Kansas Baller Aerial Smith Blazes Court from End to End--and Finishes!

The above is a screen shot from Aerial Smith's highlight video.

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

I recently had the pleasure of producing a highlight video for Aerial Smith, a dynamic high school girl basketball  player out of Blue Valley High, which is located in Stillwell, Kansas not far from Kansas City--just a little south of the Olathe and Overland Park areas. Smith is  a class of 2011 prospect who plays point guard for the Blue Valley Tigers, and last season she earned First Team All Eastern Kansas League (Class 6-A) honors as a junior.

 The 5-foot-8, 125 pounder is a smart aggressive player that has the ability to see the whole court. She also possesses an explosive first step, great quickness, outstanding ball handling skills and--most importantly--the body control to finish when she takes it to the hoop at full tilt, which is something she does often. Defensively, opponents dare not to be lazy with the ball, because Smith will take it the other way for two if they do! Aerial Smith is definitely one of the top steal-masters around.

Her father, Kevin Leach, said that Aerial already has several scholarship offers on the table from William Jewel, Missouri State, Wichita Benedictine and a couple others. She is also drawing a lot of interest from Drake University where she just recently completed a summer basketball camp.  In addition to being a standout  basketball player, Smith is just as proficient in the classroom--a honor studnet with a 3.57 GPA.

It’s obvious from watching Aerial Smith play that she had some good coaching along the way. Smith’s high school coach, Andrew Unrein, has those girls schooled. I’ve seen boys basketball teams that can’t space the floor and move the ball around like the Tiger girls do. Of course being a good basketball player is a constant pursuit and during the summer Aerial tightens up her skills by playing on an AAU team coached by former KU basketball star Calvin Thompson. 

Aerial Smith has been well-schooled in the art of playing basketball--and it shows!

Check her out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=raPP_WLfr1E

If the above video fails to appear click  on the following link or copy and past it into your browser:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raPP_WLfr1E.

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

The digital world we live in is truly amazing. I’m late to the game on Twitter, but I’m giving it a shot. It’s another new technology that MHN is implementing like this post which is being written on my mobile phone. I’ve had the capability to do it for quite some time–until now, just never pulled the trigger.

You can access the myHitNews1 Twitter on our site by clicking on its tab at the top of the page. Of course you can also access it from anywhere as long as you have an account.

I’ll be giving our new-to-me Twitter and mobile post technologies more of a whirl later tonight at the game–if I can manage to do so in between taking shots of the action.

If the above video promo does not appear in your browser click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIsR6wNmDMo 

New Athletes Play Their Way Into Top 25 
  

Mike Gesell: The No. 1 high school basketball prospect in Nebraska.

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com 

   The MHN final Top 25 Nebraska High School Basketball Prospect ranking for 2009/2010 features a couple of new athletes that have moved into the Top Ten as well as several other well-earned additions to the Top 25. 

   The most dramatic entry into the Top 25 is made by Omaha Central freshman Akoy Agau, who bounded from the pool of unranked all the way to the No. 5 spot.  ESPN ranks Agau nationally as one of top 100 prospects in his class. Another player smashing his way from outside the rankings and into the Top Ten is Hastings St Cecilia’s  6-10, junior, center  Zach Sterup (No. 9), who already holds a D-1 offer from Iowa to play football. Any schools looking for some beef and athleticism under the basket will be giving Sterup some hard looks. 

The Rest of the Top Ten 

   The No. 1 high school basketball prospect in Nebraska is South Sioux City sophomore Mike Gesell. Already holding five D-1 offers (Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Nebraska), Gesell has certainly lived up to all the hype that preceded him even before he played his first high school game last year. A masterful ball handler and shooter, the superstar gave further credence to his prowess this year by leading his team to a Class B state title.     

   Minnesota University bound big man Elliot Eliason (6-11) from Chadron holds onto the No. 2 spot. At No. 3 is Ralston’s Dwight Smith, who will be attending Colorado State next season. 

