McNeaill backs out of commitment to Nebraska
January 13, 2010 by Bret Nellor, under 2010 Recruiting Class, News, Recruiting.
The Lincoln Journal Star reported earlier this week that point guard Kenyon McNeaill has decided to back out of his oral committment to NU and explore his options.
McNeaill mentioned that he didn’t see much playing time available for him since the Husker’s younger guards seemed to be playing well. The guards who will be back next year should include Lance Jeter, Brandon Richardson, Ray Gallegos, Eshaunte Jones, and walk-on Drake Beranek who is sitting out this season to satisfy NCAA transfer guidelines.
I can see where McNeaill is nervous about his playing time possibilities. The competition will be fierce for time between those 5 next year. But I also think it says something about how McNeaill views himself. While I like our collection of perimeter players, nobody is confusing them for NBA caliber players. If he doesn’t believe that he’s good enough to find a spot in the rotation, then he’s probably not going to be the kind of player the Nebraska wants.
Doc Sadler’s reclamation project with NU, looks to be on its way and is arguably a quality point guard away from being special in the next couple of seasons. We’re young and we finally have some size with Jorge Brian Diaz at 6-11, Brandon Ubel at 6-10, Chirstopher Niemann at 6-10, and incoming junior college transfer Andre Almeida at 6-10. Plus forwards Quincy Hankins-Cole at 6-8, Christian Standhardinger at 6-8, and Toney McCray at 6-6. And some decent outside shooting guards in Jones, Richardson, and Gallegos. A difference-making point guard could push the Huskers over the top.
McNeaill’s back-out opens up a scholarship for the 2010 class. Also, with Adrien Coleman’s departure from the team at the semester break that should give Doc 2 scholarships to fill for the 2010 class.
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Myles Holley to sign with the Huskers
May 5, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under 2009 Recruiting Class, News, Recruiting.
Nebraska will add a 3rd player during the spring signing period. Myles Holley announced in an interview with the Lincoln Journal-Star that he will sign a letter of intent to play for the Huskers.
Holley is a 6-5 wing player who has taken an unconventional path to Nebraska. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Va. in 2007. He then played at Brunswick Community College in North Carolina but left due to financial reasons to attend the Heat Academy where he hoped to improve his Division I stock and save a season of eligibility. This leaves Holley with 3 seasons of eligibility remaining. He averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds per game according to his club team coach.
Holley had offers from Miami, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Greensboro and LaSalle. He joins 6-3 point guard Lance Jeter and 6-8 forward Quincy Hankins as juco transfers for the Huskers this spring. By signing with NU, he puts Sadler’s 2009-10 team one over the 13 player scholarship limit. This certainly suggests further roster movements between now and next fall.
As it stands for now Nebraska’s incoming recruiting class includes: 6-8 forward Christian Standhardinger, 6-9 forward Brandon Ubel, 6-2 guard Rayes Gallegos, Jeter and Hankins. In addition to those incoming first-year players, the Huskers will get the services of 6-4 guard Eshaunte Jones, 6-11 center Christopher Niemann and 6-11 center Brian Diaz. Next season’s roster looks to be quite a makeover from last season as the shortest team in Division I.
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Miller and Edwards to transfer
April 6, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under 2009 Recruiting Class, News, Recruiting.
Nebraska announced today that Cookie Miller and Alonzo Edwards asked for and were given their releases in order to transfer. The departure of these 2 now trims the Husker roster to meet the 13 player scholarship limit, but there may be more roster turnover to come.
Cookie Miller was a major contributor for NU over the past 2 seasons. The 5-7 point guard started 46 of 60 games during his stay and averaged 6.7 points, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game this year. Miller cited family reasons as the explanation for his departure. It was also learned that he strongly considered leaving the team after his freshman season in order to be closer to his family in Charleston, WV.
Alonzo Edwards played a limited role on this year’s squad. He played in 16 games and averaged 1.7 points per game. Edwards is looking for more playing time and appears headed to junior college in his home state of Texas.
