Prospect Spotlight: Zane Bernhard (2021 Liberty)
One of the more surprising teams this year has been Liberty as the Falcons have been fighting for a spot at the top of the Pacific League standings all year long. While this may have shocked some folks, Zane Bernhard…
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Continue ReadingOne of the more surprising teams this year has been Liberty as the Falcons have been fighting for a spot at the top of the Pacific League standings all year long. While this may have shocked some folks, Zane Bernhard Zane Bernhard 6'2" | CG Liberty | 2021 State OR hasn’t been fazed. The gritty 6-foot-2, 165-pound combo guard knew what this team was capable of and he’s hoping to make some decisions on his future after the season is over.
“Every day we’re getting better,” Bernhard said. “We’ve played together all throughout youth so we’ve got a really good bond. So we’ve got high hopes and we’re just trying to close things out.”
Bernhard has clearly stepped up as one of the key guys on the team. A solid shooter and scorer – he’s averaging around 18 points per game – he has also been good about leading his teammates both on and off the court. So while this past year Bernhard definitely worked on his game, he knew the leadership component was also extremely important.
“I’ve been working all off-season on my game just all by myself,” Bernhard said. “So when I got back on the court, the big thing I needed to work on was my leadership and my coach and my teammates all helped me work through it.”
Skills-wise, the things Bernhard worked on included finishing strong at the hoop and his jab-step, spending countless hours with trainers J.S. Nash and Nate Bowie, for whom he wanted to acknowledge for his success. Bernhard also played some tournaments for Nash with Oregon Basketball Club and from there, he’s gathered some college recruiting interest. He notes that Presentation College in South Dakota has been in touch as well as some schools locally.
“I’ve got some options but I’m keeping it pretty open right now, hoping to build on this season,” Bernhard said. “I’m just looking for the right fit, hoping to go somewhere where I can keep building and keep getting better.”
Bernhard currently ranks as the #73 ranked player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings. Liberty currently stands at 8-3 and finishes out the regular season with Glencoe, Sherwood, and Forest Grove this next week.