    No. 4 in our ranking is the most talented and athletically gifted basketball player in the State of Nebraska: Deverell Biggs. Only the lack of D-1 offers precludes him from being ranked higher. The 6-1 senior walks away from the high school hardwood with three state basketball titles and one State Meet high jump All-Class gold medal—and he could earn another this track season. The No. 6 spot is held by 6-1 Lincoln Southeast guard  Derrius Vick, who may be following Smith to Colorado State. That is if he doesn’t get another D-1 basketball offer or football scholarship. Both are strong possibilities for the talented junior. Creighton Prep’s Caleb Steffensmeier chimes in at No. 7. The 5-11 senior floor-general holds an offer from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Chardon’s versatile forward/guard Zac Bargen (6-5) is No. 8. Rounding out the Top 10 is junior center Jose Bonilla. Displaying marked improvement from his sophomore campaign, the seven-footer should have a lot of schools taking a closer look at him. 

New Entries Into the Top 25 

   Mike Dentlinger (No. 11), a 6-6 senior forward from Millard North had a monster senior season, averaging over 22 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game; Dalton Sealy (No. 15), a 6-2 senior guard out of Hastings St Cecilia played a major role in leading his team to a Class C state title. And last but not least is Norfolk’s 5-9, sophomore, guard Jalen Bradley (No. 20). Bradley set a Class A state tournament record with 12 three-pointers. Keep an eye out on this kid. 

Next Ranking 

   The next MHN Top 25 ranking will be posted in August 2010, after the summer leagues have concluded. 

Top 25 Nebraska High School Basketball Prospects 2009/2010

1.    Mike Gesell, 6-0, G, SO, South Sioux City

2.    Elliot Elliason, 6-11, C, SR, Chadron

3.    Dwight Smith, 6-3, G, SR, Ralston

4.    Deverell Biggs, 6-1, G, SR, Omaha Central

5.    Akoy Agau, 6-7, F, FR, Omaha Central

6.    Derrius Vick, 6-1, G, JR, Lincoln SE

7.    Caleb Steffensmeier, 5-11, G, Creighton Prep

8.    Zac Bargen, 6-5,F, G, SR, Chadron

9.    Zach Sterup, 6-10, C, JR, Hastings St Cecilia

10.  Jose Bonilla, 7-0, C, JR, South Sioux City

11.  Mike Dentlinger, 6-6, F, SR, Millard North

12.  Sean McGary, 6-1, G, SR, Omaha Central

13.  Tyler Evans, 6-2, G, SR, Waverly

14.  Austin Kaczor, 6-4, G, SR, Ewing

15.  Dalton Sealy, 6-2, G, SR, Hastings St. Cecilia

16.  Cole Martin, 6-3, G, SR, Creighton Prep

17.  Trevor Menke, 5-10, G, SR, Beatrice

18.  Jordan Tyrance, 6-4, F, SR Lincoln SW

19.  Tobin Reinwald, 6-4, G, SR, Lincoln High

20.  Jalen Bradley, 5-9, G, SO, Norfolk

21.  Ray McGaugh, 6-0, G, SR, Omaha Burke

22.  Andrew Mitteis, 6-1, G, SR, Plattsmouth

23.  Scottie Davis , 6-5, F, SR, Omaha Burke

24.  Duol Mayot, 6-4, F, JR, Omaha South

25.  Zach Lempka, 6-5, F, SR, Sterling

MHN 2009-2010 Nebraska HS Basketball Dream Team

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

 The myHitNews 2009-2010 Nebraska High School Basketball Dream Team represents the 15 basketball players in the state of Nebraska that I believe would have the best shot of successfully competing against similar fictional state all-star teams.

