Huskers pick up oral committment for 2010 class
June 7, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under 2010 Recruiting Class, News, Recruiting, Video.
Doc Sadler reportedly received an oral committment from Kenyon McNeaill. McNeaill is a 6-1, 170 lb. point guard from Conway, AR who will be entering his senior year of high school this coming fall. He was in Lincoln on an unofficial visit a few days back and apparently liked what he saw. Should he officially sign with Nebraska, he would join Vander Joaquim as expected members of the 2010 recruiting class.
Sadler has rightly identified the point guard position as a position of need for his 2010 class with the departure of Cookie Miller this past spring and only Lance Jeter and Brandon Richardson on the current roster who are true point guards.
McNeaill was a member of Class 7A all-state team as a junior and was considering Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Memphis and UAB in addition to Nebraska for his college choice. Class 7A is the largest class in Arkansas. Sadler’s recruiting of McNeaill returns him to the state of Arkansas where he went to college and coached for a number of years. Obviously he knows the state well and has many contacts there.
Here are a couple of YouTube videos featuring Kenyon McNeaill:
Kenyon McNeaill State Tournament Highlights 2008
Think About It!!! featuring Kenyon McNeaill
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Playing catch-up: Harley gets arrested and Cookie picks a new school
June 5, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under News, Player Updates.
Last weekend Steve Harley, who finished his career with the Huskers this past season, was arrested by Lincoln police under the suspicion of driving under the influence. Harley apparently tried to run from police but was caught. It’s too bad this happened, but hopefully Steve will learn from this mistake and be a better man for it.
Nebraska has been pretty fortunate over the years not having players getting into too much trouble with the law. It’s always a concern though, as you never know how a kid away from his family and home for possibly the first time in his life will react to his new surroundings.
Next up…Cookie Miller has chosen to transfer to Miami of Ohio and become a RedHawk. Miami, 17-13 last year, plays in the Mid-American Conference and is coached by Charlie Coles. Miller, chose to transfer from Nebraska after the season in order to be closer to his family in Charleston, WV.
Miller will sit out this upcoming season and then have 2 years of eligibility remaining.
Alonzo Edwards, who also chose to transfer, has signed with Lon Morris (TX) Junior College. Edwards is a Houston, TX native and will be eligible to play immediately.
Good luck to both Cookie and Alonzo.
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Anderson declares for the NBA draft
April 30, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under News, Player Updates.
In probably the most shocking move of this off-season, Ryan Anderson has declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. I was surprised when I heard that Cookie Miller would transfer but this announcement has me stunned. No offense to Ryan, I never really considered him an NBA prospect.
According to Doc Sadler, Anderson has no intentions of leaving Nebraska but was looking for some feedback from NBA people. He has not signed with an agent and has until June 15 to withdraw from the draft. This move is similar to Aleks Maric after his sophomore season. Perhaps he’ll use the feedback to help him improve his game and pursue professional basketball after college.
Anderson, a 6-4 guard who has primarily played the 4 spot in his career with the Huskers, averaged 7.1 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game while starting 12 games this past season.
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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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Lance Jeter commits to the Huskers
April 4, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under 2009 Recruiting Class, Recruiting.
Nebraska received its second commitment from a juco player when Lance Jeter gave Doc Sadler his oral commitment this past Wednesday. Jeter will join his teammate Quincy Hankins, both from Polk (Fla.) Community College, who also committed to the Huskers this past week.
Jeter is a 6-3, 230 lb. point guard originally from Beaver Falls, PA. At Polk Community College, Jeter averaged 15.9 points, 4.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2 steals per game. In high school he was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s athlete of the year in 2005-06 when he averaged 20.4 points/game as a senior.
The addition of Jeter to the NU lineup figures to give Coach Sadler some options at the point. Last season the Husker’s primary point guard was Cookie Miller. While Miller was often the sparkplug for the offense, pushing the ball in transition and creating opportunities for teammates in the half court sets, the 5-7 sophomore had some trouble defending some of the Big 12’s bigger guards. Jeter’s size potentially gives the team a defender to counter those mismatches.
I’m excited at the prospect of these two players joining the team. They should be able to give us much needed experience and size. The 2009 team is shaping up to be a much different looking group than this past season’s unit.
Spring signing period begins April 15. Once Jeter and Hankins sign, Nebraska will be 2 players over the 13 player scholarship limit. It looks like Sadler is now done recruiting for his 2009-10 team unless there are any roster surprises this spring and summer. With our recent recruiting snafus, it may be best to expect the unexpected.
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Huskers pick up tough road win over Baylor
March 7, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under Husker Basketball Game Recaps, News.
Nebraska overcame Senior Day in Waco and notched their 3rd conference road win with a 66-62 victory over Baylor. The Big Red improves to 18-11 overall and 8-8 in the Big 12. The Huskers finish at .500 in the conference for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
In a game that went back and forth from start to finish, Toney McCray came off the bench to lead NU with 18 points. Baylor did a good job limiting Ade Dagunduro but was still able to join McCray in double figures with 11 points.
Turning point in the game:
- This game was not decided until the final minute when Nebraska clinched the win with strong free throw shooting. Cookie Miller hit 4-4, Paul Velander hit 2-2, Ade Dagunduro hit 3-4, and Brandon Richardson made 2-2. That’s some clutch free throws down the stretch.
