THE NEBRASKA 100

In the 1958-59 basketball season, Fred Hare was an eighthgrader, ineligible for varsity play.

But during practices for the seventh- and eighth-graders, former teammate Ron Boone said Hare was nowhere to be found.

"He didn't practice with us,'' said Boone. "They sent him straight to the varsity practices. He was that good of a player.''

Players from his era insist that the 6-foot-1 Hare, who averaged 34 points while leading Omaha Tech to the 1963 state title, should be mentioned in any conversation regarding Nebraska's greatest high school basketball players.

"Nobody could stop him,'' said his coach at Tech, Neal Mosser. "He was so quick and he could shoot from any angle.''

Boone, who went on to a 13-year professional career, was a junior reserve on Tech's championship team in 1963.

"He was probably the best high school player I have ever seen,'' Boone said. "He could shoot with both hands and he had a great turnaround jump shot.''

College and professional stardom didn't follow. Although he led Nebraska in scoring (15.2) and rebounding (7.4) as a sophomore, he quit the team during his senior year after a dispute with coach Joe Cipriano. He played in Mexico for a time and none of his NBA tryouts panned out.

"Sometimes,'' he said back in 1983, "it's a strange thing: The best don't always make it, no matter what you do or how good you are.''

-- Kevin White