Team: Oakland-Craig
Mascot: Knights
Colors: Orange and White
Class: C-2
Conference: East Husker
Head Coach: Aaron Meyer (15th season) (184-158 career record)
2017-2018 record: 16-10 (lost to BRLD in Sub-District Final)
Returning Starters: 3
Overview:
The Oakland-Craig Boys Basketball Team looks to be good again this year as the Knights return the majority of last year's 16-10 team.
Returning starters include Garrison Dodge (5'9, SR G), who averaged 9 points a game last season, Wyatt Seagren (6'6, JR C), who notched 8 points and 6 rebounds a game last season, and Cole Bures (6'4, SR C).
Other returning letterwinners are Robby Mayberry (5'10, SR G), Jared Mulder (6'0, SR F), Colton Thomsen (6'2, JR F), Ian Lundquist (5'9, JR G), and Tyson Harney (6'2, SR F).
Newcomers who could contribute this season are Jaron Meyer (5'11, SO G) and Coulter Thiele (6'1, SO G).
Key losses from last year are Garrett Seagren and Kobe Benne, who both did a lot of the team's scoring.
Head Coach Aaron Meyer says his team will need to find new ways to score. "I don't know if we should expect to replace their type of scoring. Though I think we're going to need to score more baskets around the paint in multiple ways. We've got to get a little bit creative that way I think."
That means Wyatt Seagren will really need to step things up on the inside.
Meyer says stepping up the scoring and younger players finding their way will be important to this team's success. "We graduated the bulk of our scoring so we need guys to pick up the load there. We also have a crew of younger players that need to find their niche."
Meyer adds this is a veteran team with talent. "This team has some size and depth. We also have some experienced players returning."
I don't think there's any doubt the Knights will win their fair share of games this season.
Oakland-Craig may not be as athletic and dynamic as they were the past couple of seasons, but I think this team will play really well together.
I look for the Knights to win the close games, and have a nice season.
I think there's a lot to be said for being experienced and veteran laden, and I look for Oakland-Craig to be one of those teams that stays calm during tough situations and makes plays down the stretch and in clutch moments.
The Knights should be solid across the board this year.
Season Outlook:
Oakland-Craig looks to have another successful season this year and do big things.
I feel the Knights have a chance to win quite a few games this year, and think the schedule sets up nicely for Oakland-Craig.
Meyer says expectations are high. "One thing that we've noticed already with this group of kids and these seniors is they want to get past the expectations of others around them."
The Knights open up the season at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on Thursday, November 29th. "We saw them this summer, and they were youthful and hungry, and they were way better than I anticipated. Especially for only really having one, maybe two guys return that played much," Meyer said.
Meyer says his team would of taken advantage of the new Sub-State format in the past.
Goals include finishing in the top of the conference and be at their best at the end of the season.
Oakland-Craig is in Sub-District C2-5 with BRLD, GACC, Walthill, and Omaha Nation.
I feel that Sub-District will be very entertaining and competitive.
There's a long ways to go before the postseason rolls around though, and the Knights have a lot of big games before the postseason begins.
I think the biggest thing for Oakland-Craig is to work as hard as possible and have a drive and a will and a burning passion to win.
The Knights have to hate to lose, and take the mentality they played with in Football and carry it over onto the hardwood.
Oakland-Craig has a chance to be a very good team, and I'm really excited to see what the team can do this year.
I think the Knights will be a very scrappy team that works extremely hard.
I think defense and ball handling will be two strengths for Oakland-Craig.
Hitting free throws, especially in the clutch, will be big for the Knights too I feel.
I think Oakland-Craig is one of the better teams in the conference and the area, and look for them to show why this season.
2018-2019 Oakland-Craig Knights Boys Basketball Schedule:
11/29/18 @ Logan View-Scribner-Snyder
12/01/18 @ Boys Town
12/04/18 Clarkson/Leigh
12/07/18 @ Pender
12/08/18 @ Howells-Dodge
12/11/18 @ Winnebago
12/13/18 Wisner-Pilger
12/15/18 Madison
12/18/18 @ Guardian Angels Central Catholic
12/20/18 Omaha Nation
12/28-12/29 (To Be Determined) Malcolm Holiday Tournament Malcolm
01/04/19 @ Stanton
01/08/19 @ Walthill
01/11/19 BRLD
01/15/19 @ Tekamah-Herman
01/18/19 @ North Bend Central
01/22/19 @ Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
01/26-02/02 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference Tournament TBD
02/08/19 West Point-Beemer
Team: Oakland-Craig
Mascot: Knights
Colors: Orange and White
Class: C-2
Conference: East Husker
Head Coach: Joe Anderson (6th season) (69-50 record)
2017-2018 record: 12-11 (lost to BRLD in Sub-District Final)
Returning Starters: 6
Overview:
The Oakland-Craig Girls Basketball Team looks for a huge season with the return of Dacey Nelson and Kennedy Benne from ACL injuries.
