The 2023-24 Nebraska men’s basketball season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but there’s no such thing as a true offseason in college basketball these days. Coach Fred Hoiberg and his staff are already hard at work building the roster to make another run in 2024-25.
The transfer portal is wide open and players have already began coming and going all across the country. There are more than 1,000 players in the NCAA’s database already with more entering every day.
To keep you informed of all the offseason Nebrasketball news, we’ll update this tracker, presented by Pinnacle Bank, any time news drops.
>> Monday, March 25: Redshirt freshman Ramel Lloyd Jr. enters the portal.
Nebraska G Ramel Lloyd, Jr. has entered the transfer portal. https://t.co/FCJH2VzFNB
— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) March 25, 2024
The 6-foot-6 California native did not play in a regular-season game in his two seasons at Nebraska. He was a 4-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite coming out of Sierra Canyon High School in 2022 before opting for a redshirt in his first season in Lincoln.
Lloyd averaged 5.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals during Nebraska’s offseason trip to Spain but was listed as “out” on the Big Ten’s player availability report for much of this season and never played in a game.
>> Monday, March 25: Freshman Eli Rice enters the portal.
This one is a bit surprising. https://t.co/TvBndk21JF
— Mike Sautter (@MikeSautter_) March 25, 2024
The 6-foot-8 wing played in 17 games as a freshman, averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 37% from 3. His playing time fluctuated, averaging out to 10.1 minutes per game, but he notched four double-digit scoring games after showing his potential as a scorer during the team’s trip to Spain last summer.
The Tennessee native and IMG Academy (Fla.) product suffered a high-ankle sprain midseason and did not play again. Now he’ll look elsewhere to continue his career.
**Update: Rice has committed to Penn State.
>> Monday, March 26: Junior Blaise Keita enters the portal.
Nebraska C Blaise Keita has entered the transfer portal. https://t.co/gnqNHZzdGi
— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) March 26, 2024
The 6-foot-11 JUCO product spent two seasons in Lincoln but did not play this season while recovering from the ankle injury that cut his first season at Nebraska short.
He averaged 2.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game in 2022-23, starting the first five games while Derrick Walker was out of the lineup then playing 16 more off the bench before the injury. He had surgery during the offseason but the recovery didn’t go as planned and it sidelined him for this season as well. Keita was listed as questionable on the availability reports down the stretch of the season but did not play, maintaining a redshirt for this season and granting him two more years of eligibility.
>> Tuesday, March 27: Junior C.J. Wilcher enters the portal.
C.J. Wilcher is the latest to enter the transfer portal off of Nebraska’s 2023-24 roster.
Wilcher has one year of eligibility left as a grad transfer. #Huskers #Nebrasketball
— Mike Sautter (@MikeSautter_) March 27, 2024
Wilcher participated in Nebraska’s senior day ceremony after three seasons in Lincoln and enters the portal as a graduate transfer. He began his career at Xavier.
The 6-foot-5 sharp-shooter averaged 7.9 points and shot 37% from 3 as a Husker.
This season, he averaged 7.7 points in 17.9 minutes per game, both Nebraska career-lows, though he shot 39.4% from 3. He started two games this season after making 24 starts a year ago. After a red-hot start to Big Ten play (11.9 points per game, 56.9% from 3), Wilcher failed to hit the double-digit mark in each of his last 11 games, averaging 3.8 points and shooting 18.4% from 3 during that stretch.
**Update: Wilcher has committed to Texas A&M.
>> April 1: News breaks of Jamarques Lawrence’s intention to enter the portal.
NEWS: Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence (@JLawrence10_) is entering the transfer portal, a source tells me.
Lawrence just wrapped up his second season at Nebraska and started 23 of the ‘Huskers 34 games this season. Native of Plainfield, New Jersey.
He averaged 6.9PPG, 3.1RPG… pic.twitter.com/jlSgsa80Gp
— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) April 1, 2024
Lawrence joined the program as an off-guard known for his shooting ability and played 28 games as a freshman including 12 starts, stepping into the lineup after Emmanuel Bandoumel’s season-ending injury. He averaged 5.0 points and shot 37.3% from 3 overall.
Hoiberg and his staff recruited Iowa transfer Ahron Ulis to play point guard, but when the Iowa gambling investigation cast Ulis’ eligibility in doubt (which led to him missing the entire season), it left Nebraska with limited options at the position. As a result, Lawrence opened the season as the team’s starting point guard, showing some flashes but struggling overall. He started 23 games before Hoiberg moved him to the bench, where his play improved. He averaged 6.9 points, 2.5 assists and 2.0 turnovers while shooting 35.6% from 3 in 23.5 minutes per game this season.
**Update: Lawrence has committed to Rhode Island.
>> April 2: Big man Matar Diop enters the transfer portal after one season at Nebraska.
