Some of Omaha's Best at HSAA Showcase

The Thrive Space Gymnasium in Waterloo, NE was the site Sunday (4/18/21) afternoon for the most recent installment of the High School All-American Showcase; an event that is hosted throughout the country at various locations during the year. Due to Covid restrictions, the number of players was limited for this particular event. However, some 20 current high school players from both Nebraska and Iowa, including some of the area’s top players in the 2022 class, attended the five-hour showcase to work on their game, get filmed, and “polish up” before the beginning of many of their AAU circuit seasons get underway. Top Performers: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Mason-Strong2-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173212 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Mason-Strong2-2-248x300.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1031437" first="Mason" last="Strong"] 5’10 2022 CG Omaha North If you have not yet, buy stock now on the guard from Omaha North. The 5’10 junior had arguably the most consistent day of all the top performers. With the likes of his 2022 peers #5 [player_tooltip player_id="890571" first="Chandler" last="Meeks"] and #7 [player_tooltip player_id="981701" first="Luke" last="Jungers"] (according to Prep Hoops) on hand; the Viking went to work all day long. Shooting with range from behind the arc in transition, attacking baseline, weaving through defenders to the paint, Strong had it going. Perhaps what was most impressive however was his midrange game. In a new era of "all (3pt shots) or nothing (finishes at the rim)", Strong, the #19 ranked player in 2022 according to Prep Hoops, consistently buried shots after a shifty hesitation move freed him from his initial defender into a quick 15 ft pull-up, just before the trees from inside could extend out to help. He will need to continue to add strength as he did not quite have the physical presence of a Meeks or even freshman standout [player_tooltip player_id="1131119" first="Rickey" last="Loftin"] at the event; however he is showing growth in that category as well, as he is much stronger than he was just a year ago. With the graduation of fellow Vikings senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="890484" first="Curtis" last="Ogba"] this May, look for Strong to have a significant senior campaign and start garnering the recruiting attention he deserves starting next fall. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Luke-Jungers.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173244 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Luke-Jungers-211x300.jpg" alt="" width="211" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="981701" first="Luke" last="Jungers"] 6’9 2022 PF Omaha Creighton Prep While Strong scored from all three levels Sunday, Jungers did likewise, only in different ways. The super-skilled junior smoothly evaluated his defensive match-ups to pick on his prey. When confronted by a bigger defender, such as Council Bluffs Lewis Centrals’ Colby Souther (6’8 215 lbs), The Junior Jay drew them out from the basket and either knocked it in from behind the arc or up-faked the larger defender and drove into a two-dribble pull-up or equally impressive spinning lay-in at the rim. When confronted with a smaller, quicker defender, he slid inside and received several nice dump-down passes from Meeks or fellow Creighton Prep teammate Langston Parmer. His release point is what makes the 6’9 PF so difficult to guard; and as the event wore on into its 4th and 5th hour of play Jungers began to wear everyone out, showing a high level of conditioning as well as his drive to compete. Contested lay-ins early in the event became two-handed dunks over solid players who just could not keep up with this talented power forward. Of all the participants, it was clear Jungers has the "highest ceiling". His skill set, mobility, range, length, and a body that will continue to have room to fill out has already attracted many suiters. He already has standing offers from Coastal Carolina and Tennessee Tech; and has strong interest from: SDSU, NDSU, UND, PUFW, Butler, Idaho, and Omaha among others. With the graduation of Prep’s interior presence, senior [player_tooltip player_id="890472" first="AJ" last="Rollins"]; he will have even more freedom to select from his offensive bag of tricks this upcoming season. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Tyler-Gilchrist.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173259 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Tyler-Gilchrist-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>Tyler Gilchrist 6’4 2021 SF Riverside Military Academy Gilchrist hales from Lithonia, Georgia but plays and attends Riverside Military in Lincoln, Nebraska. The small forward was silky smooth to the rim and explosive once he got there. At 6’4 he matched the number of dunks that the aforementioned Jungers threw home. He alongside Strong were a tough combination for other teams to match-up with and Gilchrest often shifted seamlessly from scorer to playmaker for others, including finding sharp shooting Millard North Mustang Sam Lootens for knock-down threes. Where Gilchrist will still need to improve is on his outside range. His shoot from behind the arc needs a quicker release and more consistency. When he acquires that skill, he has a real chance to play past his prep days. Tyler’s academic situation is "fluid" and thus so is his recruitment. Though he has a 2021 classification and is getting interest from Sacramento State along with jucos North Ark and West LA; he is only 17 years of age and is in the process of perhaps reclassifying or attending post-graduate prep school during the ’21-’22 academic year. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Chandler-Meeks-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173279 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Chandler-Meeks-2-250x300.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="890571" first="Chandler" last="Meeks"] 6’2 2022 CG Omaha Westside The #5 ranked junior according to Prep Hoops was "deceptively dominant" during the nationally run showcase Sunday afternoon. What stands out about Meeks is his ability to take on all challengers on BOTH ends of the floor. He is one of the few players in the 2022 class that is already a college-level defender. With his incredibly strong base, he can sit down on a quick guard and turn them from side to side. He can also fend off bigger drivers with his arm-bar style of defending. Offensively, with the one exception to perhaps Loftin at the event, he had the best court vision as well. The 6’2 guard does not need to pound the rock, though he certainly can handle the ball well against tightly covering defenders; oftentimes throwing the ball up ahead to streaking teammates up-floor. Chandler can "keep defenders honest" by knocked down just enough shots from three, but certainly doesn’t live behind the arc. His lay-ins at the rim were the result of "bully-balling" weaker guards all day long. The Westside Warrior already has a D2 offer from Augustana, while getting recruitment interest from Bradley, SDSU, and Omaha; and it is clear his game and frame is college ready; his ability to become a more consistent shooter will determine just how high the level. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Ricky-Loftin-II.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173296 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Ricky-Loftin-II-220x300.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1131119" first="Rickey" last="Loftin"] 6’0 2024 PG Omaha South While there were many good seniors and juniors in attendance for the HSAA Showcase, the class of 2024 was highlighted by one of it’s best; the class’ #14 ranked player according to Prep Hoops, [player_tooltip player_id="1131119" first="Rickey" last="Loftin"]. While there could be some debate on which positions Strong, Meeks, Jungers, and Gilchrist currently play or will play collegiately down the road; there is little question what position Loftin is. He is a point guard. He is a point guard that can score and pass, and what makes him exciting is that it’s not always in that order; making him doubly hard to defend. No one looked up the floor better and with more precision passing than the Omaha South freshman. In the half-court he could shoot from range, lay it in on a drive, get the ball inside to the previously mentioned Souther, or finding Elkhorn South’s SG, and 2022’s #47 ranked player according to Prep Hoops, [player_tooltip player_id="890617" first="Chase" last="Anderson"]. Loftin already has the frame of a junior or senior and much like Meeks utilizes his strength to overpower defenders. The present and future of basketball in Omaha and its surrounding area were well represented, and Loftin among others was proof of that.