Osmond Tigers earn all-conference recognition
OSMOND — Osmond High School senior Keaton Timmerman and junior Graysen Schultze both earned Lewis and Clark first team all-conference honors for their contributions in the 2019-20 basketball season. Fellow Tiger teammates, seniors Justus Maertins and Aaron Chishiba, received honorable mention.
Keaton was also named to D1 first-team all-state in the Grand Island Independent newspaper.
Coach Todd Schulze commented on each of the Tigers:
Aaron Chishiba – Aaron Chishiba is the hardest-working young man I have had the privilege of coaching. He didn’t start playing the game until moving to Osmond, and since then demonstrated an absolute desire and passion to improve his skills and impact on the court.
I’ve coached him for six years and can’t say there’s been a practice where he wasn’t the hardest worker from start to finish, all the while being a great teammate and supporter to the other guys in the gym. As a point guard, he ran our offense more efficiently in each of his three years as a starter.
In his senior season, Aaron was able to take control of the game with his pace of play on offense and lockdown ability as a defender. I will always be impressed with his commitment to playing defense EACH and EVERY game. There was never a challenge he backed away from, even if that meant defending a sixfoot tall guard!
He flat out competed every day he was on the court and played with respect for his teammates and opponents. I’ll forever use Aaron as an example of someone who had the desire to be good at something, then invested an immense amount of time and energy, maintained humility, learned from those he respected, and ultimately reached success. He did things the RIGHT way. Aaron will end his career scoring 431 points, finishing 12th all-time in assists with 251, second in steals with 168, and first all-time in charges taken with an astonishing 37!
Justus Maertins – Justus Maertins was somewhat of a utility player for us in each of his three seasons playing varsity basketball. His versatility made a big impact for our teams the last couple seasons. He made his mark as a high-level defender and maintained that impact throughout his career.
In his junior and senior seasons, Justus developed as scorer. He was lethal in fast break offense, routinely utilizing his go-to Euro step and other athletic moves around the basket. In the half-court, he would hurt the opposition with open jump shots and pull up jumpers.
Justus consistently played well in some of our biggest games throughout his career. I will always have great respect for his ability to ultimately give himself physically and still maintain his composure mentally. He has battled through countless injuries and pains, but when game time arrived, Justus was always ready to lock in and compete.
He has been a great example of what is looks like to be a reliable teammate and play the game with great sportsmanship and a competitive demeanor. Mr. Maertins will end his career scoring 530 points, grabbing 301 rebounds, dishing out 133 assists, and sitting fourth all-time in career steals.
Graysen Schultze – Graysen Schultze took a big leap forward in his junior season. Since his sophomore season ended, he immediately took it upon himself to get over some fears and take more chances. I’m so proud of him for taking on a big role this season and excelling at it.
He is a playmaker offensively! His dribbling and passing skills speak for themselves and make him an entertaining player to watch, but what Graysen improved the most was his confidence shooting 3s. The junior converted 44% of his attempts, finishing with a team-high 32 made three pointers. Not bad for a guy who didn’t like to shoot a couple years ago!
Schultze played with great knowledge and instinct on defense, picking the opportune momentum to go for steals and disrupt the offense. Similar to Aaron, he doesn’t shy away from a challenge. I eagerly await what he will do next to prepare for his senior season!
Keaton Timmerman – Keaton Timmerman reached an improved version of his “old” self this season. As a sophomore, he demonstrated his profound impact on the game, leading a 22-win team to the state tournament. I felt bad for him last season; coming off rehabilitation from ACL surgery, he just couldn’t be the player he wanted to be.
This season, the senior proved why he deserved first team All-Conference and first team All-State honors. He led our team in points and rebounds all season long and was a reliable performer in big games his entire career. He demonstrated throughout the season that he could hurt teams with low post moves, mid post moves, jump shots, 3-pointers, pick and roll, and distributing the ball in somewhat of a point guard role. I imagine some coaches can go 20 or more years without getting to coach a player like Keaton and I got the opportunity for six years!
His ability on the court is impressive but perhaps more impressive is his character. Since I have known him, Keaton has been the leader for those around him; an example of how to compete, be a tremendous teammate/leader, and how treat those around you.
Mr. Timmerman will finish his career third all-time in points and rebounds with 1,443 and 777, respectively. In addition, he also finds himself at second in blocked shots, third in steals and 17th all-time in assists.