Nebraska F Matar Diop has entered the transfer portal. https://t.co/MJV06o8w7u
— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) April 2, 2024
The 6-foot-10 big man was a late addition to Nebraska’s 2023 recruiting class after assistant coach Ernie Zeigler noticed his potential at the NBA Academy in July. He played in 19 games this season behind Nebraska’s veteran frontcourt of Rienk mast, Josiah Allick and Juwan Gary, totaling 16 points and 17 rebounds in 72 minutes.
Diop’s departure leaves Nebraska with four returning scholarship players in addition to the two incoming freshmen. The Huskers have seven open scholarships for next season.
**Update: Diop has committed to Loyola Marymount.
>> April 4: Juwan Gary and Brice Williams announce they’re returning to Nebraska for the 2024-25 season.
@HuskerMBB I think The people WanT to hear ThiS🦻🏾 pic.twitter.com/Vf6G43q0Lt
— Juwan Gary (@takflight24) April 4, 2024
Both players are choosing to use their extra season of eligibility in Lincoln after helping lead the Huskers to 23 wins and a NCAA Tournament appearance. Williams averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 38.8% from 3 in his first season as a Husker after transferring from Charlotte. Gary averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds while leading the defensive effort in his second season as a Husker after spending three years at Alabama, including a medical hardship year.
>> April 8: North Dakota transfer Andrew Morgan commits to Nebraska.
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The 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man averaged 12.9 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Bison this season, shooting 55.6% from the field including 36.4% on 1.0 3.-point attempt per game and 70.3% from the free-throw line. He scored in double figures in 22 of his 29 games with two double-doubles. Morgan scored a career-high 31 points against Kansas City, 27 against North Dakota and 24 against Omaha. He was a second-team All-Summit League selection this year.
Morgan is the first transfer addition of the offseason for the Huskers. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
“Andrew fits exactly what are looking for and is a perfect fit for our offensive and defensive system.” Hoiberg said in a release after Morgan signed with Nebraska. “He is a physical presence in the paint and can stretch the defense with his ability to shoot.”
>> April 15: Utah transfer point guard Rollie Worster commits to Nebraska.
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The 6-foot-4, 206-pound guard played for former Nebraska assistant Craig Smith for four seasons, one at Utah State and the last three at Utah. He’s started in 101 of his 103 career games and announced in late March that he was entering the portal.
Worster averaged 9.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 16 games this season before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year. He’s averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists for his career but has shot just 29% from 3 and 41% from the field. A hard-nosed floor general, Worster has sported a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ration over the past two seasons.
“We targeted Rollie early as someone who can come in and elevate our program,” Hoiberg said in a release. “The first things you look at are his experience and decision-making ability on the court. He started in the Pac-12 the last three years and had nearly a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Rollie was among the conference leaders in assists two years ago and was on track to put up better numbers before his injury in January. He also gives us positional size in the backcourt while being a very good rebounder and defender.”
>> April 16: Rutgers transfer Gavin Griffiths commits to Nebraska.
The 6-foot-8, 193-pound wing was a 4-star recruit ranked 44th nationally in the 247Sports Composite coming out of Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut but struggled during his freshman year at Rutgers. Griffiths averaged 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game, shooting 2.4% from the field including 28.2% from 3. However, he finished the season strong, averaging 8.3 points while shooting 37.1% from 3 over his final seven games.
“Gavin is an elite shooter with deep range,” Hoiberg said in a release. “Spacing is so important in our system, and his skill set fits what we are looking for. He handles the ball well and possesses the length and athleticism to give us flexibility and positional size in our lineup. Gavin has a year of Big Ten experience under his belt, and you could see his confidence grow over the course of last season, especially in the last month when he shot 37% from 3-point range.”
>> April 21: Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian commits to Nebraska.
Go Big Red #Committed 🌽 pic.twitter.com/BJsnhxoj7r
— Connor Essegian (@CEssegian) April 21, 2024
Essegian was a first-team Big Ten All-Freshman team selection his first year in Madison. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native visited Nebraska, Indiana, Maryland and South Carolina this spring, choosing the Huskers over the other three. The sharpshooter averaged just 7.3 minutes and 3.2 points per game in 2023-24. During his freshman campaign, the 6-4 guard average 27.4 minutes and 11.7 points while 35.9% shooting from beyond the arc.
“As we build our roster, Connor’s skillset fits what we are looking for,” Hoiberg said in a release after Essegian signed with Nebraska. “He has performed at a high level in the Big Ten and was one of the top freshmen in the conference two years ago when he set a school record for 3-pointers by a freshman. Connor is an outstanding shooter and has that confidence that good shooters have. He’s been on successful teams at both the high school and college level and the experience he has gained playing in the Big Ten the past two years should help him make the transition to our system.
Essegian finished his high school career as the No. 10 all-time career scoring leader in Indiana state history with 2,526 points.
