Nebraska high school talent

[royalfan]

Anytime it can be argued that you should hold the ball for large lengths of time to get the last shot, it is a bad game that needs changed.  We are not helping ourselves improve by playing that brand of basketball IMO.  Get some shot clocks and lets catch up with the times a bit. 

[49r]

 

Too expensive to put the clocks in all the gyms. 

 

Not going to happen.

 

And yet somehow gyms we're built in the first place

 

 

How much do you suppose a set of shot clocks would cost?  Maybe $1000?  Okay, lets say it's $5000.  (It's probably more like $1000, but let's be conservative)

 

How many schools are there in Nebraska?  300 or so?

 

300 x 5000 = $1.5 million  (the number's probably more like $300k)

 

Now, that's not insignificant at all, but it is also an amount that I think the UNLAD might be willing to consider funding if it would help improve High School basketball statewide.

[huskerchode]

Some of these kids coming out of certain OPS schools just don't have the grades to get into college, and some wind up going the community college route.  OPS is in the process of requiring a higher GPA to compete in sports.  Feel free to correct me, but I believe their recent policy only required a 1.5 GPA to compete, and they are raising it to a 2.0.  It's really a shame, because there is some decent talent there, but academically they are very far behind.

 

Just looked it up - currently students can flunk 3 classes and receive Ds in the rest and still compete. 

[royalfan]

Those are incredibly low standards.  Hard to even believe that is how it is. 

[huskerchode]

According to the World Herald, the NSAA currently only requires a 1.0 GPA to compete.  Now, I went to a very small D2 school and my experience was that if you weren't at least a C student, then your butt was on the bench.  And sometimes parents would sit a kid if they didn't think they were doing well, but that was a long time ago and I don't know if that still happens anywhere.  I don't think the GPA is as big of a problem at the smaller schools.

[Jadler]

Some of these kids coming out of certain OPS schools just don't have the grades to get into college, and some wind up going the community college route.  OPS is in the process of requiring a higher GPA to compete in sports.  Feel free to correct me, but I believe their recent policy only required a 1.5 GPA to compete, and they are raising it to a 2.0.  It's really a shame, because there is some decent talent there, but academically they are very far behind.

 

Just looked it up - currently students can flunk 3 classes and receive Ds in the rest and still compete.

As a kid from the first wave of Block scheduling out west... You really confused me for as second.

[huskerchode]

Here is a link to some stats about how many kids will be affected by raising the GPA to 2.0 (if it happened immediately instead of phasing it in).

 

http://www.coachad.com/pages/Breaking-News---Minimum-GPA-In-Omaha-Schools-Would-Make-Hundreds-Of-Athletes-Ineligible.php

[Norm Peterson]

Pair of portable shot clocks:  $2000

Pair of wireless portable shot clocks:  $2635

Not having to watch high school kids "hold for the last shot" for the last 2 minutes of every quarter:  Priceless.

 

 

http://www.gophersport.com/products/item_detail.cfm?item_id=2102&sku=11-972&vfsku=11.972&gpla=pla&gclid=CNSTvuWX-bwCFQ_l7AodIi8A1w

[TheKamdyMan]

Here is a link to some stats about how many kids will be affected by raising the GPA to 2.0 (if it happened immediately instead of phasing it in).

http://www.coachad.com/pages/Breaking-News---Minimum-GPA-In-Omaha-Schools-Would-Make-Hundreds-Of-Athletes-Ineligible.php

I wish they'd raise it even higher to NCAA requirements. Why set the bar lower than what the next level requires. I mean you're setting up kids to fail if they are only worrying about today. Like it was noted in the comments the majority of kids will do whatever it takes just to pass to play. Why not set the kids up to succeed rather than fail should they be good enough to play collegiately but cannot because NE set the bar too low for them.

[royalfan]

This should be addressed yesterday.  They need to start gradually raising this over the course of a few years up to the college standards as Kamdy suggested. 

[huskerchode]

I totally agree with you, KamdyMan.  But I've always been a hard a$$ when it comes to grades.

[49r]

Pair of portable shot clocks:  $2000

Pair of wireless portable shot clocks:  $2635

Not having to watch high school kids "hold for the last shot" for the last 2 minutes of every quarter:  Priceless.

 

 

http://www.gophersport.com/products/item_detail.cfm?item_id=2102&sku=11-972&vfsku=11.972&gpla=pla&gclid=CNSTvuWX-bwCFQ_l7AodIi8A1w

 

So, about $700k to equip all the high schools in Nebraska with shot clocks?

 

"Hello, Mr Hawks?  This is Marc Boehm..."

