Team: Oakland-Craig
Mascot: Knights
Colors: Orange and White
Class: C-2
Conference: East Husker
Head Coach: Aaron Meyer (152-140 career record)
2015-2016 record: 9-14 (lost to GACC in Sub Districts)
Returning Starters: 4
Overview:
The Oakland-Craig Boys look to be solid once again this season as they return four starters from last year's 9-14 team that put up a lot of points on the board.
Four starters return for Head Coach Aaron Meyer, and they are Carter Thiele (6’2 Sr guard 2 year starter), Garrett Seagren (6’2 Jr guard 2 year starter), Evan Reinert (6’2 Jr forward 1 year starter), and Zach Ahrens (6’2 Sr forward 2 year limited starter).
The 5th starter will be Kobe Benne (5’8 Jr guard transfer from GACC).
The good news for Oakland-Craig is they will have a veteran and experienced starting lineup.
These kids were juniors and sophomores last year, and now they are Seniors and Juniors. I look for that to make a big difference in the Knights' season this year.
Meyer says big losses are Cody Mace and Cole Mitchell - both 2-3 year starters.
So Oakland-Craig will have to make up for the loss of them.
Meyer says Benne is a newcomer who could make a big impact.
I agree with that completely.
Meyer says the team's offseason went OK.
"The offseason was very up and down. We played very well at the start of the summer. At the same time, we showed we still have some work to do."
There's a lot this team can get better at I'm sure.
Meyer says rebounding and team unity are two things that need to get better for the Knights to be good this year.
"We need 3 things to happen. We need to gel as a team. Make sacrifices for one another and feed off each other's success. The other thing is we need to toughen up defensively. We also need to be able to rebound the ball on both ends of the court."
I would say defense is the biggest key to Oakland-Craig's season. The Knights gave up over 50 points in 19 of their 23 games last season. That has to change if Oakland-Craig wants to win more games this season, and it can.
Season Outlook:
Oakland-Craig hopes to be a strong offensive and defensive team this year without a doubt.
Meyer says outside shooting shouldn't be an issue.
"We have quite a bit of potential on both ends of the floor. We have as much outside shooting ability as I’ve ever had as a coach."
That's good news for the Knights. Hopefully Oakland-Craig doesn't live and die by the three though. I would say working for good shots, getting easy lay ups, and getting to the free throw line are equally as important as shooting the ball well from the outside.
Meyer says he's excited about his team.
"Carter and Garrett should be 2 of the best combo guards in the area. It will also be fun to see how Kobe fits into the picture. We’d love to see Zach stay healthy and be able to play up to his potential his senior year."
Meyer adds avoiding the injury bug is also important.
"This team has the potential to be very good. We have to mesh, stay healthy, and play tough D."
The Knights figure to be challenged before Christmas with games against Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, Boys Town, Howells-Dodge, GACC, and Wisner-Pilger all before the break hits.
The schedule is also tough after Christmas with games against Stanton, Winnebago, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, BRLD, North Bend Central, Mead, Fremont Bergan, and West Point-Beemer.
There doesn't appear to be many "gimme" games on the schedule this year so Oakland-Craig will need to find a way to bring it night in and night out to have success.
I think the Knights have a reason to feel optimistic though. I feel Oakland-Craig can win some games they didn't last year if they improve on the defensive end of the floor.
Oakland-Craig is in Sub-District C2-3 with the likes of Fremont Bergan, Yutan, and Omaha Brownell Talbot.
The Knights open up the season at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on December 1st. in a game that will be aired on 107.9 the Bull.
2016-2017 Oakland-Craig Knights Boys Basketball Schedule:
12/01/16 @ Logan View-Scribner-Snyder
12/03/16 @ Boys Town
12/06/16 Clarkson/Leigh
12/09/16 @ Pender
12/10/16 @ Howells-Dodge
12/15/16 Wisner-Pilger
12/17/16 Madison
12/20/16 @ Guardian Angels Central Catholic
12/22/16 Omaha Nation
12/29-12/30 (To Be Determined)Malcolm Holiday Tournament Malcolm
01/06/17 @ Stanton
01/07/17 @ Winnebago
01/10/17 @ Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
01/13/17 BRLD
01/17/17 @ Tekamah-Herman
01/20/17 @ North Bend Central
01/24/17 Mead
01/28-02/04 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference Tournament TBD
02/07/17 Archbishop Bergan
02/10/17 @ West Point-Beemer
Team: Oakland-Craig
Mascot: Knights
Colors: Orange and White
Class: C-2
Conference: East Husker
Head Coach: Joe Anderson (4th season) (43-32 record)
2015-2016 record: 19-7 (lost to Hastings St. Cecilia in first round of State)
Returning Starters: 1
Overview:
The Oakland-Craig Girls hope to be good again this year after reaching state for the first time in school history a season ago.
