Throughout the past couple of years, high school basketball has started to look more and more like collegiate basketball. Players constantly working on their fast break dunks, the new addition of a shot clock, creating a faster pace game, sponsors sending money into certain programs and the creation of the high school transfer portal.
The high school transfer rules are similar to those of colleges. Your transfers must be in before May 1 to be eligible to play a varsity sport. If your papers are in any later, you must wait 90 days until you’re eligible to play varsity. Unless a player’s residency changes school boundaries, then they are eligible immediately.
Central High School is not unfamiliar with the transfer portal. With the addition of Head Coach Bruce Chubick last year, Central gained four Omaha South High transfers. This year, the team added six additional players.
Daleron Thomas is a 6-foot senior starter for the Eagles this season. He is a point guard/shooting guard, who transferred to Central from Omaha North for his final year of high school.
Thomas grew up in the Nest, as his father worked in the building. Anytime he wanted to get more work in, it was in the Central gym. It was originally the school he was supposed to attend, but he wanted to play with his brother as a Viking.
“We were supposed to have a good team my junior year, which really didn’t happen, which is why I decided to make the change,” Thomas said.
His transfer has not gone unnoticed by the Eagles, as he is already a starter on the team but also a player that the fans are invested in watching.
“He’s very competitive, he’s chirping all the time when you’re against him, but when you’re his teammate, he’s encouraging you,” Chubick said. “I think these guys sometimes take it too personally, but Dale is just trying to get that competitive edge.”
Thomas is not the only senior addition to this team. The Eagles also welcomed 6-foot-2-inch power forward Kevon Newsome and 6-foot-1-inch point guard DJ Sterling from Benson, along with 6-foot-3-inch sophomore starting guard DaShawn Prince.
They all followed Coach Terrance Mackey for the 2023 football season, but happened to make an immediate impact on the basketball court.
Newsome plays alongside senior Devin Holmon and Thomas on their club team, Omaha Elite. Continuing to play alongside his teammates was an obvious choice once the football season was over.
Sterling on the other side played basketball for Benson his freshman and sophomore years but decided to stop his junior year.
“I did not really fit their scheme at Benson,” Sterling said.
But he was convinced to make his return as the “true point guard” the Eagles missed out on last year.
Along with Prince, two other sophomores have made the earlier transition to Central. Amir Wise, a 5-foot-10-inch guard from Westview and Lenox Haynes, a 6-foot-1-inch guard from Class B Mount Michael.
Wise will not be able to play varsity until Jan. 20, 2024, because of transfer rules, but Haynes is eligible.
“I wanted a different atmosphere, like academics and athletics, like that environment. And then I thought Central could just develop me more as a player,” Haynes said. “I’m just looking forward to that exposure that I’m going to get next year. A lot more people look at Class A than Class B because the level of skill that drops off at Class B.”
Whatever the reason may be for coming to Central, Central gladly welcomes them as players and students.
“The atmosphere is amazing, win or lose you’re still going to get support here,” Sterling said.