Encouraging points:
- Toney McCray picked a good day to have a big game. In addition to his 18 points, he also grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked 2 shots and had 2 big steals. Nebraska could really use strong play from him in the Big 12 tourney next week.
- The Huskers had one of their better games from the free throw line hitting 19-22 for 86.4%. No doubt this was the difference today.
- How about Alonzo Edwards off the bench? The little used big guy came in and hit 2 big 3 point shots and gave the team some huge minutes with Ryan Anderson and Dagunduro in foul trouble. Not sure I like him gaining confidence in his outside shot, but we’ll take it today.
With the win over the Bears, the Big Red looks to have locked up a home game in the first round of the NIT. But, if the Huskers can put together a strong run in the Big 12 tournament they still have an outside chance at making the NCAA tournament. They’d likely need to win 2 games and more likely 3 to get a shot at an at-large bid.
Praise must be given to Doc Sadler and the job he’s done this season. He took the smallest team in college basketball and made them competitive in the Big 12. They were just a whisker away from finishing at 10-6 rather than 8-8 this year. His teams have improved their conference record every year he’s been at Nebraska. There’s no doubt the NU basketball program is on the rise under his leadership.
Up next: It’s Big 12 tourney time. Nebraska will play Baylor again in the 8 vs. 9 game on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m.
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Nebraska beats Iowa State on Senior Night
March 4, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under Husker Basketball Game Recaps, News.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers used a second half surge to push past the Iowa State Cyclones 77-61. The Huskers improve to 17-11 on the season and 7-8 in the Big 12 conference with one regular season game left. The Big Red’s 77 points was their highest point total since dropping 82 against Texas Tech 8 games ago.
Ade Dagunduro led the way for NU on Senior Night scoring 24 points, which matched his career high. Three other Huskers joined Dagunduro in double figures – Cookie Miller with 14 points, Ryan Anderson with 11 points, and fellow senior Steve Harley finished with 10 points.
Iowa State’s Craig Brackins continued his All-Conference caliber play scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He and Lucca Steiger accounted for 42 of ISU’s 61 total points.
Turning point in the game:
- Nebraska took control of a close game just a few minutes in to the second half. Coach Sadler dialed up full-court defensive pressure that forced several Cyclone turnovers which allowed the Huskers to pull away. During a 10 minute stretch NU outscored ISU 23-6 to push their lead to 19 points.
Encouraging points:
- The Huskers have now scored over 70 points in 2 consecutive games and may be picking up some offensive momentum heading into the Big 12 tournament.
- Nebraska’s bench poured in 27 points to help make sure the seniors went out with a win in the Devaney Center. The bench can be an important piece of the puzzle for NU if they are to make a run late in the season.
- The Big Red is still in position to reach .500 in the conference. It won’t be easy, but it would be the first time Nebraska finished at .500 or better in the Big 12 in a decade.
- One more win should lock down an NIT bid for Nebraska, while 2 more wins may give the Huskers a home game in the NIT.
It was good to see the Huskers finish out their home schedule with a win. Especially in a season where some home losses really have defined the course of the season for this team. And of course, I must mention the respect I have for this group of seniors. They led this team that was undersized and not expected to do much this year to play with so much passion that I really enjoyed watching them compete. This group of 2 juco transfers and 2 walk-ons have now helped set the standard for how basketball is played at Nebraska. That’s a legacy to be proud of.
Thank you to Ade Dagunduro, Steve Harley, Paul Velander and Nick Krenk.
Up next: The Huskers head to Waco, TX to face the Baylor Bears on Saturday at 3 p.m for the final game of the regular season.
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Husker losing skid hits 3 after loss to Kansas State
March 1, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under Husker Basketball Game Recaps, News.
Kansas State continued their march toward an NCAA bid by defeating Nebraska 77-72 last night. The Big Red finally broke the 60 point barrier, but turnovers doomed their good shooting effort. The Huskers record drops to 16-11 overall and 6-8 in the Big 12. NU sits alone at 8th in the league with 2 games remaining.
Nebraska had 3 players reach double figures led by Ryan Anderson’s 19 points off the bench. Joining Anderson was Ade Dagunduro with 16 points and Cookie Miller with 14 points and 7 assists. NU shot 49% from the floor and 81.8% from the free throw line.
Turning point in the game:
- The game see-sawed until the Wildcats took advantage of 5 consecutive turnovers by the Huskers to jump ahead for good with 10 minutes remaining in the second half. Nebraska could only get as close as 2 points the rest of the way.
Encouraging points:
- It’s becoming a broken record, but Ade Dagunduro continued his strong play and really looks like he is playing himself into a 2nd team All-Big 12 player.
- It was good to see the Husker offense show up for this road game. Again, I’m hopeful that this will help the team turn the corner on the offensive end.
With this latest loss, Nebraska has lost 3 straight by a total of 14 points. Being competitive in the Big 12 hasn’t been the problem this year, its making the winning plays down the stretch that has been trouble. The Huskers can still reach .500 and finish in the upper half of the conference. Only 2 games remain – at home against Iowa State and on the road against Baylor.
NU looks destined for the NIT, but 2 more conference losses and a “one and done” showing in the Big 12 tourney would put Doc Sadler’s team on the bubble for the NIT.
Up next: Nebraska hosts Iowa State on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. for Senior night and the final home game of the season. Seniors Ade Dagunduro, Steve Harley, Paul Velander and Nick Krenk will be honored in a pre-game ceremony.
