If you happened to come to my house during March, my love of this  time of year would probably be a bit evident.  I am guessing that not everyone decorates their living room with basketball memorabilia.  None of my own trophies or anything – I was never that good of a player.  But I really like my basketball topiaries and picture frame.  Besides enjoying the games, I really enjoy the stories that come to life during March Madness season.  Nebraska abounds with them.

For the first time, one of my own kids is experiencing playing during March Madness season. Not at the college level, but with his own junior high team.  I have learned that even that level can feel intense when your kid is on the floor.  As I mentioned in my previous post, my son started his basketball tournament today.  (One loss, one win, one made shot!)  One more game to go, and this basketball season that has seen a bit long at times is coming to a halt.  Good thing the rest of the games coming up are mainly on television.  I may like the high school championships and college hoops better.  Why? I can watch them in the comfort of my own living room, rather than having to drive about to games.

The high school edition of March Madness is just getting started here in Nebraska.  Both this Saturday and next, the NSAA state basketball tournament championships will be on television.  The girls are almost done with their first round of games this year.  Next week the boys will be coming to town.  Including the #1 ranked C-1 team, and the guys to beat this year: The Winnebago Indians.  Their team has quite the story to tell.  And the tale started last year.

In 2015, the Bago Boys had everything to prove.  Back then, no one really expected much out of this team made of up of kids from a Native American reservation.  But the hopes of a town and community were pegged on this small group of players that had grown together through a game of ball.  Thankfully NET recognized that their experiences were worth documenting, so we can understand how much progress these young men made on the court.

A few weeks ago, Nebraska Stories had introduced us to “Rez Ball” .  Featuring a short segment on this team, their efforts were worth applauding.  The Winnebago Indians did go on to win the Nebraska class C1 boys basketball championship in 2015.  Now tonight Nebraska Educational Television is premiering the full length documentary. This video tells  all about the challenges that these boys and their families underwent to make it to the tournament.  For me the shorter segment was intriguing, but the documentary went into even more detail – the meaningful story behind the story!  An inspirational way to start this March Madness season.

To learn more about the “Bago Boys,” check out this short article that includes a promo video all about this remarkable team.

Author: neodyssey

My name is Gretchen Garrison. I started this blog about Nebraska in 2013. So far, I have written three books about Nebraska and Lincoln.