It’s not that Brock Scholl doesn’t still look up to his father and older brother. It’s just, you know, he grew up.
Skutt Catholic’s dominating senior center, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound boss in the paint, comes by his height naturally. Mom, she’s 5-11, the short fry. Older sister, 6-foot. Older brother and dad, both 6-6.
So, how’s the weather down there?
“We get looks when we are walking down the street,” admits Brock. “It’s sort of funny to see some people’s reaction.”
Probably is. Sorta like the reaction Brock gets from one of his thunderous dunks or blocked shots, and they are many. His steady rise as the best big man in Class B basketball, and certainly in the conversation for being the best regardless of class, was at the heart of Skutt’s past two state championship seasons.
“We’ve had a lot of really good players over the past 10 or 12 years and not many of them have been three-year starters like Brock,” says Skutt Catholic head coach Kyle Jurgens. “He knows for us he has to be a force inside and a rim protector first. However, his game is far more than that. He can stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the ball and is very comfortable outside the arc. Ultimately, he always trying to get better so he wants to be coached hard and always handles it the right way. It sets a tone in practice for the rest of our guys that everyone, no matter their status or previous accolades, is above working to get better.”
As if last year’s all-class all-state performance wasn’t good enough Brock went to work over the summer, hitting the weights harder than ever, and as a result he might way about the same but it don’t look the same, just ask the guys who’ve tried blocking him out. Among the other aspects of his off-season training was a heavy dose of biometrics, which are used to measure the return on your workout investment.
With his dad nudging him toward the game Brock first started playing basketball around the house, jamming away on the mini hoop in the basement, and was also involved in lots of other youth sports, including football and soccer.
Brock’s major growth spurt came between his freshman and sophomore year in high school, when he grew from 6-4 to 6-8, adding an extra inch over the past year. Once he entered high school he decided to focus on basketball, “to help Skutt win some championships and maybe go D-1,” he remembers. And that’s a plan that has been executed to perfection. (Keep reading...)
Born in Omaha, Brock has found the game of golf, enjoyed a little success, and now plans to “step my game up.” He’s already recorded an eagle, so beware fellow golfers. His favorite food is chicken wings, and lots of them, but he leaves the door open for his favorite pizza, the Ducci, conveniently served at a shop just down the road from Skutt and featuring pepperoni with dollops of cream cheese and topped with (a ton, please) of Mozzarella cheese. His musical taste is dictated by his mood - rap, something like Lil’ Baby or Rod Wave when he’s ready to get after it, something calmer in the pregame - and if watches any TV it is usually Netflix.
Brock carries a strong 3.3 GPA, and he’s already signed to play Division I basketball at UNO. “That was a great experience, signing with both my mom and dad there and the whole school watching. I chose UNO because they showed so much interest in me, there’s a great atmosphere and I love Coach Crutch (head coach Chris Crutchfield) and Coach (Kyan) Brown,” says Brock. Once there he plans to study business with the idea of someday becoming a personal trainer who owns his own gym.
It’s their own fault, of course, but there are a lot of folks who expect Skutt basketball will win every time. And they mostly do. But this season the SkyHawks, a tad short on varsity experience and playing quality opposition, lost their first two games of the season. Gasp! Since then Skutt has won eight of 10, the losses coming to Class A No. 1 Westside (by four points) and by surging Class B Elkhorn North (by two points). The latter raised some eyebrows since Skutt is defending two consecutive state titles.
“Our season is going pretty good, but we are learning and our chemistry is great,” says Brock. “Doing well in the A/B Early Season Showdown proved to us we could be one of top contenders again this season.”
He should know. Skutt won Class B in both 2023 and 2024, the first one with older brother Mitch on the team, which was sweet, and last season roaring down the stretch with 12 straight wins to close things out. Something similar this time around surely wouldn’t catch anybody off guard.
“Brock has been fun to coach and he’s an exceptionally gifted athlete and player. Some of the things he does on a daily basis we probably take for granted after witnessing them for four years,” adds Coach Jurgens. “He walks in the gym every day with a smile on his face and his teammates love him. He’s always encouraging people and when it’s time to work, he works. He is in his second year of being the other team’s main focus and he still impacts the game night in and night out.”
During the course of his career Brock has been blessed with a great support system of family and friends, the best example being his classmate, Skutt senior point guard Kyle Cannon. “We have played together all four years at Skutt, and all the way back to fifth grade,” says Brock. “We’ve been a duo, best friends who have won together. It would be great to finish up with three straight.”
And folks, he’s talking state titles not chicken wings there.