 The hypothetical scenario goes like this:

2009-2010 Nebraska High School Basketball Dream Team

Akoy Agau, 6-7, F, FR, Omaha Central Zac Bargen, 6-5, F, SR, Chadron Deverell Biggs, 6-1, G, SR, Omaha Central Jose Bonilla, 7-0, C, South Sioux City Jalen Bradley, 5-9, G, SO, Norfolk Scottie Davis, 6-5, F, SR, Omaha Burke Mike Dentlinger, 6-6, F, SR, Millard North Elliot Eliason, 6-11, C, SR, Chadron  Mike Gesell, 6-0, G, SO, South Sioux City Doul Mayot, 6-4, F, JR, Omaha South Sean McGary, 6-1, G, SR, Omaha Central Dwight Smith, 6-3, G, SR, Ralston Caleb Steffensmeier,  5-11, G, Creighton Prep Zach Sterup, 6-10, C, JR, Hastings St Cecilia Derrius Vick, 6-1, G, JR, Lincoln Southeast Coaches Kevin Asher, Hastings St Cecilia Eric Behrens, Omaha Central Josh Luedtke, Creighton Prep

Team Play and an Outstanding Individual Performance by 6-7 Freshman Agau give Central 4 out of the last 5

Stars in the making: Akoy Agau, (right) flanked by Norfolk's state tournament record-breaking sharpshooter Jalen Bradley, during a lull in first half action at the Class A state finals. Central's Darian Barrientos-Jackson (center).

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

   6-foot-7 freshman Akoy Agau was the difference-maker that propelled the Omaha Central Eagles to a 71-58 victory over the No.1 seeded Norfolk Panthers. The win gave Central their fourth Class A state basketball title in the past five years.

   Dynasty?

   Yes.

   The Cardinals had no answer for the big, long-armed and athletic Sudanese who finished the game with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 9 blocked shots—just one block shy of a triple.  Agau played with tremendous poise throughout the game and showed quick feet and a nice touch underneath the basket. He even demonstrated on a couple of occasions that he could put the ball on the floor from the perimeter and take it to the hoop and finish.  Hmmm!

   As a freshman, Agau shows the kind of potential to become one of the best big man prospects to ever come out of Nebraska—he is that special. But to realize his potential he will have to dedicate himself to the constant development of his game. If Akoy Agau does that, man are we in for a treat over the next few years. Yet as good as his performance was last night the Eagles won this game as a TEAM.

   The Eagles are a very well-coached team and they are deep in talent. Deverell Biggs, who may not have been on his A-game last night, still lead his team in scoring with 19 points and delivered the goods at the right time when he had to. Senior guard Sean McGary played well, scoring 16 points, while breaking down Norfolk’s defense with his ability to penetrate the lane at will. He also provided some solid defensive play for the Eagles. Senior Josh Hacket (10 points) stepped up big on several occasions with some timely shots and rebounds and so did Dominique McKinsie. Eddie Vinson, Jake Fuhs and Darian Barrientos-Jackson contributed mightily with their play when coming off the bench in relief.

Deverell Biggs skies for a workman-like dunk, shortly after missing a monster slam during first half action at the Class A state finals.

   After a brilliant long-range shooting performance in the first half by Norfolk sophomore guard Jalen Bradley (connecting on 4 3-pointers), the Eagle’s defense turned up the heat full tilt in the second half to slow his roll. Ja. Bradley’s  inability to find the bottom of the net in the second half and the Panther’s horrendous performance at the foul line would spell their doom.

Bradley set a Class A state tournament record by hitting a total of 12 3-pointers during his three games.

   In the end, the Eagles were simply too deep and too athletic for the Panthers to handle. Most importantly, however, the Eagles proved to be just as well-coached—if not better.  And that’s how you win championships–four in the last five years.  Oh my!  

   Eric Behrens has certainly built a heck of a resume. How much longer will the young man be around before some college program swoops him up?

  Hats off to coach Behrens and his staff and congratulations to the Omaha Central Eagles: 2009-2010 Nebraska High School Class A State Basketball Champions.

Note: The officiating crew working the Class A finals was very good. They let the kids play but kept the game under control. 

Announcement: The MHN end-of-season Top 25 Nebraska High School Basketball Prospects ranking will be posted on Friday, March 19th.

Click link to view the  2010 Nebraska State Wrestling Champions and Runner-ups

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

    Below is the boys Class A State Basketball Tournament bracket. And on the left sidebar is a poll to vote for who you think will bring home the crown this weekend.