[TheGov21]

Pair of portable shot clocks:  $2000

Pair of wireless portable shot clocks:  $2635

Not having to watch high school kids "hold for the last shot" for the last 2 minutes of every quarter:  Priceless.

 

 

http://www.gophersport.com/products/item_detail.cfm?item_id=2102&sku=11-972&vfsku=11.972&gpla=pla&gclid=CNSTvuWX-bwCFQ_l7AodIi8A1w

 

Don't forget you have to have somebody be the shot clock operator.  Some might volunteer to do so, but most of the time you have to pay that person too.  So that's an added cost.

[TheGov21]

Some of these kids coming out of certain OPS schools just don't have the grades to get into college, and some wind up going the community college route.  OPS is in the process of requiring a higher GPA to compete in sports.  Feel free to correct me, but I believe their recent policy only required a 1.5 GPA to compete, and they are raising it to a 2.0.  It's really a shame, because there is some decent talent there, but academically they are very far behind.

 

Just looked it up - currently students can flunk 3 classes and receive Ds in the rest and still compete. 

 

OPS standards are you have to pass four classes to compete.  Whether that is a D or higher.  That is actually the NSAA minnimum standard and OPS just follows that.  Yes they are going to a 2.0 and that is going to have a huge affect.

[Norm Peterson]

To give you some idea of what $2000 means to the typical high school athletic program, here's from a 2012 article in the Lincoln Journal Star:

 

$496 – Cost to provide equipment for one LPS football player (helmet, shoulder pads, game uniform, pants and socks as well, as practice jersey and pants).

$303,225 – Athletic travel expenses for the six LPS high schools in 2010-11.

$202.50 – One-game cost of a three-person varsity basketball officiating crew.

 

http://journalstar.com/cost-of-high-school-athletics-by-the-numbers/article_bf5aa6ea-a9e9-5532-ba17-9ec2b4b854ac.html

 

If they can afford $500 per football player per year, I think they can afford to buy shot clocks.

[MichHusker]

I'm not exactly sure how it's done in Nebraska, but here in Michigan the players have to fundraise and that fundraising money usually goes to buy stuff like that

[Norm Peterson]

 

Pair of portable shot clocks:  $2000

Pair of wireless portable shot clocks:  $2635

Not having to watch high school kids "hold for the last shot" for the last 2 minutes of every quarter:  Priceless.

 

 

http://www.gophersport.com/products/item_detail.cfm?item_id=2102&sku=11-972&vfsku=11.972&gpla=pla&gclid=CNSTvuWX-bwCFQ_l7AodIi8A1w

 

Don't forget you have to have somebody be the shot clock operator.  Some might volunteer to do so, but most of the time you have to pay that person too.  So that's an added cost.

 

Just have the guy who runs the possession arrow take care of the shot clock.  He's already sitting there getting paid.  You don't need a whole separate guy.

[throwback]

After the two district games I watched last night, I'll gladly donate toward the cost of having shot clocks installed before tonight's final.   In fact I'd guess if they had passed the hat about middle of the 3rd quarter of the 2nd game last night, they'd probably have collected the entire cost.

 

And the hat could've made it through the entire crowd before the possession ended.

[TheGov21]

Referring to the orginal topic.....

 

There is talent in the state, but with Nebraska having a small population base that limits the numbers.  Seems like we've have some good talent come out lately producing at least one D1 player each year (CSU guys, Eliason, Akoy, Gessell).  But like previously stated, the state also produces kids who just don't meet the entrance requirements.  For this year you have Thurman from Central and Dumes from South who are D1 players.  But both are going to go to the JUCO route because they have to.

 

Last year Central team had six guys who were D1 players.   But two are at Central Community College in Columbus. one at a JUCO in Texas, Akoy at Louisville, Billingsly at UNO, and Thurman is likely a JUCO too.  Everybody wants to praise Coach Behrens, but he doesn't have a good track record of getting his guys eligible for D1 schools.  Not all of that is his fault, but I believe he could do more.

 

You can't also forget that some of these kids chose football instead.  Zach Potter and Courtney Grixby for example could have played D1 basketball but chose football instead.  I'd have to believe if Nebrasketball continues this upward trend, we may not see some of those kids chose football over basketball.

[huskerchode]

That's a good point, Gov.  Some of this kids that are basketball talents are also very talented in other sports, and go with something else.  Kenzo Cotton chose track over FB recently.  He's a kid loaded with athleticism and would have excelled in whatever sport he chose to focus on.  He also has great grades, so there were a lot of colleges interested in him.  You see that type of things with girls, too.  A lot of them that are good in BB go to college and play VB instead.  Jordan Hooper was offered by both John Cook and Connie Yori.  Glad the Big10 POY went with Yori!

