TEAM: Oskaloosa Bears/Lady Bears

CLASSIFICATION: 2A

LEAGUE: Northeast Kansas

COLORS: Blue & Red

SOCIAL MEDIA: @OskaloosaBears on Twitter

2024-25 SCHEDULE:

12/6 at Pleasant Ridge
12/10 at Valley Falls
12/17 at McLouth
12/20 vs Horton
1/3 at Riverside
1/10 at Horton
1/14 at Jackson Heights
1/17 vs ACCHS
1/21-25 Valley Falls Tournament (Boys)
1/23 vs Jackson Heights (Girls)
1/28-2/1 JCN Tournament (Girls)
1/30 vs Jackson Heights (Boys)
2/4 vs McLouth
2/7 vs Maur Hill-Mount Academy
2/11 at Jefferson County North
2/14 vs Valley Falls
2/18 at Troy
2/21 vs Pleasant Ridge

Northeast Kansas League game

GIRLS

HEAD COACH: Kevin Lane (2nd year, 12-9)

2023-24 RECORD: 12-9 overall, 9-7 NEKL

2023-24 IN REVIEW: Development isn’t always linear and isn’t always consistent year over year. Entering the 2023-24 season, going from zero wins to three was a massive step for the Oskaloosa girls. That, however, paled in comparison to the nine-win improvement the Lady Bears experienced last year. That was their first winning season since 2019-20, and arguably the most impressive part of the whole run was how Oskaloosa ended the year. The Lady Bears won their final five regular-season games, all of which were NEKL tilts. Two players from that squad received All-NEKL honorable mentions, both of whom were seniors: Makayla Boyd and Lexi Messalle.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: One of the best indicators of repeated success is returning talent, and Oskaloosa has plenty of it coming back for the 2024-25 campaign. That includes three starters, Hallie Wright, Emma Vogel and Parris Marsch. That trio, all juniors, bring plenty of experience to the floor after last year’s impressive run, and they’ll take on even bigger roles with no seniors returning to the starting lineup. Several other players who saw varsity time a year ago will get a chance to play more minutes and fill bigger roles in 2024-25, including Lexi Bradshaw, Olivia Bradshaw, Blayke Seichepine and Jenna Southierre. The Lady Bears got a taste of what their program can be last season. Now, those seven returning contributors have a chance to lift Oskaloosa to even greater heights this year.

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “We have had great commitment over the summer and improved in many aspects of the game. We will build on the success from last season, the commitment from the summer, and the continuation of development and knowledge of the game to reach our goals this upcoming season.” — Kevin Lane

BOYS

HEAD COACH: Jeremy Rockhold (8th year, 41-120)

2023-24 RECORD: 10-11 overall, 7-9 NEKL

2023-24 IN REVIEW: Oskaloosa boys basketball took a big step forward as a program last season, improving from a 5-16 record the year prior to a 10-11 mark, its best record since going 11-11 in the 2018-19 campaign. The Bears’ 50.4 points per game a year ago was also the team’s best scoring output in the last half decade. A veteran presence helped carry Oskaloosa to its bounce-back season, with four starters returning from the year prior. Trenten VanHoutan capped a memorable junior season with a first-team All-NEKL nod, while then-senior Gunner Rockhold picked up an all-league honorable mention, too.

2024-25 OUTLOOK: Unlike last season and those four returning starters, Oskaloosa is only slated to bring back one starter this year. On the bright side, that player is VanHoutan, one of the best players in the region who posted 16.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season. Plus, there’s plenty of depth returning for the Bears, including a bevy of players who have played plenty of varsity basketball and who will all vie for increased playing time. Richie Rockhold is back after scoring 6.2 points per game last season, the second-leading returning scorer from 2023-24. Other returning contributors include Ashton Glavin (4 PPG), Tanner Hayes (2.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG) Derrick Harvey (2.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG).

FROM THE COACH’S CLIPBOARD: “We are very excited for the upcoming season.  We have a lot of guys returning with varsity experience and look to use that for this season.” – Jeremy Rockhold

–Brendan Dzwierzynski

To read more Pigskin & Hoops previews, click here to return to the table of contents.