Every off season basketball prognosticators, coaches and even some fans busy themselves pouring through rosters, postseason awards and statistics from the previous year, hoping to put together an accurate depiction of how the upcoming basketball season may play out.
But one element is always missing in their research. The newcomer. While most first-year players spend the better part of their basketball season playing with the freshman or junior varsity teams, or even riding the bench, some do make a huge impact on the varsity season.
Here at MaxPreps we have decided to take a look at which Cornhusker State freshmen are playing more like veterans this winter. And there are some outstanding rookies.
It all starts at Kearney Catholic where Brett Mahony is having a fantastic basketball season. Not only is the 6-foot, 2-inch small forward scoring at will, he is pulling down almost eight rebounds a contest, swiping two enemy balls, dishing out almost two and a half assists a game and even blocking a few shots.
Douglas County West's Payson Gillespie steps in at No. 2 after scoring more than 17 points per game, while Austin Thyne of Mitchell sits in the No. 3 spot after averaging 15.2 points an outing and dishing out four and a half assists per contest.
Trajan Arbuck of Heartland and Wallace's Kolton Hager round out the Top 5 in the No. 4 and 5 spots respectively after posting scoring averages of 17.4 and 13.6 points a night respectively.
In order to be considered for this week's Top 10, a player had to post a scoring average of 10 points or more, or rank rather high in rebounding, assists, steals and/or blocked shots. As you look through this Top 10 list, the top line displays the player's school as well as their height and position(s) played, while line two is reserved for the player's stat line.
Silver Lake (Roseland, Neb.)Nebraska's top first-year boys basketball players1. Brett Mahony, Kearney Catholic, 6-2, SF18.2 points, 2.4 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 0.5 blocked shots
2. Payson Gillespie, Douglas County West (Valley), 6-2, SG17.5 points, 1.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 1.1 blocked shots
3. Austin Thyne, Mitchell, 5-11, G/PG15.2 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.2 blocked shots
4. Trajan Arbuck, Heartland (Henderson), 6-1, SG17.4 points, 1.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 0.1 blocked shots
5. Kolton Hager, Wallace, 6-1, F13.6 points, 1.1 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals
6. Oakley Rosno, Silver Lake (Roseland), 5-6, PG9.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 0.3 blocked shots
7. Jarred Novotny, Clarkson/Leigh (Clarkson), 6-0, PG/SG11.5 points, 2.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 0.1 blocked shots
8. Andrew Waltke, Palmyra, 6-1, G/SF11.7 points, 1.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 0.2 blocked shots
9. Zane Schwarz, Fort Calhoun9.7 points, 2.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocked shots
10. Shay Swanson, Loomis, 5-109.5 points, 2.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 0.3 blocked shots
