Games to watch tomorrow at Girls State?

[Row6Seat10]

Not sure if Jess Shepard will be at Southeast next year or not. Her dad is in the running for the superintendent job at Fremont High. I suppose she could pull a Kastanek and live in Lincoln while the rest of the family is 40 some miles north of Lincoln should Pops get the gig. 

[Bugeaters1]

Or he could commute and rent an apartment in Fremont.

[HuskerFan86]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you here.  Totally different

players.  Totally.  The main similarity is that they were/are both

highly regarded recruits.  Katie Robinette was extremely athletic.  Ran

like a gazelle.  Could dribble up the floor faster than most girls could

run.  Totally different types of player.  KR was extremely skilled and

very athletic.  JS is extremely skilled and has great size.  But they're

very different types of players.  JS's game is more of a true post.  KR

was more of a small forward/power forward.  And you can't really

compare numbers to compare how good each player was/is because in the HS

game, a dominant post is going to be able to put up huge numbers simply

because there aren't many girls who can match up with her in size.  And

that's what we saw in the State Title game.  They couldn't match up.

 

You are probably right, it's been a while since I saw Robinette and forgot how much she played away from the basket. Maybe a better comparison is Carla Bennet from Westside (although it's been equally long since I watched her play at state). Either way, that's pretty rarefied company.

 

Also the post from Bellevue West Liveringhouse is no slouch. I would expect she'll be 1st or 2nd team all-state for Class A. Add that to the fact that she only played half the game (because she split time with Szepaniak), and the fact that Shepard still put up the numbers she did is pretty amazing.

 

Akin-Otiko made an impression on me too. I imagine Bell West will be the favorite to win the title next year, and she'll be a big reason why.

[huskerchode]

Not sure if Jess Shepard will be at Southeast next year or not. Her dad is in the running for the superintendent job at Fremont High. I suppose she could pull a Kastanek and live in Lincoln while the rest of the family is 40 some miles north of Lincoln should Pops get the gig. 

I believe part of the deal with the superintendent position is that family relocates and children attend the school. If that is true, JS will be in Fremont if her father gets the job. RUMOR has it that another division 1 recruit type player could join her because this girls' father has applied for middle school principal job in Fremont. And if those two wind up in Fremont, they will likely pull a few in from surrounding area that are also club players. Fremont would have four solid players on varsity and would likely be a top 5 team - sort of the new version of what Seward was in previous years.

[Norm Peterson]

I agree with you about Liveringhouse.  She has a college hoops career ahead of her.  The girl can play the game.  

 

I didn't get to see the girl from Central.  She's certainly one of the better players in Class A this year.  I was disappointed Shelby Rising City didn't make the field, but if there's a star player in the state who truly, truly has no one around her, it's Chatrice White.  I saw a box score from earlier this season where they played BDS and White had 29 points and the next highest scoring teammate had 5 or less.

 

Watching that Class A title game, I didn't feel like the Kastanek girl was much of a loss going to Iowa.  I truly was more impressed with what Akin-Otiko could do as a 9th grader.  That girl has such potential and I hope we keep an eye on her.  She certainly made the biggest impression on me of any underclassman I saw -- besides Shepard, who's ready for the big time right now.

[Bugeaters1]

Is  Kastanek the next Bentley of the Big 10 ? Does that family have something against Yori ?

[Norm Peterson]

Is  Kastanek the next Bentley of the Big 10 ? Does that family have something against Yori ?

I have my own theory and I don't think it has anything to do with the family's views of Yori, although Yori might well have decided it (they?) weren't worth the drama.  My sense is that there's some ego involved and it's not Connie's ego at issue.

[atskooc]

I agree with you about Liveringhouse.  She has a college hoops career ahead of her.  The girl can play the game.  

 

I didn't get to see the girl from Central.  She's certainly one of the better players in Class A this year.  I was disappointed Shelby Rising City didn't make the field, but if there's a star player in the state who truly, truly has no one around her, it's Chatrice White.  I saw a box score from earlier this season where they played BDS and White had 29 points and the next highest scoring teammate had 5 or less.

 

Watching that Class A title game, I didn't feel like the Kastanek girl was much of a loss going to Iowa.  I truly was more impressed with what Akin-Otiko could do as a 9th grader.  That girl has such potential and I hope we keep an eye on her.  She certainly made the biggest impression on me of any underclassman I saw -- besides Shepard, who's ready for the big time right now.

