Nebraska High School Basketball State Champions – A Look Back

It’s been quite a few years since a Nebraska High School basketball team has won a state championship But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some great teams and players in the state during that time.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look back at some of the Nebraska high school Ball State champions of the past. We’ll also highlight some of the Great players and teams that have come close to winning a state title but fell just short.

Introduction

Since the Nebraska high school Ball State Tournament began in 1911, there have been many great teams and players. In this article, we will take a look back at some of the most dominant teams in Nebraska high school Basketball History

A Brief History of Nebraska high school Basketball

Nebraska high school basketball has a long and storied history. The sport began in the state in the late 1800s, and the first official State Tournament was held in 1911. Since then, Nebraska high school teams have won dozens of State Championships and produced some of the nation’s Top Players

In recent years Nebraska High School basketball has been dominated by Omaha public schools. In the last decade, teams from Omaha have won eight of the last ten state championships in Class A, the state’s largest division. But Omaha is not the only part of the state with a strong tradition of success on the hardwood. Lincoln, Hastings, and Kearney have all been home to championship-winning teams as well.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or just getting acquainted with Nebraska high school basketball this brief history will give you a better understanding of one of the state’s most popular sports

The Nebraska high school basketball State Championships – A Look Back

The Nebraska high school Ball State Championships have been held annually since 1904, making it one of the oldest High School Basketball Tournaments in the country.

Over the years, the tournament has undergone several changes. In its early years, the tournament was open to any High School team in Nebraska, regardless of size or classification. However, in 1922, the tournament was divided into two classes – Class A and Class B – based on school size. In 1981, a third class – Class C-1 – was added to accommodate smaller schools. Today, there are four classes in the tournament – A, B, C-1 and C-2.

The first state champion was Omaha Central High School which won the Class A title in 1904. Central went on to win four more state titles in the next six years. In all, Omaha Central has won eight State Championships the most of any school in Nebraska.

Lincoln High School is second on the list with seven state titles, followed by York and Fremont with six each. Norfolk has won five titles, while North Platte has won four.

The Early Years of the Nebraska high school basketball State Championships

The Nebraska High school basketball State Championships began in 1920, with the first Championship Games being played at the University of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium. The tournament has been held every year since, except for two years during World War II. Initially, the tournament was open to any High School team in the state, regardless of size or classification. In 1934, the tournament was divided into two classes, “A” and “B”, based on school size. The two-class system remained in place until 1993 when a third class (“C1”) was added. In 2008, a fourth class (“C2”) was added. The current system of five classes (A-B-C1-C2-D1) began in 2012.

Over the years, there have been many notable moments and individual performances in the Nebraska high school basketball state championships But perhaps none more so than those of Omaha Central High School and their star player Johnny Rodgers.

The 1970s – A Decade of Dominance

Nebraska high school basketball fans remember the 1970s as a decade of dominance. The decade started with a state championship for Omaha Central in 1970, and ended with another state title for the Eagles in 1979. In between, Omaha South won back-to-back championships in 1971 and 1972, and then Ralston took home the title in 1973. Omaha Benson won in 1974, followed by Lincoln East in 1975. Omaha Northwest claimed the 1976 championship, before Lincoln Southeast won back-to-back titles in 1977 and 1978.

It was a golden era for High School Basketball in Nebraska, with Omaha schools winning eight out of ten state championships Central, South, Benson and Northwest were all perennial powerhouses during the decade, while East, Southeast and Ralston all rose to prominence during those years.

The 1970s were also a decade of great individual players, including future NBA Stars such as Greg McDermott (Central), Dave Hoppen (Northwest) and Mike Jeffress (East). Other standout players included Mark anning (Benson), Scott Strickland (Southeast) and Larry Ward (Ralston).

Those were truly magical years for Nebraska High School Basketball and the memories of those teams and players will live on forever.

The 1980s – A New Era

With the arrival of the 1980s, Nebraska high school basketball entered a new era. The decade began with a bang, as three teams from the state won National Championships Omaha Central became the first team from Nebraska to win a myschoolsbasketball national title, capturing the Class A crown in 1980. Lincoln Southeast followed suit in 1982, winning the Class B title. And in 1983, Bellevue West won the Class A title, becoming the first team from Nebraska to finish undefeated in a season.

The 1980s also saw the beginning of a new tradition – the Nebraska High School girls’ Ball State Tournament The first tournament was held in 1984, with Bellevue East winning the inaugural championship.