[Handy Johnson]

Who can forget when Bill Jackman was going to be the next Larry Bird...

[Neon Budreau]

Billinglsy didn't make it to UNO either because of grades. I believe he went JUCO as well. 

[basketballjones]

The reason I brought this up is when Nee was here we seemed to be able to get a solid contributor from Nebraska every few years. It would make recruiting so much easier for coach Miles and staff if we produced some legit D-1 talent. I know there have been a few D-1 players but just seems to be really down compared to the ladies sports.

You're onto something with your, "Nee found a solid contributor..."

I've been arguing for years that there has to be kids we're flatout missing in this state who could be incredible contributors after a couple years. We're just unwilling to make an investment on a kid who just is who he is and you know exactly what they'll be in a few years. Everyone is so worried about potential and athleticism. Finding possible NBA products who can dunk, block shots, and have a 80" wingspan.

Not all 5 guys have to have those qualities, and certainly not all 13 scholarships need to be filled with that. Sometimes you can just find a "basketball player," who has skills, can shoot, knows the game really well, and plays hard. Regardless of size and athleticism.

For the poster who said why aren't D2 and NAIA teams completely dominating then? Well it takes a whole team to win, not just one player. No one is saying there are 20 kids out there a year from Nebraska who are flying under the radar. But there certainly has to be a couple we miss out on.

Nick Reed at Doane just scored over 2,000 points in his career - what if we had brought him in knowing he can shoot, and has a great build (6'4", 215lbs)? May never get 20ppg here, but by his junior or senior year could be a great role player or contributor. Who knows?

Connor Beranek has a couple 40 point games this year at UNK, and has them playing their best ball in quite a while. And hell, he's 6'7" -- same with Ethan Brozek who is doing great things for them this year.

We'll never find Pettaway's consistently in the state of Nebraska. And Stricklands are a once-in-a-generation players. But I fully believe there are role players and contributors out there who we are missing out on because we'd rather take a kid from out of state who is "athletic." Doc Sadlers classes were full of that crap, when we could have had much more solid, reliable players.

[TheGov21]

 

The reason I brought this up is when Nee was here we seemed to be able to get a solid contributor from Nebraska every few years. It would make recruiting so much easier for coach Miles and staff if we produced some legit D-1 talent. I know there have been a few D-1 players but just seems to be really down compared to the ladies sports.

You're onto something with your, "Nee found a solid contributor..."

I've been arguing for years that there has to be kids we're flatout missing in this state who could be incredible contributors after a couple years. We're just unwilling to make an investment on a kid who just is who he is and you know exactly what they'll be in a few years. Everyone is so worried about potential and athleticism. Finding possible NBA products who can dunk, block shots, and have a 80" wingspan.

Not all 5 guys have to have those qualities, and certainly not all 13 scholarships need to be filled with that. Sometimes you can just find a "basketball player," who has skills, can shoot, knows the game really well, and plays hard. Regardless of size and athleticism.

For the poster who said why aren't D2 and NAIA teams completely dominating then? Well it takes a whole team to win, not just one player. No one is saying there are 20 kids out there a year from Nebraska who are flying under the radar. But there certainly has to be a couple we miss out on.

Nick Reed at Doane just scored over 2,000 points in his career - what if we had brought him in knowing he can shoot, and has a great build (6'4", 215lbs)? May never get 20ppg here, but by his junior or senior year could be a great role player or contributor. Who knows?

Connor Beranek has a couple 40 point games this year at UNK, and has them playing their best ball in quite a while. And hell, he's 6'7" -- same with Ethan Brozek who is doing great things for them this year.

We'll never find Pettaway's consistently in the state of Nebraska. And Stricklands are a once-in-a-generation players. But I fully believe there are role players and contributors out there who we are missing out on because we'd rather take a kid from out of state who is "athletic." Doc Sadlers classes were full of that crap, when we could have had much more solid, reliable players.

 

 

I got blasted on here not too far back by suggesting Miles try a sway a fringe prospect to walk on with the idea that they could possibly develop into a contributer off the bench.  I do know he invited Beranek to come try out for a walk on spot but Beranek wanted to go to Doane instead.

[hhcmatt]

I got blasted on here not too far back by suggesting Miles try a sway a fringe prospect to walk on with the idea that they could possibly develop into a contributer off the bench. 

 

Blame the Doc Sadler era for getting guff for that sort of suggestion.

I think the thought of a walk-on getting playing time going forward would be looked on as a guy who has risen to a certain level as opposed to a failure to recruit talent.