2010 Nebraska High School Boys Class A State Basketball Tournament Bracket

2010 Track Season Set To Bring Lots of All-time Top Ten Marks and Records

myHitNews Flash: Hot Athletes Inside

Cole Martin— On Tuesday night, the Creighton Prep Junior Jay tallied 40 points against No. 1 ranked Omaha Central by sinking an astonishing 13 out of 14 shots from the field—that’s stroking it at a rate of 92.9%! Hitting on all 6 of his field goal attempts and dropping in all 7 of his free-throws, Martin’s only miss of the night was from behind the arc, where he found the bottom of the net on 7 out of 8 tries. That’s epic, brother. His performance was so hot I burnt my fingers just typing about it–“Ouch!” Martin’s night has to rank right up there with some of Nebraska’s all-time best indivdual performanes in high school basketball. Creighton Prep 74 Central 65. Track & Field Best for 2010 Speaking of all-time performances: Indoor track and field season is already upon us and the outdoor season is just around the corner. Last year we saw a significant number of boys and girls etch their names onto the all-time top ten chart for their event(s). Some of the athletes setting those marks–even breaking a couple of state records–will return to the oval and field this season: LaQue Moen-Davis is now an Omaha North Viking. LaQue Moen Davis–The Omaha Central sophomore sensation hit all-time marks in the long jump, 300 meter hurdles and 100 meter hurdles. She set the state record in the triple jump. Now a junior, Moen-Davis attends Omaha North. How will her move to North affect her performance this year? Morgan Woitzel and Claire Nichols–Millard South’s two freshmen phenoms from last year will take the girls 400 meter event to a whole new level before their careers are finished. Woitzel set a girls class A 400 meter record last year and Nichols was the 2009 State Meet All-Gold 400 meter champ. The two teammates will be duking it out again. Will the sophomores set new record marks this year? Bethany DeLong– The Laurel Public District 54 sprinter and long jumper owns all-time marks in the 100, 200 and long jump. Can the Class C senior finally claim All-Gold at this year’s state meet? Stephon Washington–Omaha Burke’s three-time State Meet 300 meter hurdle champion owns all-time marks in the event. However, a football injury he suffered last season could hamper his 2010 efforts on the track. If healthy enough, he could set a state record in the 300 and be a top contender in any of the sprint races. Tyler Wullenwaber–The Nebraska walk-on football player from Centennial hit the all-time charts by leaping over 24 feet in the long jump. Can he make it to 25 or better? Radlell Nared and Thomas Hodges –The Omaha North sprinters were two of the best last year, Nared won State Meet All-Gold in the 100 and Hodges was runner-up. They may not have hit the all-time charts last season but both seniors are capable of doing just that in 2010. Brandon White–The Westside 400 meter sprinter was the 2009 State Meet All-Gold 400 meter champ. White showed enough form and time (an electronic 49.07 at the state meet) to contend for some all-time marks this year. On paper this track season looks like it will produce a slew of all-time top ten marks and some state record performances. Like always–weather will greatly influence the types of marks that we will see this season. We can only hope for some good early spring weather so that these outstanding track and field athletes can truly shine. Note: Indoor track meets available to high school participants in 2010  began in January. A couple of meets are scheduled this month and several more in March. Unfortunately, not a lot of Nebraska high school track and field athletes participate in these indoor meets. The earliest outdoor meets available are set to begin in late March.

Sponsred by Hit Highlights.com Great Highlight Videos www.hithighlights.com

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

The MHN Final Top 25 High School Football Prospects: Class of 2010 rankings is based on the overall bottom line ability of a prospect making an impact on the college game during his career. Therefore, it is weighted heavily in favor of prospects that will be attending D-1 A or D-1AA programs, since those schools represent the highest level of college football and receive the most attention from fans, media and professional scouts.

The overall ranking of each player relative to his peers is based on the combination of the following criteria.

a,) The school that the prospect will attend.

b.) The prospect’s overall raw talent level reflected by his size, speed and/or quickness.

c.) The prospect’s proven ability in high school to play the position he was recruited to play.

