Basketball season in the state of Nebraska is coming to an end and as the end of the month approaches boys basketball Districts begin. Teams such as Bellevue West, Omaha North and Omaha Westside are some of the state’s top teams and should easily win their districts. Boys state basketball starts on March 6 and we will see who has a chance at the title.
The first district is A-1 and the teams in this district are Bellevue West, Lincoln North Star, Omaha Westview, Columbus and Omaha South. Bellevue West is easily the best team, and you can count on them being in the district championship. Lincoln North Star is a young solid team that can shoot those mid-range contested shots but lacks in height. Omaha Westview is also a solid team, but they have height and can finish at the rim as well as shooting mid-range shots. Columbus and Omaha South are not the best and they just lack height and the ability to finish near the room. I think that Bellevue West will win District A-1.
The next district is A-2 and the teams in this district are Millard North, Lincoln Southwest, Millard South, Lincoln High and Omaha Northwest. Lincoln Southwest has one of the if not the best players in the class of 2024 with 3-star Braden Frager. Southwest is a solid team, but they do tend to turn the ball over a lot and make mistakes. Millard North is a very complete team and is just all-around solid, they can finish at the rim, shoot mid-range, and shoot threes. Millard South is a decent team but can be inconsistent. Lincoln High and Omaha Northwest are just not the best teams and don’t really have experience in big games and stages. I think that Millard North will win District A-2.
A-3 is the next district with teams Omaha Westside, Omaha Bryan, Omaha Benson, Millard West and Bellevue East. Westside might be one of the most complete and sound teams in the Omaha metro area, with players like CJ Mitchell and Caleb Benning. Omaha Bryan is led by 4-star prospect Amare Bynum. Bryan is a good team but they lack experience in big games and haven’t played in too many big games on the road. Millard West and Omaha Benson are very similar in the fact they have young talent as well as a little bit of height but can shoot the ball. I think that Omaha Westside will win district A-3.
District A-4 is one of the better districts and has teams Omaha North, Papio LaVista South, Elkhorn South, Norfolk and Omaha Burke. Omaha North is one of the hottest teams in the Omaha Metro area with recent wins over rival Omaha Central and Omaha Bryan. They are led by Senior Mynor Strong and Sophomore Jerrion Williams. Papio LaVista South started the season as one of the highest-ranked teams in the state but has been on a skid after the metro holiday tournament. Elkhorn South is a competitive team but can be inconsistent when shooting and finishing at the rim. Norfolk and Omaha Burke are both young teams, but can’t really compete with other opponents in the state. I think that Omaha North will win District A-4.
The next district is A-5 and this district is stacked with very similar teams. District A-5 contains Creighton Prep, Lincoln Southeast, Papio LaVista, Fremont, and Omaha Buena Vista. Creighton Prep is one of the better teams in the Omaha Metro area, but haven’t performed like everyone they would. Lincoln Southeast is one of the youngest teams in Class A, but they have lots of team chemistry and can shoot mid-range shots and long-range shots as well. After these two teams, there is a fall and the rest of the teams in the district can be good, but sometimes have off games and can fall victim to multiple-game losing streaks. I think that Lincoln Southeast will win this district.
District A-6 is a very interesting district in the fact that it has some competitive teams that have similar play styles. A-6 has Lincoln Pius x, Omaha Central, Lincoln East, and North Platte. Omaha Central has been on a losing streak with losses to rivals Omaha North and Creighton Prep. Central is a solid team that is led by Senior Daleron Thomas. Lincoln Pius X has one of the best players in the class of 2024, Treyson Anderson. Lincoln East is a decent team but has some work to do and the same goes for North Platte. I think that Omaha Central will win district A-6.
The final district is district A-7 which has teams Kearney, Gretna, Lincoln Northeast and Grand Island. Gretna has lots of experience in big games and knows how to shoot the ball along with playing defense, Kearney is very similar. Lincoln Northeast is inconsistent when it comes to closing out games. Grand Island can be good some day and other days they just don’t show up. I think that Gretna is going to win district A-7.
These are my predictions for the districts in Class A. To review, I believe that Bellevue West, Millard North, Omaha Westside, Omaha Central, Lincoln Southeast, Omaha North and Gretna will all win their districts and make the state tournament. This basketball season has been one to remember, but there are still many memories to be made.
