The Nebraska High School Basketball All-State Project - Saluting 1973

On we go with our daily tribute to past Nebraska High School All-State Basketball Teams and their State Tournament year. Once again, these tributes will run all the way through February and up to the eve of the 2026 Boys State Tournament on Tuesday, March 10th. .

Now, I present to you the 1973 All-State Basketball teams, but before we look at those aforementioned all-state teams, here is how each class played out in 1973 State Basketball Tournament:

*In Class D, Hampton proved to be the only unbeaten team in the state by defeating defense-minded Yutan 42-40 to finish 26-0. It was Mark Olsen that provided the spark to lift the #1 Hawks by pouring in 22 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. It was Hampton's first basketball title since 1945 and the '73 Championship certainly didn't come easy. Yutan had relied on its defense all season, but on this day it was the smothering "D" by Hampton that decided the game. The Hawks limited Yutan to 28% shooting from the field, while hitting 44% themselves. So efficient was Hampton's defense, no Yutan player could reach double figures for the contest. And who guided the Hawks to their Championship in 1973? One of the best coaches in the history of Nebraska high school basketball....Jerry Eickhoff. They come no better than the Master from Hampton.

Hampton was the 2nd Crossroads Conference team in 2 years to win the Class D state championship and finish with an unblemished campaign. Benedict pulled it off in 1971. The Crossroads had to be the touchest conference, year in and year out, in those days and well beyond.

*The Class C title went to Howells, who sprinted out to a Steve Baumert led 12-2 lead and never looked in the rear view mirror. The Bobcats coasted to an easy 61-37 win over a Bertrand team that had reached the "C" finals in both 1966 and 67, only to come up short in '73. The closest Bertrand could get to Coach Jim Morrison's crew was 17-12 in the 2nd quarter, and from then on it was Katie bar the Door. The Howells trio of Baumert, 6-5 senior Larry Jakubowski, and junior Tom Ritzdorf were just too much for any opponent during the Bobcats 26-1 season. Bertrand's splendid senior Tom Ford seemed to be a one man show for Bertrand in that championship tilt, scoring 20 points and pulling down a game leading 15 rebounds. The closest individual scoring total behind Ford was 6 points, as the Vikings got off only 35 FG attempts, connecting on only 8 for the entire contest. They finished the year 21-4.

* In Class B, Fairbury snared its 2nd title in 3 years by downing the invaders from the West, Sidney by a 60-54 count. The game was billed as a battle supreme between the Jeffs two-time all-state Bob Siegel and the Red Raiders king of Western Nebraska, Rick Seidel. The Sidney senior had an inch on the Fairbury Flash, 6-6 to 6-5, but that would be the only statistical category Seidel would win that afternoon.

Bob Siegel left no doubt who was "The Man" in that game, outscoring Seidel 27-12, out rebounding the Red Raider ace, 24-10, and 12 of 23 FG attempts, while Seidel struggled to hit 4 of only 15 chances from the field. Despite the wide spread in that personal battle, Sidney was never out of the game until Fairbury junior Greg Gibson connected on 6 of 6 one and one free throw situations late in the 4th quarter. Gibson pushed the Jeffs out of a 50-48 lead to a safer 54-48 cushion in the final stages.

Sidney senior Scott Cornelius kept his team in the game with his 20 points while Seidel added 15. Randy Jobman was also in double figures for the Red Raiders, scoring 13.

*In Class A, Lincoln Northeast Coach Ed Johnson may have pulled off his most masterful of 6 state championships. I'll bet Northeast fans remember each and every one of the Rockets 37 shots in that Class A title game. That's right....only 37 shots. The patient Northeast offense drove Cinderella Omaha Westside crazy as the Rockets won the 54-50 nightcap at the NU Coliseum.

It wasn't an easy win for Northeast. The Rockets 3 scoring leaders, Tom Westover, Terry Novak, and Bruce Maske were saddled with foul trouble the entire 4th quarter during the tight battle. In fact, Westover, who led all scorers with 27 points, fouled out of the game with 2:11 left. That enabled Westside to close the gap to 52-48, but Maske, who was a hero in the Kearney semi final win, swished a bucket to give Northeast a 54-48 lead and the lift they needed to win the game.

