Every All-Nebraska team has a unique identity.
This time around on the first team, it’s from the inclusion of three juniors.
From a rare legacy pick, a son joining his father as an all-class selection.
From Bellevue West breaking new ground with a player making the team for a sixth consecutive year.
The Thunderbirds’ Jaden Jackson heads the 110th All-Nebraska team as its honorary captain. The guard who’s signed with South Dakota State played in four Class A state finals, all against Millard North, and came out on the winning side the past two years.
Marcus Glock of Wahoo is the only other senior on the first team. His father, Jason, was All-Nebraska in 1990 and 1991. Marcus led the Warriors to their first Class C-1 title since 2018.
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With Bryson Bahl of Papillion-La Vista South, Derek Rollins of Millard North and Brock Scholl of Class B champion Omaha Skutt, it’s the first time since 2007 (when there were four juniors) that seniors are outnumbered on the first team.
Bahl has another distinction. He’s the first from his school on the first team.
Jackson, incidentally, is the third multi-year All-Nebraska selection from Bellevue West in its six-year run of representation, following Chucky Hepburn (2019-21) and Josiah Dotzler (2022-23).
Lincoln Northeast (1995-99), Omaha Westside (2000-04), Lincoln Southeast (2002-06), Bellevue West (2004-08) and Omaha Central (2010-14) each had All-Nebraska first-team players five years in a row.
Jackson weighed in on his All-Nebraska teammates.
“Derek, he can play anywhere. He can shoot 3s and is a good inside player. Bryson’s hard to stop. You can’t lose track of him because he’s a good shooter and his shot’s quick.
“Brock, he’s the same as Derek. He’s good inside and can also shoot 3s. Marcus is good all-around. He can get to the rim, to the free-throw line. He can shoot 3s and create shots for his teammates.”
The All-Nebraska second team starts with Gretna senior Landon Pokorski, who was on the first time as a junior. He and seniors Aiden McDowell of Class B Crete, Kevin Stubblefield of Omaha Westside and Daleron Thomas of Omaha Central took their teams to the state semifinals.
The fifth member on the second team is Omaha Bryan junior A’mare Bynum. After the season, the highly sought prospect announced he was transferring to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, for his senior season.
On the third team are seniors Mynor Strong of Omaha North, Treyson Anderson of Lincoln Pius X, Quientan McCafferty of Omaha Concordia and Elijah Gaeth of Millard North and junior Ben Johnson of Kearney.
Anderson has signed with North Dakota State.
Nominations of coaches and observations of The World-Herald’s sports staff determine the newspaper’s honor teams.
For the first-team selections, we asked about their growth in the past year and what’s to come.
JADEN JACKSON
Captain • Bellevue West • 6-1 • Sr. • 17.2
“Oh, man,’’ new Bellevue West coach Steve Klein said, “he grew up from both a leadership standpoint and from a skill and what he was able to do on the floor standpoint.
“Being our best player, when it came to crunch time, it was getting the ball in his hands and going to make a play for us or a stop for us.”
In becoming the latest 1,000-point career scorer for the Thunderbirds, the 6-foot-1 Jackson averaged 17.2 points this season.
At South Dakota State, his role could swing from shooting guard to point guard.
“(It’s) being comfortable with the ball in his hands, being able to make the play and make plays off the dribble,’’ Klein said. “I’ve talked to the coaches at South Dakota State about his being able to finish around the basket in multiple different ways, because he’s not overly big, size-wise, especially going to play at the next level.
“He’s going to have to play some guards who are 6-4, 6-5, 6-6 and he’s also got some bigs who are 6-10, 6-11 and he’s going to have to be able to find ways to score the basketball other than just shooting the 3.
“He showed this year that he’s not a one-level scorer. He can shoot the3 really well, but he can do other things than shoot the 3. He can shoot a really good pull up, he can get himself to the rim. I’m excited to see what he can do next year at the college level.”
Said Omaha Westside coach Jim Simons: “He was the best overall player in the class, best player on the best team.”
DEREK ROLLINS
Millard North • 6-6 • Jr. • 17.8
In averaging 17.8 points and 10 rebounds a game, the 6-6 Rollins had 15 double-doubles. He’s the son of 1992 All-Nebraska second-teamer Devin Rollins.
