North Little Rock honored for finishing No. 12 in SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings
By Nate Olson | Photos by Tommy Land
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The North Little Rock boys basketball team racked up a long list of achievements during its historic state championship season this winter.
One of those was finishing No. 12 in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national high school boys basketball rankings sponsored by Discount Tire.
On Monday, at a ceremony on the NLR campus emceed by Dan Dickau, SBLive Sports Vice President of Basketball Strategy, the team and head coach Johnny Rice were presented with a banner and large, framed commemorative Sports Illustrated cover by Discount Tires’ Mike Graves.
“[The Power 25] is the most special poll to be ranked No. 12 in because it was everybody – not watered down and not just the public schools,” Rice said. “It is everybody combined, including [prep schools]. When you are the 12th-best team in the country, no one else in the state of Arkansas can say that.”
The Charging Wildcats finished 28-3 playing the most challenging schedule of any team in Arkansas prep boys basketball history with several national powers included.
“That’s a real honor being ranked that high with those private schools with us being a public school,” Charging Wildcats junior guard Tyler Frederick said. “Not a lot of public schools can say they were ranked that high. So, it’s really an honor for us to be ranked that high.”
Dickau told the large crowd of students and faculty gathered at the school’s auditorium that NLR met all of the criteria to be ranked nationally.
“When watching clips or extended stretches I came away impressed more each time,” said Dickau, a former All-American point guard at Gonzaga and a six-year NBA veteran. “The way they would compete on the defensive end with an attention to detail from [Rice]. The ability to play at a breakneck speed in transition and finish above the rim or slow it down and allow Nick Smith to truly dictate terms — they were dominant.”
Rice, who recently announced his retirement from a 31-year teaching and coaching career, told the crowd this year’s team was “the most dominant“ of the six state title teams he coached at North Little Rock in 10 seasons — much to the delight of the team sitting in the front row.
“[The players] knew that coming in, but we had to go out on a good note to solidify that spot,” said senior guard Nick Smith, a McDonald’s All-American and University of Arkansas signee. "Wining the state championship and the kind of season we had, I think it was easy to say that.”
And some would say it isn't just the best North Little Rock team.
“We’re definitely one of the top teams in Arkansas basketball history,” Frederick said. “We can say that now since we won [a state championship]. It wasn’t easy. We had a tough journey getting there. We fought hard to make it happen.”
Frederick will be the only returning starter on the team, which is looking for a new coach, but he said the goal won’t change next season.
“We have the same expectations, even though we have some big shoes to fill,” he said. “We know we can do it and get back to where we were.”
The Charging Wildcats will enjoy one more event to celebrate their epic season as they will be awarded their state championship rings at a ceremony in June. The team is currently raising money to purchase the rings, Rice said.
