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The best of the best from the boys basketball court this season are revealed with three Super-State teams and 12 all-state squads. To view the girls' teams, click here . (All-state captain selections are denoted in bold; honorable mentions listed below.
The 2024-25 Journal Star first-team Super-Staters, from top left to right: Bryson Bahl, Robbie Garcia, Brock Scholl, Mattea Kassebaum, Neleigh Gessert, Tniyah Wilson, Derek Rollins, Molly Ladwig, Ani Leu and Lazerek Houston. People are also reading..
. CLASS A Bellevue West: Bryce Johnson, Brayden Mauro, Carsen Schultz. Columbus: Jaxson Vasicek, Gavin Anderson, Quin Freshour.
Creighton Prep: Trinell Parker, Max Jungers, Cooper Knight, Sam Bohnet. Elkhorn South: Cooper Mroczek, Lincoln Schwartz. Fremont: Maurice Bryant, Zach Keaton, Aiden Vacha, Levi Toben.
Grand Island: Victor Fisher Jr. Lincoln East: Luke Larson. Lincoln High: Brady Nick.
Lincoln Northeast: Mo Abdalla, Grand Fredericks, Easton Switzer. Lincoln North Star: Will Schafer, J’Shawn Afuh. Lincoln Southeast: Mari Shumaker, Chewy Thoat, Prospedi Mukendi, Rowan Lambert.
Lincoln Southwest: Makkiah Sanders, Jaxyn Cruse, Hudson Mezger. Millard North: Coriahnn Gallatin, Major Mosser, Amari Rahaman, Deacon Courtney. Millard South: Koby Meyers, Carter Margheim, Tyler Albert, Jett Thomalla.
Millard West: Reece Carson, Cade Walker, Trey Abara. Norfolk: Drew Streich. North Platte: Easton Jones.
Omaha Benson: Goanar Bamach. Omaha Bryan: Deon Darnell, Kaleb Kimble. Omaha Buena Vista: LC Doss, Brandon Jarmon.
Omaha Burke: Nate Verenn-Burton, Michael White. Omaha Central: Lenox Haynes, Evan Rodgers, Ike Ackerman. Omaha North: Jerri’On Williams, Ban Yor.
Omaha Northwest: Dawayne Kearney, Michael Dubose. Omaha South: Lou Hodoly, Jai Villafuerte-Spears. Omaha Westside: Tyson Odvody, Carson Healy, London Dada.
Omaha Westview: John Sims, Amir Martin. Papillion-LaVista: Cedric Williams, DeMarcus McCarty, Sam Boudreau. Papillion-LaVista South: Jayden Herrera, Levi Webb, Grant Beckenhauer.
South Sioux City: Prestin Blackhawk. CLASS B Alliance: Espen Lanik, Seth Meyring, Payton Boyer. Aurora: Canon Allen.
Beatrice: Harrison Vetrovsky, Tyson Cerveny, Jesse Oltmans. Bennington: Gavin Olson, Jace Fitzgerald, Blaize Jung. Blair: Kalan Steinbeck, Brevin Leggott, Bo Meier.
Crete: Justus Gardiner, Carter Rezny. Douglas County West: Nolan Asher, Trey Schieber, Zane Wohlers, Will Bergsten. Elkhorn: Nixon Farmer, Peter Howard, Jake Petersen.
Elkhorn North: Kellen Murphy, Nike Orgilbold Will Farrington. Gering: Ryland Ray. Gretna: Treven Wilkins, Brandtley Hack.
Gretna East: Talan Hovie, Drayke Brown, Grant Rice, Drew Rhoades. Hastings: Parker Ablott. Lincoln Northwest: Jaymi White-Soto.
Lincoln Pius X: Michael Haith, Cole Randall, Alex Weber. Lincoln Standing Bear: Carlos Risueno, Paul Hart. McCook: Tripp Raile, Andrew Pochop.
