When the ’93-’94 regular season ended, Wahoo owned a 22 -1 record. That was the reality. Some might explain the success in terms of a stockpiled intimidation factor, but the evidence shows that the 1994 Warriors were a superior team that nearly always performed up to expectations.
First and foremost, Wahoo had exceptional players. The “Big 3” had performed as advertised. Travis Toline (14.8), Mike Hancock (23.1) and Greg Hain (19.5) all ended the regular season averaging in double figures. And not only were they prolific scorers, their skills were complimentary. Hancock set the state career record. Hain set the single game assist record for Wahoo with 14 against Valley. Toline would finish his career as the #7 all time rebounder for the Warriors. Schuyler Coach Jeff Droge commented on Hancock: “Hancock hit a couple from NBA range. I can’t sit here and say it was poor defense. Hancock had some unbelievable plays. I don’t know what you can do (defensively) with Mike Hancock – he’s unbelievable.” Valley Coach Charlie Doeden on the Warrior guard play: “Those are the two best guards in the state, no doubt. Hain takes the ball to the hole as well as anybody I’ve seen and it was basically a layup drill for him tonight.” While the spectacular play of Hancock and Hain drew the attention of the press and opposing coaches, Coach Anderson noted that a key to Wahoo’s success was the play and attitude of Toline: “He didn’t care to get all the points or the headlines, but he was a very good leader. We never could have accomplished the things we did without him.”
Those three players might have been enough to make Wahoo the best team in Class B and Coach Anderson clearly expected that to be the case at the start of the season: “This won’t be a team like last year with all five starters scoring in double figures.” But the Wahoo team surprised the coach and went from being a good Wahoo team (and that’s saying a lot) to being in the discussion for one of the best Wahoo teams. While the team didn’t have five double digit scorers as the 1993 team had, it did sport four as sophomore, Mike Simons, joined the three seniors with a 13.6 point average. Simons started every game and became the Warriors leading rebounder with 7.8 per game.
The fifth starting spot went to either senior Louie Wotipka, or sophomore Josh Anderson. Seniors Sean Forbes and Chris Anderson also came off the bench to make significant contributions. With all of the blowout wins, Wahoo’s depth was never really tested, but on numerous occasions the bench showed they were capable. Wotipka scored 10 against Valley, Josh Anderson had 17 against Logan View. Even though playing significantly less minutes, Sean Forbes was third on the team in three point fieldgoals, connecting on four in one game (12 points vs. Raymond Central, holiday tournament). Chris Anderson’s double digit game (11) came against Raymond Central in the first round of the Capitol Conference Tournament when he connected on three long balls. In most situations, when the Wahoo starters went to the bench, the reserves actually increased the Warrior winning margin. And much of that time was played against the opponent starters. After the Aquinas game, Coach Anderson noted that it was unusual when Aquinas coach Kevin Scheef had elected to pull his starters at the same time as Wahoo: “He’s the first coach in seven years who played his junior varsity when we pulled our starters.” It’s not unreasonable to conclude that, even as you moved down the bench, man for man, the Wahoo players were better than their counterparts.
The team’s statistical record also strongly supports the Warriors’ superiority. At the end of the regular season Wahoo had outscored its opponents by an average of 41.9 points. The Warriors led by an average of 17 points at the end of the first quarter, 28 points at half, and 38 at the end of three quarters. Wahoo shot 54% from the field, 39% from three point range. The Warriors were able to attempt half again as many field goals as their opponents, partly due to averaging over 19 steals per game. Ten times Wahoo recorded over 20 steals in a game, and had 31 steals against Valley. Even though, as noted above, Wahoo had superior players, a majority of the scoring didn’t come off of one-on-one type basketball. After 23 games, the Warriors were averaging 27 assists per game. Rebounding was the team’s weakest statistic, yet the Warriors still averaged 10 more rebounds than their opponents and were only outrebounded three times in 23 games. With those statistics, it is not surprising that Wahoo was 22 – 1 going into district play.
While the statistical record speaks loudly of the 1994 Warriors’ proficiency, more subjective evaluations express an appreciative “amen.” First of all there were the evaluations of opposing coaches. Most of the coaches facing Wahoo were familiar with the program and their comments reflected their past experiences as well as their 1994 contest. Clearly, Syracuse Coach Mark Hrabik saw the Wahoo squad as much more than a good team, seeing a bigger picture in which the Warriors stood out: “Everybody dreams of building a program. We’re just scratching the surface.” Coaches facing the Warriors for the first time also saw Wahoo as a quality program. After St. Joe Benton Coach Mike Zeisel’s Cardinals lost to the Warriors in the Prep Holiday Classic, the coach concluded, “Wahoo is the best team we’ve seen this year and that’s even when they’re tired.” Grand Island Central Catholic Coach Bill Gravers had one of the better Class B teams and following the Crusader’s loss to Wahoo, Gravers acknowledged Wahoo’s ability: “They’re a great team who’s been in a lot of different situations.”
The sports writers concurred with opposing coaches. Ryley Jane Hambleton of the Lincoln Journal Star ranked Wahoo number one for every week of the ’93-’94 season. That wasn’t unusual. The Warriors had enjoyed that top ranking every week of the regular season since the end of the ’88-’89 season. They were displaced only once, the final ranking of 1992 after the loss to Ogallala in the state tournament. Stu Pospisil of the Omaha World Herald also put Wahoo in the top spot in the preseason poll, noting that “This class again will lineup up behind Wahoo.” But Pospisil changed his mind with the first ranking of the season when the headline announced, “Gross Leapfrogs Wahoo to No. 1 Spot.” Pospisil elevated Omaha Gross to the top spot in Class B due to its success against Class A teams (3-1 at the time). Following the holiday tournaments in which both Wahoo and Gross suffered a loss, Pospisil returned the Warriors to the top spot where they remained the rest of the season. So, except for that one little hiccup, Wahoo had been recognized by the two statewide newspapers as the best team in Class B for the entire season.
Whether looking at individual statistics or team record; whether considering the opinions of sports writers or opposing coaches; the obvious conclusion was that the Wahoo team of 1994 was a superior team. Valley Coach Charlie Doeden had one of his better teams in 1994, losing only to Wahoo and Yutan, finishing second to the Warriors in the Capitol Conference. The coach pointed out that playing in the Capitol Conference with Wahoo challenged you to keep your goals realistic. Coach Doeden’s evaluation: “You’re playing for second place; second in the conference tournament and second in conference (regular season).” That was the reality, not the mystique.
