Sam Hoiberg has high expectations for the Nebraska men’s basketball team going into the 2025-26 season.
After winning the Crown tournament last season, the fifth-year senior guard believes that, thanks to their strong culture, the team is poised to make a big jump in his final season with the program.
“We’re just trying to continue to build that culture and just have those expectations of getting this program to a place it’s never been before,” Hoiberg said. “And we’re not going to stop now.”
According to Coach Fred Hoiberg, the theme for the Huskers during summer workouts is the competitive nature they’ve shown.
“I love how they compete every day,” Coach Hoiberg said. “The guys have never come in where we’ve had to jump them to get them going. That’s been an innate quality of this team, is they come in the gym ready to go, and that’s been huge for the coaching staff.”
The team has done a great job picking the material up quickly. Although the younger players sometimes need a little more guidance, they are catching on at a fast rate.
“Overall, this has been a team that’s learned, I think, very quickly,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve thrown a lot at them. We put a clean-up edit for them to watch on their own in the evening just because we have a limited number of hours we can be with them in the gym, and they’ve been very diligent with their work. That’s the biggest thing I’ve been impressed with, is how they’ve come in every day and competed.”
The Huskers are getting a big boost this season with the return of senior forward Rienk Mast. Mast missed the entire 2024-25 season after undergoing knee surgery following his 2023-24 campaign. In his first season with the Big Red, he started all 32 games, averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He totaled 20 double-digit scoring games while also finishing in the top 15 in the Big Ten in rebounds (seventh) and assists (15th).
Mast also helped lead Nebraska to the postseason for the first time since 2014. Hoiberg is excited to have Mast back after being cleared to return to practice.
“It’s just so good to have him out there,” Hoiberg said. “You kind of forget all the things that he does for this team, not only with his ability to shoot it and stretch the floor, but defensively. He’s one of the better pick-and-roll defenders on this team. His deflections and his communication, the way he talks throughout the possession on both ends of the floor, we really missed that last year.
“So it’s been awesome to have him. He’s still rusty, as expected when you have over a year off the court, but he’s getting better every practice. It’s such a luxury having him back out there on the floor.”
Junior guard Cale Jacobsen is a player that Hoiberg has been impressed with throughout the summer. Jacobsen was a crucial member of the team in last year’s Crown tournament run and Hoiberg said that he’s has only continued to get better.
“I think a big thing is confidence, knowing that he can go out there and make a big impact,” Hoiberg said. “He was as important as anybody on the floor for us in that little run we made at the end of the season in the tournament, and he’s carried that over into the summer. Cale’s a guy that’s always going to get out there and work. You see him in the gym all the time.”
Using your voice has been a point of emphasis for the Huskers this year. Last season’s team was not as vocal, but Hoiberg wants that to be different this year. He said that Sam Hoiberg, Jacobsen, Mast and others have done a great job of this all summer.
“As a whole collectively, I do think it’s a better talking group,” Hoiberg said. “The true test is are they going to continue to do it when things get tough? When adversity hits us, are they going to continue to go out there and talk as a group? Because if you don’t, you put your head down, in this league, you’re done.”
Depth is not a problem that Nebraska has going into the season this fall. Although he’s not yet sure exactly what the rotation will look like, Hoiberg is encouraged by how competitive each player is.
“Right now, I have no idea who’s going to actually be in the rotation,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve had some guys that have stood out that I know will be in it, but there’s still guys fighting for spots in the rotation. It’s great, it’s been fun, it’s been a lot of fun this summer. Just because again, with the competitive spirit of this group, all that will be determined here when we get back from the break.”
A big emphasis during the offseason was adding more perimeter shooting. As part of the transfer portal haul, Nebraska landed a pair of 40% 3-point shooters in Pryce Sandfort and Kendall Blue and brought back Jamarques Lawrence after he shot 39.1% last season at Rhode Island. Hoiberg also added some versatile frontcourt pieces to complement Mast’s return, giving Hoiberg the ability to play the true five-out style he prefers.
“It’s having as many playmakers on the floor as you can,” Hoiberg said. “I think that’s when you’re toughest to guard, is when you’ve got five guys that can pass, shoot and dribble. This year, I do think we have a better shooting team; at least, that has shown in the summer with our percentages.”
With summer workouts nearly complete, Hoiberg said he is happy with the progress that he’s seen.
“I’ve just been impressed with the overall group,” Hoiberg said. “I’ve seen, pretty much, growth across the board. I don’t think there’s been one guy that has gone the wrong direction in these five-plus weeks that we’ve had. For us, that’s what you want to see. That’s what makes you proud of them.”