Mount Michael Benedictine: Kyle Oldehoeft. Norris: Evan Greenfield, Josh Bornschlegl, Alec Small, Macoy Folkerts. Omaha Gross: Brady McGill.
Omaha Skutt: Kyle Cannon, Dylan VanDyke, George Ziebell, Eddie Linderman. Plattsmouth: Traceson Skalberg, Rylee Johnson, Logan Ksiazek, Nathan Frederick. Platteview: Sully Vanosdall, Elijah Steele, Reiman Zebert.
Ralston: Lamar Rucker. Scottsbluff: Rylee Meininger, Tre Boswell, Keon Delgado. Seward: Tresten Hass, Jack Vyhnalek, Edison Knott, Josh Keller.
Wahoo: Cody Hesser. Waverly: Ashton Heffelfinger, Isaac Clarke. York: Cayce Hager, Brandon Wilson.
CLASS C-1 Adams Central: Austin Vontz. Arlington: Oliver Ladehoff, Schuyler Logemann. Ashland-Greenwood: Cooper Westerhold, Cal Kissinger, Landon Mohs, Logan Fangmeyer.
Auburn: Nixon Ligouri, Brenton Wenzl, Nolan Gardner. Battle Creek: Jaxon Kilmurry, MJ Wragge, Isaac Rudloff. Bishop Neumann: Henry Stuhr, Braylon Wimer, Carson Sabatka.
Boone Central: Connor Christo, Jacob Miller, Kaden Miller, Brogan Benes. Boys Town: Marquis Gray, Nyree Poteet, Tyler Segar. Bridgeport: Hayes Watts, Gage Nein, Landon Dean.
Broken Bow: Dominic Nowak, Braxtton Johnson, Zach Jackson. Central City: Truman Ryan, Colter Lueders, Karter Negus, Jakob Ruhl. Centura: Barrett Fries.
Chadron: Thomas Smith, Brady Daniels. Chase County: Camron Lempke, Noah Rau. Columbus Lakeview: Jacob Dawson, Grayson Vogt, Clayton Thomson, Logan Tomky.
Conestoga: Andrew Lamoureux, Trevor Tesarek. Cozad: Olliver Davis, Chayden Hoffmaster, Kellen Shoemaker. David City: Reese Svoboda.
Doniphan-Trumbull: Parker Volk Tycen Bennett, Tregan Barnes. Falls City: Keifer Adams. Fairbury: Brodie Prellwitz.
Fillmore Central: Jarin Tweedy. Fort Calhoun: Adam Elofson, Travis Skelton, Kade Foy. Gibbon: Tyler Weismann.
Gothenburg: Braden Michel. Holdrege: Baron Medina, Landon Hartzog, Wyatt Pfiefer. Johnson County Central: Wes Swanson, Keegan Jones.
Kearney Catholic: Owen Axmann, Oliver Sharp, Will Hogeland. Lincoln Christian: Andrew Penrod, CJ Cuciti. Lincoln Lutheran: Ryan Hager, Grant Stowell.
Logan View/Scribner-Snyder: Grayson Kraus. Louisville: Jase Ostblom, Keegan Witte. Malcolm: Carson Frank, Preston Kucera.
Milford: Colby Rautenberg, Landon Roth. Minden: Brett Eckhardt, Luke Grollmes. Mitchell: Clayton Shultz.
North Bend Central: Layne Ruzicka, Cash Hanis, Koda Baehr, Ethan Kluck. Omaha Concordia: Drew Kulus, Jackson Shepherd, Owen Abendroth. Ogallala: Edan Cain, Rylan Gilmore, Tanner DeCastro, Lincoln Gillen.
O’Neill: Turner Heiss. Ord: Elijah Pollard, Landon Critel. Palmyra: Harrison Boyte, Kobee Martin.
Pierce: Keaton Frazier, Brock Collison. Raymond Central: Cole Dubas, Dawson Potter, Tavion Johnson. St.
