MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Husker Men’s Basketball players Josiah Allick, Rienk Mast and C.J. Wilcher accompanied Coach Fred Hoiberg to Big Ten Media Days in Minneapolis on Tuesday to preview the 2023-24 season. The Huskers didn’t necessarily have talking points, but the main points they got across is that this team competes, has depth and is old, all of which are traits of a successful team in college basketball.
Compete
Fred Hoiberg’s 170th word of his opening statement was “competes,” and some form of that word was a constant from the Huskers in Minneapolis.
”It makes our job a lot easier as coaches when you have a team that comes prepared to work every day and competes every time they step on the floor,” Hoiberg said in his opening statement.
Making the postseason is a priority for Nebraska this season after a 16-16 (9-11 Big Ten) record and just missing an NIT berth. In order to do that, competing in one of toughest conference in the country is a priority.
Competing in the non-conference won’t be easy, it never is, but there are plenty of wins to be had on the schedule. Eight of Nebraska’s 11 non-conference games are against teams that can safely be categorized as low- to mid-major programs. Nebraska has one true road non-conference game, Dec. 17 at Kansas State. The annual I-80 rivalry with Creighton is at home (Dec. 3), and the Bluejays will be looking to avenge last year’s loss to the Huskers in Omaha. The one neutral site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, against Oregon State (Nov. 18) will be a tough test in a unique venue at the Sanford Pentagon.
The Huskers should be very competitive not just in practice but on the court with wins. The roster is better and the schedule on paper seems a little lighter.
Additions
The 2023-24 Huskers will look a little different in the post with the addition of Josiah Allick (previous stops at Kansas City and New Mexico) and Rienk Mast (Bradley). They aren’t the only additions to the frontcourt this season. Freshman Matar Diop was a late addition to the roster in the offseason. He brings a high level of athleticism and a 7-foot-3 wingspan. Eli Rice is a 6-foot-8 freshman that led the team in scoring on the foreign trip to Spain.
Think it’s fair to say the guys had a good time at #big10mediaday! 🤣🌽🏀
(@bekkaallick5 what do you have to say to that?😅) #GBR | #Nebrasketball pic.twitter.com/K40cPM4nqX
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) October 11, 2023
In the backcourt, junior guard Ahron Uhlis (Iowa) is still practicing with the team and Hoiberg said they are waiting for the NCAA to make a decision on his eligibility after the gambling scandal with Iowa and Iowa State athletics. Brice Williams (Charlotte) will most certainly be in line for a featured role. The emergence returning walk-ons Cale Jacobsen (who redshirted last year) and Sam Hoiberg adds depth.
The internal competition for playing time is something that excites Hoiberg and his staff.
“If you throw a line-up with Brice Williams, Juwan Gary, Josiah Allick and Rienk Mast, that all have a level of physicality to all of those players,” Hoiberg said. “That’s the challenge right now is figuring out not only who starts, which I really couldn’t care less about, but more importantly, who is going to finish the game for us.”
Role acceptance with the additions to the roster and returners is something that the players and Hoiberg touched on more than once in Minneapolis.
“We talk a lot about role acceptance,” Hoiberg said. “Whatever role you have, you have to shine and star in that role. I’m confident our guys will do that.”
Jamarques Lawrence the Point Guard
Sophomore Jamarques Lawrence came to Nebraska as a shooting guard out of Plainfield, New Jersey (Roselle Catholic) last season. Tuesday, Hoiberg mentioned Lawrence is making a change to more of the lead guard position.
“Jamarques Lawrence is a guy that is really shifting positions for us and playing pretty much exclusively at the point for us right now. It’s a shift in mentality,” Hoiberg said. “I have to continue to remind him to be aggressive.”
It’s not just a mentality change but seeing the floor and court vision isn’t something you just can teach, you have to be able to have a feel for the game and distribute the ball while scoring. Hoiberg seems confident in Lawrence’s ability to make the transition.
“What’s made him a special player over the course of his career is his ability to put the ball in the basket, but now the balance of running an offense and running the show and getting players involved is something that he is still learning,” he said. “It probably will continue to learn as we play the first couple of games of the season. I’ve been really pleased with Jamarques going out there and running the show for us.”
