A trio of seniors will lead a North Platte boys basketball team that has expectations of putting big numbers on the scoreboard this season.
The Panthers enter the season returning both all-district honorees from last season — Brenden Matt and Dylan Armstrong — but Hunter Palmer is another key component that will help the team compete for championships.
“If you aren’t gearing up to try and win the whole thing then you aren’t doing it right,” North Platte head coach Braydn Kemper said. “We want to position ourselves as a team for being able to compete at the highest level come middle February.”
North Platte has set some high goals, chasing a first district title since 2011. They know their grueling regular-season schedule can only help their preparations for a district featuring a Mid-Buchanan team that is ranked No. 3 in Class 3 with West Platte and East Buchanan also waiting come postseason.
“Not all district titles are created equal and not all state championships are the same,” Kemper said. “We are in a loaded district and our class features one of the best teams in the state across all classes.”
After seven consecutive losing seasons, Kemper has brought some inspiration to the program with back-to-back winning seasons with offenses that averaged more than 60 points per game.
Coming off a 20-8 season, he hopes to bring the Panthers to the next level and translate wins into some hardware. Kemper pinpointed the KCI Tournament, Kearney Classic and North Platte Invitational as tournaments they want to compete for championships in, alongside the KCI regular season title.
North Platte came close to a conference regular season title last season, which would have been the program’s first since 1998, but fell just short with a late-season defeat to East Buchanan.
The trio of Matt, Armstrong and Palmer will be assisted by juniors Isaac Wright and Jase Smith with Maverick Estes and Brecken Cartwright also playing important roles, alongside several younger players who could contribute as well.
“I think we have a very explosive offense,” Kemper said. “We have many guys who can score and this is definitely one of the best offensive teams we’ve had at North Platte. When we are firing on all cylinders, it is fun to watch. Sometimes as a coach, I just have to sit back and watch.”
Now in his fifth season leading the program, Kemper has Karl Matt as his varsity assistant with Roger Giger coaching the junior varsity. The Panthers added Matthew Kothe, who will coach the C team.
The Panthers open conference play on Jan. 9 at West Platte before testing themselves in the Kearney Classic, which could pit them against less familiar opposition including Platte County, St. Joseph Lafayette, Smithville, St. Pius X, Paseo Academy and Summit Christian.
As long as the Panthers make gradual progress throughout the season, Kemper is confident his team has what it takes to succeed.