Paul: Gage Sack, Zandyn Weller. Scotus Central Catholic: Caleb Cameron, Cohen Pelan, Max Wemhoff, Owen Lindhorst. Sidney: Keian Kaiser, Alek Doty, Landon Riddle.
Syracuse: Will Janssen, Maxwell Parde. Valentine: Andon Olson, Isaac Cronin, Dominic Beebout. Wayne: Colson Nelson, Gavin Redden, Jace Jorgensen.
West Point-Beemer: Hunter Swanson, Peyton Penrose, Brayden Doggett. Wilber-Clatonia: Aiden Zajicek, Jameson Conway, Cash Keslar. Winnebago: Kellen Medina.
CLASS C-2 Alma: Zavier Mitchell, Tucker Biskup, Isaiah Neal, Grady Faimon. Amherst: Braylon Russell, Kyler Jones Gavin Davis, Brynndon Bradley. Arcadia/Loup City: Eli Jaixen, Max Lewandowski.
Archbishop Bergan: Trey Mooney, Cale Sheets, Trent Mlnarik, Gavin Dean. Aquinas: Bryant Stouffer, Garett Novacek, Kailer Pohl. Cedar Catholic: Jaymison Cattau, Mason Baller.
Centennial: Devin Slawnyk, Sam Ehlers, Camden Winkelman. Clarkson/Leigh: Kyle McMullin, Tucker Matthies, Korbin Lemburg. Crofton: Trevor Allen.
Cross County: Thatcher Hanson, Sawyer Anderson, Langdon Arubuck, Brock Allen. Elkhorn Valley: Korbin Werner, Logan Black. EMF: Zach Vossler, Mason Vossler, Mikey Bartu, Carter Milton.
Freeman: Hudson Vetrovsky, Trevor Reed, Aiden Glanz, Keegan White, Owen Buss. Gordon-Rushville: Daniel Martins. Grand Island CC: Thomas LIban, Braylon Wolf, Thomas Birch.
Guardian Angels CC: Luke Guenther. Heartland: Thane Wetjen, Carter Siebert, Sam Quiring. Hershey: Aidan Truesdale, Kellan Spearman, Cole Murdock, Houston Hill.
Hi-Line: Brody Diefenbaugh, Zach Whittaker, Dawson Ruda. Humphrey-Lindsay: Owen Kurtenbach, Caden Brandl, Gavin Friesen. Kimball: Kyler Lusche, Ryker Behrend, Trevor Fuss, Braxton Miller.
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge: Gibson Roberts. Lutheran High Northeast: Gavin Feddern, Colston Kapels, Dartagnan Taylor. Madison: Izac Zautke, Gabe Campos, Bode Sweeney.
Mead: Isaac Couch, Brady Gartner, Tytus Lee. Morrill: Ashwin Pittman, Wyler Fisher. Newman Grove/St.
Edward: Anthony Reader, Marcos Paez, Zander Jarecki. Norfolk Catholic: Gavin Schutt, Max Hammond, Braeden Burbach. Oakland-Craig: Braylon Anderson, Isaak Maxwell, Corbin Guill.
Omaha Brownell Talbot: Simon Lim, John Schinzel. Pender: Alex Roth, Owen Kneifl, Trevor Trimble. Perkins County: Ryder Potts, Jackson Wyket.
Plainview: Karter Lingenfelter, Kohen Lingenfelter, Jackson King, Wyatt Schroth. Ponca: Tucker McGill, Austin Dendinger, Zain Stark. Sandy Creek: Ethan Shaw, Kamerin Sealey.
Shelby-Rising City: Dalton Pokorney, Nixon Thelen, Noah Thelen. South Loup: Crew Witthuhn, Connor Paulsen, Dylan Pandorf. Stanton: Barrett Wilke.
Summerland: Michael Koenig, Sam Cheatum, Alec Schindler. Sutton: Aidan Jones, Payton Reed, Harrison Herndon. Tekamah-Herman: Brody Rogers, Griffin Breckenridge.
