Boys Basketball: Jimmy Braddish closing in on Sandwich scoring record

It's not often — and indeed quite rare — when two high school basketball players from relatively the same area come along at the exact time in history to put an indelible stamp on their respective schools while providing a legacy that won't soon be forgotten.

That's the case for Sandwich senior Jimmy Braddish and Serena 12th-grader Jakob Setchell.

The pair of standout guards are on the verge of setting career hoop scoring records that have stood for decades in the hallowed halls of both the Indians and the Huskers.

Braddish — currently at 1,476 points — needs only 85 points with at least 11 games yet to play in order to eclipse the Sandwich boys scoring record believed to be that of Indians legend Seth Hill (1996-99), who established the school benchmark with 1,560.

Setchell — who stands at 1,603 points — is even closer to the Huskers' all-time mark, albeit just slightly, needs 72 points with a minimum of 10 games left to contest to overtake Serena's all-time scoring record, believed to be that of Ron Olson, who did so with 1,674 points before he graduated way back in 1965.

Baring any unforeseen circumstances, Braddish and Setchell are certain to set new career scoring standards for their schools in the very near future.

For Braddish, who tallied 214 points as a freshman, 299 as a sophomore, 614 as a junior, and currently 349 (18.4 points per game) during this, his senior year, leading Sandwich to an 11-8 record so far this season, the all-time scoring mark is important but not the driving factor in his game.

"The scoring record as an Indian will mean a lot to me, and it’s a great thing if I can get there and will validate all the hard work and time I've put in over the years on the court since I was barely able to walk," Braddish said. "It's crazy to see all that work finally paying off, and once I get there it will be amazing.

"When I was younger I always dreamed of accomplishing something like this, but now that it's getting closer and closer, it's more of a reality check for me, even though I'd trade any individual records for greater team success, which I believe we still have coming."

Braddish's father and Sandwich head coach Jim Braddish couldn't agree more.

"Jimmy has started since Day 1 when he stepped foot onto the court as a Sandwich varsity player, and I'm so proud of him as his coach and his father as to what he's achieved over the years," Coach Braddish said. "Now he's right there, ready to set the school scoring record past such a great player in Sandwich history like Seth Hill.

"He's got a little work to do before that, as we all do as a team in order to reach some goals we want to achieve before the season ends."

On Monday, Jimmy Braddish committed to attend NCAA Division III Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to pursue his academic and athletic pursuits.

Setchell is still undecided as to where his future path will lead, with his current attentions concentrated on his prep career.

Setchell — who lost two games due to injury this year — currently has scored 413 points his senior season (22.9 ppg), leading Serena to its current 10-10 record. He tallied 113 points as a freshman, 459 as a sophomore, and 618 during his junior campaign, and now stands on the brink of Olson's legendary 54-year-old school record.

Coincidentally, Setchell's grandfather Gary Setchell played as a senior at Serena in 1963, when Olson was a sophomore.

"My grandfather competed with Mr. Olson back in the day, and it's amazing that his scoring record has stood for this long," Jakob Setchell said. "To think that he (Olson) played with my grandfather and now I can possibly break his record is mind-blowing to me. I can't believe Mr. Olson scored that many points without a 3-point line like I have now. He had to be one heck of a player. Now I can only hope I can get past his mark and keep going."