Northeast Nebraska Hoops: West Point-Beemer Boys and Girls Basketball Teams looking to have gigantic seasons

Team: West Point-Beemer

Mascot: Cadets

Colors: Red, Black, and White

Class: C-1

Conference: East Husker

Head Coach: Cody Bobolz (3rd season) (21-30 record)

2016-2017 record: 12-14 (lost to Wayne in Sub-District Final)

Returning Starters: 5

Overview:

The West Point-Beemer Boys Basketball Team brings back all 5 starters from last year's 12-14 team. 3rd Year Head Coach Cody Bobolz. "Yeah as far as the point guard spot Ben Vander Griend (6'0), Junior, really solidfied that role for us last year. And had an excellent summer, and we're looking for him to have a big year. Blake Anderson (6'4, JR), he'll play one of the guard spots for us and maybe some post. He's got versatility with his size. And he's a returning letterwinner for us as well. Cole Hughes (6'0), another kid, he's a senior, will play a guard spot as well, and lettered last year. Austin Streeter (6'3), two-year letterwinner, senior year this year, will play mostly in the post area. Chase Streeter (6'4, SR), two-year letterwinner as well. And he'll play a lot of post. And both Austin and Chase had good years last year, and we'll look for them to have excellent senior campaigns."

Bobolz says other contributors will be Tate Ernesti (6'6, SR G/F), Hunter Pilakowksi 5'10, SR G), Gavin Case (6'1, SR G), and foreign exchange student Alessandro Gianella (6'5, SR F).

West Point-Beemer looks for big things this year. Bobolz says the success the Cadets had in Football should carry over to Basketball. "Yeah no doubt about it. I don't think there's any doubt that we would say that having success there in the fall with a lot of the same kids, there should be some carry over. And like I said, that sense of confidence that these kids have. And just that winning mentality is huge. And that's something we wanted to establish. And I think these kids really taste it, and they want more of it. So hopefully we see that as the basketball season goes on."

I think the Cadets have what it takes to have a great season. West Point-Beemer should be a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams given how big they are.

It will be interesting to see how much speed the Cadets have, but West Point-Beemer should make up for any weaknesses they might have with heart, hustle, passion, determination, mental and physical toughness, tenacity, fire and grit.

I look for the Cadets to be a very hard working bunch that brings it night in and night out.

I think the success West Point-Beemer had in Football will carry over to Basketball.

The Cadets now know what it's like to win, and I look for West Point-Beemer to take the experience of the football season and translate and carry it over into wins on the hardwood.

I don't think there's any doubt the Cadets have the potential to be very good this year.

It should be a fun ride and season for the boys from West Point-Beemer.

I would say this will be the best team the Cadets have had in Bobolz' time at the helm of the program.

Expectations couldn't be any higher, and West Point-Beemer has to get it going this season.

Season Outlook:

West Point-Beemer looks to have a big year. Bobolz says the Cadets have the potential to be really good." Really excited to get things going this season. We have a very experienced group returning as these guys have played a lot of basketball together. We need some guys to really step for us and provide us with some more scoring depth throughout the season. We think our size should be a real advantage for us on both ends of the floor, and should help us create some match-up issues. We have a great, close-knit group of kids who all have high expectations going into this season."

West Point-Beemer has tough games against Omaha Roncalli, North Bend Central, Howells-Dodge, Wisner-Pilger, BRLD, Battle Creek, Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, Pierce, Wayne, Oakland-Craig, and Fremont Bergan.

The schedule is pretty difficult for the Cadets, especially in the second half of the season.

There aren't a ton of gimme and easy games on the schedule so West Point-Beemer has to be ready to play each and every time they take the floor.

West Point-Beemer is in a tough sub-district with the likes of Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, Arlington, Fort Calhoun, and Tekamah-Herman.

The Cadets get their season started on November 30th at home against Arlington in a game that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull. Bobolz says it's a matchup of size versus speed. "They're pretty quick, they're really guard oriented. We're going to be big. I would be hard pressed to find a team around the area that's pry going to be bigger than we are. So that's going to kind of be a game where we're going to look for our advantages inside, and they're pry going to look to take advantage of their quickness against our taller guys. And typically every year we have fantastic games with them. We respect their program and what they do. They've had a lot of success. Last year they ended on a real hot streak, and was really tough to beat when it came to the postseason."

The Cadets earned a 44-37 win over the Eagles last year.

This will be a tough game and a good first challenge for West Point-Beemer I feel.

I think the Cadets will find a way to grind out a good, hard fought, close win, but it won't be easy.

West Point-Beemer has to assert themselves offensively and play strong defense.

The Cadets must have the same mentality heading into this game that they had when they took on the Eagles in Football.

A lot is expected of West Point-Beemer this season, and the Cadets have to step up and answer the bell.