Omaha Westside, with only a 14-8 record entering the '73 Dance, put together a spirited march to the finals and nearly pulled off the Cinderella storybook ending.

*The 1973 All-State Basketball Teams.*:(This was the first year a Second Team All-State was added)

*Class D 1973 All-State - 1st Team*

Mark Olson-Hampton - 6-0, Jr.

Don Peck-Paxton - 6-5, Jr.

Doug Kucera-Pleasanton - 6-7, Jr.

Paul Magiera-Omaha Brownell-Talbot - 5-11, Sr.

Ed Gogan-Arcadia - 6-5, Sr.

2nd Team

Mike Lastovicka-Yutan - 6-3, Sr.

Dave Schnuelle-Odell - 6-4, Sr.

Russ Thede-Palmer - 6-5, Jr.

Jerry Ott-Republican City - 6-2, Sr.

Roger Stone-Nehawka - 5-10, Sr.

*If you want to talk about leaders who come through in big time games, that pretty much describes Hampton’s Mark Olson. His head Coach Jerry Eickhoff, one of the greatest high basketball coaches that ever lived, said the bigger the game, the better Olson performed. The six foot junior scored 77 points in three state tourney games, leading unbeaten Hampton to a Class D title and the distinction of being the state's only unbeaten team in 1973.

Central Nebraska boasted a pair of fabulous “big” men in Pleasanton’s Kucera and Arcadia stud Ed Gogan. Ironically, neither Pleasanton nor Arcadia made it to the State Tournament, but it was a no-brainer to include them on this Dream Squad,

Kucera was literally unstoppable, scoring 650 points during the season for the 19-4 Bulldogs. His stat line for the season read; 28.3 ppg, 18 rebounds an outing with 3.4 assists and 5 block shots every game. Good Lord.

Gogan was no slouch either, averaging 28.1 ppg, 20.1 rpg for his 17-5 Arcadia team after averaging 31.7 and 21.6 his junior year. Peck, who was the Class D pride of Western Nebraska, averaged 25 ppg and 20 boards while leading his team to the “D” semifinals.

Palmer’s 6-5 Thede could very well have been a 1st teamer in some circles (19.1/14.2),while Brownell-Talbot’s Magiera was simply a BALLER who scorched the nets for 483 points in ‘73 and 1,117 (20.3) during his 3 year career at the prestigious academic school. Magiera seemed to never have an “off” game during his 55 game career.

Speaking of career marks, Odell’s Dave Schnuelle scored 1,322 points while averaging a fat 27.4 ppg and 15.6 rpg in ‘73. And many sports fans will remember Republican City ace Jerry Ott being a splendid All-State TE during the football season.

*Class C 1973 All-State 1st Team*

Steve Baumert-Howells - 6-1, Sr.

Larry Heyen-Milford - 6-1, Sr.

Mike Magee-Medicine Valley - 5-11, Sr.

Mark Murphy-Neligh - 6-3, Sr.

Don Mrozcek-Loup City - 6-5, Sr.

2nd Team

Larry Jakubowski-Howells - 6-5, Sr.

Brad McCumber-Wood River - 5-11, Sr.

Bill Parminter-Stromsburg - 5-10, Jr.

Clay Fisher-Genoa - 6-2, Sr.

Lowell Siebert - Henderson - 6-4, Sr.

*Larry Heyen of Milford was the star of this guard-heavy 1973 All-State Team. Honestly, I think you could have put Heyen on any Class C .500 win/loss team and he would have made them a state title contender, He was THAT good. At the time, Heyen set a single-season scoring record with his 587 points in 1973 while leading the team in scoring, assists and steals. A FOUR YEAR starter on a team that won 81 of 90 games, Larry Heyen ranked as Milford’s alltime scoring leader with 1,405 points, having held under double figures just once in ‘73 and under 20 points just five times with high games of 44, 35, 34 and 32 points.

I can tell you one thing though, Steve Baumert wasn’t far behind Heyen, if at all. He and Larry Jakubowski made Jim Morrison’s Howells team unbeatable in the state tournament. Baumert scored 51 points during the Big Dance, dropping in 22 in the Championship win over Bertrand.

Mrozcek from Loup City was a terrific big man who made Howells sweat during their two point win over the Red Raiders in the 1st Round of the state tournament with his 25 point outburst.