Thayer Central: Laken Wiedel, Brady Degenhardt. Tri County: Drew Siems, Hason Wehrman. Tri County Northeast: Ben Jorgensen, Thatcher Lamp.
Twin River: Paydon Rinkol, Corbin Rodriguez, Colsten Rodriguez. Wakefield: Cael Johnson, Jacob Borg. West Holt: Andrew Rentschler, Drake Nemetz.
Wood River: Christian Johnson, Anthony Rindone, Madden Brabec, Levin Johnson. Yutan: Ryan Maguire, AJ Arensberg, Carson Jury. CLASS D-1 Ainsworth: Logan Schroedl, Morgan Kinney, Chris Fernandez.
Arapahoe: Will Cacy. Axtell: Jake Halvorsen, Brandt Modlin, Cade Axtell. Bancroft-Rosalie: Drake Porter, KJ Blackhawk, Jaden Browning, Samuel Dick, Braylon Wegner.
Bertrand: Thunder Nelson, Marcus Hernandez. Bloomfield: Beau Eisenhauer, Benjamin Dodge. Blue Hill: Kellen Schmidt, Ethan Timm.
Boyd County: Hudson Hoffman, Charlie Adams, Cash Sinclair. Cambridge: Brady Ahlemeyer, Hodge Raburn, Krayton Ruggles. Cedar Bluffs: Carter Eiring, Dawson Novotny.
Central Valley: Zaden Wolf, Tae Soto, Boston Wood. Creighton: Taylor Nilson, Ethan Kuhl. CWC: Michael Jesse.
Deshler: Easton Nash, Carson Sieber, Kaden Kleen. Dundy County Stratton: Ethan Latta, August Shaw, Breck Horner, Dante Horner. East Butler: Brody Johnson, Grant Kozisek, Owen Obbink.
Elm Creek: Jeremiah Shoemaker, Blake Erickson, Caleb Reiter. Elmwood-Murdock: Dashiell Coleman, Carson Towle, Clayton Fletcher. Falls City Sacred Heart: Cole Taft, Bo Fletcher.
Franklin: Eldon Haack. Hartington-Newcastle: Brayden Lammers. Hastings St.
Cecilia: Aiden Schieffer. Hitchcock County: Jayce Hauxwell, Adam Kisker. Howells-Dodge: Andre Martin, Dane Meyer, Hunter Luther.
Johnson-Brock: Austin Meyer, Garrison Bowhay, Grady Behrends, Robert Gravatt. Loomis: Tyson Essex. Lourdes Central Catholic: Brady Schnitzer.
Lyons-Decatur Northeast: Kadyn Knaak. Maywood-Hayes Center: Kade Broz, Jaxson Anders, Keenan Richards. McCool Junction: Bryson Plock, Jaxon McDonald.
Nebraska Christian: Oliver Herman. Niobrara/Verdigre: Coy Wickersham, Wyatt Shabram. North Platte St.
Patrick’s: Logan Winder, Sutton Tickle. Osceola: Kelby Neujahr, Boston Hinkle, Brayden Santos. Overton: Brock McCarter, Eli Luther.
Pawnee City: Anthony Kling, Jett Farwell. Paxton: Tanner Hebblethwaite. Pleasanton: Brennan Lindner, Gage Zwiener, Gavin Zwiener.
Riverside: Jack Molt, Dane Schalk, Larry Diessner. Sandhills Valley: Leyton Connell, Kyle Kramer. Southern: Cooper Warford, Paxx Adams, Alex Meece.
Sutherland: Mason Mortimer, Jason Saner. Twin Loup: Yahya Harris. Weeping Water: Gus McGill.
CLASS D-2 Anselmo-Merna: Dane Duryea, Josiah Griffith, Kayden Record. Ansley-Litchfield: Owen Cunningham. Arthur County: Kagan Allen, Carter Storer.
