The first official practice of the 2020-21 high school basketball season began recently.

Omaha Westside finished last season with a semifinal loss to eventual champion Bellevue West. The guard heavy Warriors should still be right in the thick of the Class A race. 

Here are notes and observations from Westside’s practice last week. 

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The Known

The depth at the guard spot is something most in the state would love to have. As junior’s Chandler Meeks and Reggie Thomas go so will the Warriors. Thomas averaged 10.2 points last season while Meeks chipped in 9.7 per game. Both are capable of more offensive production. Thomas was very efficient from range last season averaging 43%. The graduation of the two leading scorers from last season in Jadin Booth (21.8) and PJ Ngambi (14.8) leaves some opportunities to be had. Thomas and Meeks are the leading candidates to take those shots. 

Sophomore wing Tate Odvody should provide some scoring and much needed rebounding. He averaged 12.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 21 games as a freshman at Elkhorn South. Odvody is capable of scoring in bunches and will likely be called upon to defend in the post. If he can at a minimum give the Warriors the production left behind by the graduation of Carl Brown (9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) the Warriors will be in good shape. 

Payson Gillespie is another returner with experience. A known 3-point shooter the junior saw action in 25 games last season but will likely enter the starting lineup this year. The Warriors will count on him to make outside shots and improve on his 3.9 points per game from last season. 

The Unknown

Two freshmen that will see action early and often are CJ Mitchell and Caleb Benning. The duo has played together virtually their entire lives and should be immediate contributors this season. Mitchell has some of his brother, Creighton guard Shareef Mitchell’s natural defensive instincts. He has an innate ability to get to the basket and can knock down open shots when asked. Benning physically should be fine as a freshman particularly on the defensive end. A high level shooter he will likely see open drive and kick shot attempts from Thomas and Meeks.  

Without a ton of size someone is going to have to rebound particularly offensively and play defense in the post. The two leading returners are Thomas and Meeks. Thomas led the team in rebounding (4.4) and Meeks 3.7. Odvody and Gillespie will be relied on to win on the glass. 6-foot-5 junior Logan Wilson is another likely candidate. Wilson played just eight games last season but will need to be more of a presence in the paint this season. 

Junior Dom Rezac will provide some depth particularly defensively. Look for Rezac and junior Charlie Davis to give the Warriors productive minutes. Davis is one of the better shooters in the state that not many are talking about. If he has an inch of space the shot is going up and likely going in.