Nelighs Murphy scored 1,181 points during his 3 years as a starter for Coach Leo Schwanke while Medicine Valley’s Mike Magee scored 1,006 career points while averaging 19.1 ppg his senior season for a team that boasted two other players averaging double figures.

The dude I loved was Brad McCumber from Wood River. He was the best ball handler in Class C in my opinion. The late, great Wood River coach Dale Smidt told me nobody full court pressed his team all season because of McCumber’s magical dribbling skills.

As far as scoring, Stromsburg ace Bill Parminter was the king in Class C, averaging 26.7 points every time he stepped on the court. STUD.

*Class B All-State Team*

G - Randy Wenz-Crete - 6-4, Sr.

G - Tim Edwards-Crete - 6-2, Sr.

C - Bob Siegel-Fairbury - 6-5, Sr.

F - Rick Seidel- Sidney - 6-6, Sr.

F - Kert McKeone-Cozad - 6-4, Sr.

Second Team

G - Bob Sunvold-Seward - 6-3, Sr.

G - Dan Gradoville-Plattsmouth - 5-10, Sr.

C - Blake Butler-Minden - 6-9, Sr.

F - Kevin Moore-Chadron - 6-5, Sr.

F - Dan Lancaster-Kimball - 6-3, Sr.

*I can still remember Fairbury Coach Charlie Moore telling me that when Bob Siegel played a basketball game for the Jeffs, it was like a seventh or 8th grader playing in his very 1st game. That's how enthusiastic Bob was. In Siegel's 4 year stint at Fairbury, the Jeffs won 89 of 98 games and Bob Siegel played in 97 of those contests. For his remarkable career, Siegel scored 2,337 points for an average of 24.1 ppg every time he stepped on the court. How in the world can you do that in Class B? Siegel's point total still ranks #3 all time in this state. Ironically, Ron Simmons of Sumner is 2nd and graduated in 1964, yet Siegel's 2,337 points in 1973 ranked 2nd all-time to Bill Holliday.

During his career, Siegel's field goal percentage went from 49.7% as a freshman to 51.4, to 52.6, to 60% his senior season. He was also a terrific defensive player. What Bob Siegel did on the basketball court was mind boggling to say the least. Put simply, this man was one of the greatest Nebraska high school basketball players of all-time. There is NO debating here. Just a fact.

This Class B group could score, even the second team members. Sidney's Seidel could put the ball through the hoop with deadly accuracy and regularity. The 6-6 dandy poured 693 points his senior year on 59% accuracy to go along with 11 boards a game. Rick Seidel ended his career with 1,582 points and you would be hard pressed to find a player from that area in Class B to match that one except maybe Chadron's Moore. Speaking of Moore, he started his career at Chadron Assumption, but finished at Chadron high. Moore ended his career with an astounding 1,826 tallies. What portion of that came at Assumption, I'm not certain.

Crete's Wenz ended his fine career with 1,152 points and could nail outside shots for a 6-4 lad, although he is listed as a guard. And his Cardinal teammate Tim Edwards used his 1:57.0 half mile speed to maneuver the hardwood and leave his opponents guarding air. Cozad's McKeone averaged 22.1 ppg for the Haymakers and was a prolific rebounder.

A few honorable names: Ted Harvey and Pat Hodges-Lexington, Larry Uhing-Hartington CC, Ted Cox-Gretna, Joe Vajgrt-GINW, Jerry Larsen-York, Mike Wilberger-Nebraska City, Randy Jobman-Sidney, Jeff Bolin-Albion, Tim Felix-Seward, Dave Hahn-Aurora, and Roger Morton-Wahoo.

*Class A All-State Team*

G - Fred Anzures-Boys Town - 5-11, Jr.

G - Bill Roach-Beatrice - 5-8, Sr.

C - Terry Novak-Lincoln Northeast - 6-3, Jr.

F - Paul Potter-Columbus - 6-3, Sr.

F - Tom Westover-Lincoln Northeast - 6-3, Sr.

Second Team

G - Ed Burns-Omaha Rummel - 6-2, Sr.

G - Rick Samuelson-Lincoln East - 6-5, Sr.

C - Larry Vakulik-Omaha Ryan - 6-8, Jr.

F - Loren Killion-Kearney - 6-6, Sr.

F - Dennis Forrest-Omaha Central - 6-4, Sr.