Only a few days ago I was curious after the oral commitments of Lance Jeter and Quincy Hankins which players may be leaving in order to make room on the roster. We now have our answer and apparently Coach Sadler is still out recruiting. Possibly expecting further roster turnover. It’s been widely speculated that Chris Balham may consider ending his Husker career due to chronic knee problems and there is concern as to whether Christian Standhardinger will land in Lincoln despite the fact that he is likely to be ineligible this next season as his situation is similar to Christopher Niemann. So it was quite a surprise that Miller and Edwards have decided to transfer.
I’m sad to see both players go as I really liked Miller’s game and determination. Now with his departure there is no doubt that next year’s Nebraska team will look very different from this past season’s unit. I also thought that Edwards could have developed into a nice player by the time he was a junior.
As for Sadler’s additional efforts on the recruiting trail, he is still looking for a wing player. Reports indicate that the Huskers are looking at 2 other juco players. Jamarr Sanders, a 6-5, 205 lb. guard from Northwest Florida State is scheduled to visit Lincoln for the Spring Red-White football game on April 18. Sanders has a reputation as a scorer and averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game. It appears that he is also considering UNC-Charlotte.
Another player NU continues to pursue is Myles Holley, a 6-5 wing from Patrick Henry (Va.) Junior College, who visited the school in early March.
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2008-2009 Husker Basketball Season Recap
March 26, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under News, Season Recap.
It’s been a little over a week since the Husker’s season ended with a loss to New Mexico in the first round of the NIT tournament. Now that I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect back on this season, I felt that a recap was in order.
Off-season struggles
The story of Nebraska’s 2008-2009 basketball season began well before any games were played. The offseason was not kind to the NU program as they learned in late May that prized recruit Roburt Sallie was denied entrance by the Big 12 Conference. Unfortunately the fact that Sallie was enrolled briefly back in 2006 led to him being denied entry by the Big 12. The loss of a key recruit was a major blow to the momentum that Sadler and the Huskers had picked up through the 2007-08 season.
NOTE: Sallie ended up playing for John Calipari and the Memphis Tigers. Sallie, who had a quiet season, suddenly became the darling of the Tigers as he led them to a first round NCAA tourney win by hitting 10 three pointers and scoring 35 points against Cal State Northridge. That kind of explosive scoring ability would have been quite helpful for NU this past year.
This lost recruit ended up summing up the tale of the off-season for Coach Sadler as Nebraska appeared to be cursed. The team was desparate to replace Sallie’s scholarship with another player to address their lack of size. They were unable to secure a big man until Brian Diaz comitted in August, little did they know at the time that he would not be admitted to Nebraska until January 2009 and after a few short weeks decided to redshirt. Shortly before the season began, 6-11 Christopher Niemann was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. Which then led us to 6-9 Alex Chapman, a redshirt sophomore who waited until a few weeks into the season to leave the team and decide to transfer. Needless to say the Huskers were left with what would be the shortest team in Division I basketball.
Despite the team’s “short”comings, NU pressed on. Coach Sadler knew this team would have a difficult time but if he could get them to give maximum effort and play tough defense they had a chance. Behind the example of 4 seniors Ade Dagunduro, Steve Harley, Paul Velander and Nick Krenk, that’s just what this team did.
Let’s get the season started
The Huskers started the season 6-0 which included a nice win over Creighton before enduring their first 2 losses to Arizona State and Oregon State. After a rebound win over IPFW, the Big Red had their first devastating home loss of the season to UMBC. This was the game that showed how thin the margin for error was for Nebraska. Without an inside presence or a true go-to scorer they would continue to have a tough time scoring points all season. These weaknesses combined with the loss to UMBC foreshadowed a return trip to the NIT.
Big 12 Conference
NU reached Big 12 play with a 10-3 record and came out of the gates with a surprising upset of the Missouri Tigers. This was followed up with a rough stretch that saw the team lose 4 of their next 5 games – a tough road loss to Iowa State, a 2 point overtime loss at home to Oklahoma State, and a close loss at home to Kansas. Although they sat at 2-5 in the conference at this point, Sadler’s team was encouraged by the fact that they had played Blake Griffin and a very good Oklahoma team close on the road and were so close against OSU and KU.
