The basketball talent in Nebraska is on the rise, and all season long, Hail Varsity will be tracking the in-state players with Division I offers, including those Nebraska is recruiting.
2021 Millard North Guard Hunter Sallis (Nebraska Target)
Millard North went 1-1 during a tough final week, though Sallis had a big couple of games individually.
Millard North jumped out to a big lead in the fourth quarter then held off a furious Lincoln North Star rally to win 69-67 on Tuesday in a packed Stable with several coaches in attendance to watch Sallis face off against Donovan Williams. Sallis put up 27 points on 12-of-18 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3 and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, six rebounds (four offensive), three assists, one block and four turnovers.
Millard North followed that up with another home game against Omaha Central, but this time the Mustangs fell in overtime, 83-81, on a buzzer-beating layup by Central senior Max Polk. Sallis went off for 35 points on 10-of-19 from the field, 1-of-5 from 3 and 14-of-20 from the line with five rebounds, two steals and three turnovers. Sallis hit a pull-up jumper at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime but Central sent a double-team at him and forced a turnover which led to Polk’s breakaway game-winner.
2022 Millard North Forward Jasen Green (Nebraska Target)
Green had nine points on 4-of-8 shooting (1-of-2 from 3), seven rebounds, one block, one steal and one turnover in the win against North Star.
He took an unofficial visit to Nebraska on Thursday for the Huskers’ game against Michigan State.
Green stepped up in Millard North’s loss to Central, finishing with 20 points on 9-of-11 from the field and 2-of-6 from the foul line, eight rebounds including five on the offensive end, one assist and one block.
2020 Millard North Forward Max Murrell (Stanford Commit)
Murrell had nine points on 4-of-9 shooting (1-of-4 from 3), five rebounds, three blocks and a turnover against the Navigators. Against the Eagles, he had 10 points on 3-of-8 from the field and 4-of-7 from the foul line, nine rebounds (five offensive), three assists, two blocks, one steal and one turnover.
Millard North finished the season 20-4 and will be the No. 2 overall seed, hosting a district this weekend.
2020 Omaha Central Guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
Trelly Wrightsell went off last week, scoring over 100 points in three wins for the Eagles.
On Tuesday, Central’s senior night, Wrightsell went off for a school-record 43 points in a 99-56 win against Omaha Benson. He shot 19-of-36 from the field, 3-of-10 from 3 and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out five assists to two turnovers and nabbed three steals.
He followed that up with another big game in the overtime, last-second win at Millard North on Friday. He finished with a game-high 37 points on 11-of-18 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3 and 11-of-13 from the line, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and four turnovers.
There were a handful of coaches in the gym to watch Wrightsell play and he picked up offers from Bradley and South Dakota afterward.
Central closed out the regular season with a come-from-behind 79-77 win at Omaha Westside on Saturday. Wrightsell struggled a bit compared to what he did in the first two games but still finished with 24 points on 7-of-21 shooting (2-of-4 from 3) and 8-of-12 free-trow shooting, seven rebounds, two steals and four turnovers.
Omaha Central finished the regular season 19-3 and will be the No. 3 overall seed.
2020 Lincoln North Star Guard Donovan Williams
North Star went 1-1 last week, although both games were probably closer than they should have been.
On Tuesday, the Navigators had their showdown with Millard North and saw their fourth-quarter comeback fall just short in a 69-67 loss. Williams led all scorers with 31 points, but he shot 9-of-30 from the field and 1-of-14 from 3 against Millard North’s length while going 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds, two steals, one assist and four turnovers. Williams had a host of college coaches in the gym watching him go against Sallis and the Mustangs.
The Gators got back in the win column at home against Fremont, although it wasn’t necessarily a convincing win at 67-61 considering the Tigers have two wins. Williams put up 17 points on 5-of-15 from the field, 1-of-8 from 3 and 6-of-6 from the foul line, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and two turnovers.
North Star finished 16-7 and will be a No. 2 seed in district play.
2020 Omaha Westside Guard Jadin Booth (Omaha Commit)
The Warriors went 1-1 last week, rolling past Lincoln Southeast before coming up just short against Omaha Central. Jadin Booth got buckets in both games.
Westside won at Lincoln Southeast 65-46 on Friday. Booth was the only Warrior in double figures with 25 points on 10-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from 3 and 8-of-10 from the line and he also chipped in five rebounds, five steals and two assists with just one turnover.
The Warriors led most of the way against the Eagles before Central made a late rally to win 79-77. Booth led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-18 from the field, 4-of-10 from 3 and 6-of-7 from the line, five rebounds, three steals, two assists, one block and five turnovers.
Westside finished 16-6 and will host a district.
2021 Bellevue West Point Guard Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin Commit)
Bellevue West closed out the season with a pair of wins, although the second was a little close for comfort.
On Tuesday, the Thunderbirds smacked the Knights at Lincoln Southeast, 76-54. Chucky Hepburn had a double-double with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting (0-of-2 from 3), 10 assists, three steals, two rebounds and four turnovers.
On Friday, Bellevue West survived a 30-point fourth quarter from Millard West to beat the Wildcats 75-72 at the Thunderdome. Hepburn had another well-balanced game, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3 and 1-of-2 from the line, seven assists, four steals, three rebounds and one turnover.
2021 Bellevue West Wing Frankie Fidler
Frankie Fidler led the the Thunderbirds in scoring against the Knights on Tuesday with 17 points on 6-of-11 from the field, 1-of-2 from 3 and 4-of-5 from the foul line, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and no turnovers.
Against the Wildcats, his older brother Louis led the way offensively while Frankie chipped in nine points on 4-of-9 shooting (0-of-1 from 3) and 1-of-1 from the line, four rebounds, one assist and one turnover.
The Thunderbirds finished 19-3 — tied with Central for the best record in Class A — to earn the top overall seed.
District schedules for Class A will be announced on Tuesday.
Jacob Padilla has been writing for Hail Varsity since 2015. He covers football, volleyball men’s basketball and prep sports. He also co-hosts the Nebraska Preps Postgame and Nebraska Shootaround podcasts for the Hurrdat Media and Hail Varsity podcast networks. His love of basketball can best be described as an obsession and if you need to find him, he’s probably in a gym somewhere watching, coaching or playing hoops.
