3 takeaways from Nebraska basketball’s open summer practice

Nebraska spent the 2023-24 season playing at a rapid pace and launching as many 3-pointers as possible. The open portion of Monday’s practice reflected that style. The early part of the workout was heavy on shooting and transition work, moving quickly from one drill to another as the second summer session winds down.

There’s no reason to make any broad, sweeping conclusions over 20 minutes of a summer workout, but here are three observations from Monday morning.

Berke Buyuktuncel was absent. He’s spending the summer training with the Turkish national team. Gavin Griffiths also wasn’t present as he recovers from a procedure on his right wrist. The transfer from Rutgers is expected back for team workouts in September, athletic trainer Andrew McCabe said in a release.

Transfer center Braxton Meah was in the gym but didn’t participate in any drills during the open portion. He stood on the sideline, next to Rienk Mast, who will miss the season after undergoing knee surgery over the summer. Even without setting foot on the court, Meah stood out. He’s listed at 7-foot-1 and looked every inch of it above the 6-10 Mast.

Everyone else was an active participant, including freshman Braden Frager, who was limited earlier in the summer with a wrist injury. He practiced Monday with tape over his right wrist. He shoots left-handed.

Essegian shot 35.9% from 3-point range as a freshman at Wisconsin in 2022-23, and Nebraska needed players who could maintain its high volume of outside shots after Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher left over the offseason. In a controlled setting Monday, Essegian provided a snapshot of what made him such an appealing target out of the portal.

Essegian’s shooting mechanics are smooth and consistent, his right arm snapping straight forward toward the rim. The ball comes off his fingers with a high arc. In early July, senior forward Juwan Gary said his new teammate had “one of the best forms I’ve ever seen in college basketball.”

There was no defense, but NU shot from a variety of situations: spotting up in the corner in transition, on-the-move catch-and-shoot from the wing. Essegian impressed in all of them.

Mast was engaged during practice, clapping throughout like the rest of the roster. During one miscommunication in a shooting drill, he caught the attention of Gary and directed him to position himself in the corner.

That’s the Dutchman’s role this season. His job is to be a leader and remain vocal, even as he spends the season away from game action.

“Sometimes you even see more when you’re not available to be on the court, whether it’s an injury or a different circumstance,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said in June. “So Rienk’s gonna be able to provide great leadership and talk to the new guys about what it takes, what the system’s all about and how to be successful in it.”