last="Vanderbeek"] - 6’7 Junior Forward - Kearney </strong></p> <p>Vanderbeek is a very savvy inside player for the Kearney Bearcats. Both a strong finisher and strong rebounder, he takes full advantage of his length and athleticism on both ends of the court. Vanderbeek averages just a tick over 2 blocks per game as well as just under 7 rebounds a contest for the Bearcats. Kearney is an extremely well-coached team that plays fundamentally sound basketball and does not make many mistakes. Vanderbeek’s inside presence to go along with the outside game of their guards will be a key in Kearney advancing this postseason. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1015813" first="Derek" last="Merwick"] - 5’10 Senior Guard - Elkhorn South</strong></p> <p>Elkhorn South has looked fairly strong the last couple of weeks of the regular season, and a huge part of that has been the play of senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1015813" first="Derek" last="Merwick"]. The all-time assist leader in Elkhorn South history, Merwick is a Point Guard’s Point Guard and does just about everything you want true PG to do. He plays his butt off each and every time out for the Storm and had a career game scoring-wise his last time out tallying 21 points and 4 rebounds in a win over Lincoln Southeast to close out the regular season. Small schools in and around Nebraska should take a look at Merwick who is a vocal leader, and a pure PG who could be very valuable at the next level. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890480" first="Jai’Lyn" last="Spears"] - 6’3 Senior Guard - Omaha Bryan </strong></p> <p>Spears is an incredibly athletic combo guard who thrives in slashing and driving to the rim off the dribble. He’s averaging 15.8 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds a game as well. Spears can be a pest defensively as well where he possesses good anticipation to intercept passes. Spears is crafty with the ball when finishing inside. On a team with plenty of savvy guards, Spears is the go-to guy offensively for the Bears and will play a big role if they want to be upset-minded to advance through the postseason. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890586" first="Lam" last="Kuany"] - 6’7 Junior Forward - Omaha Bryan </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="890586" first="Lam" last="Kuany"] is a big body at 6’7 and can do a little bit of everything for the Bryan Bears. Kuany is strong inside around the rim and has also shown the ability to step out and hit some mid-range jumpers and even an occasional 3 pointer where he is a 40% shooter. The Bears have some interesting pieces that have some good skill sets and potential for the next few years. Kuany is certainly a name to watch. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>