KEARNEY BASKETBALL HITS THE ROAD TO LINCOLN EAST:
The Kearney Basketball teams return to action tonight traveling back to the capital city taking on a tough test in a doubleheader at Lincoln East.
The Bearcat Girls (8-5) aim to take down a conference opponent against the 6-3 Spartans, while the Keanrey Boys (9-3) are motivated to prove their hot start is no fluke taking on the #1 seed from the HAC Holiday Tournament in Lincoln East (7-2).
Pregame coverage begins at 5:30 PM from East High School on KGFW for the Kearney Girls and Spartans. Boys pregame coverage begins at the conclusion of the girls postgame report.
Listen to the game on 1340 KGFW, 96.1 FM, on the free KGFW mobile app, and online at KGFW.com with Austin Jacobsen on the call.
LOPER FOOTBALL NAMES NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR:
Nebraska Kearney head football coach Ryan Held announced today that Colby Ellis is the Lopers new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
Ellis is the first assistant coach to be announced by Held who was named the 19th head football coach in UNK history in late December. More staff names will be released in the coming days.
The Oklahoma native spent the last three years at FCS-member North Alabama where he was the Lions wide receivers coach. He also was recruiting coordinator for two years and added special teams coordinator duties in 2022.
Ellis is no stranger to Nebraska and the MIAA as he was a graduate assistant coach for the ‘Huskers in 2018 and 2019 and receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Missouri Southern in 2017.
The new Loper staff is out recruiting this weekend in preparation for Division II signing day on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
CHICAGO BEARS NAME BIG TEN COMMISSIONER NEW PRESIDENT, CEO:
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has been named the next president and CEO of the Chicago Bears.
Warren had previously served as the Minnesota Vikings’ chief operating officer before becoming the Big Ten commissioner in 2019. He also worked with the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams before joining the college ranks.
The 59-year-old is set to replace Ted Phillips, who previously announced his plans to retire in February after 40 seasons with the organization. He has been the team’s president since 1999.
The Big Ten has begun their new hiring process to find a new lead commissioner, looking for its third in less than four years.
FORMER LOPER BASEBALL PLAYER PASSES:
The following is a statement from the University of Nebraska at Kearney on the death of former student and Loper Baseball player Colton Hill, a 2022 UNK graduate.
Hill, 24, died Wednesday night in a plane crash near Auburn, Nebraska. One other person also died.
Colton graduated from UNK in May 2022 with an Aviation Systems Management degree with an emphasis in flight operations. He was also a pitcher on the 2018 Loper baseball team.
NEBRASKA WOMEN CRUSH PENN STATE, EARN WILLIAMS WIN No. 300:
Freshman Callin Hake scored a career-high 16 points off the bench to lead five Huskers in double figures, as the Nebraska women’s basketball team rolled to an 80-51 victory over Penn State win over Penn State on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) nearly added a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, while Alexis Markowski contributed her seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 15 boards as Nebraska dominated the Lady Lions from start to finish.
Nebraska improved to 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten, while dropping Penn State to 11-6 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
The victory was the 300th career head coaching win for Amy Williams.
Nebraska returns to Big Ten home action on Saturday when the Huskers play host to unbeaten and No. 3 Ohio State. Tip-off between NU and OSU is set for 1:30 p.m.
BIG RED PIPELINE RECEIVES STANFORD TRANSFER BOOST:
The Huskers continue to get older and add significant remodeling pieces in the trenches, landing a commitment from veteran offensive tackle transfer Walter Rouse.
Nebraska beat out Oklahoma and Iowa for the former Stanford tackle, who finished his string of visits in Lincoln on Saturday and Sunday, a visit that he said “pleasantly surprised all the way throughout.”
In Rouse, NU is landing a four-year college starter who has already played 2,552 snaps in his college career dating back to 2019. His 67.3 grade by Pro Football Focus last season would have been best amongst the Husker linemen in 2022.
The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Rouse joins incoming Husker transfer center Ben Scott, who has played 1,777 college snaps – adding experience and more options for offensive line coach Donovan Raiola to work with.
HUSKER FOOTBALL OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE NEW ADDITIONS TO ASSISTANT STAFF:
Nebraska Head Football Coach Matt Rhule has completed the hiring of his first full-time Husker coaching staff with the announcement of the addition of three assistant coaches on Wednesday.
Bob Wager will join the Nebraska staff as tight ends coach, Rob Dvoracek will coach the Husker linebackers and Garret McGuire will serve as wide receivers coach. The three newest additions are pending the completion of the University hiring process and join seven assistant coaches hired to Rhule’s staff since he was named Nebraska’s head coach on Nov. 26.
Wager comes to Nebraska after a highly successful high school head coaching career in Texas. Wager has been a head coach for more than 20 seasons and has posted a record of 206-100-1.
Dvoracek joins the Nebraska staff after spending the previous two seasons coaching for the Carolina Panthers. Overall, Dvoracek has spent four years working on Rhule’s coaching staff, including two years at Baylor and two in the National Football League.
McGuire worked for two seasons in the National Football League with the Panthers in 2021 and 2022. He joined Rhule’s staff in Charlotte immediately after his playing career at Baylor and worked as an offensive assistant for the Panthers.
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Girls Basketball: @ Lincoln East – 5:45 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Lincoln East – 7:30 PM
- KGFW Pregame after KHS GBB
- Wrestling: v. North Platte Dual @ Kearney High School – 7 PM
- Girls Basketball: @ Lincoln East – 5:45 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Swimming & Diving: @ North Star Triangular – 4 PM
- Girls Basketball: v. Broken Bow – 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. Broken Bow – 7:30 PM
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney High Girls Basketball @ Lincoln East (5:30 PM – 7:30 PM)
- Kearney High Boys Basketball @ Lincoln East (7:30 PM – 9:30 PM)
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Swimming & Diving: @ Lincoln High School (Diving Only) – 4:30 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Swimming & Diving: @ Lincoln High Invite (Diving Only) – 4:30 PM
- Wrestling: Triangular @ Gibbon (v. Gibbon & Mitchell) – 7 PM
- UNK:
- M/W T&F: @ Graduate Classic @ Lincoln, NE – 4 PM
- Wrestling: @ Newman – 7 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Men’s Basketball @ Purdue (5 PM – 8:45 PM)
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Wrestling: HAC Championships @ Lincoln Southwest – 9:30 AM
- Swimming & Diving: @ Lincoln High Invite – 10 AM
- Boys Basketball: @ Omaha Bryan – 2 PM
- KGFW Pregame beginning at 1:45 PM
- Girls Basketball: v. Bellevue West @ Kearney High School – 4:15 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Swimming & Diving: @ Lincoln High Invite – 10 AM
- Wrestling: @ Gibbon Invite – 10 AM
- Girls Basketball: @ Hastings St. Cecilia – 1 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Hastings St. Cecilia – 3 PM
- UNK:
- M/W T&F: @ Graduate Classic @ Lincoln, NE – 11:30 AM
- Swimming: @ OC Invite @ Irvine, CA
- Women’s Basketball: @ Fort Hays State – 2 PM
- Men’s Basketball: @ Fort Hays State – 4 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney High Boys Basketball @ Omaha Bryan (1:45 PM – 3:45 PM)
SUNDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- N/a
