With the Huskers about to take on TCU this evening I thought it would be fun to look back at Huskerland's 2015 feature story on the young man of the hour, Johnny Trueblood.

Funny how things work out sometimes.

When he was in middle school, Elkhorn South superstar Johnny Trueblood was admittedly "chubby" but was also a lights out shooter. Here he is, in the home stretch of his illustrious high school career and there are those around him who wonder if he'll ever do anything but drive to the rim.

Funny how things work out sometimes.

"As a seventh- and eighth-grader people were wondering if I'd ever be quick enough to get to the rim, then as a freshman I grew like four or six inches and really became a different type of player," says Trueblood, a 6-3 senior shooting guard. "I got quicker and really started to concentrate on taking it to the rim, to the point where people questioned my outside shot."

Most of those questions have surely been answered. While a competitive person with designs on perfection might feel like there's room for improvement - Johnny, they're calling your name - Trueblood is a returning all-stater who is currently averaging 17 points per game.

This much is for sure, Elkhorn South head coach Alex Bahe is a fan.

"Johnny has a great natural knack to score, particularly getting to the rim," says Coach Bahe. "He's always had great vision and creates shots for other guys, and he's a proven scorer."

Last year was a magical one of the Storm program, as Elkhorn South won its first 26 games in a row before losing to eventual state champion Omaha Skutt in the semifinals and settling for a third-place finish. Gone from that team are all-state guard Matt Thomas and three-point specialist JJ Zumbrennen, leaving Trueblood as the BMOC, a role he politely declines to accept.

"Last year there was the three of us and it relieved the pressure on all three of us. This season we have a lot of guys who have stepped up, guys nobody had heard of before this year, and we are (13-4), which is a pretty good record," says Trueblood. "I certainly don't feel like I have to do anything special night after night because we are a team first, and I know I can count on my teammates and they know they can count on me."

Trueblood's natural aggressiveness translates well at the offensive end of the floor, where he's well-known for his wild-eyed drives to the hoop. Another way that approach has manifested itself is in his play the defensive end, where Coach Bahe gives him a great deal of credit for becoming an improved player.

"Johnny's made himself into an elite defender over the course of his career and we will need to continue to see a lot of that for us to have success down the stretch," says Coach Bahe.

Some of that credit goes to the summertime basketball experience Trueblood has enjoyed the past three summers, playing with Omaha Sports Academy select team. "Between my freshman and sophomore year I had a decent summer on the regional team and had a pretty good sophomore (varsity) season but my coaches at OSA told me I'd need to earn any minutes I would get on the national team, and that meant improving my defense.

"Playing against so many great players from around the country really tested me and it made me a better player overall, especially on defense. I like playing defense now, and most nights I'm going to defend the other team's best player."

Trueblood has an older brother, Tommy, and younger sister, eighth-grader Jenna, and says he's close with both of them. Though only one of them makes him the occasional bad of Puppy Chow, earning her a place in the sister hall of fame. "I just adore her for that," he says. Can't blame him.

Trueblood takes his grades seriously churning out a 3.95 GPA despite his constant work on his basketball game. Late in the summer, after attending a couple of Husker basketball camps and playing some open gym ball with current players, Trueblood agreed to become a preferred walk-on at Nebraska. For Johnny, it was a basketball dream come true.

For all the good things Elkhorn South basketball has accomplished so far this season there is no easy road to a state tournament berth. Far from it, as the Storm is locked into the powerhouse B-2 district, one which includes defending champion Skutt and Gretna, which is No. 1 in the Class B wild card. Currently ninth in the wild card, if Elkhorn South's going to state, it's going to have to win its way there.

"I'm OK with that. I really feel like we have the type of talent to get the job done, we are just going to have to outwork other teams."