Banner County: Isaac Olsen. Crawford: Taylor Homan. Cody-Kilgore: Tristan Fish, Jasper Roseberry, Cooper Pitkin.
Creek Valley: Lane Brenneman, Mason Timm. Diller-Odell: Cooper Morgan, Jack Phillips, Xavier Zaboktrsky. EPPJ: Karson Kalhoff, Kellan Hoefer, Dylan Kolm, Max Henn.
Fullerton: Hunter Gochenour, Nolan Dubas, Fletcher Dubas. Garden County: Wilsie Lobner, Kole Fornander, Kade Collins. Giltner: Braxton Cady.
Hampton: Wyatt Dose. Hay Springs: Dylan Young, Jaron Dahlgren, Talan Smith. Heartland Lutheran: Luke Olson.
High Plains: Ayden Hans, Carter Urkoski, Brodey Spurling. Humphrey Archangels: Devon Baumgart, Ethan Wieseler, Brenden Johannes. Kenesaw: Adam Denkert, Maddox Wagoner, Jravin Suck.
Lawrence-Nelson: Wyatt Frey. Lewiston: Everett Bohling. Leyton: Calvin Borgmann.
Maxwell: Cole Huffman, Jesse Reyes, Joaquin Vega. Mullen: Jacob Walker, Ben Werner. Nebraska Lutheran: Lukas Worster.
Parkview Christian: Guilherme De Lima, Tairren Scott. Potter-Dix: Dylan Tabor, Landon Gasseling. Randolph: Logan Lienemann, Luke Harder, Adrian Samano.
Sandhills/Thedford: Maurice Robinson. Santee: Tasunka Starlin, Christian Torrez. St.
Mary’s: Logan Brabec. Shelton: Ben Myers, Jaxson Ohlman, Harper Thober. Silver Lake: Landon Duester, Lane Conway.
Sioux County: Logan Monroe. South Platte: Quinten Koenen, Nathan Jacobs, Conner Evans. Southwest: Deric Kelley.
S-E-M: Cohen Rohde, Chance Daake. Sterling: Colin Wambold. Stuart: Kayde Ramm, Ben Paxton, Gavynn Musin, Drew Schaderer.
Wallace: Jason Fisher, Conner Kennicutt, Max Hanson, Colt Franklin. Wauneta-Palisade: Ashton Wheeler. Wausa: Mac Carlson.
Winside: Caleb Offner. Wynot: Devin Brummer, Kotner Koch, Killian Steinhaus, Justin Heimes. Boys basketball: Meet the 5-player first-team Super State lineup from 2024-25 BRYSON BAHL | PAPILLION-LA VISTA SOUTH 6-5; Sr.
; PPG; 21.8; RPG; 8.5 College: Drake Why he's here: The Nebraska Gatorade boys player of the year was at his best when it mattered most for Papio South.
At the state tournament, Bahl played 95 of a possible 96 minutes, averaged 29 points per game, shot 52% from the field, 41% from 3-point range, and went 20-for-20 at the free throw line. And that was at the end of a regular season in which Bahl was consistently one of the top players in the state — he scored 20-plus points in all but six games. Reaching the top: “I mean, it was more than I expected.
Because that's something I've always wanted, and it didn't really feel real at the time, but after, it's still just cool to look back and think about,” Bahl said. Complete development: “Bryson’s impact on winning was undeniable, but his greatest evolution as a player wasn’t just about his ability to put up numbers — it was about his ability to make everyone around him better," Papio South coach Joel Hueser said. DEREK ROLLINS | MILLARD NORTH 6-5; Sr.
; PPG; 19.5; RPG; 10.2 College: Undecided Why he's here: Steady improvement was the name of the game for Rollins, who was already one of the state’s top players two seasons ago as a sophomore.
His averages of 19.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.