1 starter returns for 4th year Head Coach Joe Anderson, and that is Dacey Nelson (5’7, So 2nd )(1st team All-Conference/2nd Team All-State). She is a dandy of a player I would say.
Shannon Pille (5’5, SR 2nd) (started as a sophomore), Melanie Snader (5’4, SR 2nd) (started as a sophomore), Grace Maline (5’6 , SR 1st ), and Emmy Bousquet (5’5 SR 1st) will round out the starting five for the Knights.
Newcomers who Anderson feels could make an impact include Grace Pille (5’5, So. Guard), Natalia McNeill (5’6, So. Guard), and Kennedy Benne (5’6, FR Guard).
The Knights graduated a number of good players from last year though in Brynn Charling (all-conference 1st team), Baily Charling , Emma Reinert, and Olivia Bures so the returning players and newcomers will have to help make up for their loss.
Anderson says this year's team will look to run and play strong defense.
"Defensively we played man every possession last year. Defense is something that we take pride in. Offensively we want to get up and down the floor this year. We have good team speed and hope to create some points running the floor. "
Oakland-Craig will be quick and athletic, but when it comes to height, the Knights don't have any.
Anderson says his squad will have to work that much harder on defense to overcome that.
"We lack size, no player taller than 5-7. We will have to box out well, and learn to play great team defense to make up for it."
The Knights should be able to give other teams' guards fits from an offensive and defensive standpoint.
Anderson says he's got a few girls who can really play.
"Our guard play should be solid. Dacey is one of the best players in C-2. Shannon Pille will be a solid scorer and Melanie Snader is a very good shooter from the outside."
I look for outside shooting and perimeter defense to be strengths for Oakland-Craig this season. However, teams with size could pose the Knights some problems.
I think staying out of foul trouble will be key for Oakland-Craig. The Knights' star players can't afford to have to sit the bench due to foul trouble.
Oakland-Craig is going to need their best players and big guns in there at all times to have success similar to last year, in my opinion.
Season Outlook:
The Knights figure to be a small, but very feisty, fast, and athletic team this season.
Anderson says his team will need to be efficient on both ends of the floor.
"We are going to have to be very good on the defensive end. We don’t have much height, so will rely a lot on our pressure and quickness. We will also have to become great shooters as we lack the inside presence this year."
I think being consistent shooting the ball will be really important for Oakland-Craig this season.
Anderson says he expects his players to compete and get better throughout the season.
"We have some good athletes that will be on the floor, so that should give us a good chance to be competitive each night. Our goal is to improve each week, so we are playing our best basketball at tournament time."
The Knights have difficult games against the likes of Pender, Howells-Dodge, Wisner-Pilger, Stanton, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, BRLD, Tekamah-Herman, North Bend Central, Mead, and West Point-Beemer.
I look for Oakland-Craig to do well early, and then it will be interesting to see what happens once the 2017 portion of the schedule hits.
I think the Knights will win their fair share of games throughout the season, but we will find out a lot about this team come January and February I think.
Oakland-Craig doesn't have an easy Sub-District as they are in Sub-District C2-3 with Yutan, Fremont Bergan, and Omaha Brownell Talbot.
The Knights weren't in an easy Sub-District last year either though, and did enough in the regular season to make state via wildcard, so perhaps Oakland-Craig can do that again this year, if not win the Sub-District.
The Knights open up the season at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on December 1st in a game that will be aired on 107.9 the Bull.
2016-2017 Oakland-Craig Knights Girls Basketball Schedule:
12/01/16 @ Logan View-Scribner-Snyder
12/03/16 @ Boys Town
12/06/16 Clarkson/Leigh
12/09/16 @ Pender
12/10/16 @ Howells-Dodge
12/15/16 Wisner-Pilger
12/17/16 Madison
12/22/16 Omaha Nation
12/29-12/30 (To Be Determined) Malcolm Holiday Tournament Malcolm Public Schools
01/06/17 @ Stanton
01/07/17 @ Winnebago
01/10/17 @ Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
01/13/17 BRLD
01/17/17 @ Tekamah-Herman
01/20/17 @ North Bend Central
01/24/17 Mead
01/27-02/04 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference Tournament TBD
02/07/17 Archbishop Bergan
02/10/17 @ West Point-Beemer
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