The Glocks' father-son bond, and why Wahoo still bleeds basketball — even in defeat
Launch the media gallery 1 playerJUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Wahoo's Marcus Glock drives against Auburn's Payton Boden during a Class B state tournament game Wednesday at the Devaney Sports Center.In the Wahoo High School gym, the school’s most prominent state championship banners are dedicated to teams that played 30-plus years ago.
Banners for the Warriors’ three volleyball state titles in a four-year period from 2017-20 are displayed nearby, but they pale in comparison to a record that seems likely to stand the test of time. During a state-record 114-game winning streak, the Wahoo boys basketball team won four consecutive Class B state championships (1988-91).
That achievement —and those banners —are forever a part of Wahoo’s athletic legacy. And even now, they’re a reason why Wahoo remains a basketball town.
“These kids up here at Wahoo, even when it’s not basketball season, they’re playing basketball,” Jason Glock said.
As one of the cornerstones of that four-year run, Glock is a Wahoo legend. A member of the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame and a former Husker, Glock now practices dentistry in Wahoo.
But, Wednesday, Glock was back in a familiar setting —the Devaney Sports Center. In the same arena where he’d captured state title after state title, Glock had a different mission this time—to keep his nerves in check. That’s because his son, junior guard Marcus Glock, had led Wahoo to a No. 1 seed in the Class C-1 state tournament for the second year in a row.
“The love of the game is what makes it fun, but it’s a lot more stressful being a parent,” the elder Glock said before Wednesday’s game against Auburn. “I don’t remember ever getting this nervous when I was playing.”
From a young age, Marcus shared his father’s love of basketball. While his parents had considered getting Marcus to try wrestling or baseball, he never wanted to stop dribbling a basketball.
And before long, he’d followed in his dad’s footsteps by making the Wahoo varsity as a freshman. Jason had conversations with Marcus about being patient in his backup role and learning how to complement his older, more experienced teammates.
For Marcus, that meant being a spot-up three-point shooter. He added ball-handling and rebounding skills while growing and learning with a talented crop of teammates.
The Warriors' 2021-22 season was a successful one, but ended in heartbreak, as they lost to Fort Calhoun in the first round of the state tournament.
In dealing with that disappointment, Jason reminded his son that state titles don’t come easy —and that basketball has changed a lot since he played.
“I told him, ‘Hey, this was 30 years ago when I played,’ and things have changed and the players are better now,” Jason said. “I think that this team has the best individual basketball players in Wahoo history. From one to eight, they’re really good basketball players who can all dribble, shoot, pass and rebound.”
Wahoo compiled a 24-1 record heading into this year's state tournament. Marcus Glock spearheaded those efforts, averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game. But the Warriors wouldn’t be so tough without the talents of seniors Owen Hancock, Benji Nelson, Garrett Grandgenett, Treyten Simon, Kamron Kasischke and Anthony Simon.
This season, no team could neutralize Wahoo’s scorers, as the Warriors routinely put up 60-70 points per game. That changed Wednesday. Baskets were hard to come by for the Warriors against Jim Weeks' Auburn Bulldogs.
Wahoo fell behind by six points on multiple occasions before cutting the deficit to one possession. As a large cheering section of blue-and-yellow-clad fans cheered him on, Marcus Glock made a pair of layups to make it a two-point game late.
But Wahoo was unable to get the go-ahead bucket, and Auburn recorded a 47-44 upset.
As the talented group of Warrior seniors walked off the court for the final time, emotions began to flow. In the locker room, even coach Kevin Scheef couldn’t soothe their pain.
“I just told them I have no words right now to help with their pain,” Scheef said. “They’ve been a great group, they worked really hard and they’re super talented kids. I’m heartbroken for them right now that they didn’t get a chance to see where this group could go.”
The loss marks the final chapter of Wahoo’s 40th state tournament appearance, the eighth-most of any non-Class A school. The Warriors will remain at 11 state titles for at least another year, tied for the fourth-most in state history.
Only a junior, Marcus Glock will have another chance at state gold next year. But it won’t be with the teammates that he’s learned from and laughed with the past three years.
“You dream of this for your kids, because nothing’s guaranteed; you never know if you’re going to get another chance,” Jason Glock said.
By the time next December rolls around, Wahoo will once again have hope.
For a community that lives and breathes basketball, the banners — and the dreams — will never go away.
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