2017-2018 West Point-Beemer Cadets Boys Basketball Schedule:

11/30/17 Arlington

12/02/17 @ Omaha Roncalli Catholic

12/05/17 Stanton

12/07/17 North Bend Central

12/12/17 @ Howells-Dodge

12/21/17 Fort Calhoun

12/28-12/30 (To Be Determined) Wayne Holiday Tournament Wayne State College

01/05/18 Wisner-Pilger

01/06/18 @ BRLD

01/09/18 @ Battle Creek

01/11/18 @ Schuyler

01/13/18 Tekamah-Herman

01/19/18 @ Twin River

01/20/18 Logan View-Scribner-Snyder

01/23/18 @ Pierce

01/25/18 Wayne

01/27-02/03 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference Tournament TBD

02/06/18 @ Madison

02/09/18 Oakland-Craig

02/16/18 Archbishop Bergan

Team: West Point-Beemer

Mascot: Cadets

Colors: Red, Black, and White

Class: C-1

Conference: East Husker

Head Coach: Craig Theis (4th season) (54-27 record)

2016-2017 record: 8-17 (lost to Wayne in Sub-Districts)

Returning Starters: 4

Overview:

The West Point-Beemer Girls Basketball Team returns all but one starter from last year's 8-17 Team. 4th year Head Coach Craig Theis says expectations are very high this year given all what the Cadets return. "Oh absolutely. I was telling the girls the other day we lost 17 games. Of course it doesn't sound great, but we lost all those games by an average of 3 points when you add them all up, which is kind of incredible. And I think we have 75% of our scoring coming back this year. Yeah we did lose a good senior in Bethany Anderson, but we got a really nice group of seniors and juniors that have put a lot of work in. And we got a nice younger group of kids coming in that's going to make competition really, really good."

Key returners include Brittney Hinkel (5'7, SR G), Makenna Weddle (5'6, SR F), Katie Pilakowski (5'5, SR G), Nicole Mitzel 5'7, SR PF), Megan Groth (5'8, SR G), Brooke Haase (5'11, JR C), Abbey Dale 5'4, SO G), and Andrea Hoffman (5'5, JR G).

West Point-Beemer looks to get back to their winning ways after going through a rebuilding year last year. Theis says the girls had a great summer. "Yeah absolutely. I think we tallied up the girls this summer made about 50,000 shots made. They kept track, and they played about 30 games this summer. And some girls played AAU ball. And man just physically that group from the junior year to their senior and the sophomores and juniors and freshmen and sophomore. It's just you can really tell they spent a lot of time in the weightroom."

Theis says he hopes the girls can carry over the success they had in Volleyball to Basketball.

I think all the hard work the Cadets put in this offseason will pay off in a big way.

I feel West Point-Beemer has all the tools in place and the work ethic to have a fantastic year.

The Cadets have to keep working hard throughout the season in practice and in games, and never take a play off though.

From what Assistant Coach Mike Waak told me West Point-Beemer had a big summer, and I think that will pay off in a big way for the Cadets this year.

West Point-Beemer did a lot of winning over the summer, and has had good practices so far, according to Theis, so now it's a matter of turning all that good play into wins this season.

I think the Cadets have a great chance to get back to form and be the type of team they were in Theis's first two years as Head Coach.

I feel a lot of the close games West Point-Beemer lost last year will be close wins this year.

Season Outlook:

West Point-Beemer hopes to get back to the form of the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons.

The schedule is tough though as the Cadets have difficult contests with Omaha Roncalli, Stanton, North Bend Central, Howells-Dodge, Fort Calhoun, and Fremont Bergan before Christmas, and challenging contests with Wisner-Pilger, BRLD, Battle Creek, Tekamah-Herman, Pierce, Wayne, and Oakland-Craig in the second half of the season.

I think the Cadets have a good chance to win a lot of these games though as I feel West Point-Beemer will be well equipped to take down a number of these teams.

The East Husker Conference Tournament should be interesting, and I think the Cadets have an opportunity to do something in that.

West Point-Beemer is in Sub-District C1-4 with Fort Calhoun, Tekamah-Herman, Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, and Arlington.

The Cadets should be favored to win that Sub-District, but then Wahoo Neumann or Wahoo await on the other side perhaps.

I think it's going to come down to West Point-Beemer having to knock off one of the Wahoo Schools to make state.

The Cadets can definitely take either down, but it won't be easy.

West Point-Beemer opens up the season on November 30th at home against Arlington in a game that will be heard on 107.9 the Bull. "Yeah. They kind of have a crew a little bit like our crew where they got a lot of starters back. I don't know if they lost anybody off the top of my head, and really good athletes. We put together a really good game plan last year, and the girls did a good job of going out that first game and really getting a quality win on the road there at Arlington. Now they come to our place. Last year, we won that first one and lost about 8 or 9 in a row, and got to get off to a good start, have to get off to a good start," Theis said.

The Cadets won last year's game 54-23.

The first half of the season appears to be fairly challenging for West Point-Beemer, but I think the Cadets can head into Christmas at worst 5-2.

There are some good teams on the schedule prior to the Holiday Tournament so West Point-Beemer has to be ready to lay the smackdown from the start.

The Cadets have to bring it night in and night out, and play without hesitation or regard for human life.

West Point-Beemer has to be ready to go toe to toe with the giants on their schedule, and must be prepared to beat them.

The Cadets also have to beat the teams they're supposed to, and cannot take anyone lightly.

2017-2018 West Point-Beemer Cadets Girls Basketball Schedule: