On the latest episode, World-Herald staff writers Jon Nyatawa and Sam McKewon recap the Huskers' disappointing 90-54 loss at Ohio State and assess the current state of affairs with the Jays. The Big Ten is full of talent and NU's offense desperately needs a jump start to help Nebraska survive. CU's offense has room for improvement, too, but Creighton's learned how to win with defense.
Wayne State’s wait will finally be over Saturday.
“It’s like Christmas is here again this week,” women’s basketball coach Brent Pollari said.
Wayne State is scheduled to play Northern State in men’s basketball and women’s basketball on Saturday and Sunday. Those will be the first games of any kind for the school since COVID-19 caused havoc on the sports landscape.
“Our guys are anxious to play,” men’s coach Jeff Kaminsky said. “We’ve had four intrasquad scrimmages, so I think mixing that up was good. But nevertheless, they’re ready for some outside competition.”
That statement would be true of any Wildcat squad. The last time a Wayne State team competed against an opponent was March 12, when the softball team played in Florida. The NCAA canceled 2020 winter and spring championships later that day.
And while Nebraska’s NAIA and other NCAA Division II schools played at least portions of football and volleyball schedules in the fall, Wayne’s conference, the Northern Sun, canceled its fall competition in August and suspended all athletic competition through Dec. 31.
“It’s been tough to be in a state where every other college has been playing,” Pollari said.
Now, though, it’s Wayne’s turn.
The NSIC announced that the basketball season would be played under a single-gender site schedule, so Wayne’s men’s team will host Northern State twice this weekend while the women will play at Northern. For at least the first two weeks, Wayne is allowing only immediate family to be in attendance at home games.
That’s fine with Kaminsky, who has nine freshmen on his 15-player roster.
The freshman class includes Jay Saunders, an all-stater from Omaha South. The returners are led by junior forward Jordan Janssen, who averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds as a sophomore. The Lincoln East grad had 17 double-doubles a year ago.
“I like our team,” Kaminsky said. “We have more quality depth since I’ve been here, even though we’re the youngest we’ve been since I’ve been here. I like our mix of guys.”
On the other hand, the women’s team is an experienced bunch, returning its top seven scorers from a 16-13 finish last season.
Senior Erin Norling, who averaged 19.9 points and 8.0 rebounds a year ago, was the NSIC South Division preseason player of the year. She’s 12th on the school’s career scoring list with 1,336 points. Halley Busse (14.0) and Brittany Bongartz (11.9) also averaged double figures last season.
“In my head, I thought this could be a pretty special year, if we get to play,” Pollari said. “From day one, I’ve told our team this is our ‘get-to year.’ Whatever we get to do, we get to do. We’re kind of looking at it that way.”
The World-Herald's Still Spinnin' series
The World-Herald's Still Spinnin' series
An introduction into your crash course of Nebraska's basketball history
The World-Herald launched the “Still Spinnin',” a periodic series that highlights the tales of Nebraska’s basketball history. Our states hoops heritage. Read more.
From humble Nebraska beginnings to basketball legend, meet Jerry Krause
This is one of my favorite interviews, and two weeks ago I didn’t think it would ever happen., writes Tom Shatel. Meet basketball legend Jerry Krause, who hails from Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska. Read more.
Hoop-It-Up could get heated, but it brought Omaha's basketball community together
During its Omaha heyday in the mid-1990s, Hoop-It-Up had 1,900 teams playing on 150 courts. Read more.
Woolridge's and Strickland's rivalry ended in chase for Class A scoring record
For four years, Andre Woolridge and Erick Strickland matched bucket-for-bucket in high school gyms across the Metro, raising the state’s basketball profile on a national scale. Read more.
A now-closed Wahoo college once had nation's best women's basketball team
A now-closed Wahoo college once had the nation's best women's basketball team, and their skill led to China... in the middle of the Cold War. Read more.
Forrest Roper built a girls basketball dynasty, but his impact was so much more
Forrest Roper was a lot of things, but in certain corners of this city, he's defined most as a trailblazer for women's athletics in Omaha. Read more.
No one could stop Omaha Central's basketball machine, led by high school rock stars
Omaha Central’s remarkable run — seven Class A titles in eight seasons — barely qualifies as “history.” It was just 2013. But regardless of your generation, you’ve never seen anything like it in Omaha. Read more.
From an Olympian's shoes to Air Jordan, history of the dunk in Nebraska runs deep
Way before Mars Blackmon and Michael Jordan, shoes had a big role in bringing the slam dunk to Nebraska high school basketball. Read more.
Another Big Ben — Benoit — once towered for Creighton, but was he appreciated?
Former Jays standout Benoit Benjamin is glad he attended Creighton, but feels unappreciated. We’ll get to that, but first things first. Read more.
Meet Mike Heck, the Nebraska high school and Jays standout who had 'unlimited potential'
The story of Nebraska high school basketball’s first 7-footer stands out not simply because of what he was at 20 years old, but because of what he could’ve been at 21, 22, 25, 30, 40... Read more.
Tragedy kept Harry Kersenbrock, a 7-footer from Crete, from becoming a Jayhawk star
Harry Kersenbrock was supposed to play for Phog Allen. But he died too soon on June 28, 1928, after a canoeing accident on the Big Blue River at home. Read more.
Bill Vincent, the Omaha South great who drew comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain, left his mark
Entering the 1960 state tournament, the Omaha South Packers had barely been tested. They had shooters, ball handlers and 6-8 center Bill Vincent, who you couldn’t defend 1-on-1. Read more.
The story behind Kelly Flynn and South Sioux City girl's decade of domination
The South Sioux City Cardinals hold the all-class record for most titles with 12, two more than Sandy Creek and Lincoln Southeast. Read more.
South Sioux City's Mini-Dome presented big problems for hoops opponents
The Mini-Dome's unique design of the 3,000-seat facility added to the intimidation factor. “Along the baselines, their bleachers were right there. Sometimes I swore their fans were on the court." Read more.
In Omaha's episodes of racial tension, only once has basketball played a major role
Omaha’s history of racial tension and civil unrest has many episodes, but only once did basketball play a major role. This is the story of Omaha Central standout Dwaine Dillard and the 1968 boys state high school basketball tournament. Read more.
I got a lesson on Nebraska's basketball history from a classical music expert
I never expected to get a lesson on basketball in Nebraska from a classical music expert from New York, but that’s what happened, writes Thad Livingston. Read more.
gene.schinzel@owh.com, 402-444-1038, twitter.com/GeneOWH
Gene Schinzel
Gene covers a variety of sports beats for The World-Herald. Follow him on Twitter @geneOWH. Phone: 402-444-1038.
