At the end of Omaha Bryan basketball practices, coach Tim Cannon selects players to shoot free throws in front of the team. Miss a free throw and everybody suffers the punishment.

Tuesday he picked Ben Imig.

Imig is the only four-year letter winner in Bryan history. The 6-foot-1 guard, a year ago, hit a game-tying 3 with five seconds left, then stole Lincoln East's inbound pass, got fouled and made a game-winning free throw to secure Bryan's first-ever state tournament win.

Tuesday Imig took the ball to the foul line, stepped into the shot like an undersized second-grader, jumped and winced in pain. The ball got to the rim.

Progress.

Six weeks earlier, Imig had driven to the basket and collided with a Papillion-LaVista South defender. He fell on his right wrist.

A doctor said it was broken. He'd remove the cast in six weeks. March 13.

That's too long. That's state tournament weekend.

Imig bargained. How about five?

Meanwhile, he tried to be Cannon's assistant, directing his replacements what to think, where to go.

A week ago, Doc removed the cast and Imig started practicing. Sort of. He could barely dribble with his right hand. He couldn't shoot.

Thursday afternoon, late in the first quarter, Imig checked into his first game in 40 days. First time he tried to penetrate, he turned the ball over. Then he turned the ball over again.

Cannon took him out of the game.

Rosie Imig watched from the stands. When Ben got hurt, she told her son she was proud. Why?

“You're not mad,” she said.

“If I'm mad, my arm is still broken,” he said.

“Well, I'll be mad for you,” she said.

At halftime, the Bryan trainer removed some restrictive tape from Imig's wrist. Cannon gave his senior one more shot on the floor where last year he played hero.

With 4:17 in the third quarter, Imig launched a 3-pointer. Yep.

Next possession, another 3. Swish.

He clenched his fists, hopped back to the defensive end of the floor, shouting. His little sister waved a sign in the Bryan section: “What broken arm?”

In the fourth quarter, Imig made two critical free throws. Then his team went cold and Creighton Prep pulled away, ending Bryan's season and Imig's career. He was one of the last Bears to leave the locker room.

When he did, Cannon pulled his senior aside, put his hand on Imig's head, pushing his green stocking cap down over his eyes.

“You played great.”

Battle of the guards

Guards dominate Class A in 2010. That much is unarguable.

But which is best? Tonight's semifinals provide a useful examination.

Norfolk has Brady Lollman, a football quarterback with trusty handles and a sweet stroke. Prep's Caleb Steffensmeier is a master distributor who specializes in 3s.

Lincoln Southeast features Derrius Vick, another gridiron quarterback whose dad played roundball at Nebraska.

Then there's Central's Deverell Biggs, one of the best leapers I've ever seen on a high school basketball court.

Biggs slashed down the lane at the end of Thursday's third quarter and dunked with one hand. Then he stole the Lincoln High inbound pass and hit a shot off glass at the buzzer.

Choose.

That's a tough, tough assignment, Lincoln Southwest coach Duane Baack said. If you had to start a team, you couldn't go wrong with any of them. But he prefers Lollman.

“He just does so much for his team,” Baack said. “He's just mentally tough. He doesn't get rattled.”

Millard South coach Steve Throne said he'd take Vick.

“He's a four-part guy,” Throne said. “He shoots free throws, he gets to the basket, he's got a midrange game and he can shoot the 3. He's complete.”

Omaha South coach Bruce Chubick Sr., divided the guard category.

Steffensmeier, he says, ranks No. 1 if you want someone to “handle” your team. The UNO recruit is smart and unselfish.

But best floor leader is different than best player, Chubick said.

“Best player? That's easy,” Chubick said. “Biggs.”

Contact the writer:

649-1461, dirk.chatelain@owh.com

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