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 in St. Edward where Alyssa Reardon is having a fantastic basketball season. Not only is the 5-foot, 5-inch guard scoring at will, she is pulling down over seven rebounds a contest, swiping three enemy balls, dishing out almost three assists a game and even blocking a few shots.
Fremont's Taylor McCabe steps in at No. 2 after scoring almost 17 points per game, while Chaney Konopasek of Niobrara/Verdigre sits in the No. 3 spot after averaging 10 points an outing and swiping almost six enemy balls per contest.
Masa Scheierman of York and Bellevue East's Baylee Egan round out the Top 5 in the No. 4 and 5 spots respectively after posting scoring averages of eight points each and displaying their rebounding prowess every night this basketball season.
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 players school as well as their height and position(s) played. Lines two and three are reserved for the player's stat line and shooting stats respectively.
Nebraska's top first year girls basketball players1. Alyssa Reardon, St. Edward, 5-5, Freshman, G17.8 points | 2.8 assists | 7.4 rebounds | 3.0 steals | 0.8 blocked shots
46 2FGM-137 2FGA | 17 3PM-62 3PA | 71 FTM-94 FTA | 214 Points
2. Taylor McCabe, Fremont, 5-9, Freshman, G16.7 points | 1.9 assists | 4.3 rebounds | 3.0 steals | 0.7 blocked shots
41 2FGM-78 2FGA | 27 3PM-73 3PA | 21 FTM-30 FTA | 184 Points
3. Chaney Konopasek, Niobrara/Verdigre (Niobrara), 5-6, Freshman, PG10.3 points | 3.0 assists | 5.3 rebounds | 5.9 steals | 0.4 blocked shots
37 2FGM-76 2FGA | 16 3PM-66 3PA | 22 FTM-60 FTA | 144 Points
4. Masa Scheierman, York, 6-0, Freshman8.7 points | 1.6 assists | 9.9 rebounds | 1.3 steals | 2.0 blocked shots
42 2FGM-76 2FGA | 5 3PM-11 3PA | 15 FTM-26 FTA | 114 Points
5. Baylee Egan, Bellevue East (Bellevue), 5-9, Freshman, C/PF8.6 points | 0.6 assists | 8.5 rebounds | 2.4 steals | 1.7 blocked shots
37 2FGM-112 2FGA | 0 3PM-4 3PA | 21 FTM-43 FTA | 95 Points
6. Jordyn Carr, Wakefield/Allen (Wakefield), 5-5, Freshman, G10.2 points | 2.2 assists | 4.2 rebounds | 4.9 steals | 0.1 blocked shots
21 2FGM-65 2FGA | 15 3PM-52 3PA | 5 FTM-13 FTA | 92 Points
7. Dakotah Ludemann, Johnson County Central (Tecumseh), 5-7, Freshman, PG11.5 points | 2.5 assists | 4.9 rebounds | 2.4 steals | 0.1 blocked shots
41 2FGM-90 2FGA | 2 3PM-10 3PA | 38 FTM-62 FTA | 126 Points
8. Kya Scott, Broken Bow, 5-5, Freshman, SG/PG13.3 points | 0.7 assists | 3.7 rebounds | 3.0 steals | 0.2 blocked shots
27 2FGM-51 2FGA | 5 3PM-23 3PA | 11 FTM-14 FTA | 80 Points
9. Bailey Kissinger, St. Cecilia (Hastings), Freshman11.9 points | 2.7 assists | 3.3 rebounds | 2.5 steals | 0.0 blocked shots
29 2FGM-67 2FGA | 17 3PM-34 3PA | 22 FTM-44 FTA | 131 Points
10. Kaitlyn Nelson, Ainsworth, 5-10, Freshman9.4 points | 0.8 assists | 7.7 rebounds | 1.8 steals | 0.5 blocked shots
42 2FGM-89 2FGA | 0 3PM-2 3PA | 10 FTM-19 FTA | 94 Points