Head Coach Joe Anderson says everyone returns. "Girls have high expectations this year if everything can fall into place. We return all of our starters, plus we return 2 time all-state Guard Dacey Nelson (5'7, SR G) (23 ppg, 7.5 rpg) who missed all of last season due to ACL. We also return all-state guard Kennedy Benne (5'7, JR G) (20.6 ppg, 6rpg, 4.6 spg) who missed the last 11 games of the season with an ACL injury. Both are healthy and look good. I really feel these 2 girls are 2 of the best guards in the state. With those 2 out, our other girls really improved and gained a lot of game experience. Mya Guzinksi (5'7, JR G) is a very good point guard that distributes the ball very well ( 5 assists per game). Natalia McNeill (5'7, SR G) (9ppg) and Grace Pille (5'6, SR G) (4 ppg) are all girls that have played a lot of varsity BB the last 3 years. Ashley Denton (5'7, SR G) stepped up last year and became a 3 point threat for us. Makenna Pearson (5'10, SO P) started all the games last year as a freshman post. Jeannina Blahak (6'1, SO P) had a big summer and should give us some big help in the middle at 6’1. If we can stay healthy we should have a very competitive group."
Other returning letterwinners/newcomers include Ellie Weitzenkamp (5'6, SR G), Edie Anderson (5'5, SO G), Ashten Rennerfeldt (5'7, SO G), and Rheanna Paul (5'11, SO P).
Anderson says his squad is better this year for having gone through what they did last year. "Those injuries really allowed those other girls to improve their game and kind of put them in some situations where we had to lean on them. And I think that's going to do nothing but help us this year. Because now we have Dacey back, we have Kennedy back, and we have all those girls with a lot more experience. They're forced to handle the ball, take some important shots, and you put all that together, and we feel we have a pretty deep team this year."
Anderson says the team is low on numbers, but the girls they do have out have played quite a bit of varsity basketball.
This team should be very good, I don't think there's any doubt about it.
As long as the Knights stay healthy they should be a great team.
I look for Nelson and Benne to have huge seasons, and for everyone to play well throughout the season.
Nelson is headed to Hillsdale College to play basketball next season, and her and Benne are very exceptional talents.
I think this season has a chance to be very memorable for Oakland-Craig.
Expectations are at an all-time high. "Our kids have really high expectations. We feel like we've been building for this season. We had high hopes last year too and it was really cut short with some injuries," Anderson said.
Anderson says the team hopes to stay healthy this year, and the goal is to keep getting better and better each week and play good in February.
Season Outlook:
Oakland-Craig figures to have a very good chance to be a great team this season.
The pre-Christmas Schedule looks like the Knights can win every game, and I wouldn't be shocked if the Knights were undefeated at least through the end of the Calendar Year.
The end of the regular season gets tough with games against Gretna, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Fremont Bergan, and West Point-Beemer.
That's when it will all really count, but Oakland-Craig has to enjoy the journey, process, and ride.
The East Husker Conference figures to be tough this year with the top teams including the Knights, Stanton, West Point-Beemer, and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, and I would add Clarkson/Leigh to that group as well as BRLD.
Anderson says the Knights want to win a conference championship, and build that momentum into Districts and be a State Qualifying team.
Oakland-Craig is in a tough Sub-District in C2-5 with perennial power GACC, Wisner-Pilger, BRLD, and Omaha Nation. "GACC's a team that I think has been to state 20 some years in a row, and they're always going to play good basketball come February. BRLD's had a good program the last few years since they've combined. There's going to be good basketball teams. And our goal is to make sure that we just keep getting better week in and week out, " Anderson said.
Anderson also says his team is really anxious to get back down to state after making the State Tournament for the first time in School history in 2015-2016.
The pieces are certainly in place for the Knights to not only get to state, but do some damage at the State Tournament.
As long as Oakland-Craig stays healthy they should be right there in the end.
I'm very excited to see what the Knights can do this season given all who and what they bring to the table.
Oakland-Craig has a roster full of stars and really good players, and the Knights should do some very special and amazing things this season.
I honestly would not be surprised if Oakland-Craig cuts down the nets at Pinnacle Bank Arena on March 2nd.
That's something the Knights have to shoot and strive for, and dream about.
2018-2019 Oakland-Craig Knights Girls Basketball Schedule:
11/29/18 @ Logan View-Scribner-Snyder
12/01/18 @ Boys Town
12/04/18 Clarkson/Leigh
12/07/18 @ Pender
12/08/18 @ Howells-Dodge
12/11/18 @ Winnebago
12/13/18 Wisner-Pilger
12/15/18 Madison
12/20/18 Omaha Nation
12/28-12/29 (To Be Determined) Malcolm Holiday Tournament Malcolm
01/04/19 @ Stanton
01/05/19 Elmwood-Murdock
01/11/19 BRLD
01/15/19 @ Tekamah-Herman
01/18/19 @ North Bend Central
01/19/19 Gretna Site: Ralston Arena Ralston Arena
01/22/19 @ Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
01/25-02/02 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference Tournament TBD
02/05/19 Archbishop Bergan
02/08/19 West Point-Beemer
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