Nebraska then rattled off 2 straight road wins and an impressive upset of Texas to get back to .500 in the conference. As soon as hope had returned that the Huskers could somehow manage their way to an NCAA tournament bid, they dropped 4 of the next 5 games. The most damaging loss of that stretch came when Texas A&M won with a last second shot in Lincoln. NU finished strong winning 2 of their final 3 games to reach 8-8 in the conference for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Post-season blues
The Big Red clung to a very slim chance that they could still get an at-large NCAA bid if they could get to the championship of the Big 12 tourney. But they faced a difficult challenge having to play Baylor in the first round after having beat them in Waco only 4 days earlier. Baylor, who had underachieved the entire Big 12 season finally started to play up to their potential and sent the Huskers home after a short stay in the tournament and sealing their NIT fate.
Second-straight NIT berth
Nebraska soon learned they would play on in the NIT, earning a #6 seed and traveled to #3 seed New Mexico for a first round game. Hopes were high that NU could string together a run and possibly reach the NIT final four in New York. It wasn’t meant to be however as the Lobos used their home court advantage to eliminate the Big Red from the tournament. The loss ended the Huskers season at 18-13 overall.
The big picture
Before the season started I predicted that Nebraska would finish at 19-9 and an NIT appearance. I also figured that Coach Sadler would get them to 20 wins for the second consecutive season with at least one post-season victory. I was a little off on that, but considering that the team reached .500 in the Big 12 for the first time this decade, I feel like that was a major step forward for the program. Especially when you consider the obstacles this team had to overcome to get there. One could argue that this may have been Doc Sadler’s most impressive coaching job.
It’s hard not to look back at the season and say what could have been had the ball bounced differently for the Huskers – turn the Oregon State, UMBC, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M games into wins and Nebraska could have held a 22-7 record going into the Big 12 tourney and quite possibly a lock for an at-large NCAA berth.
Of course, college basketball doesn’t live in the imaginary “what could have been” world, but I am hopeful that what this undersized team was able to accomplish has helped to set the foundation for the future. While the Nebraska basketball future may not be so bright that we need to wear shades just yet, I believe we’re taking the necessary steps to get there.
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Christopher Niemann injures knee
March 5, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under News, Player Updates.
Nebraska’s 6-11 big man, Christopher Niemann injured his knee in practice on Wednesday. He tore his ACL after coming down wrong in a no-contact situation.
Niemann, who was sitting out this season due to a ruling by the NCAA about a club team he played on in his native Germany, will have surgery next week to repair the knee. He’ll be out 6-9 months which would run right into the start of next season.
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Roundup of Husker basketball links – 021609
February 16, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under News.
Here’s the past week’s collection of Husker basketball related links:
- Bluejays Up, Huskers Down – Matt Schick notes Nebraska’s loss to Missouri and has NU pegged for the NIT.
- Bronto’s Big XII Power Rankings (Week V) – Sportsfrog.com ranks the Huskers 6th in their Big 12 power rankings.
- For Big 12’s sake, it’d be good if Nebraska didn’t finish fourth – Vrani Fieldhouse blog argues that Nebraska finishing in the top 4 of the Big 12 and making the NCAA tourney would be bad for the perception of the conference across the nation.
- Velander, Niemann Named to Big 12 Honor Roll – Huskers.com announces that Paul Velander and Christian Niemann were named to the Big 12 honor roll.
- Men’s Basketball: Huskers getting national attention – The Omaha World-Herald takes note of the national attention the Huskers received over the past week.
- Small ball is winning in the Big 12 – KansasCity.com notices the success of “small ball” in the Big 12 this season.
- Always Be Prepared – A Federation of Christian Athletes blog covers Ade Dagunduro giving credit to God after hitting the game-winning shot against Texas.
- Hoops Thoughts: It’s got a beat, but can you Dance to it? – CornNation.com looks at Nebraska’s NCAA tournament resume.
- Do We Dare Schedule Watch – Clark Fosler at HuskerHoopsCentral.com looks ahead at the upcoming schedules for Kansas State and Texas to assess what Nebraska must do down the stretch to have a shot at the NCAA tourney.
- The Next Step – Former Husker Beau Reid believes that the program is over the hump and Doc Sadler has a recipe for continued success for the Big Red.
- Tournament Talk – Big12Sports.com looks at the conference’s tournament teams and mentions Toney McCray’s continued development.
- The ‘Moment’ Arrives for Husker Basketball – The Nebraska State Paper admires Coach Sadler and this year’s Husker team.
