ETG 17U girls hoop squad shines on the hardwood

OMAHA — The summer basketball scene can play a huge role in the recruitment of high school cagers. Facing top competition and playing in national tournaments, helps draw additional eyeballs to a player’s and team’s skills. A local hoops team flew under the radar the past few seasons despite a large amount of success on the hardwood and several top players on the team. 

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The ETG Midwest Elite 17-and-under girls basketball team wrapped up its season last month after another strong summer campaign.

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“It was great to be a part of,” Bellevue West incoming senior Naomi White stated. “We got a lot of great players from a lot of top teams in the state. It was really fun and interesting since we played against each other throughout the high school season.”

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Last summer, the squad earned runner-up honors in the 16U Adidas 3SSB National Tournament.

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“It was awesome to see our team compete against some of the best teams from across the country,” Millard West incoming junior Neleigh Gessert recalled. “Being a team from Nebraska that no one really knew and going down there and getting to the championship was really nice. To be a team from Nebraska and to be recognized nationally was really cool.”

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A large reason for the team’s success is an uncommon chemistry among the players. Several members have played together since their grade-school days.

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“The core of this team has been together since fifth and sixth grade,” ETG coach (Elkhorn North girls basketball coach) Ann Prince noted. “We have added or subtracted girls along the way. Five or six of the players have been together for the past five or six years. That was really cool and unique in this era of people jumping around from team to team. I think it is great that we have had these girls together for this long.”

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An outsider may be surprised with how well the team plays together, considering most of them are opponents during the winter high school season.

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“It actually helped us,” White said. “We know how each other played, what we did well and how we defended because we played against each other all the time. To be able to be put on a team with players that are great, competitive like I am and working to a common goal was great to be a part of this team.”

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Having to coach and bring a summer club team together can present its challenges, but the coaching staff accepted and enjoyed the experience.

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“It is super fun to coach a bunch of talented kids on one team,” Prince added. “We have six Division I players and four Power Five kids, which is really cool. To have that opportunity to coach these girls is so fun. They are really competitive and driven. You have to mold them a little bit because they are all the stars at their high schools, but when you get to the higher level club teams everyone has the best players around. You have to mold them together, get them to fit together and learn how to play with each other. We are a super unselfish team and they learned to accept their roles. We had a lot of talent and on any given night, a different person could lead us in scoring.”

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That chemistry is evident in several areas when watching the squad take the court. First, despite having several star players and top scorers, the level of unselfish play is second to none.

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“It is pretty cool that we can come together,” Neleigh Gessert remarked. “We go from rivals in the winter, to teammates in the summer. We have great chemistry and really love each other. We all play together well, even though we will be rivals here in a couple of months.

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Another key to ETG’s success is their stifling defense, a key aspect to Prince’s state championship three-peat at Elkhorn North. 

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“Our main focus was defense,” Millard West incoming junior Norah Gessert noted. “Every practice, we worked on defense. Our offense was good, but our defense is what won us a lot of games. If we were playing good defense, we were most likely going to win.”

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What may be the most surprising and what makes ETG’s success even more special, is the amount of multi-sport athletes on the team. This past school year, nine of the 10 players played at least two sports in high school. 

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“Being a multi-sport athlete helps overall,” Norah Gessert spoke. “Your endurance and capability to do things improves. We (Norah and Neleigh Gessert) did track this past season and it helped a lot. We could use our legs better and it helped build up other muscles. It helped a lot.”

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Having multi-sport athletes is actually one of the main reasons this group came together.

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“I love multi-sport athletes,” Prince added. “Unfortunately it is a dying breed because so many sports want kids year round. That’s actually how this team got started. We needed girls that were allowed to play multi-sports. We worked around things, had a flexible schedule and we were all supportive of them doing other sports. In reality, it might help their careers. Some kids are playing 50 to 60 games a summer and I am not sure how good that is on the body. You want them playing their best in college, not peaking in high school. I take great pride in getting multi-sport athletes on the team. It shows the kind of athletes we have.”

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The team played in the top level of the 17U Adidas circuit this past season. ETG faced several nationally ranked teams and top rated recruits throughout the summer.