*Pretty rare in those days, or maybe any day, to see 2 members of the same team on an all-state list. But the Rockets had two distinct players that contributed in different ways for Northeast, who won another state title in 1973. Novak, the junior, was the unselfish floor general of Ed Johnson's forces who directed things much like a quarterback on the football field. If Novak had to score, he certainly could come through in crunch time. Speaking of crunch time, Tom Westover may have saved his best for the State Tournament where he scored 61 points, including 27 in a semi final win over Omaha Westside. In the district final vs. Lincoln High, the 6-3 marksman connected for 13 field goals, all long range, to score a critical 26 points and match his earlier district efforts against Hastings and North Platte. Westover was nearly unstoppable when he decided to launch his long bombs because of his lightning quick release, which may have been the best in the state.

The other junior on this team was Boys Town's left handed, cat-quick Fred Anzures. Freddy, a 3 year starter for Coach George Pfiefer, scored 960 points in his career, including 498 (21.6 ppg) his senior season. Beatrice Coach Neil Nannen called the 5-8 Roach "the best guard in the state". The quick, nimble-footed senior, was state singles tennis champion in the fall and used his fancy footwork to blow by defenders. Roach scored 413 points (19.6 ppg) his senior season with not much help offensively and ended his 3 year career with 1,074 counters. Another clutch player, Roach exploded for 30 points in Orange's District final win against GI and repeated his 30 point performance in a Beatrice opening round state tournament loss to Omaha Central.

Paul Potter was a holdover from the Discoverers State Championship team of '72 and was just as effective in 1973. Potter specialized in coming through when Columbus needed him the most. Check out these totals; 27 points and 18 boards against Lincoln High, 36 points/15 rebounds vs. South Sioux City, 32 and 17 against Grand Island, 30 and 15 vs. Ralston, plus 30/22 in a rematch against South Sioux.

So difficult was it to make the 1st team all-state in Class A, that players like Rummel's Ed Burns. a first team selection the year before plus, the Class A all-state quarterback in the fall, Kearney's high scoring Loren Killion, Lincoln East's Rick Sameulson, and Omaha Central's Dennis Forrest were all relegated to 2nd team as was the Metro's leading scorer, Larry Vakulik (445 points/21.2 ppg)

A few Honor Roll players were: Ron Flock-McCook, Rocke Senkbiel-Grand Island, Joe Curl-S. Sioux City, Randy Detra-North Platte, Bruce Maske-Lincoln NE, and Bob Poage-Om. Westside.

*1973 Super-State Basketball Team*

G - Fred Anzures-Boys Town - 5-11, Jr. (21.6 ppg)

G - Randy Wenz-Crete - 6-4, Sr. (25.0 ppg)

C - Terry Novak-Lincoln Northeast - 6-3, Jr. (15.1 ppg)

F - Rick Seidel- Sidney - 6-6, Sr. (27.7 ppg)

F - Bob Siegel-Fairbury - 6-5, Sr. (26.1 ppg)

Second Team

G - Bill Roach-Beatrice - 5-8, Sr. (19.6 ppg)

G - Tom Westover-Lincoln Northeast - 6-3, Sr. (16.8 ppg)

C - Loren Killion-Kearney - 6-6, Sr. (20.3 ppg)

F - Ed Burns-Omaha Rummel - 6-2, Sr. (20.8 ppg)

F - Paul Potter-Columbus - 6-3, Sr. (21.3 ppg)

Third Team

G - J.J. Collins-Omaha Tech - 6-0, Sr. (16.8 ppg)

G - Tim Edwards-Crete - 6-2, Sr. (19.5)

C - Larry Vakulik-Omaha Ryan - 6-8, Jr. (21.8 ppg)

F - Rick Samuelson-Lincoln East - 6-5, Sr. (18.6 ppg)

F - Dennis Forrest-Omaha Central - 6-4, Sr. (19.0 ppg)

*Honor Roll: Steve Harris-Lincoln High, Steve Harris-Kearney, Rick Reynolds-Lincoln SE, Larry Heyen-Milford, Kert McKeone-Cozad, Reg Gast-Lincoln East, Art Turner-Omaha North, Tom Spongberg-Kearney, Blake Butler-Minden, and Mark Olsen-Hampton.