- Sadler is making believers of Nebraska fans – The International Herald Tribune gives praise to Doc Sadler and the direction of the Nebraska basketball program.
- Can I Have this Dance? – Jack and John from Talk 1400 KLIN look into the Huskers chances at an NCAA tourney bid.
- Devaney project would ease Husker teams’ woes – Lincoln Journal-Star covers the announcement that the University of Nebraska will not wait for a downtown Lincoln arena and will begin a $16 million project to build a practice facility adjacent to the Devaney Center. The project still needs approval from the board of regents. This facility has been long overdue.
- Brian Rosenthal: Big 12 power rankings, 2/10 – Brian Rosenthal’s weekly Big 12 ratings has Nebraska at 4th prior to the loss to Missouri.
- Meek: Big 12 buzz on Kansas State, Nebraska – Austin Meek blogs about Kansas State’s and Nebraska’s unexpected success in the Big 12.
- Big 12 notebook: Baylor’s 5-game skid taking a toll – The Topeka Capital Journal notices the lack of native Nebraskans on Doc Sadler’s roster. Sadler claims he’d like to have 5 or 6 locals on his team.
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Diaz joins Huskers
January 17, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under 2008 Recruiting Class, 2009 Recruiting Class, News.
It’s official and we can finally put to rest the recruiting saga of Jorge Diaz. The 7 footer from Puerto Rico arrived in Lincoln today and has been admitted into Nebraska.
Doc Sadler announced the news at his post game press conference after NU’s win over Kansas State. Diaz will begin practicing with the team on Monday. Sadler sounded unsure if Diaz will play for the Huskers this season. It will depend upon whether Diaz is ready to play at the Big 12 level and if he wants to use one year of his eligibility for the remainder of this season.
My guess is that he won’t. But this news is still good for a team has struggled to recruit big men and build depth in the front court. Especially after learning that Vander Joaquim will not be a part of the 2009 recruiting class.
Update: There was some confusion last night about Diaz’s first name. His name is Brian Diaz, he is using his middle name rather than Jorge. He was officially measured in at 6-11 and 235 lbs. He must be close to 7-0 though as Coach Sadler mentioned that he is a little taller than 6-11 Christopher Niemann.
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NU recruit Joaquim will delay his arrival to Lincoln
January 17, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under 2009 Recruiting Class, 2010 Recruiting Class, Recruiting.
Vander Joaquim has decided to go to the College of Eastern Utah, a junior college, before attending Nebraska. Joaquim, who had signed a letter of intent to play ball for the Huskers next season now looks to be a part of the 2010-11 recruiting class. It’s another disappointment in recruiting for Nebraska basketball. The trouble they’ve had in recruiting lately (Sallie, Diaz) could cause some to believe that someone has put a voodoo curse on them.
Joaquim, a 6-10 F/C once listed as a Top 100 recruit by ESPN.com, will redshirt one semester at Eastern Utah and play one season before attending Nebraska. He also must earn a JC degree before coming to Lincoln. While there is no guarantee that he’ll join the Huskers in 2010, odds are good since the Eastern Utah coaching staff has strong ties to the Nebraska coaching staff. The head coach and an assistant were former players under Doc Sadler and another assistant has connections to NU assistant Walter Roese.
It’s these kind of things that make me not like following the recruiting trail. It’s no lock that this kid will ever play at Nebraska. Sure the odds look good, but no one can predict how this young man’s mind might change in a year and a half. I, for one, won’t be counting on him until I see him in a Husker jersey.
This situation now opens up a scholarship for this year’s recruiting class and it appears that Doc Sadler and his staff have their eyes on 6-7, 235 lb. power forward Anthony Harris from Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College. Harris has interest from Oklahoma State, Utah, Houston, North Texas as well as Nebraska.
The absence of Joaquim from the 2009 recruiting class will continue to leave Nebraska somewhat short-handed when it comes to experienced depth with their big guys. Next season the roster looks to include 6-8 Chris Balham (Sr.), 6-7 Alonzo Edwards (So.), 6-11 Christopher Niemann (So.), 6-8 Christian Standhardinger (Fr.), 6-9 Brandon Ubel (Fr.) and possibly 7-0 Jorge Diaz (Fr.) whom the Huskers are still recruiting.
