Karl White averaged over 17ppg for Omaha Central and was named one of the top players in the state.

think is football and the Nebraska “Cornhuskers”, well forget about it (especially they way Nebraska has been playing the last few years). At the AAU Atlanta Basketball Classic being played at Georgia Tech this weekend an AAU team from Omaha, Nebraska called the “Rebels” rolled into town with some real “BALLERZ”.

At first glance during the lay-up line you thought well this guy looks like he can play some and that one has some hops but in the lay-up line most players look like they can hoop. The other distinction was they were not that tall except for their center Deli and most of them were built like football players, which is what you would expect from any team coming out of Nebraska. But by the end of the first night of competition when they gave an undermanned Atlanta Celtics team fits you knew this wasn’t just a bunch of well-built athletes playing hoops for the fun of it.

As the game unfolded there were three players that really made me step back and say “Oh!, my bad they do more in Nebraska than just play football. The first player was Karl White a 6-1 jumping jack who had a smooth handle, a nice jumper and will take you to the hole in a minute. Karl threw down a few alley-ops that sent a buzz through the stands. An unselfish player who plays bigger than his 6-1 frame.

The second player was Cortney Grixby, a 5-10 powerhouse who had some real

"CG" was an All-State performer in both hoops and football last season at Omaha Central High School.

quicks and was a tough defender. “CG” has a tight-game, he can go to the hole or knock down the jumper. He handles the ball really well. By his build I just knew that this kid had to play some football somewhere.

Brandon Jimerson is a 6-0 guard that was a combination of quickness and speed. Like Karl and Cortney he can take you off of the dribble or pull up and drill a three-pointer. His handle is very tight and he’s also a tough defender.

Now after seeing these young men play my curiosity was peeked so I did a little research of my own and found out that these players were real ballerz, I mean top flight. White is heading into his senior year. As a junior he led Omaha Central High School in scoring averaging over 17 ppg. He was a second team All-State basketball selection in Nebraska and was the only junior selected to the All-Metro Conference first team.

Jimerson who played at Omaha North High School where he averaged over 16 ppg. was named to the Coaches All-Division American first team last season as a junior.

Now “CG” played at Central on the same team as White and was named to the

Brandon Jimerson averaged over 16ppg for Omaha North High School.

Coaches All-Division National first team along with White. He averaged 14 ppg. last season as a junior. My hunch about his being a football player was also on the money. “CG” is one of the top ranked defensive backs in the state of Nebraska, he is also an outstanding quarterback I understand. Last season his was named second team All-State and first team All-Metro as a DB.

”CG” has been offered scholarships in both sports by some of the top D-1 colleges in the country. Nebraska and Colorado made offers after his sophomore season. Grixby's older brother, DeAnte, is a senior running back at Nebraska.

Also on the Rebels AAU Team is 5-10 Brandon Gunn who just happens to an All-State running back who is highly sought after.



Here is a little something, something I picked up on a few of those players:

White lone junior on Metro 1st Team
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

One coach called Omaha Central's Karl White the best offensive player in the state. Other coaches share that regard, and Eagles Coach Eric Behrens certainly isn't arguing against his player's reputation. "As a scorer, he's as good as anybody in the state," Behrens said. "He can score. He can shoot the 3. He has a great mid-range game and he can get to the basket. There's not a lot of guys who can do all three."

White, a 6-foot-1 junior, gave Central some special moments during a 13-10 season. The Eagles repeated as Metro Conference holiday tournament champions as White scored 21 points in the semifinals against Omaha Westside and 31 points in the final against Bellevue West.

He had 20 points against Lincoln East in a district final and 21 against eventual state champion Lincoln High in a first-round overtime loss at state.

Central's Gunn may travel: 3 Big 12 teams court back
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

One of these days, things are going to quiet down at Omaha Central. The phones

Brandon Gunn is an All-State RB out of Omaha Central High School who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.

won't ring as much, and coaches won't be traipsing in from all over the country.

That day isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Central Coach Joe McMenamin, who has been fielding calls about hotshot quarterback Cortney Grixby for a couple of years, is now busy with inquiries about junior running back Brandon Gunn. McMenamin said Gunn recently received scholarship offers from Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas.

"It is early to get a Division I offer before his senior year," McMenamin said. "He had a good junior year, but I think on film they're seeing some things. They've seen his quickness, speed and power and decided to offer him."

McMenamin said Nebraska has yet to offer a scholarship to Gunn, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound All-Metro pick who runs a 4.4 40-yard dash. Gunn rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a junior and had 290 receiving yards.

"Both Colorado and Kansas really like the way Brandon catches the ball and runs with it," McMenamin said. "They feel he'll be able to line up as a wide receiver and a slotback as well as running back."

It hasn't hurt having Grixby around, either. The junior was offered a scholarship to Nebraska more than a year ago, around the same time Colorado came into the picture. In the past two years, McMenamin has sent three players to Nebraska - Mark LeFlore and David Horne in 2002 and Brandon Teamer in 2003.

So I was right in both cases the “Rebels” are comprised of both outstanding basketball and football players.