One Vital Player From Each Class A Team – Part 4

With the high school season kicking off this past week, we are going to highlight a prospect on each team throughout the state of Nebraska, that is vital to the success of their Varsity program over the next three months. To start things off, we are going to lock in with the biggest Class in the state and that is the A Class. In this specific piece, we highlight the schools of Grand Island, Fremont, Elkhorn South, Columbus, Buena Vista, Bellevue West, & Bellevue East.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Grand Island High School did not have the season they would have liked last Winter but they are ready to turn a corner this time around. Last season this team was YOUNG and so there was a lot of inexperience, leading to a lot of lessons as the year went on. Someone from their 2027 Class, that stepped up as a Freshman, who should be a vital piece to this team's puzzle is SF - [player_tooltip player_id='1092016' first='Lilly' last='Goodwin']. Goodwin led the team as a Freshman in PPG, while also putting up good numbers in the Rebounding, Shooting Percentage, and Blocks sections. If this is someone that worked hard in her off-season, she should put up even better numbers for this time around as a Sophomore, while her team wins some games in the process.     There are about five players that I could put in this spot for Fremont in this piece but taking into consideration last Winter, how she looked in her first game so far, and the system that this team runs - leads me to say that Jenna McClain will be a vital factor in Fremont's success for her Senior season. McClain led this team in PPG and APG last Winter, while also grabbing 7 RPG and shooting 32% from the field. If she can look to stack on that and others like Kate Denker or Madison Ostransky stay consistent, they will have one of their better seasons to date. They sort of have a three headed monster when looking at their roster and that could be really hard for others to stop in the long run.     [player_tooltip player_id='753080' first='Mollie' last='Probasco'] of Elkhorn South was a stud last season for her first time on the Varsity floor and I'm hoping that she follows up this Winter with an even better year. Probasco stands out for her natural ability on both ends of the floor. She is a top rated prospect out of her 2027 Class because of her mixture of length, smarts, athleticism, natural instincts, and attitude. These are all boxes that collegiate recruiters have while looking at a future prospect and Probasco checks off all of those at a thorough rate. The Storm's roster is one that is deep at multiple positions. Over the next few seasons, they should make a run during the Playoffs and potentially make a State appearance if every one plays to their full potential.     The Senior guard leaders from prior years at Columbus High School are gone due to graduation and so now it's time for [player_tooltip player_id='896704' first='Grayson' last='Gentile'] to become the beast that we all know she can. Gentile is one of the tallest prospects in the state of Nebraska at 6'2/6'3 and she moves extremely well for her height. Defensively, this is a player that can recover near the hoop in short amounts of time if she or a teammate is ever beaten because of her mixture of size, speed, and awareness. On the AAU floor, against others who are her size, Gentile has proven that she can hold her own so there is no reason to think that she won't do the same thing these next three months at Columbus.     [player_tooltip player_id='1099874' first='Destiny' last='Barney'] should lead Buena Vista High School in scoring this Winter for her Senior season but it will all come down to how efficient she is. That will determine how this team does as a whole. We are one game into the season and Buena Vista is definitely a young group, that possesses talent prospects at their 2027 & 2028 grade levels. Barney will be one of their only Senior's who consistently finds the court and I think she could do really well as this season wears on. By the looks of it, she will have a good quantity for her shot attempts or assists per contest, but it comes down to quality. If she keeps taking what the defense gives her and plays her game, who knows what this group could put together as whole.     Ever since [player_tooltip player_id='336046' first='Jamyla' last='Gilmore'] de-committed this past month, she has been the hottest unsigned recruit that the state of Nebraska has to offer. Gilmore, the 6'2 PF has several coaches from the D2, NAIA, and Juco levels reaching out to see if she would be interested to come aboard. That's just one more reason to think that Gilmore is going to put together her best season to date. She is going to be extremely motivated to show everyone recruiting her, that she can play at a high level. If she comes into the Winter locked in and hungry like I think she will be, she should put up some great numbers for her Senior season, before eventually committing to her future home. Wherever that may be.     This past AAU season, [player_tooltip player_id='979442' first='Taylee' last='Wharton'] of Omaha Supreme AAU Basketball put together a respectable run at the SG position, that helped her secure an offer from Bellevue University (NE). Wharton would be categorized as a SG with a quick trigger from deep, calculated footwork, and awakeners of herself with the space around her in all situations. To be a great shooter, you have know WHEN to shoot. Wharton does. She doesn't force any shots but understands when she needs to at least look at the basket to get a bucket for her squad. Bellevue West will win by committee this Winter with a lot of different contributors but I think Wharton will be one of their Top Three in multiple categories, when things come to a close.

With the high school season kicking off this past week, we are going to highlight a prospect on each team throughout the state of Nebraska, that is vital to the success of their Varsity program over the next three months. To start things off, we are going to lock in with the biggest Class in the state and that is the A Class. In this specific piece, we highlight the schools of Grand Island, Fremont, Elkhorn South, Columbus, Buena Vista, Bellevue West, & Bellevue East.