Motivated by state tournament shortcomings, Norris readies for state tournament

FIRTH, Neb. - In the recent years of the boys state basketball tournament, few teams have been more of regulars than the Norris Titans - but few have also felt as much disappointment on the weekend. 

Is this the year for Norris to get the job done in Class B? They certainly are hoping so. 

“I think we’re ready to go. This is something there kids look forward to all year,” Head Coach Jimmy Motz said. “They’ve had this on their radar, they did what they had to do to get to this point now we need to just get to Lincoln and see if we can make a run at this thing.”

Norris saw their season end in the semi’s a year ago and in the finals in 2024. Head coach Jimmy Motz and senior Cris Garner Jr. believe the 22-2 Titans  have the experience and skill to take the next step, by focusing on themselves. 

“You’ve got a group of guys who have been down there three times, some of them it’s their fourth time, so they all have a taste of it,” Motz said. “They know the routine and they know what to expect.”

“I just think our experience is huge,” Garner Jr. said “The stage isn’t too big for us, and I think we just have to take I one game at a time, play Norris basketball, and hopefully the result is the win.”

For junior Evan Greenfield, those recent state tournament short comings are being turned into max motivation. 

“I don’t think there is any bigger motivation than getting beat in the finals and then the semifinals,” Greenfield said. “Losing in general sucks, but especially at that stage and at that level.”

The Titans begin their state tournament journey on Thursday when they battle Bennington in an all EMC showdown. 

The entire Norris state tournament run can be heard on Ol Red 99.5