Watching someone special at that level sure is a treat.  I teach at the school Kendra Wecker attended (she of K-State fame).  Watching her hang 40 in a state tourney game was something else.  The gym was packed for our girls' games those years and people would file out for the boys' games that followed. 

[huskerchode]

Is  Kastanek the next Bentley of the Big 10 ? Does that family have something against Yori ?

I have my own theory and I don't think it has anything to do with the family's views of Yori, although Yori might well have decided it (they?) weren't worth the drama.  My sense is that there's some ego involved and it's not Connie's ego at issue.

Keep in mind that the older Kastanek girl was in the same graduating class as Lindsey Moore.  She has done well at NCState, but I would recruit Lindsey Moore over her any time. 

[Norm Peterson]

I agree with you about Liveringhouse.  She has a college hoops career ahead of her.  The girl can play the game.  

 

I didn't get to see the girl from Central.  She's certainly one of the better players in Class A this year.  I was disappointed Shelby Rising City didn't make the field, but if there's a star player in the state who truly, truly has no one around her, it's Chatrice White.  I saw a box score from earlier this season where they played BDS and White had 29 points and the next highest scoring teammate had 5 or less.

 

Watching that Class A title game, I didn't feel like the Kastanek girl was much of a loss going to Iowa.  I truly was more impressed with what Akin-Otiko could do as a 9th grader.  That girl has such potential and I hope we keep an eye on her.  She certainly made the biggest impression on me of any underclassman I saw -- besides Shepard, who's ready for the big time right now.

Watching someone special at that level sure is a treat.  I teach at the school Kendra Wecker attended (she of K-State fame).  Watching her hang 40 in a state tourney game was something else.  The gym was packed for our girls' games those years and people would file out for the boys' games that followed. 

I remember Kendra well.  She played in the same All-American game (at the time, the girls' equivalent of the McDonald's AA game) that Katie Robinette played in and I think on the same team.  Except Robinette was a starter and Kendra came in as a sub. But Kendra really out-performed Katie in that game.  I'm guessing Katie had never really played against competition that good before and she was trying to be too finesse against this higher level of player.  Meanwhile, Kendra comes in and just goes right after them.  Was just real aggressive and strong with the ball.  Was very impressed with the kid.  And it sounded from what they were saying that she might have been a Husker because she grew up a Nebraska fan.  Did Sanderford not recruit her?  Don't recall the back story but there was something to the effect that if Nebraska had gone after her, she'd have wound up in Lincoln.

[atskooc]

 

I agree with you about Liveringhouse.  She has a college hoops career ahead of her.  The girl can play the game.  

 

I didn't get to see the girl from Central.  She's certainly one of the better players in Class A this year.  I was disappointed Shelby Rising City didn't make the field, but if there's a star player in the state who truly, truly has no one around her, it's Chatrice White.  I saw a box score from earlier this season where they played BDS and White had 29 points and the next highest scoring teammate had 5 or less.

 

Watching that Class A title game, I didn't feel like the Kastanek girl was much of a loss going to Iowa.  I truly was more impressed with what Akin-Otiko could do as a 9th grader.  That girl has such potential and I hope we keep an eye on her.  She certainly made the biggest impression on me of any underclassman I saw -- besides Shepard, who's ready for the big time right now.

Watching someone special at that level sure is a treat.  I teach at the school Kendra Wecker attended (she of K-State fame).  Watching her hang 40 in a state tourney game was something else.  The gym was packed for our girls' games those years and people would file out for the boys' games that followed. 

I remember Kendra well.  She played in the same All-American game (at the time, the girls' equivalent of the McDonald's AA game) that Katie Robinette played in and I think on the same team.  Except Robinette was a starter and Kendra came in as a sub. But Kendra really out-performed Katie in that game.  I'm guessing Katie had never really played against competition that good before and she was trying to be too finesse against this higher level of player.  Meanwhile, Kendra comes in and just goes right after them.  Was just real aggressive and strong with the ball.  Was very impressed with the kid.  And it sounded from what they were saying that she might have been a Husker because she grew up a Nebraska fan.  Did Sanderford not recruit her?  Don't recall the back story but there was something to the effect that if Nebraska had gone after her, she'd have wound up in Lincoln.

Sanderford did recruit her, and she did grow up a Husker fan.  She was put off by Sanderford because his recruiting pitch was based mostly around getting her to play in the WNBA (if I remember correctly).  I seem to remember that being the main issue.  I also know she wasn't terribly happy with the coaching she received at K-State.

