Lincoln North Star’s varsity basketball team is starting off hot through the first half of the season with a 9-3 record. Last year through 12 games they had a record of 6-6, This year’s success is in part due to the role players coming off the bench, One of them being Kobi Kerr. His tenacity when the ball is in the air and off ball movement really sets his teammates up for amazing games. Kobi Kerr is a 6 ‘4 Junior who plays Small and Power forward, his experience this year has been,”More than surreal”. Along with any success, there’s bound to be failure. This year their three losses have been from Omaha Westview, Creighton Prep, and Lincoln Southeast, who are all ranked according to Nebraska Preps. A key part of Lincoln North Star’s success is new Head Coach Bryan Castor. After talking to Junior Kobi Kerr, he stated that Coach Castor,“set a great mindset for the team and brought a competitive edge that was lackluster in previous years.” Coach Castor, previous coach on the AAU scene for former teams like Nebraska United and Elite Tempo, brought the fast paced style of play to the swamp. The varsity team utilizes different zone defenses and various man presses to catch their opponents off guard.

A key defender in these presses is Lincoln Northwest transfer guard Javarius Welch. Kerr stated,”He is a really good back up guard who does his job when he comes in. He brings joy and positivity to the team.” The overall team chemistry coming into this year has been raised drastically, before game days, Coach Castor took a page out of the Football team’s book of eating a team dinner. Kerr stated that,”we spend time eating with each other as a family before games every week and this really helps us dial in as a team.” With the ultimate goal being a State Championship, Lincoln North Star’s Boys Basketball team will have to avenge their three losses and put together a cinderella-like run in late February.