Taking the above criteria into account in its entirety leads me to the following ranking for the Nebraska high school Class of 2010:

Analyst Give Good Marks to Huskers’ 2010 Recruiting Class

Take Our Poll (left sidebar) on the top three walk-ons

By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com

   Four scholarship players and thirteen preferred walk-ons from the Nebraska high school football class of 2010 will soon find their way onto the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln:

Nebraska High School Class of 2010 Football Players On Husker Roster
Scholarship Players
Jake Cotton, DL, 6-7, 250, Lincoln Southwest	Bronson Marsh, QB, 6-0, 200, Millard South
Tyler Evans, ATH, 6-2, 180, Waverly	Andrew Rodriguez, OT, 6-6, 305, Aurora
Walk-ons
Josh Bart, DB, 6-1. 170 Aurora	Trevor Roach, LB/RB, 6-3, 230, Elkhorn
Joey Felici, DB, 5-9, 160, Millard South	Dillon Schrodt, WR 6-2, 175, Lincoln North Star
Derek Foster, DB, 5-11, 175, Elm Creek	Zach Taylor, RB, 6-0, 195, Lincoln Southeast
Andy Gdowski, DE, 6-3, 235, Grand Island	Jeff Uher, DL/OL, 6-2, 270, Creighton Prep
Tyson McGill, LB/FB, 6-1, 225, Norfolk	Yusef Wade, RB/DB, 5-10, 170, Lincoln North Star
JC Moore, DE, 6-3, 240, Fremont	Austin Williams, DB, 6-2, 190, Omaha Burke
	Tyler Wullenwaber, WR, 6-1, 180, Centennial

No more complaining about Bo Pelini not recruiting kids from Nebraska, eh.

   The Huskers 2010 class is ranked as high No. 23 in the nation by some of the top recruiting analyst in the country. However, the Husker still struggle to land the very top prospects like Portland, Oregon DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa. But they did manage to get their fair share of some very good prospects like Corey Cooper (DB), Jermarcus Hardrick (OT), Brion Carnes (QB), Braylon Heard (RB) and Chase Rome (DE) to name a few of the players that stand out to me.

    This Husker class may be the best since the Husker hay days in the ’90′s. The mantra coming out of Huskerville is mental and physical toughness. That is what Pelini hangs his hat on and what he expects his players aspire to possess. The Huskers displayed that temperament on the field during the last half of the season this year. If the Huskers continue to play that way–and you know that Pelini will insist they do–they will never have to worry about not getting what experts deem to be the elite five star players. In fact: playing “Bo Ball” the group of athletes that the Huskers have assembled right now is good enough to win a national title next season. Actually accomplishing that task will be another matter entirely.

   Next season can’t get here fast enough for the Husker diehards. It is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated football seasons in Nebraska’s history.

Nebraska High School Recruiting Notes:

Outside of Millard North’s 6-6, 300lb OT Lincoln Hansen’s late D-1A offer from Eastern Michigan (0-12 last season) the biggest shocker was a couple of Class D-2 prospects from 2009 state champion Humphrey’s St Francis receiving D-1AA offers from a very good South Dakota State program that made it to the FCS playoffs last season. SDS is where St. Francis’ 5-11, 180lb DB Mathew Korus and 6-4, 215lb DE Nick Krings will be playing next fall.

Another prospect that seemed to slip under the radar but managed to land a D-1AA scholarship is Omaha Skutt Catholic’s 6-1, 190lb LB Myles Jablonski  who will be attending North Dakota. Jablonski runs a 4.5 40 and looks to be the kind of prospect that could deliver some big plays for he Fighting Sioux.

Ron Coleman, Omaha North’s two-time All-Nebraska football star and state champion wrestler will play RB for D-1AA Southeast Missouri State.

Omaha Northwest’s Antaries Daniels, Papillion receivers Glenn Lewis, a 2009 All-Nebraska First Team selection, and Sir Bullock reportedly signed with Iowa Western Community College.

No word yet on Burke’s All-Nebraska first team WR Lavant Moore or speedster Stephon Washington.

Check out where others are going here.

myHitNews Final Top 25 Nebraska High School Football Prospects:Class of 2010 ranking will be posted on Saturday (2/6/10) evening.