[Row6Seat10]

 

 

I agree with you about Liveringhouse.  She has a college hoops career ahead of her.  The girl can play the game.  

 

I didn't get to see the girl from Central.  She's certainly one of the better players in Class A this year.  I was disappointed Shelby Rising City didn't make the field, but if there's a star player in the state who truly, truly has no one around her, it's Chatrice White.  I saw a box score from earlier this season where they played BDS and White had 29 points and the next highest scoring teammate had 5 or less.

 

Watching that Class A title game, I didn't feel like the Kastanek girl was much of a loss going to Iowa.  I truly was more impressed with what Akin-Otiko could do as a 9th grader.  That girl has such potential and I hope we keep an eye on her.  She certainly made the biggest impression on me of any underclassman I saw -- besides Shepard, who's ready for the big time right now.

Watching someone special at that level sure is a treat.  I teach at the school Kendra Wecker attended (she of K-State fame).  Watching her hang 40 in a state tourney game was something else.  The gym was packed for our girls' games those years and people would file out for the boys' games that followed. 

I remember Kendra well.  She played in the same All-American game (at the time, the girls' equivalent of the McDonald's AA game) that Katie Robinette played in and I think on the same team.  Except Robinette was a starter and Kendra came in as a sub. But Kendra really out-performed Katie in that game.  I'm guessing Katie had never really played against competition that good before and she was trying to be too finesse against this higher level of player.  Meanwhile, Kendra comes in and just goes right after them.  Was just real aggressive and strong with the ball.  Was very impressed with the kid.  And it sounded from what they were saying that she might have been a Husker because she grew up a Nebraska fan.  Did Sanderford not recruit her?  Don't recall the back story but there was something to the effect that if Nebraska had gone after her, she'd have wound up in Lincoln.

Sanderford did recruit her, and she did grow up a Husker fan.  She was put off by Sanderford because his recruiting pitch was based mostly around getting her to play in the WNBA (if I remember correctly).  I seem to remember that being the main issue.  I also know she wasn't terribly happy with the coaching she received at K-State.

 

Here's what Jeff Walz told me on recruiting Wecker. Sanderford really thought he had her. The Huskers had 3 scholarships to give that year. Jina Johansen, Katie Robinette and presumably Wecker. Walz said John Cook ruined Wecker's view of coming here. She wanted to play both volleyball and basketball something like what Grecia Lee Ciparo (sp) did as Cook was also recruiting her to play volleyball. Sanderford was willing to go along with this but Cook wanted nothing to do with sharing his volleyball players and told her "if you come here and play volleyball that's the only sport you'll participate in". Hence she went to Kansas St where she could participate in two sports the second sport at K St was track & field throwing the javelin.

[atskooc]

I'd never heard she wanted to play volleyball in college.  As great an athlete as she was, if that story is true, both Cook and Wecker would have made a mistake had she played volleyball.  She was too short to play the front row (probably 5'10") where her strength would have been beneficial (she was a strong gal, for sure).

 

I know she threw javelin for a while at K-State, but her basketball coach did not let that continue.  That was part of the friction Wecker had with her coaching (that and she didn't think the system they were running best suited the talents of her and Ohlde).. 

 

That said, there were a lot of people (this may have simply been locals thinking wishfully) who thought she should have said "screw you" to baketball and gone with track.  Some say she had a legit shot at making the olympic team throwing the stick.  She was a hell of an athlete, for sure.  Nice kid, as well.  Her folks invited some friends and me over for dinner a few times.  Cool people!

 

Regardless of why she ended up a Wildcat, I was always disappointed she didn't end up a few hours north!

[huskerchode]

FYI - Jess Shepard's father was offered the position in Fremont.  Based on comments he made to the media, it appears the entire family will move to Fremont.

[Silverbacked1]

I thought I heard the nashing of teeth in south Lincoln this morning.

[Norm Peterson]

That's kinda cool.  I sure hope she winds up with some help up there as I'd like to see her in the State Finals again.  Don't want to see her absent from State like Chatrice White just because there's no one else on the team.  So, whoever said there's another person with a D1 caliber daughter looking at a job in the area ...

 

And, BTW, I do NOT want to hear Southeast fan bitch about this.  I'll just throw that out there now.  Southeast has been the beneficiary of some transfers here and there and NOT due to the family (legitimately) moving.