LINCOLN, Neb. — Two Panhandle greats — Alliance’s Jordan Hooper and Gering’s Brooke Schwartz — were honored Sunday as part of the 2025 class inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in Lincoln.
Hooper, a 2010 graduate of Alliance High School, made her mark early, leading the Bulldogs to the 2007 Class B state basketball championship as a freshman and a runner-up finish the following year. She was twice named Nebraska’s Gatorade Player of the Year, three times All-Nebraska and four times a Class B all-state selection. In addition to basketball, Hooper was an all-state volleyball player and a state champion in the long jump. At the University of Nebraska, she was a three-time All-Big Ten pick and first-team All-American, finishing her career with 2,357 points and 1,110 rebounds before spending four years in the WNBA. Her No. 35 jersey was retired by the Huskers.
Schwartz, a 1996 Gering graduate, scored 1,894 career points, ranking No. 4 all-time in Class B girls basketball. She led the Bulldogs to two state semifinal appearances, earning three Class B all-state honors and twice being selected all-class, all-state. Schwartz also excelled in volleyball and track, placing in the top three of the Class B high jump three times and helping Gering win the all-class gold in the 400-meter relay in 1994. At the University of Nebraska, she played on three NCAA tournament basketball teams, scoring 1,243 points, and later continued her career professionally in Iceland and the National Women’s Basketball League…