Part One: The Nebraska Summer Wrap-Up

Over the next week, we will focus some time on players who had high-end summers. Some you may know, some you may not. We hope that it leads you into some standing of where players will fall before the high school season kicks off in late November. Earlier today, the ETG Midwest 15U team won the national championship on the adidas 3SSB circuit. Coach Jason Dolliver's team may not have done it with the most coveted players, but they had one of the best defensive units on the circuit and finished the summer 13-1. Here are four players (there will be more from more programs) who stood out over the summer.   We will be back each day this week with more player profiles. If we missed your team, or program or class just be patient. We'll do our best to highlight as many players as we can. Without further ado, some of the champs.    We said it before, but there was a saying that went around the state this year that the only time Bennington lost during their 28-0 Class B state championship season was in practice against their freshman. Five of them are ranked in our 2029 rankings spearheaded by Gargano who scored 131 points and grabbed 87 rebounds during her freshman campaign. On Monday, she tallied 16 points and six rebounds in the championship game. During the summer, she led the ETG team in points (10.6 per game) and rebounds. The sky is the limit for Gargano as she continues to grow her game to match the speed with which she plays. Not afraid of the moment, Gargano set the Bennington High School long jump record this spring and won the Class B state long jump title for the Badgers, who also won the state title in track. The next 12 months could bring a load of college attention.     Stock way up for Mayci after a blistering Session III in Rock Hill, SC where she earned finals game MVP honors with a 16 point, six assist effort. We forgive if you can't keep all the Dolliver's straight, but Mayci is the third Dolliver sister from Pender which has won three straight state titles in Nebraska with dad, Jason, coaching. Cousins Halle (now at Omaha) and 2028, No. 2 Payton keep you confused. Dolliver is a feisty point guard, but a real leader who can get after you on the defensive and is a more than capable distributor which she did all summer for ETG. On the high school floor, she'll be called on to be more of a scorer for the Pendragons as they seek a fifth straight state championship.     In watching players this summer, Blomenkamp made the most impact on us. Sure, for her high school team she is a backup to standout [player_tooltip player_id='884656' first='Macie' last='Reiner']. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be watching her. Blomenkamp has length and athleticism on her 5-11 frame and can score at all three levels. Her ability to cause problems with Bennington's press at the UNK Team Camp opened our eyes. Blomenkamp picked up a Wayne State offer early in June and added a Kearney offer as well. She's has had an excellent summer on the ETG 15U team as a steady presence on both ends of the floor. In the finals, she scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and had two assists.     Murphy was an excellent complement to Blomenkamp and Gargano's size for the ETG team this summer and she'll have an expanded role for Millard North this winter as well. She played good minutes as a freshman and will team with teammates [player_tooltip player_id='897434' first='Mia' last='McKenzie'] and [player_tooltip player_id='897256' first='Emerson' last='Johnson'] to form an excellent front court for the Mustangs. For Millard North's state tournament team last winter, she played in 24 of 25 games and averaged 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Some things you can't teach and Murphy's size and ability to effect the paint on both ends of the floor standout. She tallied five points and grabbed two rebounds in the championship game against Meta Hoops.

Over the next week, we will focus some time on players who had high-end summers. Some you may know, some you may not. We hope that it leads you into some standing of where players will fall before the high school season kicks off in late November. Earlier today, the ETG Midwest 15U team won the national championship on the adidas 3SSB circuit. Coach Jason Dolliver's team may not have done it with the most coveted players, but they had one of the best defensive units on the circuit and finished the summer 13-1. Here are four players (there will be more from more programs) who stood out over the summer.