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“It felt like there was a target on our back after how we played last summer and getting bigger offers from colleges,” Neleigh Gessert admitted. “We never really felt that pressure. We went out, played and had fun.”

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The tough competition and high-level of play helped improve the team’s play through the past few summers.

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“Playing at the top level against the top 17U teams and players helped a lot,” Norah Gessert stated. “It was a lot more physical. Bringing that into high school will go a long way. We learned a lot of things that we had to learn and that’s going to help us going into the high school season.”

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The team also spent most of the summer without one of their top players. For some girls on the team, it ended up being a fantastic opportunity to earn more recognition and attention.

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“It was disappointing with Britt (Prince) (Elkhorn North incoming senior and top-10 national recruit for girls basketball) being unable to play,” Prince said. “It was hard for her and the team, but in the end it helped give other girls the opportunity to step up. Neleigh and Norah’s games rose and they shined in those moments. Doneelah Washington (Lincoln Northeast incoming senior) and several others also stepped up.”

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The squad earned a special opportunity to put their talent and skills on display in their home state in July. Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa were selected by Adidias to host the Premier Grand Nationals and the Chapter II tournaments, respectively, this past summer. The tournament brought in top-level girls basketball talent from across the country, along with many Division I women’s basketball coaches.

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“I had a Division I women’s college basketball coach tell me that out of the 20-plus years he had coached women’s basketball he had never been to a tournament during the live-viewing period in Nebraska before,” Prince continued. “It was really cool that we helped bring that tournament to town. They showed a belief in allowing Nebraska to host. It was a great venue and it went really well. Hopefully it is something that will help solidify Nebraska as a place to host a high-level tournament.”

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During the tournament, ETG went 3-1 against some of the top teams and top recruits from the country.

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“One of the highlights of the summer was playing the eventual 17U national champions in the Adidas circuit Harwood Elite in Council Bluffs to a 2-point game,” Prince added. “We had them on the ropes late in the game.”

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Although the team did not receive the level of coverage or attention they rightfully deserved, they know their play has helped impact the view of girls basketball in the Cornhusker state.

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“We have great teams and fantastic players,” White commented. “We have shown that we can compete with anyone. We want to compete against the best.” 

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This past summer was the final time these girls will suit up together on the hardwood. As the team disperses and heads back to their respective schools, they know their play for ETG made a huge difference and hope to see the fruits of their labor blossom for years to come as new players and teams represent the state of Nebraska in girls basketball.

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“One of the biggest accomplishments for me was that every kid earned a college scholarship,” Prince concluded. “Being the national runner-up last year in the Adidas circuit brought a lot of attention to our team and the state of Nebraska. There have been a few teams that have succeeded at the national level as well. Nebraska can sometimes be an overlooked state because we don’t have as many numbers of girls that play high school basketball or club ball. However, people are starting to take notice of the quality of our players. Kids are getting Division I offers and getting that exposure. Playing on one of the shoe circuits is a great advantage to getting girls opportunities and eyes on them. It has been great for not only the girls on my team, but the rest of the girls in the state.”

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Season stats

Doneelah Washington (Lincoln Northeast 2024, receiving Division I and D-II offers): 250 points, 110 rebounds, 27 steals, 22 blocks and 11 assists.

Naomi White (Bellevue West 2024, Grand Canyon University commit): 212 points, 69 rebounds, 51 assists and 25 steals.

Neleigh Gessert (Millard West 2025, receiving Division I offers): 187 points, 43-percent 3-point, 57 rebounds and 29 assists.

Norah Gessert (Millard West 2025, receiving Division I offers): 124 points. 47 rebounds, 33 assists and 21 steals.

Brynn Sebek (Lincoln Pius X 2024, receiving NAIA and D-III offers): 87 points, 32 assists and 30-67 shooting.

15 Kennadi Williams (Lincoln Southwest 2024, Nebraska-Lincoln commit): 76 points, 39 assists and 29 steals.

14 McKenna Yates (McCool Junction 2024): 64 points and 20 assists.

Yelaniya Bradley (Lincoln Northeast 2024, NJCAA offers): 45 points and 24 assists.

Sidda Hagedorn (Lincoln Pius X 2024, Morningside University volleyball commit): 25 points 43-percent shooting and 16 assists.