Heartland Hoops Classic Preview: Part Two

<p><em>Saturday brings about the 15th Edition of the Heartland Hoops Classic. The day-long showcase event at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island is one of the premier events in Nebraska High School Sports and is certainly circled on many basketball fans’ calendars across the state. I will be in Grand Island all day on Saturday to take in the full day of basketball action showcasing the talent from across the state. This is part two of my preview of the event and with a focus on the games featuring schools from Nebraska, I will be highlighting players to watch on Saturday afternoon. </em></p> <p><strong>1 pm: Omaha Concordia vs. Aurora</strong></p> <p>Concordia is one of the top teams in Class C1, and they feature a bevy of returners who all caught my eye the last time I watched the Mustangs in last year’s state tournament. Concordia can get hot from behind the arch in a hurry. Their roster features a trio of small college commits in big man Justin Otten and guard Zach Kulus who are both committed to Concordia University (NE) and guard Karsten Mathsen who is committed to Northwestern College (IA). Aurora has had an up and down season, but at a school like Aurora, you know they’ll never be short on athletes. Carsen Staehr scored 27 points last week against Lexington. Preston Raemakers and Tate Nachtigal are two other names to watch for Aurora. </p> <p><strong>3:45 pm: Grand Island Central Catholic vs. Elkhorn North</strong></p> <p>The first game of the afternoon session features the defending Class C2 state champions and hosts of the Heartland Hoops Classic in Grand Island Central Catholic taking on Class B Elkhorn North. For GICC, Isaac Herbek is a Nebraska-Kearney football commit who is a more than solid basketball player in his own right. 6’8 center [player_tooltip player_id="1049513" first="Gil" last="Jengmer"] is one of the top uncommitted big men in the state and in my opinion has only gotten better and better throughout his high school career and is averaging just under 12 points and 8 rebounds a game for his senior campaign. He has multiple area JUCOs and small colleges keeping their eyes on him. 6’3 senior Marcus Lowry is averaging 14 points a game this season and has a season-high of 29 points in a game at one point this season. You don’t see many schools with an offensive attack like GICC has regardless of class. </p> <p>Elkhorn North is a school in just its second year of existence under head coach Andy King. The Wolves are led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1018810" first="Brandon" last="Orgilbold"] who recently committed to Doane University. Wings [player_tooltip player_id="1150371" first="Jack" last="Lusk"], Nathan Cunningham, and [player_tooltip player_id="1141533" first="Paxon" last="Piatkowski"] are also capable shot-makers who compliment Orgilbold well. </p> <p><strong>5:30 pm Omaha Westside vs. Grand Island</strong></p> <p>The last game of the day involving Nebraska teams and the only game featuring two teams from the same class will pit top-ranked Omaha Westside against Grand Island in a Class A clash. Westside has a very deep roster from top to bottom. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="1013207" first="Tate" last="Odvody"] has had sort of a scoring breakout this season and he’s been doing it with extreme efficiency. Odvody is averaging around 16 points a game to the tune of 60% from the field, 39% from 3, and 90% from the free-throw line. The Warriors’ senior backcourt duo of [player_tooltip player_id="890571" first="Chandler" last="Meeks"] and [player_tooltip player_id="890572" first="Reggie" last="Thomas"] just might be the most experienced backcourt in the state. Both Thomas and Meeks are hard-nosed guards who have a little junkyard dog in them defensively and are two of the top uncommitted seniors in the State of Nebraska. Thomas averages 12 points a game and Meeks averages just under 10 a game. Concordia (NE) commit [player_tooltip player_id="890584" first="Payson" last="Gillespie"] is one of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the state, and sophomore guards [player_tooltip player_id="1013235" first="CJ" last="Mitchell"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1013234" first="Caleb" last="Benning"] are certainly names to watch in the class of 2024. </p> <p>For Grand Island, the headliner is obviously Virginia signee and the top player in the Class of 2022 in Nebraska [player_tooltip player_id="890574" first="Isaac" last="Traudt"]. The 6’9 forward is averaging 24 points and 9 rebounds a game which is near the top of the scoring average in the state regardless of class. The Islanders got a boost at the start of the second semester when St. Paul transfer guard Andy Poss became eligible. He’s chipped in 9 points a game since he started playing. </p> <p><strong><em>For a look at the early slate of games on Saturday check out Part One of my Heartland Hoops Classic Preview. </em></strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>