7 assists per game as a season were all career highs, as was his 39% shooting from 3-point range. A two-time Super State first-team selection, Rollins scored 1,372 career points, and led Millard North to two state championship games and a semifinal appearance. Doing the work: “I feel like a lot of coaches said I couldn’t shoot, so I was able to up my 3-point percentage this year, and then guard the perimeter and rebound a lot better.
It was just something where I knew I had to get better. I just put my mind to it and didn’t let it bother me,” Rollins said. Role model: “Derek has done so much for our program and has carried a heavy load for the past three years.
A tremendous leader, fearless competitor and a great role model for young kids, including my own,” Millard North coach Mike Etzelmiller said. ROBBY GARCIA | BELLEVUE WEST 6-6; Sr.; PPG; 20.
1; RPG; 11.5 College: Northwest Missouri State Why he's here: Garcia wouldn’t let Bellevue West slip after graduating nine seniors from its back-to-back state championship squad, taking his game to new heights and leading the Thunderbirds back to the state tournament. Rock-solid all year long, Garcia anchored the Thunderbirds all the year as the team’s younger players found their footing.
A new role: “I’ve played with a lot of really good players. And obviously, I've learned a lot from a lot of those guys. And the biggest thing I kind of took away from them was just that leadership skill.
I feel like it's more a life skill, rather than just basketball, so being able to kind of guide the younger guys this year was definitely a big part of it for me, and I just feel like it's going to help a lot of them, just because they didn't have a lot of experience coming into the season,” Garcia said. Leading the way: “I don't think that (his) accomplishments top what he was able to do this year from a leadership standpoint as the lone senior on a team with mostly sophomores and freshmen that had no varsity experience coming into the season, with the expectations of being the two-time defending state champs,” Bellevue West coach Steven Klein said. BROCK SCHOLL | OMAHA SKUTT 6-9; Sr.
; PPG; 16.9; RPG; 8.2 College: Omaha Why he's here: A focal point in Omaha Skutt’s run of three consecutive Class B championships, Scholl established himself as one of the state’s top big men over the last two seasons.
He created as much gravity as any player in the state in 2024-25, drawing multiple players nearly every possession on offense and opening things up for his teammates. The proof came in the state semifinals, when it was teammate George Ziebell who got the winning tip-in with Norris so focused on keeping Scholl off the offensive glass. Pride: “It’s super-nice to play with the ‘SkyHawks’ on our chest, just to show that our school is one of the top schools in the state, even though we’re Class B.
We work just as hard as everyone else,” Scholl said. Leaving a legacy: “He's probably the most exciting player we've ever had. His ability to play above the rim was like no other.
He could turn the tide of a game with an electric play like nobody I've coached in 20 years. Brock has been a three-year starter in our program and we've had very few of those, but it speaks to how talented he is,” Omaha Skutt coach Kyle Jurgens said. LAZEREK HOUSTON | LINCOLN NORTHEAST 6-1; Sr.
; PPG; 25.6; RPG; 5.3 College: Central Missouri Why he's here: One of the most electric players in the state, Houston led Class A in scoring with a nearly four-point gap between him and second place.
He had a historic season for one of Nebraska’s most tradition-rich programs, breaking Lincoln Northeast records for single-season points, 3-pointers in a game, and field goals in a season. His 46-point game against Lincoln high Jan. 24 included nine 3-pointers, and was the highest-scoring game for a Class A player this season.
Finding a way: “It's just a lot of work, you know? Practice, game reps, and the mainly thing, believing myself, having the confidence to take the shot and make it. It most definitely got a little bit harder (as the year went on) — we had to get some more plays run for me, because it was, tough; double teams, triple teams, defenses collapsing around me,” Houston said. Bringing a spark: “Lazerek is a winner.
He brought confidence and an edge to our program this season. He is obviously a very, very talented player on the court but I was so impressed with him off the court as well. He excelled in the classroom and represented the Northeast Lincoln community well,” Lincoln Northeast coach Monte Ritchie said.
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