Throughout the decade, Nebraska High School basketball continued to produce some of the best teams in the country. In 1988, Omaha North won the myschoolsbasketball National Championship becoming only the second team from Nebraska to do so. And in 1989, Lincoln Southeast won its second myschoolsbasketball national title.

The 1990s would bring even more success for Nebraska high school basketball teams, but that’s a story for another time…

The 1990s – A Time of Transition

The 1990s were a time of transition for Nebraska High School Basketball For decades, the state had been dominated by rural schools, but in the 1990s, that began to change. A new generation of players from urban areas began to emerge, and with them came a new style of play. The traditional values of Nebraska Basketball were being challenged, and the state’s basketball landscape was changing forever.

In the early 1990s, Omaha Central and Lincoln East were the two dominant teams in the state. Omaha Central was led by future NBA player Darvin Ham, and Lincoln East featured future college star Tyronn Lue. These two teams met in the State Tournament in 1993, with Omaha Central coming out on top.

The following year, 1994, was a watershed moment for Nebraska high school basketball That was the year that Omaha South won the state tournament becoming the first urban school to ever do so. It was also the year that Lincoln Northeast’s Charlie Ward won Mr. Basketball, becoming the first urban player to ever win that award.

The victory by Omaha South signaled a changing of the guard in Nebraska high school basketball Urban schools were now on equal footing with rural schools, and the state’s talent pool was no longer limited to rural areas. In the years that followed, more and more urban players began to make their mark on Nebraska Basketball

In 1997, another urban school, Bellevue West, won the state tournament And in 1999, an even bigger shocker came when Omaha Benson won it all. Benson was a small school with very little tradition or history of success in basketball. That they were able to win a state championship showed just how much things had changed in Nebraska high school basketball in just a few short years.

The 1990s were a time of great change for Nebraska high school basketball What had once been a sport dominated by rural schools was now being increasingly influenced by urban schools and players. This new era of Nebraska basketball would lay the foundation for even more success in the years to come.

The 2000s – A New Millennium

A new millennium meant new challenges for the Nebraska high school basketball state championships The 2000s saw the introduction of a new class, as Class D-2 was added to the mix in 2000. This gave smaller schools more opportunities to compete for a state title. In addition, the format changed slightly, as the first two rounds of the tournament were played on Wednesdays and Thursdays instead of Thursdays and Fridays.

The early part of the decade belonged to Class D-1, as Pawnee City claimed three straight titles from 2000 to 2002. Pawnee City was led by a talented group of seniors that included Seth Gillispie, who went on to play at Hastings College. In 2003, Class D-2 came into its own, as Wakefield claimed the first State Championship in that class.

Class B also had a strong showing in the early 2000s, as Aurora won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. The Huskies were led by a pair of future Division I players in Eric Chenowith and Jesse Smith. In 2006, Lincoln Northeast ended a 28-year drought by winning the Class A state title. The Rockets were led by eventual Mr. Basketball Nate Johnson, who went on to play at Iowa State University

Omaha Burke broke through in 2007 to win the school’s first state Basketball Championship The Bulldogs were led by future University of Nebraska player Ryan Anderson. Anderson would go on to win Mr. Basketball in 2008, as Burke repeated as State Champions In 2009, Lincoln Southeast ended Lincoln Northeast’s reign at the top of Class A, as the Knights won their first State basketball championship since 1994.

The 2010s – A Decade of parity

The 2010s was a decade of parity in Nebraska High School Basketball with no team winning more than two consecutive state championships In Class A, Millard North won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, while Bellevue West claimed consecutive crowns in 2017 and 2018. In Class B, there were four different champions in four years from 2015 to 2018, with Lincoln Pius X claiming the title in 2019.

In Class C1, Chadron won three straight state championships from 2016 to 2018, while Boys Town won back-to-back titles in Class C2 in 2017 and 2018. finally, Johnson-Brock claimed the Class D1 title in 2019 after winning Class D2 the previous year.

Conclusion

The boys’ state Basketball Tournament began in 1900, with the girls’ tournament not far behind in 1921. Winning a state championship has become the ultimate goal for many High school athletes across Nebraska.

Although there have been many great teams and players over the years, a select few stand out above the rest. From dominant dynasties to Cinderella stories, these are the Nebraska High School Basketball State Champions that have left their mark on the history of the sport.