“He was the most impactful player on Millard North,’’ Simons said. “Very tough inside and out.”
Rollins said his season had “a lot of ups and downs but I thought it was a great season, for myself and for the team, but I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished and my teammates, too.”
“I’ve grown as a leader, as a basketball player, as a teammate. Everything to me since sophomore year has grown.”
A larger share of the leadership role is coming.
“I’m going to be a senior and I have young people looking up to me so I have to lead them on the right path and then just obviously getting better, trying to improve my game, so I can help my team be good next year.”
BRYSON BAHL
Papillion-La Vista South • 6-3 • Jr. • 21.4
He’s needed only three seasons to take down the Titans’ career scoring record. The 6-5 Bahl averaged a double-double of 21.4 points, tops in Class A, and 10.4 rebounds (No. 2).
“I feel like I became a way better rebounder and a better leader,’’ Bahl said. “I think last year I was still a sophomore but I feel like I’ve stepped into a bigger role this year and just did more for my team not only with scoring but more on the defensive end doing the little things.”
Missing out on the state tournament will be a motivator for the Titans next year, when they return most of their starting lineup.
Bahl — his sister is NU pitcher Jordyn Bahl — said he’ll be looking to grow with being a better ballhandler.
“Doing more with the ball bringing up the court more when my point guard, Reece Kircher, is unable to, if he’s out or just getting face guarded or something like that,’’ Bahl said. “Just being able to do more.”
BROCK SCHOLL
Omaha Skutt • 6-8 • Jr. • 20.1
A late-season surge, led by the 6-8 junior who averaged 20.1 points, enabled the SkyHawks to have the program’s second set of back-to-back titles.
Scholl was the only starter returning.
“Our team chemistry, I felt it was really good when we needed it to be,’’ he said.
His growth was in the post.
“All summer I just worked in finishing down low and I like being able to take people down low and finish, using my height and athleticism,” Scholl said.
For next season, his emphasis looks to be stepping up his perimeter skills.
“I’d like to improve my outside shooting. I’d like to become a really good 3-point shooter. I’d like to be able to attack off the dribble from the 3-point line,’’ he said. “I’d like to be a better leader, too. I’ll be a senior so I got to be a big voice for he incoming sophomores and freshmen.”
MARCUS GLOCK
Wahoo • 6-4 • Sr. • 23.4
Like Scholl, Glock was his team’s only returning starter. But the 6-4 senior, whose 23.4 scoring average was the highest by a Warrior in 29 seasons, bonded with his buddies who date to fourth grade to win state as the No. 5 seed.
“I feel physically I grew a lot,’’ the Northwest Missouri signee said. “Coach (Kevin) Scheef before the season was quoted saying how I needed to become a better leader because I was the only one that had experienced. There’s a lot of people that also stepped up with that, like other seniors.
“My game grew a little bit but I think my leadership was probably the biggest step.”
To hold the same honor as his dad, “it’s awesome,’’ he said. “I actually was just talking about all that stuff with him the other day. Just the pictures to look back at are pretty crazy.”
Northwest Missouri just saw its coach, Ben McCollum, move on to Drake just a week after the Bearcats were in the Division II Final Four.
“There are obviously some things that still need to go down, but it will be fun,’’ Glock said. “They’re just a team that will embrace me, a team that is successful and has a winning culture.”
Landon Pokorski, Gretna, 6-2, Sr., 15.8
A’mare Bynum, Omaha Bryan, 6-7, Jr., 21.1
Aidan McDowell, Crete, 6-5, Sr., 18.9
Kevin Stubblefield, Omaha Westside, 6-5, Sr., 17.2
Daleron Thomas, Omaha Central, 6-0, Sr., 17.4
Mynor Strong, Omaha North, 6-3, Sr., 18.3
Treyson Anderson, Lincoln Pius X, 6-10, Sr., 18.8
Ben Johnson, Kearney, 6-5, Jr., 18.4
Quientan McCafferty, Omaha Concordia, 6-10, Sr., 14.4
Elijah Gaeth, Millard North, 6-3, Sr., 13.2
Photos: All-Nebraska basketball teams through the years